Introduction to Philosophy: Plato to Contemporary French Philosophy (with some films)

(PHL 100-111)T/TH 1:00pm-2:30pm

Instructor: Dr. Anthony Paul Smith (anthonypaul.smith@gmail.com)Room: Room 129, Munroe Hall (2312 North Clifton Avenue)

Phone: 773-325-3259 (room)773-931-9570 (cell)

Office hours: 11:20-12:20 T/TH or by appointment

Course Description This course is a historical introduction to philosophy. This means that we will be looking at a wide-range of philosophers starting all the way back in ancient Greece and ending in present-day France. We will be reading short selections from each philosopher, analyzing their ideas and arguments, and understanding where they fit in the historical development of philosophy itself. The goal of such a wide survey is to expose ourselves to the way that philosophy both remains indebted to its past as well as the ways each thinker practices philosophy very differently than that past. All of us will find much of this reading difficult. That does not mean any of us, including you, are going to do poorly in this class! We will discuss the texts during the lectures and only what is covered in the lectures will be on the exams. We will come to find that by the end of the class our understanding of the readings have improved.

Philosophy is ultimately concerned with difficult questions. Good philosophy always pushes beyond the usual surface responses in the search for real wisdom concerning that question. These are the questions that sometimes haunt us when we have a moment to think. What is love? Why do we love the way we do? What does it mean to be? Is my experience of the world the same as the person I love? What is the point of all of this? So, while philosophy is difficult, it isn’t difficult in the same way that mathematics is difficult. It’s difficult because it has to do with how you live your life.

Because philosophy crosses beyond its own borders we will look at two films in order to assist us in understanding the philosophers we are reading as well as to think about the films we watched.

Learning Outcomes Upon completing the course the student should be able to:

show an understanding of the major themes, figures, and questions of the western philosophical tradition

express how this tradition relates to their own lives and the world around them apply philosophical thinking to all of their future academic work, regardless of

their major articulate their own philosophical thinking in both written and verbal form

Grade SummaryThere will be two exams (comprised of short-answer questions and essay questions) and a final paper (10-pages, double-spaced). Each exam will count for 33.3% (for a total of 66.6%) of your final grade and the final paper will count for 33.3%.

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It is important that you do not miss a class and especially an exam. Any make-up for the in-class exams will only be given due to extreme situations, and this is done very rarely. You must have prior permission from the instructor to take a make-up.

The paper is due via Desire2Learn (click the “Dropbox” tab) by the end of the day (11:59PM) on Thursday, November 17th. The paper is to be submitted electronically only. Details concerning the paper (its format and content) will be passed out after the first exam. Late papers will not be accepted except for extreme situations. Cheating/plagiarism will be dealt with as the serious infractions that they are, possibly leading to failure; see the Student Handbook for details.

Attendance is important but will not be taken for a grade. It is your responsibility to attend every class. I can guarantee that poor attendance will make it impossible to do well in this class.

Cell Phone and Laptop PolicyWhile I understand the addiction to cell phones, especially smart phones, the material we are studying is very difficult and therefore requires your undivided attention. If you are caught using your phone during a lecture you will be given one warning (either verbally or by email). If you are caught a second time or more you will face a reduction of five points for each offense from your highest scoring piece of coursework. Please turn all cell phones off during the lecture. If I can do it, so can you.

Laptops are acceptable in the class, but for note taking only. If you appear not to be paying attention because you’re distracted by something non-lecture related on your laptop then I will ask you to read the last line of notes you have just written. If you can’t then you will be given a warning (either verbally or by email). If you are caught a second time or more you will face a reduction of five points for each offense from your highest scoring piece of coursework.

Desire2LearnPlease make sure that you check the email attached to your Desire2Learn profile. I will be sending weekly emails to that address. All course documents, powerpoints, audio of lectures, and other helpful links will be available on the Desire2Learn course page. I will also be setting up forums where you can discuss the week’s readings. These are not graded, but it will be a helpful resource for those who want to ask questions about the reading. I will check in on these forums and participate.

Remarks on Lectures, Readings, Films, and Classroom DiscussionsWe are dealing with adult themes and a range of different belief systems in this class. You will be exposed to different ways of thinking both in the readings, the lectures, and discussions in class. At times you may find yourself offended by one or more of the ideas presented and when you are not offended a fellow classmate may well be. This is ok! While of course verbal or physical abuse is strictly not tolerated, we have to give each other permission to be offensive (within the bounds of respectful discourse) and to be offended. By remaining in this course you are agreeing to have respectful conversations about a wide range of different beliefs.

This goes especially for the films and clips we will watch in class. At times I have chosen material that may be offensive to some. Some films will be rated-R and some clips from TV shows will be rated TV-MA. By remaining enrolled in this class after the first session you are entering into a non-verbal agreement that you understand and accept you will be asked to watch these films and clips.

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Required Texts

Robert Paul Wolff (editor), Ten Great Works of Philosophy (available from the LPC Bookstore)

e-reserve Course Reader http://eres.lib.depaul.edu/eres/courseindex.aspx?page=search (Search for Smith, password PHL100)

Outline of Course and Reading Schedule Readings listed are to be read for that class period. If the reading is listed under September 14th, it is to be read prior to the September 14th session of class. To help guide your reading, I will provide two study question per reading assignment (via email) which you should come to class as prepared as possible to answer; writing out answers beforehand is not required but is encouraged. The schedule and procedures for this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances; changes will be announced in class.

(10GW) = Ten Great Works of Philosophy(ER) = e-reserve Course Reader

The Greek Origins of Philosophy and the Christian Appropriation September 8th Introduction, Plato

September 13th Film: Hedwig and the Angry InchPlato (10GW), pp. 1-62

September 15th Plato and AristotleAristotle (10GW), pp. 63-103

September 20th Medieval PhilosophySt. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas (10GW), pp. 104-117 (I suggest you also take some time to begin reading for the next class period here)

Modern PhilosophySeptember 22nd René Descartes

Descartes (10GW), pp. 118-195

September 27th David HumeHume (10GW), pp. 198-252, 341-345

September 29th Immanuel KantKant (10GW), pp. 349-372, 418-456 (Focus on these sections, but try to read the entire text pp. 346-475)

October 4th Benedict de SpinozaSpinoza (ER), The Ethics, pp . 564-603

October 6th Exam 1

Philosophy after KantOctober 11th GWF Hegel and Karl Marx

Marx (ER), The Marx-Engels Reader, pp. 70-81, 143-145

October 13th Søren Kierkegaard

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Kierkegaard (ER), Fear and Trembling, pp. 5-8, 27-53

October 18th Friedrich NietzscheNietzsche (ER), On the Genealogy of Morality, pp. 11-37

October 20th Film: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Twentieth-Century Philosophy in Germany and FranceOctober 25th (Finish Film) Henri Bergson

Bergson (ER), Creative Evolution, pp. 120-152, 155-161, 168-173 (Focus on these sections, especially the first two, but try to read the whole chapter)

October 27th Phenomenology (Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger) Heidegger, Being and Time, pp. 21-35

November 1st Gilles Deleuze and Félix GuattariDeleuze and Guattari (ER), What is Philosophy, pp. 1-12, 44-49

November 3rd Luce IrigarayIrigaray (ER), “Another Look, Another Woman”, pp. 7-19

Contemporary French PhilosophyNovember 8th Alain Badiou

Badiou (ER), Manifesto for Philosophy, pp. 113-138.

November 10th François LaruelleLaruelle (ER), “What Can Non-Philosophy Do?”, pp. 169-189

November 15th Exam 2

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