Problems of Philosophy

Lecturer:		James Shaw	jrs164 [at] pitt.edu
Teaching Assistants:		Alessandra Buccella	alb319 [at] pitt.edu
		Raja Rosenhagen	trr39 [at] pitt.edu
		Josh Eisenthal (Writing TA)	joe22 [at] pitt.edu

Course Description

The goal of this course is to have you gain some familiarity with the methods and subject matter of philosophy by looking at a series of classic questions, including the following: Do we have free will? Do we have minds or souls that are distinct from our bodies? What makes us who we are? Should we fear death?

Graded work for the class consists in a series of two short papers, a midterm, a final exam, and recitation participation. Some readings for the class are drawn from the following books which you can obtain from the university bookstore. I've also given the links to Amazon in case you want to buy them online.

• A Contemporary Introduction to Free Will (Kane)
• A Dialog on Personal Identity and Immortality (Perry)

There are also some articles which you can find further down in this website. You'll need a password to get them, which can be found on the syllabus I handed out on the first day of class. Check out Blackboard to find the password if you are in the class and haven't yet got a password.

Syllabus

• Syllabus (Note: this is tentative and may change!)
• Writing Syllabus

Handouts

• Introduction
  • Handout 1 (Argument Structure)
• Mind Body Problem
  • Handout 2 (Dualism v. Materialism)
  • Handout 3 (Leibniz' Law)
  • Handout 4 (Causal Problems for Dualism)
  • Handout 5 (Identity Theory)
  • Handout 6 (Functionalism I)
  • Handout 7 (Functionalism II: Einstein's Brain)
  • Handout 8 (Knowledge Argument)
• Free Will
  • Handout 9 (Problem of Free Will)...[Choose your own adventure?]
  • Handout 10 (Classical Compatibilism)
  • Handout 11 (Consequence Argument)
  • Handout 12 (Further Troubles for Compatibilism)
  • Handout 13 (Libertarianism)
  • Handout 14 (Hard Determinism and Skepticism)
• Personal Identity
  • Handout 15 (Problem of Personal Identity)
  • Handout 16 (Dualist Theories)
  • Handout 17 (Somatic Theories), [Put us together again?]
  • Handout 18 (Psychological Theories)
  • Handout 19 (Fission Cases)
  • Handout 20.1 (Psychological/Somatic Finale)
    [Note: This wasn't handed out in class, but is here if you missed lecture.]
  • Handout 20.2 (Summary of Views)
    
• Death
  • Handout 21 (Is Death Harmful?)
  • Handout 22 (The Temporal Argument)
  • Handout 24 (The Symmetry Argument)

Articles and Other Readings

You will need a password for most of the documents in this list. If you didn't get a password on the first day of class, you can find one on Blackboard. If that fails, contact your TA. (The downloads sometimes take a while, so please be patient.)

• How To Write Philosophy, Pryor
• Meditations on First Philosophy (selection), Descartes
• Dualism and Physicalism (selection), van Inwagen
• Correspondence of Elisabeth of Bohemia and Descartes
• Sensations and Brain Processes, Smart
• Nature of Brain States, Putnam
• A Conversation with Einstein's Brain, Hofstadter
• Epiphenomenal Qualia, Jackson
• Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (selection), Hume
• Freedom and Determinism (Selection), Taylor
• Stanford Encyclopedia Entry on Personal Identity (read sections 1-2)
• What We Believe Ourselves to Be (Selection), Parfit
• Letter to Menoeceus (selection), Epicurus
• On the Nature of Things (selection), Lucretius
• Death, Nagel

Assignments

• First Writing Assignment
• Midterm Review Sheet
• Second Writing Assignment

Plagiarism

You're responsible for knowing what plagiarism is. Any evidence of academic dishonesty will be relentlessly pursued. Confirmation of dishonesty results in an "F" for the course.

Disabilities

If you have a disability that requires special testing accommodations or other classroom modifications, you need to notify both your TA and the Disability Resources and Services no later than the 2nd week of the term. You may be asked to provide documentation of your disability to determine the appropriateness of accommodations. To notify Disability Resources and Services, call 648-7890 (Voice or TTD) to schedule an appointment. The Office is located in 140 William Pitt Union.