Classes cancelled today
All three of my classes are canceled today, since I'm not feeling well. I will get some rest and, hopefully, see you on Friday.
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All three of my classes are canceled today, since I'm not feeling well. I will get some rest and, hopefully, see you on Friday.
Today we finished up Chapter 1 and got started on Chapter 2.
Homework #2 (due in class a week from today): Exercises 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4 (odd problems only).
For tomorrow: read through p. 36.
Basically, what we did today was try to figure out what Kant meant when he wrote:
"...Hitherto it has been assumed that all our knowledge must conform to objects. But all attempts to extend our knowledge of objects by establishing something in regard to them a priori, by means of concepts, have, on this assumption, resulted in failure. We must therefore make trial whether we may not have more success in the tasks of metaphysics, if we suppose that objects must conform to our knowledge." (quoted in Jones, p. 18)
We talked about Kant's distinction between the noumenal world (the world of "things in themselves") and the phenomenal world (the world as we experience it), and how Kant 's view might lead to a form of relativism, where we cannot say that anyone is right or wrong about anything, since whatever one believes could be true in his or her own "phenomenal world."
Tomorrow we will be focusing on what Kant meant when he wrote:
"But though all our knowledge begins with experience, it does not follow that it all arises out of experience." (quoted in Jones, p. 26, emphasis added)
We will also be discussing the important terms 'a priori', 'a posteriori', 'analytic', and 'synthetic', and how these are relevant to Kant's theory of knowledge.
Reading for tomorrow: Jones through p. 39.
We spent most of the class working through some of the homework problems. We then discussed the concepts of soundness and consistency, and how consistency is related to validity.
For tomorrow: read through p. 29.
Don't forget: homework #1 due tomorrow in class!
We finished our discussion of the Enlightenment and the "collapse of confidence" that followed. We watched about 13 minutes of the PBS documentary Napoleon, which provides some nice historical context.
We then got started discussing Kant's theory of knowledge. Mainly we talked about how both Rationalism and Empiricism had led to "skeptical dead ends", and how Kant was determined to find a compromise between the two approaches which kept the good aspects, and got rid of the bad aspects, of each. Tomorrow we will begin talking about Kant's "Copernican revolution" in philosophy.
Reading for tomorrow: Jones through p. 32.
We talked a little more about philosophy, religion, and the relation between them. We then began our discussion of Hinduism. We covered the material in the Smith text through about p. 24.
Reading for Wed.: Smith through p. 47, Anthology pp. 49-54.
"The abortion issue is blown all out of proportion. How come we don't hear nearly as much about the evils of the pill? After all, a lot more potential people are "killed" by the pill than by abortion."
This one is a little tricky. As we discussed, the sentences that make up an argument must be declarative -- that is, they must be statements that can be true or false. One of the sentences in the passage above is phrased as a question. Thus, it might seem that the passage does not contain an argument. However, the "question" seems to be a rhetorical one: it is being used to assert something (indirectly) rather than to ask something. The following argument seems to be implicit in the passage:
1. A lot more potential people are "killed" by the pill than by abortion.
2. We don't hear nearly as much about the evils of the pill (as we do about the evils of abortion).
So:
3. The abortion issue is blown all out of proportion.
When an argument is really bad (as this one is), it can be hard to determine whether it is really supposed to be an argument, or whether it is intended as something else (e.g. an explanation). But it does appear that the author of this passage thinks that (1) and (2) give us reason to believe that (3) is true, so it seems fair to construe the passage as containing an argument.
I will be out of town on Friday, which means no office hours, and no classes -- except for Phil 1007 (you guys will be watching a video).
Today we covered the material on pp. 2-11.
Remember, there is no class on Friday!!! (I won't have office hours either.)
Reading for Monday: finish Chapter 1.
Reminder: first homework assignment (see previous blog entry) due in class Tuesday of next week.
Today we discussed the Enlightenment (or "Age of Reason") and its aftermath (what Jones calls "the collapse of confidence"). This was mainly an historical discussion, setting up the context for the philosophers and philosophical views we will begin discussing on Monday (starting with Kant).
Remember: NO CLASS FRIDAY!
Reading for Monday: Jones (Vol. IV) through p. 27.
I introduced myself and went over the syllabus. We talked a little about what religion and philosophy are, and discussed some ways in which they are similar/different.
Reading for Monday: Smith through p. 38.
I will be gone on Friday, but class will still be held. You will be watching a video on Hinduism and Buddhism.
A couple of you have told me that the bookstore has run out of textbooks for this class, and will not have them in for a week or so. First of all, don't worry about the green book (Vol. V) for now; we won't be covering it until about midway through the semester. As for the red book (Vol. IV), I recommend that you borrow it from a classmate and photocopy it (through p. 39, at least). Or, you could order it on Amazon.com with express shipping and have it in a day or two.
Update: I just checked the bookstore, and the books are supposed to be in by 1/29 (a week from today).
I introduced myself and went over the syllabus. We started talking a bit about what an argument is.
Reading for tomorrow: pp. 1-11.
Homework (due in class Tuesday, 1/29): Exercises 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 (odd problems only). Note: in this class, homework may be typed or handwritten (but make sure it's legible!).
There is no class on Friday (1/25)!!!!
The blog needed a name, and I didn't want to name it something boring, like "Casey McGinnis's Boring Blog." At the time, I happened to be reading a book called The Exploding Detective (by John Swartzwelder, who, incidentally, wrote some of the best Simpsons episodes of all time). So that's where I got the idea for "The Exploding Philosopher." Pretty cool, huh?
I introduced myself and went over the syllabus. We then talked a little about what philosophy is.
Reading for tomorrow: Jones, Vol. IV (the red book), through p. 13.
There will be no class this Friday (1/25)!!!!