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Syllabus

Introduction to Philosophy

Fall 1998

Marist College

Dr. Greg Moses


Course Description

In this course we will explore philosophical approaches to love, intelligence, reality, religion, art, culture, science, and value. Material will be presented in chronological order, beginning with the ancient Greek works of Plato. In the later works of Plotinus and Porphyry we will see how the ancient sources became launching points for systematic reflections that linger with us today. Hildegard celebrates her 900th birthday this year, so we will explore her writings as a touchstone of classic religious development. It was Santayana who said somewhere that those who do not recall their history are condemned to repeat it. We will read Santayana's book on beauty as we explore our own engagement with cultural entertainments. From the Harlem Renaissance, we will see how Alain Locke arranged his own reflections on the universe of human value. Finally, we will take a glimpse into the emerging developments of natural science, as we explore the autobiographical account of Candace Pert's ongoing explorations of the human form. At all points, student will be encouraged to develop independent responses to the material.


Required Texts
  • Cobb, William S. Plato's Erotic Dialogues. SUNY, 1993. ( 0-7914-1618-6 )

  • Hornum, Michael (Ed.) Porphyry's Launching Points. Phanes, 1988. ( 0-933999-59-3 )

  • Hozeski, Bruce (Trans.) Hildegard of Bingen: Book of the Rewards. Oxford, 1994. ( 0-19-511371-3)

  • Santayana, George. The Sense of Beauty. Dover, 1955. ( 0-486-20238-0 )

  • Harris, Leonard (Ed.) The Philosophy of Alain Locke. Temple, 1991. ( 0-877-22829-9)

  • Pert, Candace. Molecules of Emotion. Scribner, 1997. ( 0-6848-3187-2 )


Requirements and Grades

The final grade will be based upon the following components, each of equal weight:

  • Preparation and participation (are your preps ready typed at the beginning of class, do you help develop discussions?)
  • Plato paper (2 pages, 500 words)
  • Midterm (4 pages, 1k words)
  • Santayana paper (4 pages, 1k words)
  • Final essay (8 pages, 2k words)

Outcomes

By the end of the course, students should be able to (1) outline a preliminary framework for the history of Western philosophy, (2) formulate a preliminary assessment of the relative merits of science, religion, ethics, and art in human experience, (3) develop issues of independent interest from a variety of challenging texts, and (4) display college-level habits of critical thinking and scholarship in all forms of communication. Frequent assignments will be used to exercise and assess the development of these outcomes. A final essay will cover the outcomes listed above.


Attendance Policy

Students are expected to attend all classes. Given the wide range of personal needs that may arise, the instructor is willing to make allowance for two absences. Any absences beyond this limit must be excused and documented, or they will count against the student's final grade. Documentation will be accepted within two weeks of the absence. More than two unexcused absences will result in a letter grade reduction from the final average. For more than four unexcused absences, the instructor reserves the right to enter a failing grade.


Weekly Schedule
(Each week is divided into two meetings, a. & b.; preparations are due, typed, at the beginning of class on the day listed.)


1. (Aug. 31 - Sep. 4)

a. Introduction

  • Organizing Workshops: Divide readings for next class into three parts (15-26, 26-33, and 33-39), each part to be assigned to a group.

    b. Plato's Symposium, Part One

  • Read: Cobb pp. 15-39.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs typed. First set the scene of the dialogue by answering the five famous questions--who, what, when, where, why? Second, choose a sentence from the passage assigned to your group and comment.
  • Workshops: Personal introductions. Share first impressions of Plato's Symposium.
  • Forum: How Plato makes use of settings. (Following the outline of commentary pp. 61-71.) Part One: The speeches of Phaedrus and Pausanias. The hiccups of Aristophanes. Part Two: The cosmic theory of Eryximachus. The comic myth of Aristophanes. Dialogue between Agathon and Socrates. Part Three: Agathon's beautiful speech. And Socrates' follow-up questions.


    Labor Day Weekend (Monday off)

    2. (Sep. 8 - 11)

    a. Plato's Symposium, Part Two

  • Read: Cobb pp. 39 - 51.
  • Prepare: One paragraph commentary on a passage from the reading.
  • Workshops: Share commentaries. Nominate one commentary to share with the class.
  • Forum: Sharing commentaries on the instructions of Diotima. How rarely does Socrates accept such lengthy instruction! We will skip the drunken speech of Alcibiades. Suffice it to say that drunks are most witty to themselves.
  • For Next Time: Divide the initial pages of Phaedrus (87-93, 93-95, 95-100, and 100-102).

    b. Plato's Phaedrus, Part One

  • Read: Cobb pp. 87-100.
  • Prepare: One paragraph commentary on a passage from your segment of the reading.
  • Workshops: Share commentaries and nominate a commentary to share with the class. Note: please ensure fair rotation of all group members.
  • Forum: Sharing our commentaries on the setting, the first two speeches, and the brief dialogue. Is it better to seek contact with those you don't love?
  • For next time: Dividing the lessons (four kinds of madness, three parts of the soul, and the doctrine of immortality).

    3. (Sep. 14 - 18)

    a. Plato's Phaedrus, Part Two

  • Read: Cobb pp. 102-113.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, address the "lesson" as assigned to your reading group; second, select a passage relevant to your lesson for commentary.
  • Workshops: Share lessons and commentary. Nominate a new presenter.
  • Forum: On four kinds of madness, three parts of the soul, and the question of immortality. Should madness be preferred?

    b. Plato's Phaedrus, Part Three

  • Read: Cobb pp. 113-137.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, what does Socrates say about the art of speaking and writing?; second, what do you say?
  • Workshops: Share papers. Nominate presenter.
  • Forum: On the art of speaking and writing. What does it mean to be "written in the soul"?

    4. (Sep. 21 - 25)

    a. Plato Reconsidered

  • Review: Plato's Symposium and Phaedrus.
  • Prepare: Two page essay. Show how a particular issue of interest may be developed from these dialogues, indicate how the issue is addressed in the dialogues themselves, then provide your own considered conclusion. Note: make sure you develop a conclusion that is not itself a question. Here is a good opportunity to address contemporary issues such as gender and sexuality if you so wish.
  • Grading: This assignment will count as the first major grade of the course. Please do not neglect scholarly habits of citation and bibliography. Pay careful attention to Plato's position and clearly develop your own critical conclusion.
  • Workshops: Share essays. Nominate one.
  • Forum: Sharing our reconsiderations.
  • Exercise: Identifying conclusions and premises. Students will be asked to underline their own conclusion and make note of supporting premises.

    b. Porphyry's Launching-Points, Part One

  • Read: Hornum pp. 27-33.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, summarize the four virtues; second, provide a critical reflection.
  • Workshops: Share summaries and reflections. Nominate a rep.
  • Discussion: Entering the neo-Platonist world. What continuities do we see between Porphyry and Plato? What do we think of the ascending scale of value that is implied by the four virtues?

    5. (Sep. 21 - 25)

    a. Porphyry's Launching Points, Part Two

  • Read: Hornum, pp. 33-47
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, summarize the relationship between body and soul; second, provide a critical reflection.
  • Workshops: Share summaries and reflections. Nominate a rep.
  • Discussion: On metaphysical dualism as a broad tradition of philosophy. Impacts on Western religions. Do we buy it?

    b. Porphyry's Launching Points, Part Three.

  • Read: Hornum, pp. 47-70.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, summarize the characteristic features of "the one"; second, provide a critical reflection.
  • Workshops: Share summaries and reflections. Nominate a rep.
  • Discussion: Ascending toward the god of philosophy. Thinking about the influence upon Western religion. How far back does this tradition go? Plotinus as Egyptian, etc.

    6. (Sep. 28 - Oct. 2)

    a. Hildegard's Book of Rewards, Part One.

  • Read: Hozeski, pp. xi-xxi.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, what do you find most interesting about Hildegard; second, do you think it's worthwhile to explore her mystical visions?
  • Workshops: Share evaluations. Nominate rep.
  • Discussion: Medieval mysticism as a cultural heritage. The comprehensive interests of Hildegard. The unusual form of her presentations. How do we prepare to read this material?
  • Preparing for next time: Dividing the four parts of the book among four workshops. Dividing the pairings of each book among workshop members.

    b. Hildegard's Book of Rewards, Part Two

  • Read: Your selected pairing as assigned from last class.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, summarize the dialogue; second, provide a critical reflection.
  • Workshops: Sharing the pairing. Select two reps.
  • Discussion: How is Hildegard expressing her values? Does she give critical reasons for her positions? To what extent do these visions rely upon logical rules of thought?

    7. (Oct. 5 - 9)

    a. Hildegard reconsidered

  • Read: Further pairings of interest.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, summarize a new pairing; second, provide your critical reflection.
  • Workshops: Further pairings considered and discussed. Nominate two reps.
  • Discussion: Is there a systematic pattern emerging from Hildegard's pairings? How would we compare her values to Plato or Porphyry?

    b. Three Value Systems Summarized

  • Review: Plato, Porphyry, and Hildegard.
  • Prepare: Three paragraphs: a summary of each thinker's value system.
  • Workshops: Share summaries.
  • Discussion: How do we summarize these three value systems? How do we present relationships between them?

    8. (Oct. 12 - 15)

    a. Midterm Exam (Take Home)

  • Review: Plato, Porphyry, and Hildegard.
  • Prepare: Four pages: one page per major figure, summarizing and evaluating their work. Please do not neglect proper citation of evidence. On page four, summarize and evaluate your own value system. Please focus your response upon two or three values that you consider crucial to your life.
  • Workshops: Share your outline of personal values. What comparisons or contrasts would you draw between your own values and the values of the three major figures.
  • Discussion: On the history of human values. When is a value outdated?

    b. Midterm Essay Due by 5 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 15).


    Midterm Break (Friday off)

    9. (Oct. 19 - 23)

    a. Santayana's Sense of Beauty, Part One

  • Read: Santayana: pp. 3-13
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, why does Santayana urge the study of beauty?; second, what do you think?
  • Workshops: Rotate workshops. New partners for discussion. Introductions. Sharing thoughts about beauty. Nominate rep.
  • Discussion: Why beauty? Does it hurt beauty to think about it? Can we see Santayana's respect for Plato?

    b. Santayana's Sense of Beauty, Part Two

  • Read: Santayana, pp. 13-33.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, summarize Santayana's view of beauty; second, provide a critical reflection.
  • Workshops: Sharing and nominating.
  • Discussion: How does Santayana relate beauty to value? How could we talk about entertainment in similar fashion? For next time: bring CDs that are of actual value to you.

    10. (Oct. 26 - 30)

    a. Santayana's Sense of Beauty, Part Two.

  • Read: Santayana, pp. 35-51.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, summarize what is important to Santayana about esthetic taste; provide a critical reflection.
  • Workshops: Sharing preps, selecting CD.
  • Discussion: Play the CDs, listen to the presenters. Forge connections. How can we relate Santayana's esthetic philosophy to our listening pleasures?

    b. Santayana's Sense of Beauty, Part Three

  • Read: Santayana, pp. 53-117
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, select a section for summary; provide your own critical reflection.
  • Workshops: Share preps. Nominate presenters. More CDs?
  • Discussion: Some considerations of form in Santayana. How do we think about pop culture?
  • For next time: Video clips.

    11. (Nov. 2 - 6)

    a. Santayana's Sense of Beauty, Part Four

  • Read: Santayana, pp. 119-164
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: selected summary and commentary.
  • Workshops: Sharing comments, selecting video clips (3 mins. each)
  • Discussion: Santayana and video. Exploring connections.

    b. Santayana Reconsidered

  • Review: Santayana
  • Prepare: Three paragraphs: first, how Santayana looks at beauty; how his approach might be applied to some CD or video; third, how you might approach the CD or video.
  • Workshops: Sharing thoughts on beauty. Nominate rep.
  • Discussion: How we approach value in our entertainment.
  • Next time: Four page essay due. Introduce examples of pop culture, explain how Santayana might approach them, explain your own approach. Do not neglect evidence of Santayana's work. Convey a sense of the actual worth of the examples to your own experience.

    12. (Nov. 9 - 13)

    a. Alain Locke, Part One

  • Read: Bring the Locke book to class. No reading required.
  • Prepare: Bring your four-page essay, due at the beginning of class.
  • Lecture: Alain Locke's "Values and Imperatives." Looking at the value grid.
  • Discussion: Modes of value experience and their uses. Avoiding hierarchies, working on pluralism.

    b. Alain Locke, Part Two

  • Read: "The Ethics of Culture", pp. 176-185.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: summary and comment.
  • Workshops: Sharing and nominations.
  • Discussion: What is the challenge of undergraduate education? How can you make it work for you?

    13. (Nov. 16 - 20)

    a. Pert's Molecules of Emotion, Part One

  • Read: Pert, 1-50
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: selected summary and commentary.
  • Workshops: Sharing and nominations.
  • Discussion: Science, sexism, metaphysics.

    b. Pert's Molecules of Emotion, Part Two

  • Read: Pert, pp. 50-100
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, summarize Pert's stance on the Nobel issue; second, what do you think?
  • Workshops: Did Pert do the right thing? Do you think sexism was involved in the process? Nominate presenters, pro & con.
  • Discussion: What is sexism? The intentional and structural definitions. Is this still a problem today?

    14. (Nov. 23 - 25)

    a. Pert's Molecules of Emotion, Part Three

  • Read: Pert, pp. 100-150.
  • Prepare: Three paragraphs: summarize the science of receptors; summarize the difference between Pert and the cancer establishment; do you see any larger lessons here?
  • Workshops: Sharing and nominating.
  • Discussion: Individuals and relations. How are we biased? Ideology defined.
    Thanksgiving Break ( Wednesday evening, Thursday, and Friday off)

    15. (Nov. 30 - Dec. 4)

    a. Pert's Molecules of Emotion, Part Four

  • Read: Pert, pp. 150-200
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, summarize Pert's philosophy of the relation between body and soul; what do you think?
  • Workshops: Sharing and nominations.
  • Discussion: Dualism in the West. Bias in metaphysics. What happens to Plato, Porphyry, Hildegard, etc.?

    b. Pert's Molecules of Emotion, Part Five

  • Read: Pert, pp. 200-250.
  • Prepare: Three paragraphs: summarize what is distinctively scientific; how is it different from what is distinctively religious, beautiful, moral?; has science overtaken everything else?
  • Workshops: Sharing and nominations.
  • Discussion: Science in a scientific age. What do we want from science? What can science teach? What must science be taught?

    16. (Dec. 7 - 11)

    a. Pert's Molecules of Emotion, Part Six

  • Read: Pert, pp. 250-304.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: summarize your most important lesson from the book; why do you value it?
  • Workshops: Sharing and nominations.
  • Discussion: Why it's difficult to escape philosophical speculation and why that's not so bad.

    b. Plato, Porphyry, Hildegard, Santayana, Locke, and Pert. Preparing for the final essay (eight pages typed, 2k words).

  • Review: All materials.
  • Prepare: Three pages for each of the first two questions found in the outcomes section of the syllabus (for a sub total of six pages). Do not neglect citation of evidence or habits of critical reason. Provide your own two-page assessment of what you have learned (for a grand total of eight pages).
    Final Exam Due by Dec. 18, 5 p.m.
    Contact Information

    Telephone extension: 2217.

    Email: jz7r@maristb.marist.edu

    Office: cubicle in Humanities temporary offices, ground floor of Student Center.

    Office hours: TBA.

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