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Syllabus

Introduction to Philosophy

Spring 1999

Marist College

Dr. Greg Moses


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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 "transitional" works of Plotinus and Porphyry we will see how the ancient sources became launching points for systematic reflections that linger with us today. Hildegard celebrated her 900th birthday in 1998, 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:


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. Any work not handed in at the beginning of class will be counted as late.)


1. (Jan. 21)

a. Introduction

  • Organizing Workshops: Divide readings for next class into three parts (Plato: 15-26, 26-33, and 33-39) among group members.

    2. (Jan. 25 & 28)

    a. Plato's Symposium, Part One

  • Read: Cobb pp. 15-39.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs typed. 1) In the first paragraph, set the scene of the dialogue by answering the five famous questions--who, what, when, where, why? Second, choose a sentence from your selected passage, provide a citation, and comment on the way this passage represents an important issue for the section. (Preps are due at the beginning of class.)
  • 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.

    b. 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 that you think offers a helpful perspective on the instruction of Diotima.
  • Forum: Sharing commentaries on the instructions of Diotima. Please keep in mind Diotima's "ladder" of initiation. 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).

    3. (Feb. 1 & 4)

    a. 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? What does the first speech argue? How does Socrates improve upon it in the second speech?
  • For next time: This is an exercise in active reading. In the third speech Socrates talks about three topics: (1) four kinds of madness, (2) three parts of the soul, and (3) the soul's journey between heaven and earth). Please divide the topics for preparation, but relevant passages may not appear in just one portion of the reading.

    b. Plato's Phaedrus, Part Two

  • Read: Cobb pp. 102-113.
  • Prepare: Present the "topic" you selected, with relevant quotes and explanations (don't forget citations!).
  • Workshops: Share presentations of topics. Nominate a new presenter.
  • Forum: On four kinds of madness, three parts of the soul, and the question of immortality. How is love vindicated?
  • For Next Time: What does Socrates say about the morality of speech making? How do the three speeches of the dialogue illustrate three approaches to speech making?

    4. (Feb. 8 & 11)

    a. Plato's Phaedrus, Part Three

  • Read: Cobb pp. 113-137.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: first, what does Socrates say about the morality of speaking and writing? (Don't forget the quotes!) Second, how does this apply to the three speeches of the dialogue? (Please give evidence from each speech to support your claim.)
  • Workshops: Share preps. What is the overall structure of this dialogue? How do the three speeches illustrate the points that Socrates is making in the final dialogue with Phaedrus?
  • Forum: On the moral use of speaking and writing. Why is Socrates not happy with his own first "improvement" upon the speech of Lysias?
  • Assignment Due Next Time: Two page essay (500 words). Pick one topic or issue from the reading that is interesting to you. On page one, indicate how the issue is addressed in the dialogues themselves, with careful attention to textual citations. On page two provide your own evaluation, and indicate how it relates to Plato's own treatment. 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. As you pay careful attention to Plato's position, please do not neglect careful habits of citation. As you develop your own evaluation of the topic, please remember to support all opinions with at least one reason. In other words, every time you write "I believe" you should also write "because."

    b. Plato Reconsidered

  • Review: Plato's Symposium and Phaedrus.
  • Workshops: Share essays. Nominate one.
  • Forum: Sharing our reconsiderations.
  • Exercise in self-assessment: Identifying scholarly habits of argumentation. (1) Where do you write "Plato says"? Where do you provide evidence that Plato said it? (2) Where do you write "I believe"? Where do you provide support for that belief? Happy Valentine's Day!

    5. (Feb. 15 & 18)

    a. Porphyry's Launching-Points, Part One

  • Read: Hornum pp. 27-33.
  • Prepare: A scholarly summary of the four virtues.
  • Workshops: Share summaries and reflections. Nominate a rep.
  • Discussion: Entering the neo-Platonist world. What are the four virtues and how might they be practiced in our own lives? Would they be worth trying? Do you see any reason why Plotinus and Porphyry are called the "neoplatonists"?

    b. 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, i.e. what do you think about his philosophical approach to the relation between body and soul? Does it sound plausible? Do you agree? Why or why not?
  • Workshops: Share summaries and reflections on body and soul. Nominate a rep.
  • Discussion: On metaphysical dualism and its residual influence. Can you see dualism today? Do you buy it? What if we do or don't?

    6. (Feb. 22 & 25)

    a. Porphyry's Launching Points, Part Three.

  • Read: Hornum, pp. 47-70.
  • Prepare: Two paragraphs: a scholarly summary might look at characteristic features of The One, the relation of intellect to soul, or the meaning of existence.
  • Workshops: Share summaries and reflections.
  • 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. Looking at the chain of being--how are values placed in a well-ordered hierarchy? How are these values translated into existing social relations and attitudes toward the world?

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

  • Read: Hozeski, pp. xi-xxi and the passage of the "Earthly man."
  • Prepare: No written preparation is necessary. From this point onward, I will assume that you know what it means to be prepared. In this session we will looking for (1) preliminary impressions of Hildegard's life and (2) her views of nature. On the first point, we will explore the fact of being a woman. On the second point, we will explore relations between Plato, Plotinus, and Porphyry.
  • Workshops: Share comments and evaluations.
  • 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? What are we to make of the Ethiopian figure? Remember Plato's bad horse? In the heirarchy of value, what is being contructed in racial terms?
  • Preparing for next time: Dividing the four parts of the book among four workshops. Dividing the pairings of each book among workshop members.

    7. (Mar. 1 & 4)

    a. 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?

    b. 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?

    8. (Mar. 8 & 12)

    a. Three Value Systems Summarized

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

    b.Midterm Exam (Take Home)

  • Review: Plato, Porphyry, and Hildegard.
  • Midterm Essay: Four pages: one page per major figure, summarizing and evaluating an important value that you find in their work. Please do not neglect proper citation of evidence. On page four, write about a value that is important to you and offer brief comparisons with the three figures discussed earlier.
  • Grading: The "C" paper will adequately represent the material and demonstrate competency in understanding the complexity of texts and issues. The "B" paper will begin to develop a common theme or thread of interest throughout the material. The "A" paper will not only develop a common theme or thread, but will establish an active perspective that makes the best use of each sentence in order to compose a scholarly but independent understanding of the material to date.

    Midterm Essay Due by 5 p.m. Friday (Mar. 12)


    Spring Break (Whew!)

    9. (Mar. 22 & 25)

    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. (Mar. 29 & Apr. 1)

    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. (Apr. 5-9)

    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.
  • Four page essay due next time: 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. (Apr. 12 & 16)

    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. 19 & 22)

    a. Pert's Molecules of Emotion, Part One

  • Read: Pert, 1-60
  • 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. 60-120
  • 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. (Apr. 26 & 29)

    a. Pert's Molecules of Emotion, Part Three

  • Read: Pert, pp. 120-180.
  • 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.

    b. Pert's Molecules of Emotion, Part Four

  • Read: Pert, pp. 180-240
  • 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.?

    15. (May 3 & 7)

    a. Pert's Molecules of Emotion, Part Five

  • Read: Pert, pp. 240-304.
  • 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?

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

  • Review: All materials.
  • Final Exam: Three pages for each of the first two questions found in the outcomes section of the syllabus: (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, (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 May 14, 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.

    Home phone: 473-4737

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