Course title |
English in Philosophical Works |
Semester |
109-1 |
Designated for |
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY |
Instructor |
CHRISTIAN HELMUT WENZEL |
Curriculum Number |
Phl2059 |
Curriculum Identity Number |
104E45600 |
Class |
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Credits |
3.0 |
Full/Half Yr. |
Half |
Required/ Elective |
Required |
Time |
Monday 3,4,5(10:20~13:10) |
Remarks |
The upper limit of the number of students: 40. |
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Course introduction video |
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Table of Core Capabilities and Curriculum Planning |
Table of Core Capabilities and Curriculum Planning |
Course Syllabus
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Please respect the intellectual property rights of others and do not copy any of the course information without permission
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Course Description |
Bertand Russell (1872-1970) was one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century and an excellent writer. He wrote on philosophy of mathematics as well as on political and social issues. His book The Problems of Philosophy is a short and introductory book to problems of philosophy of knowledge, mainly from British empiricist points of view. It appeared in 1912 and became a bestseller. It is still in print today. On about 160 pages, Russell discusses the nature of appearance and reality, matter, idealism, induction, a priori knowledge, universals, intuition, truth and falsehood, opinion, and the limits and value of philosophy in general. As the book consists of 15 short chapters of about ten pages each, we will more or less follow this division, covering about ten pages per week. This course does not only provide a chance to learn something in philosophy but also to learn and enjoy good English. Bertrand Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950. |
Course Objective |
The course objective is to learn how to read a classical philosophical text in English, how to summarize the main points, and how to discuss them in writing and in speech. |
Course Requirement |
Regular attendance and preparation is required. |
Student Workload (expected study time outside of class per week) |
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Office Hours |
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Designated reading |
Thomas Nagel, “Mind and Cosmos, Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False,” OUP 2012. “Mortal Questions,” CUP 1979. |
References |
The main text we will be using is: Bertrand Russell: The Problems of Philosophy 1912.
There are several other books by Bertrand Russell that we might wish to draw on in order to explain his ideas and their development. These are: The Philosophy of Leibniz (1900), Logic and Knowledge: Essays 1901-1950, Theory of Knowledge: The 1913 Manuscript, and Our Knowledge of the External World (1914). |
Grading |
No. |
Item |
% |
Explanations for the conditions |
1. |
Participation |
30% |
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2. |
Midterm exam |
30% |
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3. |
Final exam |
40% |
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Week |
Date |
Topic |
Week 1 |
9/14 |
Introduction to the course |
Week 2 |
9/21 |
Introduction from the book |
Week 3 |
9/28 |
Antireductionism and the Natural Order (part 1) |
Week 4 |
10/05 |
Antireductionism (part 2) |
Week 5 |
10/12 |
Consciousness (part 1) |
Week 6 |
10/19 |
Consciousness (part 2) |
Week 7 |
10/26 |
Consciousness (part 3) |
Week 8 |
11/02 |
Review |
Week 9 |
11/09 |
Midterm |
Week 10 |
11/16 |
Cognition (part 1) |
Week 11 |
11/23 |
Cognition (part 2) |
Week 12 |
11/30 |
Cognition (part 3) |
Week 13 |
12/07 |
Value (part 1) |
Week 14 |
12/14 |
Value (part 2) |
Week 15 |
12/21 |
Value (part 3) |
Week 16 |
12/28 |
Moral Luck (part 1) |
Week 17 |
1/04 |
Moral Luck (part 2) |
Week 18 |
1/11 |
Final |