Philosophy Outline
Introduction
1. Main reason I chose Philosophy is…
· I want to explore the meaning of life
· There was nothing else I fancied in that column
· Last year’s class enjoyed it
· Some other reason
Pupils sit accordingly and discuss reasons.
Society for Useless Information problem, p12 “101 Philosophy Problems”
Meaning of word “Philosophy”
2. Sit in row closest to your philosophy of life…
· Life is a rollercoaster – full of highs and lows (not Ronan Keating)
· Life is a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get (Forrest Gump)
· Life is a great big canvas and you should splash all the paint on it you can (Danny Kaye)
· Life is a sewer – what you get out of it depends on what you put into it (Tom Lehrer)
Discuss reasons for choices.
Read “Sophie’s World” chapter 1 to class. Class reads chapter 2 and answers questions about it.
3. Responses to “Sophie’s World”. Sit according to whom you most closely identify…
· I can identify with Sophie and her thoughts about herself
· I can identify with the rabbit
· I can identify with Sophie’s Mum
· I can identify with Sophie and her thoughts about the world
Discuss reasons for choices.
Discuss answers to some of the questions on “Sophie’s World”.
4. Favourite cuisine?
· Chinese
· Indian
· Italian
· British
Watch video 1 from 9.45 – end. (How philosophers got in to Philosophy, and life of Socrates).
Reading “Meaning of Life” booklet.
5. Correct chronological order of these philosophers is:
· Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Hippocrates
· Hippocrates, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
· Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Hippocrates
· Socrates, Hippocrates, Plato, Aristotle
“Early Greek Philosophers” ppt Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, Theory of Forms.
Mark Steel video on Aristotle.
6. The quote you most agree with?
· “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one” (Albert Einstein)
· “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away” (Philip Dick)
· “Reality is a question of perspective” (Salman Rushdie)
· “The reality is more excellent than the report” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Discuss.
Watch “The Cave” video.
Small groups discuss and report on its meaning
Plato’s Cave powerpoint.
Read pages 5-6, 12-13 of Warburton’s “Philosophy: the Classsics”
Write poem as prisoner released from cave.
7. Most like to spend an evening with?
· Ed Harris
· Keanu Reeves
· Jim Carrey
· Carrie-Anne Moss
Read homework poems.
Start watching “The Truman Show”
8. Favourite place to watch a film?
· Cineworld
· Falkirk Town Hall
· At home on DVD
· Vue
Watch the rest of “The Truman Show”
Critical Thinking
9. When I got my SQA results, I was…
· Very pleased
· Quite happy
· A bit disappointed
· Suicidal
“What is Philosophy” (yellow booklet) pages 1-3 read and discussed.
10. “The Scottish Government was right to free Megrahi”
· Strongly agree
· Agree
· Disagree
· Strongly disagree
Pages 4-6 (yellow booklet)
Arguments and Premises exercise (Rafferty pages 30-31)
11.Scottish city I would most like to be a student in is…
· Glasgow
· Edinburgh
· Aberdeen
· St Andrews
Syllogisms and hidden premises pages 7-12 (yellow booklet)
11. Matching exercise on board with meanings of :statement, argument, premise, conclusion, syllogism, assertion, denial, refutation, deductive, inductive.
12. Validity and Soundness explained
13. “Inductive and Deductive Reasoning” sheet with exercise
14. “Types of Reasoning” sheet read
15. Exercise 3.4 (Rafferty p 49)
16. Read yellow booklet pp13-top half of 14
17. Activity on p19 of yellow booklet
18. Exercise 3.5 (Rafferty p49)
19. Of these, my favourite channel is…
· Sky Sports
· Sky Movies
· Dave
· Any music channel
Argument sheet read
Exercises 3.2 and 3.3 sheet (Rafferty pages 46-48)
Activity in yellow booklet p 21
20. Yellow booklet pp 14-18 Affirming the Antecedent and Denying the Consequent
Exercise on p 22
21. “Reliable and Unreliable Arguments” sheet given out and Dr Who examples discussed.
22. The hardest thing to get my head round so far is
· valid and invalid arguments
· deductive and inductive arguments
· premises and conclusion
· sound and unsound arguments
Critical Thinking Test
“Arguments expressed in everyday language” sheet
23. Yellow booklet pages 24-27
24. Yellow booklet pages 28-29
Fallacy Examples ppt
Definition game with pink cards
25. Definition of Fallacies sheet given out
Groups produce fallacies for others to recognise
Yellow booklet p 30
26. Spot fallacies on pages 34-35
Practice assessment page 36 for homework
27. Marking p 36 assessment
Critical Thinking (Edited) ppt
28.Revision options:
a) Yellow booklet pages37-40
b) “How to Look for Arguments” sheet
c) “Identifying Arguments” sheet
d) “Truth, Validity and Soundness” sheet
e) Exercises 6.4 and 6.5 sheet
28. Higher Critical Thinking NAB 001
29. NAB gone over
Epistemology
30. Epistemology booklet page 1 read and page 2 questions done
31. Which of these “facts” are you most sure of?
· You are wearing clothes
· Pi=22/7
· The sun is hot
· Some of the class are in Millport
“Knowledge, Belief and Certainty” sheet done and justifications for certain answers discussed. Answers to p2 questions gone over.
32. Blue booklet pages 2-7 read.
Rafferty ppt slides 5-17. Belief, Knowledge and Certainty slide copied. Knowledge =JTB
32. Rationalism – blue booklet pages 8-11 with definition cards added to board as we go along. Definitions copied.
33. Empiricism – blue booklet pages 12-14. Exercise on p 15.
34. Watch first 45 minutes of “The Matrix” – to the choosing of the pill or beyond to Morpheus telling Neo he is the one. Write paragraph explaining connection between the Matrix, epistemology and Putnam’s theory.
35. Gettier problems on ppt. Pupils think of similar examples.
36. Pages 15-17 read and exercise on p 17.
37. Explain Plato’s Ladder. Pupils read and answer questions based on the essay “Assess the view that knowledge is a justified, true belief”.
38. Give out Simon Prosser’s paper “Problems of Knowledge”
39. My birthday is in
· Jan – Mar
· Apr – Jun
· Jul – Sep
· Oct - Dec
40. Read pages 18, 24- 28.
a) Give as many reasons as you can that extreme Sceptics give for saying that there is no such thing as certain knowledge.
b) What is the “sceptical paradox”?
41. Watch http://www.rocketboom.com/rb_08_jun_04/
42. Copy table from p 23. Add extras from Rafferty’s ppt slide Empiricism and Rationalism.
43. Read “Responses to the Challenge of Scepticism” paper and answer questions at end.
44. “The sceptic claims we can never acquire certain knowledge…” essay. Highlight or make notes on arguments for and against Scepticism, Rationalism, Empiricism and Coherentism.
45. Epistemology crossword.
46. Epistemology essay homework exercise
Descartes
47. For the purposes of the homework essay, I am a(n)…
· Sceptic
· Coherentist
· Rationalist
· Empiricist
48. “Story of Maths” video (6 mins, on same tape as “Truman Show”)
49. Descartes time line ppt slide copied
50. Descartes notes p1 – make into spider diagram around Descartes’ Background
51. Copy or summarise p2
52. Read p23
53. Meditation 1 para 1 read – 6 word summary
54. Meditation 1 paras 2-6 read. Groups summarise them in 15 words.
55. Reading Descartes notes pages 3-6 or 23-31
56. The drawing I most associate with Descartes’ Meditations is
· Tree
· Barrel of Apples
· Demolition of flats
· Man in bed dreaming
57. Explain each analogy.
58. Descartes’ Method of Doubt question sheet
59. Dream Argument ppt
60. Evil Demon Argument ppt incl. Tenacious D Tribute film.
61. If my friends were to buy me a tee-shirt from the “Cartesian Tee-Shirt Shop”, it would be
· I shop therefore I am
· I play therefore I am
· I work therefore I am
· I drink therefore I am
62. Paragraphs 8-12 in Med 1 summarised in groups and best ones voted on.
63. Squashed Philosophers summary of Meditation 1 given out.
64. Mark Steel part 1 MP4 shown
65. Pages 34-35 of notes read.
66. Epistemology Test
67. Summarise paras 1-3 of Meditation 2
68. Visit from “Superhero” band
69. Joke: Descartes walks into a bar. The bartender walks up to him and says, “Would you care for a drink?” Descartes replies, “I think not.” and disappears.
· I get it and find it amusing
· I get it but prefer the one where Descartes walks into a bar and says “Ouch”
· I get it but prefer the one about Porky the pig saying “I’m pink, therefore I’m ham”
· I just don’t get it
70. Read pages 36-37, paragraph 3 of Med. 2, and 38-39 of notes
71. Find the basis of Descartes joke in paragraph 6, and find the mistake in the notes on page 10
72. Explain difference between “cogito ergo sum” and “I am, I exist”
73. Copy “What is the Cogito?” from page 19
74. “What is special about the Cogito?” Write a few paragraphs in answer to this question, using the notes in the second box on page 19 as your basis.
75. Read and think about criticisms of the Cogito on pages 10, 11, 12, and 19
76. Which of these criticisms of the Cogito do you find the most persuasive?
· It is based on the hidden premise that “All thoughts have thinkers”. This is an inductive argument and cannot therefore be certain.
· It is based on the laws of logic, which his “Evil Genius hypothesis” has already cast doubt on.
· It assumes a unified “I”. Perhaps the self is merely a bundle of perceptions.
· Even if “I exist” is foundational knowledge, nothing can be built on it.
77. Discussion on above. Page 19 read and discussed.
78. “Explain and evaluate the criticisms of the Cogito” answers written.
79. “Is Reason the Source of Knowledge?” video with questions on p 49
80. Select one of these statements you agree with and sit in the appropriate row
· Something cannot come into being from nothing
· What is more perfect cannot come from what is less perfect
· The cause of something must be at least as real as the thing itself
· The cause of an idea in the mind must be greater than the idea itself
(Later, change seat to that of statement you disagree with)
81. “An epistemology update” ppt slides 34-38
82. Read Squashed Meditation 2
83. “Criticisms of the Cogito” ppt
84. Discussion of reasons pupils disagreed with statements in 80.
85. Meditation 3 Questions sheet
86. Read Squashed Meditation 3
87. “Clear and Distinct Ideas” ppt
88. “Trademark Argument” ppt
89. Meditation 3 Short Essays
90. History of Western Philosophy Song
91. What is the half-time score in the Meditations
· Descartes 2-1 Sceptics
· Descartes 0-1 Sceptics
· Descartes 1-1 Sceptics
· I don’t understand football analogies. Why don’t we abandon the game and just go home?
Discuss the above
92. Write half-term report card for Rene Descartes with paragraphs on Progress and Next Steps.
93. Read “Learning Philosophy from Descartes” article
94. “Descartes before the horse” ppt joke.
95. Visit to cinema to see “Creation”
96. Discussion about Darwin and his role in history of ideas.
97. “Is Mind Distinct from Body” video (first 13 mins)
98. “Descartes in the Autumn” youtube
99. “Santa Claus has a white beard – true, false or neither?” (The Xmas Files pp89-92)
100.“The Christmas Turkey” (p 110)
101. Which of these statements is closest to your attitude towards mistakes:
· I get annoyed when I make mistakes
· I see my mistakes as something to learn and move on from
· Mistakes – we all make them - it’s just part of being human
· Mistakes – I don’t make them, but I’ve noticed other people do?
102. Read Squashed Meditation 4 and do Questions on Meditation 4
103. Read Squashed Meditation 5 and explain Ontological Argument
104. Assumptions Descartes Makes sheet. Class write answers. Discuss answers emphasising analysis and evaluation.
105. Which of the following categories would you have most liked to be in the Yearbook Awards? (Feel free to add your nominations on the board)
§ Deepest Thinker
§ Biggest Sceptic
§ Biggest Dreamer
§ Most Evil Genius
106. Youtube Philosophy and Religion: Rene Descartes (Med 2)
107. Squashed Meditation 6 read and discussed.
108. Questions on Meditation 6 done and talked about.
109. Which of Descartes’ arguments do you find the least convincing
· The cogito
· Trademark Argument
· Ontological Argument
· Clear and Distinct Ideas
110. Mark Steel “Descartes” MP4s from 4 minutes into part 2, and all of part 3.
111. Practice essays:
Higher – In Meditation 6, how far do you think that Descartes is able to answer the sceptical arguments he discusses in Meditation 1?
Int 2 – How successful is Descartes’ Trademark Argument in proving the existence of God?
112. Revision exercise based around putting pink cards with premises and conclusion of Trademark Argument in correct order. Also using issues like evolution, evil and suffering, meaning of I, Cartesian circle to evaluate Descartes’ ideas.
113. Epistemology and Descartes NAB
Moral Philosophy
1. Aunt Gertrude has once again bought you a hideous item of clothing for Christmas. She asks if you like it. Do you
· Tell the truth
· Lie?
2. “Consequentialism v Deontology” sheet in pairs
3. Matilda and Sheila story from “Dialogue” p23. Who would you be most like:
· Sheila
· Matilda?
4. Why have so many consequentialists now become deontologists?
5. Questions on p 24 of “Dialogue”
6. Intro to Bentham ppt
7. Hedonic Calculus worksheet
8. Mill ppt from “Sadistic Guards”
9. Higher or Lower Pleasures worksheet
10. Issues with Hedonism ppt and sheet