Problems of Philosophy (PHIL 202)

2021 Fall
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Philosophy(PHIL)
3
6
Gürol Irzık irzik@sabanciuniv.edu,
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English
Undergraduate
--
Interactive lecture
Interactive,Communicative,Discussion based learning,Task based learning
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CONTENT

This course introduces students to contemporary research on the central problems of philosophy such as the foundations of knowledge, the basis of morality, the existence of God, the relationship between mind and body, and the problem of free will.

OBJECTIVE

To introduce students to contemporary research on the central problems of philosophy in metaphysics, epistemology and ethics.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

  • Background in major contemporary problems of philosophy in metaphysics, epistemology and ethics.
  • Thinking and expressing ideas clearly, analytically and critically.
  • Close reading of texts and raising good questions.
  • Making and appreciating relevant distinctions.

PROGRAMME OUTCOMES


1. Understand the world, their country, their society, as well as themselves and have awareness of ethical problems, social rights, values and responsibility to the self and to others. 3

2. Understand different disciplines from natural and social sciences to mathematics and art, and develop interdisciplinary approaches in thinking and practice. 4

3. Think critically, follow innovations and developments in science and technology, demonstrate personal and organizational entrepreneurship and engage in life-long learning in various subjects; have the ability to continue to educate him/herself. 2

4. Communicate effectively in Turkish and English by oral, written, graphical and technological means. 5

5. Take individual and team responsibility, function effectively and respectively as an individual and a member or a leader of a team; and have the skills to work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams. 3


1. Develop knowledge of theories, concepts, and research methods in humanities and social sciences. 2

2. Assess how global, national and regional developments affect society. 2

3. Know how to access and evaluate data from various sources of information. 4


1. Demonstrate an understanding of the multiple methodologies and interpret different approaches, concepts, and theoretical legacies in the interdisciplinary field of Cultural Studies.

2. Identify interconnections of knowledge within and across the disciplines of sociology, anthropology, literature, visual studies, philosophy, and geography.

3. Cultivate a critical approach to the study of culture, articulating the relations between culture, power, and history; exploring cultural diversity and socio-cultural change at the local, national and global level; and exploring the corresponding demands for rights and social justice.

4. With the use of appropriate technologies, be able to present advanced oral and written evaluations of developments in the realm of cultural production, consumption, and representation.

ASSESSMENT METHODS and CRITERIA

  Percentage (%)
Final 25
Midterm 25
Participation 25
Written Report 25

RECOMENDED or REQUIRED READINGS

Readings

PART I. Reasoning: Basic Concepts

R. Giere, "Statements", "Arguments and Justification", and "Conditional Arguments" (Chapters 2, 3, and 4), in Understanding Scientific Reasoning, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984, pp. 16-68.


PART II. Zeno?s Paradoxes and the Nature of Reality

"Zeno's paradoxes", in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (available online): http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/paradox-zeno/
Read only the following sections:
The introductory passage at the beginning;
1. Background;
2.3 The Argument from Complete Divisibility;
3.1 The Dichotomy;
3.2 Achilles and the Tortoise;
3.3 The Arrow


PART III. Problems of Knowledge

"The Analysis of Knowledge", the introductory passage at the beginning; sections 1, 2, 3, and 6 only; in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available online at: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/knowledge-analysis/

C. Grau, "Bad Dreams, Evil Demons, and the Experience Machine", in Introduction to Philosophy (eds. J. Perry, M. Bratman, and J. M. Fischer), New York: Oxford University Press, 2007, pp. 160-167.

The Matrix (the movie), directed by Wachowski brothers. Available on reserve as DVD in The Information Center. PN 1997 M37859 1999.

"Social Epistemology", the introductory passage at the beginning, sections 2, 3.1, and 3.2 only in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available online at: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available online at: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epistemology-social/#FirBraSocEpiTesPeeDis


PART IV. Minds, Bodies, and Machines

T. Nagel, "The Mind-Body Problem", in What Does it All Mean? Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987, pp. 27-37.

A. M. Turing, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence", in The Mind's I (eds) D. Hofstadter and D. C. Dennett. New York. Basic Books, 1981, pp. 53-68.

J. Searle, "Minds, Brains, and Programs", in Introduction to Philosophy (eds. J. Perry, M. Bratman, and J. M. Fischer), New York: Oxford University Press, 2007, pp. 341-353.

PART V. Free Will and Determinism

T. Nagel, "Free Will", in What Does it All Mean? Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987, pp. 47-58.

W. Stace, "The Problem of Free Will", in Religion and the Modern World, Harper and Row, 1952.

E. Nahmias, "Is Free Will an Illusion? Confronting Challenges from the Modern Mind Sciences". In Walter Sinnott-Armstrong (ed.), Moral Psychology, vol. 4: Freedom and Responsibility. MIT Press, 2014, pp. 1-25.

PART VI. Ethics

"The Trolly Problem", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WB3Q5EF4Sg

J. J. Thomson, "The Trolley Problem", The Yale Law Journal, Vol. 94, No. 6 (May, 1985), pp. 1395-1415

Greene et al. "An fMRI Investigation of emotional engagement in moral judgment". Science 2001 Sep 14; 293(5537): 2105-8.

J. Rachels, "The Challenge of Cultural Relativism", in The Elements of Moral Philosophy. Temple University Press, 1986.

Optional Readings

E. Sober, Core Questions in Philosophy, 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1995

T. Nagel, What Does it All Mean? Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987