Knowledge and Reality
Philosophy 114
Winter 2011
Professor Dennis Whitcomb
Course Description
This course introduces you to metaphysics and epistemology via in-depth examinations of a handful of central issues: the nature of persons, the ubiquitous and deep puzzles of vagueness in our thought and language, and the possibility, structure, and nature of knowledge. Class sessions will consist in lectures and discussions. The readings are short but dense; you will need to focus on them without distraction and work through them several times.
As you will come to appreciate over the quarter, philosophy is an activity: it is something you actively do, not something you passively observe and take in. It may take awhile to get used to this activity, but once you do, you will find it very rewarding and enjoyable.
Office Hours
Tuesday and Wednesday 8:30-10:00 and by appointment. Bond Hall 310.
Grading
The grade is determined by two in-class essay exams, a midterm (40%) and a final (60%). A list of possible questions for each exam will be handed out on the first day of class, and will also be available on blackboard.
It is very important that you start working on these questions early. With constant well-paced work over the whole quarter, it is very feasible to develop good answers. If you wait until a few days before the exam, though, the project will be completely infeasible. I encourage you to arrange a weekly study group with several of your classmates in which you discuss the readings, the lectures, and the exam questions.
Tentative Schedule. This schedule may change; if so, I will announce it in class.
You should come to class having done the day’s assigned readings. All the readings and handouts are in the course packet.
Jan 4. Introduction to the course.
Jan 6. Personal identity. Reading: Handouts 1-3 and Perry pp. 1-18.
Jan 11. Personal identity. Reading: Perry pp. 19-49.
Jan 13. Identity and abortion. Readings: Abortion handout and Pruss.
Jan 18. Identity and abortion.
Jan 20. No Class
Jan 25. Vagueness. Reading: Sainsbury (focus on pp. 23-30).
Jan 27. Vagueness. Reading: Sainsbury (focus on pp. 30-39 and 47-49).
Feb 1. Discussion
Feb 3. Review for the midterm exam.
Feb 8. Midterm exam.
Feb 10. Skepticism and knowledge. Reading: Descartes, Meditations 1 and 2.
Feb 15. Responses to skepticism. Reading: DeRose.
Feb 17. Responses to skepticism. Reading: DeRose.
Feb 22. Responses to skepticism. Reading: DeRose.
Feb 24. The structure of knowledge. Reading: Audi, “The Architecture of Knowledge”.
March 1. The structure of knowledge. Reading: Audi, “The Architecture of Knowledge”.
March 3. The nature of knowledge. Reading: Audi, “The Analysis of Knowledge”.
March 8. The nature of knowledge. Reading: Audi, “The Analysis of Knowledge”.
March 10. Review of the final exam
Final exam:
2:00 class = Tuesday March 15th, 1:00-3:00
4:00 class = Thursday March 17th, 1:00-3:00