Introduction to philosophy

Helen De Cruz

Undergraduate course

Course description
Philosophy addresses some of the deepest and most fascinating questions that humans have asked
themselves. What is happiness, and how do we attain it? Is everything around us real, or an
illusion? What is the best way to organize society? Does God exist? Philosophers attempt to
figure out answers to these questions by using arguments and reasoning. This course will provide
you with an introduction to philosophy. You will learn how to do philosophy, and you will be
introduced to the ideas of major western philosophers. In addition, you will get a sense of the
wider impact of philosophy today, in domains such as politics, the media, science and religion.

Course goals
By the end of this course, you will be able to
Discover, identify and reflect on philosophical problems.
Analyze and reflect critically on philosophical texts.
Use philosophical skills to make a reasoned argument.
Understand the importance of philosophy for societies and individuals today, in domains such
as public policy and medical ethics.
Understand and describe the ideas of major philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Descartes,
Wittgenstein and be introduced to some contemporary authors.
Use philosophical skills in a wider context, such as in debates with others, or in your evaluation of opinion pieces and debates in the media.

Required reading
We will be using Philosophy: Traditional & Experimental Readings, edited by Fritz Allhoff, Ron
Mallon and Shaun Nichols (Oxford: Oxford University Press). It will contain most of the readings
as well as some optional material. Additional required readings will be available online.

Evaluation
I will use the + grading system (A, A, B+, B, B-, etc.). You will be evaluated on your understanding of the required readings, the knowledge about central philosophical issues you acquire
during the lectures, and your ability to formulate philosophical arguments in written assignments.

Helen De Cruz

Written assignments will include 4 unannounced quizzes, and 3 take-home short paper assignments. At the end of the course, you will also be tested by means of a written exam. The
written exam will consist of open questions that probe your understanding of the philosophical
ideas discussed during the classes.
15% in-class participation (attendance and active participation)
20% combined score of four pop quizzes
35% written exam.
30% take-home paper assignments. You have three take-home assignments of papers of
about 10002500 words each.

Preparation
You are required to carefully read the assigned readings in advance of every class and carry out
the home assignments by their expected deadlines.

Class participation
Attending the lectures is absolutely essential if you want to achieve the goals set out for this
course. I take attendance in class. Systematic non-attendance will lower your grade. You will not
get the opportunity to make up missed classroom exercises. However, if you have a legitimate
reason such as illness or religious holidays, the points from those exercises will not be included
in your final points. Either notify me by e-mail before, or within 3 working days after the missed
class to have me consider whether your absence will be marked as excused or unexcused.

Conduct in class
You are required to arrive in time. If you do happen to be late, enter the room discreetly, and sit
somewhere in the back. Let me know on beforehand if you have to leave class early. Do not leave
a class in progress for non-urgent matters. Systematic interruption or disruption of classes can be
subject to disciplinary action through the Office of Student Conduct.
I expect class discussions to be courteous and friendly. Do not interrupt others. Do not attack
others personally. Racist, sexist and other forms of personal attack will not be tolerated. You
can criticize the points made by others, but only in a respectful manner. Also, before doing so,
always think about how you can phrase your points in a constructive way. Friendly, constructive
conversations provide a more welcoming learning environment and are to the benefit of everyone.
Given the temptations that the use of laptops and other electronic devices pose, I have a strict
policy of no laptops, tablets, phones, etc. Turn your cell phone off before entering the classroom.
If you think your circumstances exceptionally allow for the use of computer or other electronic
equipment (e.g., a disability that requires use of computer), please contact me by e-mail to set up
an appointment.

Helen De Cruz

Plagiarism and other forms of cheating

All forms of cheating, including but not limited to plagiarism and unauthorized assistance will be
subject to disciplinary action, as allowed by the Office of Student Conduct. See this website for
full details on UCF rules of conduct: http://osc.sdes.ucf.edu/process/roc.

Makeup policy and lateness

Make-ups will only be granted in exceptional circumstances, such as serious illnesses or emergencies. Contact me within three working days to provide a motivation for your absence. Unexcused
absence from an exam, or absence only documented after four working days or more, will result in
a failing grade for the missed exam. If you cannot attend an exam, please contact me in writing
well ahead of time (preferably at least 14 days ahead), then I can arrange for you to take it early.

Grade disputes
I will use a system of anonymous grading to ensure fairness in the grading of written exams, pop
quizzes and papers. If you nevertheless want to discuss your grade, send me an e-mail with a
detailed description of your concerns and questions. I do not discuss grades with students who
have not sent me a written motivation beforehand.

Overview of the course

Note: Minor deviations from the syllabus, e.g., in terms of timing and readings may occur.
Week 1 Introduction to the course and its aims.
Weeks 12 What is philosophy?
In this section, we will be looking at what philosophy is, and what it is philosophers do. You
will be introduced to the tools philosophers use, such as arguments, thought experiments,
conceptual analysis and analogies. You will learn the first steps in how to write a good
philosophy paper.
Reading assignments: Excerpts from Plato, Meno and Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical
Investigations (Allhoff et al.)
Weeks 35 What is knowledge and how can we be sure that we know?
This section introduces the subject of epistemology, the philosophical study of our beliefs
and knowledge. In particular, we will be asking how it is that we know what we know, and
how we can acquire knowledge. Topics to be covered will include
What is knowledge, i.e., what conditions need to be fulfilled for us to know something?
Reading assignments: Edmund Gettier, Is justified true belief knowledge (Allhoff et al.)
Sources of knowledge. How do we learn things? We will look at perception, inference,
memory, and testimony, and will look especially at testimony as a source of knowledge.

Helen De Cruz

Reading assignments: Jennifer Lackey, Knowing from testimony (will be made electronically available), Paul Harris and Melissa Koenig, Trust in testimony: How children
learn about science and religion (electronically available).
Skepticism and its responses. We examine the radical claim that there is very little
that we do know, and look at some responses to this.
Reading assignment: Excerpts from Ren Descartes, First meditation, and from G.E.
Moore, Proof of an external world (Allhoff et al.)
Take-home paper assignment 1
Weeks 68 What is religious belief, and why believe?
In this series of classes, we will be looking at the philosophy of religion, including topics like
belief in God and the nature of religious faith.
Arguments for the existence of God. We will look at some of the classic arguments
for the existence of God, such as the design and cosmological argumentq, as well as
arguments against the existence of God, such as the argument from evil.
Reading assignments: Excerpts from Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae and William
Paley Natural Theology (Allhoff et al.). Excerpt from David Hume Dialogues concerning natural religion (electronically available)
Science and religion, and the the scientific study of religion. Are science and religion
compatible? In these lectures we will look at the relationship between science and religion, with a focus on implications of the scientific study of religion for religious belief.
Reading assignments: Deborah Kelemen, Are children intuitive theists (required); Excerpt from Daniel Dennett, Breaking the Spell (optional) (both in Allhoff et al.)
The nature of religious faith. In this series of lectures and exercises, we will examine
practical reasons for why people may engage in religious practice, even if they dont
believe in God. Our focus will be on work by authors like Ludwig Wittgenstein, Blaise
Pascal, Howard Wettstein and William James.
Reading assignments: Excerpt from Blaise Pascal Penses (Allhoff et al.), Howard
Wettstein, Awe and the religious life (electronically available).
Take-home paper assignment 2
Weeks 911 What is the right or good thing to do?
This series of classes introduces central topic in ethics, such as what constitutes a good and
worthwhile life, and how we should behave toward others.
Normative ethics: We will discuss different ethical theories on how to guide our behavior, in particular virtue ethics, deontological ethics and utilitarianism.
Reading assignments, Excerpts from Aristotle, Nichomachean ethics, Immanuel Kant,
Groundwork of the metaphysics of morals, John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (Allhoff et
al.)
Metaethics: We will consider how our beliefs about ethics are grounded, the relationship
between morality and religion, and the neural and evolutionary origins of our moral
beliefs.

Helen De Cruz

Reading assignments, Joshua Greene, From neural is to moral ought; Mackie, Error
theory (Allhoff et al.)
Ethics and its applications today: We will look at topics in applied ethics, such as
medical ethics and vegetarianism (readings to be announced, will be available online).
Weeks 1214 What is a good society and what does it do?
Humans are social animals, and need to find ways to live together harmoniously. The classes
will introduce you to the topic of political philosophy, a topic of tremendous importance
for our society today, with large impact on everyones lives. We will be discussing political
philosophy by authors like Plato, Thomas Hobbes, Robert Nozick and John Rawls.
Human nature and politics: We will consider the ring of Gyges thought experiment
and contemporary studies in cognitive science to examine how humans behave in group
context.
Required reading: Excerpt from Plato Republic (Allhoff et al.), Melissa Bateson et al.,
Cues of being watched enhance cooperation in a real-world setting (will be supplied
electronically).
How can we organize society? These lectures will discuss principles like fairness and
freedom as principles to organize society, using excepts from John Rawls Theory of
justice, and from Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia (will be made available
electronically).
Take-home assignment 3
Week 15 Review: last week of class. Group discussion.