Philosophy 125 – Great Philosophers



Philosophy 125 (Section 1) – Great Philosophers

Washington University in St. Louis

Fall 2012

Essential Items

Instructor: Martin Turner

Class Meetings: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 – 11:30, Seigle #L004

Office Hours: Monday 1:30 – 3:00, Tuesday 4:15 – 5:30, or by appointment, in Wilson Hall #107

Contact Information: Email (preferred): mturner@wustl.edu

Phone: 314.363.9519

Overview

In this course, students will be introduced to some of the enduring questions of philosophy via a study of primary texts written by some of the most important figures in philosophical history. The course assumes no background in philosophy, and requires only that students be prepared to read and consider difficult material carefully, and come to class everyday prepared to participate in discussion. Among the central issues we will hit upon in this course are: What justifies a government in using force to coerce citizens to follow the laws? What do we really know about the world outside of ourselves? Is morality based upon religion? Is morality a human construction? Is it practically rational to live a just, moderate life? What makes an action the right thing to do, or a morally good thing to do?

The goals of the course are:

1) To give students an appreciation for the work of a few of the greatest thinkers in philosophical history;

2) To give students a basic acquaintance with some of the central, ongoing debates in philosophy;

3) To develop students’ ability to construct and communicate philosophical arguments, both orally and in writing.

The exact set of “great philosophers” studied in the Washington University Great Philosophers course varies a bit from one term to another. For this incarnation of the course, we will read the following five:

Plato (428/427 BCE – 347 BCE, Greece)

René Descartes (1596–1650, France)

John Locke (1632–1704, England)

David Hume (1711-1776, Scotland)

John Stuart Mill (1806–1873, England)

Texts

The books should all be available in the Washington University bookstore (and likely more cheaply online). Students are very strongly encouraged to acquire the listed editions of the texts.

Plato. Five Dialogues, Second Edition. Translated by G.M.A. Grube, Edited by John M. Cooper. Indianapolis: Hacket, 2002. (ISBN #0872206335)

Plato. Gorgias. Translated by Donald J. Zeyl. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1987. (ISBN #0872200167)

Descartes, René. Meditations on the First Philosophy, Revised Edition. Translated and Edited by John Cottingham.  Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1996. (ISBN #0521558182)

Locke, John. Two Treatises on Government, Student Edition. Edited by Peter Laslett.  Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1988. (ISBN #0521357306)

Hume, David. An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals. Edited by J.B. Schneewind. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1983. (ISBN #0915145456)

Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism, Second Edition. Edited by George Sher.  Indianapolis: Hackett, 2002. (ISBN #087220605X)

Grading Procedures

There are four written assignments in this course – three in-class tests and one paper. Additionally, a small percentage of the grade will be determined by attendance and class participation. The weighting breakdown is as follows:

Test #1: 20%

Test #2: 20%

Test #3: 25%

Paper: 30%

Attendance/Participation: 5% (bonus points for excellent participation at instructor’s discretion)

The grading scale is as follows:

|A+ |97-100% |B+ |87-89% |C+ |77-79% |D+ |67-69% |

|A |93-96% |B |83-86% |C |73-76% |D |66-65% |

|A- |92-90% |B- |80-82% |C- |70-72% |F | ................
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