Great Western Philosophers: Spring 2013

 

 

Professor K. Rogers              

krogers@udel.edu

831-8480

 

Office: 204 in 24 Kent Way.  Hours: Monday 2-3:30, Friday 3-4:30 and by appointment

 

Text: Philosophy: History and Readings Eighth Edition, Samuel Enoch Stumpf and James Fieser, eds.

 

(The notes from which I lecture are on my web page, http://www.udel.edu/rogers.  They are a sketchy outline of material presented in lectures and will by no stretch of the imagination substitute for good notes taken on your own.  However, they can be useful in organizing your notes and in making sure that you got everything in the right order. Sometimes we will have to skip some of the material in the notes, so be alert to differences between what=s covered in class and what=s in the notes.)  

 

Do the readings before class.  Note that the book is divided into a primary section about the philosophers under discussion, and a secondary section of material by the philosophers.  The page numbers start over at the beginning of the second section.

 

Requirements: Four multiple choice tests, one after each section, to be weighted equally in figuring final grade.  93-100=A, 90-92=A-, 87-89=B+, 83-86=B, 80-82=B-, 77-79=C+, 73-76=C, 70-72=C-, 67-69=D+, 63-66=D, 55-62=D-, below 55 = F. Each test will have 30 questions. I cannot alter the score you receive on the test, even if it is the result of clerical errors on your part. You will need to put your student ID# on the test. If you fail to do so, or make a mistake on the ID#, your score will be lowered as if you had missed a question on the test. -- that is, minus 3.33 points.

 

 

 

                                                        I. ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY

 

FEBRUARY

 

5          Introduction

 

7          The Pre-Socratics, pp.3-19, 11-15 (from Fragments)

 

12        The Pre-Socratics continued pp.19-25, 15-16 (from Fragments)

 

14        The Sophists and Socrates pp.26-40, pp.16-17 (from Fragments), pp. 32-37 (from Apology)                     

19        Plato, pp. 41-67, pp. 60-69 (from the Republic).

 

21        Plato continued

 

            26        Aristotle, pp.68-89 (You can skip the part on art.), pp.70-75 (from Physics, Metaphysics, and On the Soul)

 

28        NO CLASS. I HAVE TO BE OUT OF TOWN


 

MARCH

 

5          Aristotle continued, pp 75-89. (from Nichomachean Ethics and Politics).

 

7          Test #1           

 

 

                                                                                   

II. MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY

 

 

12        Introduction to God (no readings)                                                                                          

14        St. Augustine, pp.114 - 129   

 

19        Augustine continued, pp. 114-119 (from On the Trinity, etc.)

 

            21       St. Thomas Aquinas, pp. 149-168, pp.124-127 (from Summa Theologica. Note that AObjections@   are the views with which Aquinas disagrees!).

 

 

SPRING BREAK

 

APRIL

 

2          Aquinas continued, pp.129-133 (from Summa Theologica).               

 

4          TEST #2        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

III. MODERN PHILOSOPHY, PART I

 

 

9         Descartes, pp.204-215, pp.150-163 (from Meditations and The Passions of the Soul).         

 

          11       Locke's epistemology, pp.229-236, 167-173 (from Essay concerning Human Understanding) and Berkeley, pp.239-244, 174 -183(from Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous).

 

 16       Hobbes and Locke on government, pp.199-203, 236-239

 

 18    Hume, pp.244-253, pp.183-196 (from Treatise of Human Nature)

 

 23    Hume continued,  pp. 210-217 (from Dialogues conerening Natural Religion)       

 

 25       Test #3


 

IV. MODERN AND BEYOND

 

 

30        Kant, pp.271-284

 

MAY

 

2          Kant, pp.284-290 (skip the part on art), pp.252-258 (from Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals        )

 

7          Mill, pp.327-333, 281-291 (from On Liberty and Utilitarianism)

 

9          Marx, pp.346-360, pp.291-298(from "The Communist Manifesto").

 

14        Analytic Philosophy (Logical Positivism and The Verification Principle), pp.398-399, 402-409

 

 

Test #4 during exam period. This test covers only section IV.  It is not cumulative.