PHIL 465

 Professor: Kate Rogers, krogers@udel.edu, 831-8480
 Office:204 in 24 Kent Way, Office Hours 2-3 MWF
 Web page:http://www.udel.edu/rogers

TEXTS: Agency and Responsibility, Ekstrom ed. (2001), Numerous Handouts (Charge of $10 to be paid to the department.)

REQUIREMENTS:

I. 10-15 page paper to be presented to the class where it will be subjected to relentless helpful criticism and subsequently revised in light of class discussion.  Finished paper will count for roughly 30% of final grade, and presentation and defense in class for roughly 20%.  Final revised version will be due exactly one week after you have given your presentation.  There will be a penalty for unexcused late papers of a lower grade per day late.  (E.g. A paper which is otherwise a B but is one day late will receive a B-, two days late a C+, etc.)

II. Class participation: Consistent physical and mental presence (you will not be penalized for absences due to excuses which the university recognizes as legitimate) and knowledgeable participation in the discussion.  (I.e. It is clear that you have done your reading slowly and thoughtfully and really paid attention to what's been said in class.) Class participation will count for roughly 25% of final grade.

III. Two Tests: There will be a mid-term and a final.  Their purpose is to help you resist the temptation to let anything slide.  They will be embarrassingly easy for anyone who has done all the reading and been to all the classes and paid attention and taken good notes.  The average of the two will count for roughly 25% of final grade.

Note that percentages assigned to each requirement as bearing on final grade are only approximate.

PLAGIARISM: Should anyone be caught plagiarizing the minimum penalty will be a failing grade in this course.  No excuses will be accepted; not any kind or degree of hardship nor any depth of ignorance.  If you have any question at all about what constitutes plagiarism, talk to me before you present your paper.

February

5 Introduction and basic issues

7 Basic issues cont. (Hand in topic preferences)

12 City of God handout. "The Irrelevance of Original Sin in Augustine's Doctrine of the Will" (I will do a demo  class presentation.)

14 "Anselm's Indeterminism"

19 "Does God Cause Sin?"

21 "Anselm on Freedom and Frankfurt"

26 "Omniscience, Eternity, and Freedom"

28  Jesse Priester: Al-ghazali

March

5 Dan McDonnell: Hobbes

7 Tom Lackey: Locke

12 Brad Newsom: Kant

14 Joshua Westog: Kant and Kierkegaard

19 Review
 
21 Mid-term March

26 Kyle DeMarco: Nietzsche

28 Jay Fredsall: Sartre

SPRING BREAK

April

9 Nicole Faries: Peter van Inwagen, "The Incompatibility of Free Will and Determinism"

11 No class (I may have to be out of town that day).

16 Brian Jefferis: David Lewis, "Are We Free to Break the Laws?"

18 Jonathan Brumberg: Harry Frankfurt, "Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person"

23 Nathan Bright: Roderick Chisholm, "Human Freedom and the Self"

25 Scott Davis: Susan Wolf, "The Reason View"

30 Dave Holland: Robert Kane, "The Significance of Free Will"

May

2 Jonathan Tracy: Robert Kant, "Responsibility, Luck, and Chance:..."

7 Review

9 Robert Kane in class

14 Final