Course Description:
The aim of this course is to introduce you to philosophy by examining several important texts from the history of philosophy. We will approach philosophy in terms of the question of ethics. Our general aim will be to investigate and understand the philosophical foundations of human life within a society. We will raise several questions concerning these foundations: What is the relationship between the individual and society? What are the basic presuppositions of living in a society? What do we take for granted concerning the functioning of human interaction? What is the role of language in the formation of human society? As is clear from these questions, philosophy is concerned with our existence in a concrete context, and thereby affects our lives and shapes our thinking. In a sense philosophical ideas determine "who" we are as human beings. In line with these questions we will also deal with several misconceptions about the nature of philosophy. This class will not simply discuss the ideas or opinions of philosophers in an abstract fashion. We will see that philosophy is not "abstract," but on the contrary has important implications for our lives. This does not mean, however, that we will reduce philosophy to our own ideas and opinions. Instead we will try to rethink our lives in terms of philosophical discourse.

Required Texts: (available in the Earlham College bookstore)
Plato, The Republic of Plato.
Rene Descartes, Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy.
Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals.
Martin Heidegger. Discourse on Thinking.
 

Reading Assignments:
The amount of reading you will be doing throughout the semester is not much. Therefore, I expect you to read every text assigned for the week very carefully at least twice. As you will see, some of the passages we will read are very difficult. An important aim of this class is to learn how to read and think about a text.
 

Course Requirement and Evaluation:
You are expected to write three 5-6 page papers: I will provide paper topics for each assignment. You are also allowed to decide on your own topic provided that you discuss your topic with me at least a week before the deadline. Along with the paper topics I will also provide specific guidelines for each topic. Besides this, for every paper (including papers on topics of your own choice) you are responsible for following the general guidelines provided. (See "Comments and Suggestions for Papers").
For each week, two students will work together in order to prepare a two paged (single-spaced) protocol of the material discussed during the previous week. A protocol is a carefully edited summary of the previous class sessions written in full sentences. Protocols will be photocopied by the student who wrote it and handed out to all students at the beginning of each Monday to be read aloud, and will serve as a cumulative record of the course. The students who prepare the protocol should come to class a couple of minutes early, so that the protocols will have been distributed at the beginning of the class (i.e., at 11:00). In addition to reviewing the material covered in the previous class, the protocol should include announcements made in class, questions raised, and, if possible, future questions for the material to come. The best protocols will be those that do not simply reproduce verbatim everything that was said during class, but those that rearrange the material thematically, editing out what was unimportant, and emphasizing what was significant. The point of this is not only to get you to work together, but also to allow you to think during class, and not just take notes; because someone will be taking notes for you, you can concentrate on the ideas being presented, and participate without having to write frantically. Also you will have a summary of every class which will help you with writing papers and studying for quizzes.
There will be announced or unannounced quizzes either at the beginning or at the end of the sessions. There will be no make-ups for the quizzes.
There will be no final examination!
Your grade will be calculated according to the following distribution: Paper I: 20%, Paper II: 20%, Paper III: 20%, Quizzes: 20%, Protocol: 10%, Class Participation and Attendance: 10%.
 

Participation and Attendance:
Even though participation counts for only 10% of your grade, it may still mean a lot if you are between two grades, e.g., A and A-. However, I expect you to participate not simply for the sake of your grade, but hopefully because you will be interested in what will be discussed in class. The success of this course depends heavily on your contribution. You need to come to class prepared (having read the assigned readings, and ready to answer questions) and ready to participate in the discussions.
If you miss more than six classes you will fail this course regardless of your grade.
Our sessions will start at 11:00 am. Students are expected to come on time. Walking into the classroom while the session is in progress is extremely disruptive for everybody; so is walking out while the session is in progress. I ask you not to do these. I will mark late students absent, and reduce their grade.
Office hours are for students to discuss ideas, assignments and questions. You are encouraged and welcome to come by my office or make appointments for times other than scheduled office hours. You should take advantage of office hours and appointments not simply to discuss your papers (you are obviously welcome to do that too) but also to understand ideas, and texts discussed in class.
 

Calendar:
There may be some modifications to this calendar. It is your responsibility to be aware of these changes. These changes may be announced in class. If you miss a class you should make sure that you are informed about the assignments for the next session.

Week 1: January 12-14: Introduction; Plato. Republic
Week 2: January 17-19-21: Plato. Republic
Week 3: January 24-26-28: Plato. Republic
Week 4: January 31- February 2-4: Plato. Republic
Week 5: February 7-9-11: Plato. Republic
Week 6: February 14-16-18: Descartes. Meditations..........First Paper Due
Week 7: February 21-23: Descartes Meditations
Week 8: February 28 March 1-3: Descartes. Meditations
Week 9: March 6-8-10: Descartes. Discourse on Method
Week 10: March 13-15-17: Descartes. Discourse on Method
Spring Break: March 20-24
Week 11: March 27-29-31: Kant. Grounding........................Second Paper Due
Week 12: April 3-5-7: Kant. Grounding
Week 13: April 10-12-14: Kant. Grounding
Week 14: April 17-19-21: Heidegger. Discourse on Thinking
Week 15: April 24-26: Heidegger. Discourse on Thinking...Third Paper Due
 

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