Philosophy 1: Introduction to Philosophy
Curtis Bowman
Logan Hall 464
Office Hours: Th 3:30-5:30
cubowman@nous.phil.upenn.edu
http://www.phil.upenn.edu/~cubowman
Course Description
In this course we will investigate the topic of philosophical anthropology -- i.e., the philosophical study of what it is to be human -- as a means of introducing students to philosophy. We will do this by looking at several traditional themes: ethics, freedom, and death. Since these issues concern everyone, we can begin to develop a philosophical view of what it is to be human by studying them in some detail.
Required Texts
John Martin Fischer (ed.), The Metaphysics of Death (Stanford)
Robert Holmes, Basic Moral Philosophy (Wadsworth) [Abbreviated as BMP]
Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (Hackett)
J. S. Mill, Utilitarianism (Oxford)
Gary Watson (ed.), Free Will (Oxford)
Readings
I. Ethics
1. The Concerns of Moral Philosophy: chapters 1, 2 & 11 of BMP
2. Egoism and Divine Command Theory: chapters 5 & 6 of BMP
3. Mill's Utilitarianism; chapter 9 of BMP
4. Kant's Groundwork, Sections I & II; chapter 8 of BMP
II. Freedom
1. Introduction to the Problem: A. J. Ayer's "Freedom and Necessity" and Peter van Inwagen's "The Incompatibility of Free Will and Determinism"
2. Rethinking the Debate: P. F. Strawson's "Freedom and Resentment"
3. The Concept of a Person: Harry Frankfurt's "Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person" and Charles Taylor's "Responsibility for Self"
4. Freedom and Responsibility: Daniel Dennett's "Mechanism and Responsibility" and Section III of Kant's Groundwork
III. Death
1. Why Death Should Not be Feared: Jeffrie Murphy's "Rationality and the Fear of Death"
2. The Epicurean View: Thomas Nagel's "Death" and Stephen Rosenbaum's "How to Be Dead and Not Care: A Defense of Epicurus"
3. Harming the Dead: George Pitcher's "The Misfortunes of the Dead" and Joel Feinberg's "Harm to Others"
4. Death and the Concept of a Person: Fred Feldman's "Some Puzzles About the Evil of Death" and J. David Velleman's "Well-Being and Time"
IV. Conclusion
Charles Taylor's "Self-Interpreting Animals" (handout)
Course Requirements
Students will write two papers (7-10 pages each). There will also be a comprehensive exam at the end of the semester. Each assignment will count for 30% of the course grade. Class participation will count for the remaining 10% of the course grade.
Policies concerning papers
(1) Any student requiring an extension should arrange for one at least three days in advance of handing in the paper. A paper without an extension will be considered late and penalized accordingly. A letter grade will be deducted from the paper grade for every full week or fraction thereof that the paper is late.
(2) Papers must be printed when they are handed in. E-mail attachments will not be accepted.
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This page last modified on January 16, 2000.