Philosophy 118: The Making of the Modern Mind Ed Langerak
Office hours: T,Th,
E-mail addresses: <langerak>; class alias: <philosophy-118A> and <philosophy-118B>
Web page: www.stolaf.edu/people/langerak
We survey the development of historically significant conceptions of reality, knowledge, and ethics in the West from Socrates to modern times. We study, in their cultural context, major philosophers, emphasizing how they relate their explanations of the universe to their conceptions of morality and of a meaningful human life. Our aims:
1. Intellectual history and cultural literacy: understanding the major influences on the development of our world-and-life views and on how we think and talk.
2. Historical reconstruction: understanding "history" as an active interpretation of the past. Asking such questions as "Who did and said what? When? Where? And why?" or "What actions, events, or processes influenced which others, and how?" raises questions about presuppositions and methodologies such as, "What constitutes historical evidence, and how do we select it and use it?"
3. Self-examination: thinking about our thinking; knowing ourselves and our implicit metaphysics, epistemologies, and ethics, and why we believe what we do; learning how to combine personal commitment with respect for pluralism and a global perspective.
4. Philosophical skills: interpreting texts charitably and critically, analyzing and synthesizing ideas gracefully and carefully, and evaluating and constructing arguments creatively and rigorously.
5. Writing skills: an application of the above philosophical skills in two formal papers that are "dialogue (dialectical) inquiries" as described in the handout. The first paper will be either revised and expanded into the second paper or simply revised and resubmitted before the second paper is due.
6. Integration: relating philosophy and its history to other disciplines and to some of the intellectual and practical issues we face as persons, students, citizens, family members, and friends.
Texts: The Great Conversation, 3rd ed., Norman Melchert, and handouts. Everyone should have and use an English writing handbook.
Student contributions: Regular attendance, and quantity and quality of participation (10%). Eight weekly paragraphs on the reading for the day (10%). Two tests (15% each; 30%). A four-page paper that is revised and expanded into a seven or eight-page paper, or two separate four-page papers (15% each; 30%). Final exam (20%).
Agenda
Sept. 9: Introduction; the pre-Socratics. (Rec. GC 1&2 .)
14: Sophists, Socrates, and “cultivating humanity.” GC 3&4; and Nussbaum, the syllabus excerpt and pp. 16-22. 59: 7-10.
16: Socrates and the courage of convictions. GC 5; and Wittgenstein on “Family Resemblances,” GC pp. 643-645. 70: 5 & 6.
21: Socrates and Jesus. GC 9, esp. section on Jesus, pp. 223-229; and Powell's Jesus as a Figure in History, chaps. 1, 4, & 6.
23: Marcus Borg will visit one of our sections (TBA); students from the other section are invited to attend.
28: Plato. GC 6. 156: 12 & 13.
30: Plato continued. Nussbaum, pp. 22-28. 156: 18 & 19.
Oct. 5: Aristotle. GC 7 (pp. 175-87 are rec). 199: 13 & 15.
7: Aristotle continued. 199: 32 and 200: 33, 37, & 3.
12: Epicureans, Stoics, and Skeptics. GC 8. 218: 4 & 6, Stoic 1.
14: Stoics and Skeptics continued. Nussbaum, the syllabus excerpt (again) and pp. 28-41; (rec. Langerak's chapel talks on "Getting Wisdom" and "Listening and Learning," on his web page [see above]). 218: Stoic 7, Skeptic 6 & 7.
Fall Break
21: First Test
26: Augustine. GC 10 (Pp. 240-47 are rec.). 267:7 and 268:21 & 36.
28: Anselm and Aquinas. GC 11 (Pp. 283-90 & 296-99 are rec.). 299:3 and 300:7,20,
21, & 22.
Nov. 2: Aquinas, con’t. First Formal Paper Due: a dialectical inquiry on any topic we have discussed, including questions “for further thought” such as 59:1; 117:2 or 3; 156:3; 200:4; and 218:1 or 2. Those who want their second paper to be a revision and expansion of the first should write on 218: 1 or 2, or talk with me about a topic
4: Moving to Modern Philosophy. GC 12 and 13, pp. 325-330. 323: 3, 6, 10, & 20
9: Descartes. GC 13 (Rec. pp. 347-62). 335: 13-15.
11: Hobbes and Locke. GC 14, pp. 376-92. Langerak’s “Theism and Toleration.” 402: Hobbes 7, Locke 2, 8, 11, 14, & 17.
16: Hume. GC 15. 432: 6, 10, 12, & 17.
18: Second Test. Hume, con’t.
23: Kant. GC
16, pp. 433-58. 468: 3, 6, 9, &
13, or hand in an answer on the 30th.
Thanksgiving Break
30: Kant, con’t. GC 16, pp. 458-67. Selection from Groundwork. 468: 17, 20, & 22. Revision of first paper (attached) is due for those writing two separate papers.
Dec. 2: Marx and Mill. GC 18, pp. 518-23, and GC 19, pp. 525-35. Selection from Utilitarianism.
523: 2 & 4 &
541: 1, 2, 7, & 11, or hand in an answer on the 7th.
7: Wollstonecraft. GC 19, pp. 535-41. 541: 12-14 and 542:15. (Begin Nietzsche.)
9: Nietzsche; and pragmatism. GC 20, pp. 549-564; GC 21, pp. 578-83, 593-98.
14: Summary. Second Formal Paper Due: a dialectical inquiry on any topic from or related to the course. Those revising and expanding their first paper should include the theories of the good or of knowledge from at least one medieval or modern philosopher (and attach the first paper).
Ed Langerak's Homepage | Personal and Family | Course Syllabi | Talks and Papers | Colleagues | Curriculum Vitae
Ed Langerak
langerak@stolaf.edu
Date Last Modified: 8/10/03