This course provides an intensive
introduction to philosophy. All sections
will introduce students to the basic
methods of philosophical inquiry. Students
will read a variety of influential
philosophical texts and consider their
answers to central philosophical questions.
Here are some examples of these questions:
•
Can the existence of God be proved?
•
Do we ever act freely, or are our actions
determined by forces outside of our
control?
•
Are we always obligated to obey the
law, or are we sometimes permitted,
or even required, to break it?
•
Do we have certain knowledge of the
physical world?
•
Is morality all a matter of opinion,
or are some moral claims objectively
true and others objectively false?
By the end of the course, students
will appreciate the range of possible
answers to some philosophical questions
and have some tools for evaluating
these answers and the arguments for
them. Students may also undertake
a detailed study of a philosophical
work
to see whether the various arguments
within it make a unified and coherent
whole. Central texts from Western
and non-Western traditions will
be considered.
Different sections of this course
vary considerably in specific course
content,
and students should contact individual
professors for further information
about the topics they will cover
in their sections.
