last update 9/14/03
Empiricism
PHIL 4740/5740-3
TR 04:00 PM - 05:15 PM
Jules Vernes, Michael Strogoff
EssentialsCourse
Links/Study Q's |
Description
UC Catalog: Consideration
of the nature and importance of experience. The course will focus on British
Empiricism, but additional themes which vary may include: American pragmatism,
logical positivism, scientific empiricism, phenomenology of experience. Prereq:
PHIL 3002 or PHIL 3022, a minimum grade of "C" in each previous
Philosophy course, or consent of the instructor.
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In the late sixties, Jimi Hendrix asked, "Are
you experienced?" With this loaded little question, Hendrix drew
attention to two important dimensions of "empiricism": first, the
basic idea that genuine knowledge comes originally from sense experience (not
from abstract reasoning); second, that enlightenment depended in part on whether
we could pay close enough attention to how we experience reality. We can call
these two themes "the epistemology of experience" and "the
phenomenology of experience."
This course will approach these two general themes by examining some of the main works of the British empiricists (e.g., Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Reid) as well as others who sought to correct and improve upon their empiricisms (e.g., William James and John Dewey). The writings of contemporary commentators may be consulted as well.Along the way, we’ll consider issues of historical context, such as how and why the British empiricists felt it necessary to respond to the rationalism of Descartes and Leibniz— and why the pragmatists believed that the Brits hadn’t been radical enough in their empiricism.
We will also tackle a swarm of philosophical problems associated with empiricism: how can we know there really is an external world (or other minds) outside of our own? Is there really more to reality than what our senses report? Is there something solid, like a "self" inside of me, or is "self" just a passing show? Just to be thorough, we’ll likely consider the persistence of our self-identity, the relation of reason and emotion, the ground of our universal terms, the nature of substance, the role of a priori knowledge, the distinction between appearance and reality, and the methods by which we try to examine the character of our experience.
Course Objectives
Ideally, by the end of this course students should gain the following skills:
Familiarization.
Gain a good sense of what is at stake in issues of course.
Comprehension. Be able to comprehend the arguments offered by various
philosophers.
Critical analysis. Be able to criticize those arguments by pointing
out where they lack evidence, make an unreasonable leap, hold a false assumption,
etc.
Demonstration of the above through writing.
Verbalization. Be able to summarize a philosophical position, without
notes, using your own words. Be able to criticize a position this way.
Conversation and Debate. Be able to discuss issues in a focused
and informed way with others in the class. This will involve listening closely
to their points, then responding in a way that moves the discussion ahead.
Texts
Available at bookstore and, if you desire, online. If you buy your book online, make sure (1) that it is the correct edition, and (2) that you have it in time for class.
RMP--Readings
In Modern Philosophy, Vol. 2, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Associated Texts,
edited by Roger Ariew and Eric Watkins (Hackett, 2000); ISBN: 0-87220-532-0
WWJ--The Writings of William James: A Comprehensive Edition,
Including an Annotated Bibliography Updated Through 1977 (Phoenix Book)
edited by John J. McDermott; ISBN: 0226391884
PACKET--Bulk Packet/Assorted articles that I will make during the
semester. (Not available yet.)
Evaluation
Attendance/Participation---15
%
Short Writings (12 total)----20%
First Paper (5-7 pages)------30 %
Second Paper (8-10 pages)--35 %
Attendance + Participation: Intellectual inquiry requires verbal discussion as much as written argument. There will be ample opportunity for active and well prepared participation, which I value and which will affect the final grade. "Participation" includes the following kinds of things: attendance, ability and willingness to contribute to class discussion and group activities, e-mail dialogue, etc. It is possible that an occasional "pop quiz" (testing only the most basic familiarity with the readings) will be factored into this portion of the grade. Since lectures and even points made in discussion will find their way into the exams, not attending the class will have a significant negative impact on your grade. Attending will also be a major help to your ability to participate.
Readings: It is expected that you have done the readings before we discuss them. As you read, copy out important points and questions you have onto a separate sheet of paper. (These will help you with your short reflection papers.) You may also want to note problem passages (e.g., with a "?" or "Q.") in your text as you read. These are good points for class discussion. You should come to each class able to discuss the main issues of the reading and you could be asked during class to present the main points to the class. Please see the Tips for Understanding Philosophy and for Writing Philosophy Papers on my home page. See also this page for tips on participating and reading.
Very important: please try to set aside about 10 minutes shortly before class to look back over (skim-review) the readings and whatever you have written for that day.
Short Writings (12 total) The purpose of these assignments is to help you clarify your understanding of the readings and to help you think critically about the issues. These assignments should be TWO THIRDS TO ONE PAGE typewritten reactions or questions about some specific issue which you find compelling in the readings. On occasion, I will suggest a specific topic in advance. You must do 12 papers total and you may not hand in more than one paper on the same date. NO MAKE UPS on these papers. Important: ONLY PAPERS THAT ARE WRITTEN ON A reading or topic THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED IN CLASS ON THAT CLASS ARE ACCEPTABLE. (In other words, make sure you only write a paper for something that is coming up in that day’s class.) Grades for short writings: This will be a "graded" assignment only in a loose sense; in other words it will be either satisfactory (100) or unsatisfactory (50). A zero (0) will be awarded if nothing (or next to nothing) is turned in. IMPORTANT: your paper must not simply sum up the reading or repeat points made there. (I.e., no book reports, please.) Rather, you must try to raise a question or discuss some original insight.
Papers: There will be two longer papers required for this class. You will need to start thinking about paper topics soon. NO late papers without prior arrangements. You may email me at any time to discuss your progress on ALL papers/assignments or we can discuss them in office hours. Style and citation help: A nice little layout of different citation styles can be found here.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a form of stealing. It occurs when an author uses the words or ideas of others as if they were the author’s own original thought. (It may include word-for-word copying, interspersing one’s own words with another’s, paraphrasing, inventing or counterfeiting sources, submitting another’s work as one’s own, neglecting quotation marks on material that is otherwise acknowledged.) Plagiarism is often unintentional. It can be avoided by always acknowledging one’s debt to others by citing the exact source of a quotation or paraphrase. Since plagiarism is such a serious violation of academic honesty, the PENALTY for it will be an AUTOMATIC “F” FOR THIS COURSE. The CU handbook has a more complete description of plagiarism and academic dishonesty.
Grades: I use the plus/minus system. Values for those letters, as well as the policies regarding other grades such as Incomplete, are available in the CU Academic Policies and Regulations section of the handbook.
Office Hours, Contact Information
Contact InformationE-mail: hilde@yahoo.com
Phone : 303-556-8558
Website: http://davidhildebrand.org
Comments about class: Student Comment Form
Office and Hours: Plaza M108; Hours TWTh 2-3 or by appointment.
Purpose: I strongly encourage you to participate by dropping by during office hours. We can talk about the class readings and lectures, exams and papers, your progress, or just philosophy in general. Note: If you are a student with a disability, I will make myself available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations. Before accommodations will be made, you may be required to provide documentation. Students with disabilities will be accommodated. Students with disabilities are required to register disabilities with the UCD Disability Services Office, and are responsible for requesting reasonable accommodations at the beginning of the term.
Important Dates to Remember: (see http://registrar.cudenver.edu/calendar.htm for full calendar)
August 18th, fall semester begins.
August 28th, last day to add via web.
September 3rd, last day to drop and get a tuition refund.
October 27th, last day to drop without dean approval.
Schedule of Readings
(A rough schedule. Subject to revision. I will let you know in each class what is coming up.)
AUGUST
19 RMP Introduction to class
21 RMP Locke 11-22; plus reading TBA
26 RMP Locke 22-40
28 RMP Locke 40-53 Just modified
SEPTEMBER
2 RMP Locke 53-72 Just modified
4 RMP Locke 79-98
9 RMP Locke 98-114 (end)
11 RMP Locke to Berkeley; Berkeley 127-138
16 RMP Berkeley 138-149 (to §49)
18 RMP Berkeley 149-157 (to §87)
23 RMP Berkeley 157-165 (to §118)
25 RMP Berkeley 165-174 (end)
30 RMP Berkeley wrap up; Bayle 232-236
OCTOBER
2 RMP Hume 328-336 (up to §4); PAPER 1 DUE
in CLASS
7 RMP Hume 336—351 (up to §7)
9 RMP Hume 351-359 (up to §8)
14 RMP Hume 359-371 (up to §10)
16 RMP Hume 371-387 (up to 12)
21 RMP Hume 387-394 (to end)
23 RMP Hume wrap up; Reid 435-440; PAPER 1 CORRECTIONS
DUE IN CLASS
28 RMP Reid 440-446 (end)
30 WWJ From Empiricism to Radical Empiricism; WWJ 9-21; (“Psychological
Foundations”); Recommended: editor’s introduction and chronology
NOVEMBER
4 WWJ 22-48 (“Stream of Thought”)
6 WWJ 48-74 (“Stream of Thought” rest)
11 WWJ 169-183 (“Does Consciousness Exist”)
13 WWJ 194-214 (“World of Pure Experience”)
18 WWJ 362-390 (“The Present Dilemma in Philosophy” ; “What
Pragmatism Means”)
20 WWJ 390-404 (“Some Metaphysical Problems Pragmatically Considered“)
25 PACKET John Dewey “The Development of American Pragmatism”
27 THANKSGIVING
DECEMBER
2 PACKET John Dewey “The Need for a Recovery of Philosophy”
4 PACKET John Dewey “The Postulate of Immediate Empiricism”, “Having
An Experience”
FINAL PAPER DUE
DECEMBER 8 BY 12 NOON IN THE PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OFFICE.
Course Links
Tips and Study Questions
Tips for Understanding Philosophy
Writing Clear Philosophical Essays
Related Readings, Articles, Links
A variety of good sites here