Course Syllabus

PHIL 100 - Basic Problems in Philosophy - Fall 2015

Samuel Timme - Emory University

email@emory.edu - (404) 72x-xxxx

Office

Hours: MW 11:15 – 12:15, or by appointment

Course Description

In Plato’s Symposium, a group of friends offer speeches in praise of the god of love, explaining love’s causes, its benefits and dangers for individuals and society, and its definition and essence, and addressing the attendant idea of beauty.  After beginning with the Symposium, we will proceed to five units dealing with philosophical problems that hearken back to it: 

1. God and the Soul,
2. Love, Sex, and Ethics,
3. Skepticism and Realism,
4. Beauty and Art, and
5. Friendship

Course Objectives

1. To reflect upon and refine our philosophical thinking collaboratively.  Although this will be the first philosophy course for many students, the questions raised in it are by no means unfamiliar.  To the extent that they touch on all other academic disciplines and concern basic aspects of ourselves and of the world, every student will already have intuitions, commitments, and convictions about the problems above.  Easy solutions are not typical of philosophy; but we may hope to locate and alleviate confusions and contradictions among our intuitions and avoid being taken in by bad arguments.
2. To develop critical reasoning.  Achieving consistency of thought and learning to recognize misleading forms of persuasion will be among our chief aims.  
3. To acquire basic facility in philosophical writing.  The presentation of arguments in their best light, the consideration of counterexamples, and the coherent defense of a clear, nontrivial thesis will be goals in all our writing exercises.  Being a good philosophical writer is intimately tied to being a good philosophical reader; understanding and employing the principle of charity, therefore, is also essential to this objective.
4. To become more comfortable, thoughtful, and rigorous discussion participants.  Being engaged in discussion through active listening and critical reflection on what is said by our interlocutors improves our capacity to contribute in all cooperative pursuits.  Active listening is the precondition for contributing to discussion and is as much a part of participation as speaking.

Course Assignments and Assessment  Course Policies and Expectations