Hamline University - Phil. 1120 - General Philosophy - Spring, 2005 - Tom Atchison
Plato Resources:
Garth Kemmerling on Socrates and Plato (brief and accessible)
Richard Kraut on Plato (A long and fairly difficult article from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, but you may find individual sections -- like the one on Socrates -- useful)
Rae Langton's study guide to Descartes' Meditations
Hume Resources
Jonathon Bennett's modernized version of the text
An interactive study guide developed by philosophers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee (in Scotland) (this is especially helpful for learning some of the terms that Hume has bequeathed to modern philosophy: a priori/ a posteriori, analytic/ synthetic, necessary/contingent, etc.)
A study guide by Professor Gerald G. Massey of the University of Pittsburg
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Hume (fairly advanced)
Garth Kemmerling's overview (simpler)
Locke Resources
Garth Kemmerling's overview of Locke's philosophy of government
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Locke (more advanced)
Some links relevant to our study of equality:
Egalitarian Ideas:
The Enduring Significance of John Rawls By Martha Nussbaum
Rethinking Redistribution is a website with arguments pro and con on various sorts of redistributive policies (basic income, stakeholder grants, negative income tax, etc.) and links to more material.
"A Basic Income for All" by Phillipe van Parijs appeared in the Boston Review with responses by a number of leading social thinkers -- all indexed here.
Also at Boston Review: "Is Equality Good for Our Health" and "Is Equality in Our Nature?" and "The New Inequality and What To Do About It"
Libertarian Ideas:
For example: An article (in PDF format) by Jack High arguing that there is no good reason for education to be supplied or financed by the state and a report arguing that requiring employers to pay a "living wage" has the perverse effect of "Keeping the Poor Poor" by Carl Horowitz
Critical discussion of Nozick's entitlement theory by R. J. Johnson, U. of Missouri
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy articles on
"Distributive Justice"-- includes discussions of Rawls and Nozick. This page also has a very useful set of links to organizations advocating various conceptions of justice (Libertarian, liberal, conservative, Marxist, etc. -- scroll to the bottom of the page.)
Rawls' concept of the "Original Position"
"Contemporary Approaches to the Social Contract"
Click here for the first paper assignment (due Feb. 25 for section 6 and Feb. 28 for section 4)
Click here for the list of possible midterm exam questions
Click here for the second paper assignment (Due May 6 for section 4 and May 9 for section 6)
Click here for the list of possible final exam questions
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Date to be discussed |
Reading |
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Wednesday, Feb. 3 |
Introductory session |
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Friday, Feb. 4 |
Blackburn, Think,
Introduction, pp.1-13 |
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Monday, Feb. 7 |
Plato, Euthyphro; Notes
on Socratic definitions and the Euthyphro by S. Marc Cohen (optional) |
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Wednesday. Feb. 9 |
Plato, Apology |
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Friday, Feb. 11 |
Plato, Crito |
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Monday, Feb. 14 |
Descartes, Meditations
1 and 2; Blackburn, pp. 15-21 |
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Wednesday, Feb. 16 |
Blackburn, pp. 22-32 |
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Friday, Feb. 18 |
Descartes, Meditation
3; Blackburn, pp. 32-37 |
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Monday, Feb. 21 |
Descartes, Meditation 4
(just through AT 54, i.e., the first three paragraphs); Blackburn, pp.
37-48; Hume, Enquiry, Section XII, just the first two pages |
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Wednesday, Feb. 23 |
Plato, Meno |
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Friday, Feb. 25 |
Plato, Phaedo
(1st half) ; 1st paper due |
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Monday, Feb. 28 |
Plato, Phaedo
(2nd half) |
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Wednesday, March 2 |
Descartes, AT 78 and AT
86 in Meditation 6 (two paragraphs containing arguments for the
separateness of mind and body); Blackburn, Chapter 2, pp. 49-65 |
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Friday, March 4 |
Blackburn, Chapter 2, pp.
65-80 |
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Monday, March 7 |
Blackburn, Chapter 3, pp.
81-99 |
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Wednesday, March 9 |
Hume, Enquiry, Section
VIII, "Of Liberty and Necessity" |
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Friday, March 11 |
Blackburn, Chapter 3, pp.
100-119 |
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Monday March 14 |
Blackburn, Chapter 4 |
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Wednesday, March 16 |
Review |
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Friday, March 18 |
Mid-term Exam |
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March 19-27 |
Spring Break |
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Monday, March 28 |
Blackburn, Chapter 5, pp.
149-158; Descartes, Meditation 5, AT 65-68 |
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Wednesday, Match 30 |
Blackburn, Chapter 5, pp.
159-163 |
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Friday, April 1 |
Blackburn, Chapter 5, pp.
163-168; Hume, Enquiry, Section XI, "Of Divine Providence..." |
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Monday, April 4 |
Blackburn, Chapter 5, pp.
168-176; Descartes,
Meditation IV |
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Wednesday, April 6 |
Blackburn, Chapter 5, pp.
176-185; Hume, Enquiry, Section X, "Of Miracles" |
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Friday, April 8 |
Blackburn, Chapter 5, pp. 189-192; Article on
Immortality by D.Z.Phillips (Handout |
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Monday, April 11 |
Blackburn, Chapter 6, pp. 211-217: Hume, Enquiry,
Section IV, |
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Wednesday, April 13 |
Blackburn, Chapter 6, pp. 225-232; Reread Hume,
Enquiry, Section IV, Part 1 |
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Friday, April 15 |
Selections from
Aristotle, handout,
online here, and from Rousseau, and Burke, pp. 57-68 in Equality |
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Monday, April 18 |
Selections from Hobbes, pp. 25-31 in Equality; more from Hobbes |
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Wednesday,
April 20 |
Locke, Second Treatise of
Government, Chapters II and III; editor’s introduction, vii to xvi |
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Friday,
April 22 |
Locke, Second Treatise of
Government, Chapter V; editor’s introduction, xvi to xix |
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Monday,
April 25 |
Locke, Second Treatise of
Government, Chapters VII (especially sections 89-93), IX, and XI; editor’s introduction, xix to xxi |
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Wednesday,
April 27 |
Tawney, pp. 90-106 in Equality; |
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Friday,
April 29 |
Hayek, pp. 107-123 in
Equality |
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Monday,
May 2 |
Rawls, pp. 124-145
in Equality |
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Wednesday,
May 4 |
Nozick, pp. 146-159 in Equality; |
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Friday,
May 6 |
Walzer, pp. 208-233in
Equality; 2nd paper due section 4 |
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Monday,
May 9 |
Kymlicka, pp. 234-242 in Equality |
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Wednesday,
May 11 |
Young, pp. 243-265 in
Equality |
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Friday,
May 13 |
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Monday, May 16, 10:00AM |
Final Exam (in our regular classroom) for section
4 |
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Wednesday,
May 18, 10:00 AM |
Final Exam (in our regular classroom) for section
6 |