Philosophy 100 - Introduction To Philosophy

Content varies somewhat depending on instructor; students are encouraged to read the detailed descriptions published each semester on the Department's website. The following are typical. (1) Introduction to philosophical thinking, stressing the formulation and evaluation of logical arguments, with readings from Plato and Descartes, and recent works on good and evil, immortality, and personal identity. (2) Introduction to argument analysis and the interpretation of philosophical texts, with skepticism the central theme; topics include the structure of skeptical arguments, skeptical worries about sense perception and the intellect, and the problem of induction. (3) Introduction to some basic problems of philosophy, including knowledge and scepticism, personal identity, causation, and universals. Readings from Plato, Descartes, Berkeley, Hume, and Russell. (4) Discussion of historically important philosophical issues that continue to be important in contemporary thought, including human knowledge, God and religious belief, mind and body, and human freedom. (Gen.Ed. AL)