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INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY - PHI125/2 Spring 2025
Course
Jakub Jirsa
In this course students will be introduced to the key philosophical debates and to the thought of the greatest minds within the Western philosophical tradition. The students will have an opportunity at once to (a) explore the most fundamental philosophical questions (concerning the nature of reality, the limits of human knowledge, the basis of morality, etc.), (b) to acquaint themselves with the ideas of history’s greatest philosophers, and (c) to read and analyze some of the most famous philosophical works.
Introduction to Philosophy
Course code: PHI 125 / 2
Term and year: Spring 2025
Day and time: Tuesday 8:15-11
Instructor: Jakub Jirsa
Instructor contact: jakub.jirsa@aauni.edu
Consultation hours: Tuesday 11:00-12:00 in the Faculty Lounge (or other times by email appointment)
|
Credits US/ECTS |
3/6 |
Level |
Bachelor |
|
Length |
15 weeks |
Pre-requisite |
TOEFL iBT 71 |
|
Contact hours |
42 hours |
Grading |
Letter grade |
1. Course Description
In this course students will be introduced to the key philosophical debates and to the thought of the greatest minds within the Western philosophical tradition. The students will have an opportunity at once to (a) explore the most fundamental philosophical questions (concerning the nature of reality, the limits of human knowledge, the basis of morality, etc.), (b) to acquaint themselves with the ideas of history’s greatest philosophers, and (c) to read and analyze some of the most famous philosophical works.
2. Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
· Comprehend and have a clear understanding of the main philosophical questions and of the main positions taken in the central philosophical debates
· Outline and analyze the most important ideas of history’s greatest philosophers
· compare and contrast the ways in which various philosophers justify their claims and defend their philosophical positions
3. Reading Material
Required Materials
· Plato, Phaedo
· Descartes, Meditations On First Philosophy
· Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
Recommended Materials
· Grube, G. M. A. Plato’s Thought. (any edition)
· Williams, Bernard. Descartes : the Project of Pure Enquiry. (any edition)
- Timmermann, Jens. Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals : a Commentary. Cambridge University Press, 2007.
4. Teaching methodology
The seminar will start with introduction, which will place the material and problems under discussion into context. Next, there will be a short presentation of the materials for a given meeting (focused on problems and questions, not exactly summarizing the entire text) followed by an exposition to answer these problems. We will proceed with discussion of the materials and their implications for current ethically loaded problems. In relevant classes students will receive the feedback on their assignments as well.
5. Course Schedule
|
Date |
Class Agenda |
|
Session 1 4.2. |
Topic: Introduction to philosophy and Plato – the case of Socrates Description: Explanation of the course structure and its aims. Introduction to the topic. What is philosophy? What shall we read and why? How to read a philosophical text. Why Plato writes? Why Plato writes dialogues? Reading: no reading assigned Assignments / deadlines: |
|
Session 2 18.2. |
Topic: Death, dying and philosophy Description: According to Plato philosophy is a preparation for death. What does he mean? What is the relation between the soul and the body (with references to different contemporary theories and problems). Reading: Plato, Phaedo 57a-69e Assignments / deadlines: |
|
Session 3 21.2. Substitution FRIDAY |
Topic: Immortality of soul and ontology Description: Plato presents three arguments for immortality of the soul which are closely related to his ontology (a study of being, reality, what is). Again, with references to different views of reality we will discuss and critically examine these arguments. Reading: Plato, Phaedo 69e-84b Assignments / deadlines: paper instructions |
|
Session 4 25.2. |
Topic: The nature of philosophical discussion Description: Plato presents counterarguments to Socrates’ views. How does a philosophical discussion work? What arguments can be used and how? Who is successful Socrates or his critics? The text of the Phaedo will be used for investigation of logic behind different philosophical arguments and their usage. First part of the class will be a short written assignment in class. Reading: Plato, Phaedo 84c-99d Assignments / deadlines: 1st short paper (written in class) |
|
Session 5 4.3. |
Topic: Teleology and further development of Plato’s philosophy Description: Why is Plato important for history of philosophy? Plato’s final discussion of teleology (the idea that any process is directed by its settled end) will be used to explain the importance of Plato’s philosophy for further development of the discipline. Reading: Plato, Phaedo 99d-118e Assignments / deadlines: 1st short paper feedback and evaluation |
|
Session 6 11.3. |
Topic: Knowledge and skepticism Description: What is knowledge? How do we get any knowledge and is the role of skepticism? Based on Descartes’ we will discuss different approaches to skepticism and possibilities to overcome skeptical position. Reading: Descartes, Meditation 1 Assignments / deadlines: |
|
Session 7 18.3. |
Topic: Certainty and the self Description: In the second Meditation Descartes arrives at a possibly certain point, ground from which he might be able to find a way out of skeptical position. We will examine his solution and we will use his text for introduction of different conceptions of self in philosophy. Reading: Descartes, Meditation 2 Assignments / deadlines: paper instructions |
|
MID-TERM BREAK 25.3. |
|
|
Session 8 1.4. |
Topic: Philosophy and God Description: What is the relation between critical philosophy and the divine? Descartes argues that since he has a clear and distinct idea of God as a perfect and infinite being, and he himself is imperfect and finite, the idea of God must have originated from a source that is perfect and infinite. Does his argument work? Reading: Descartes, Meditation 3 Assignments / deadlines: 2nd short paper (written in class) |
|
Session 9 8.4. |
Topic: Mind and body Description: Descartes argues that the mind and the body are distinct substances with different natures: the mind is a thinking, non-extended substance, and the body is an extended, non-thinking substance. However, is this an accurate description of mind-body relation? We will examine several possible alternative views on the mind-body relation. Reading: Descartes, Meditation 6 Assignments / deadlines: 2nd short paper feedback and evaluation |
|
Session 10 15.4. |
Topic: What is ethics about? Description: Immanuel Kant presents perhaps the most influential view on what is morality about. First, we will consider not Kantian morality itself, but his view on “range” or scope of morality. Is Kant right? What other approaches to morality we know? Reading: Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals part. 1 Assignments / deadlines: |
|
Session 11 22.4. |
Topic: Different families of normative ethical theories Description: We will use Kantian critique of virtues (and empirical approaches to ethics) in order to introduce and critically discuss three families of normative ethical theories: virtue ethics, deontology and consequentialism. Reading: Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals part. 2 Assignments / deadlines: |
|
Session 12 29.4. |
Topic: Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Description: We will discuss the categorical imperative, its application and possible problems. What is “moral” about categorical imperative? We will discuss the problem of universalization. Reading: Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals part. 3 Assignments / deadlines: final paper introduction |
|
Session 13 6.5. |
Topic: Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Description: The closing discussion of Immanuel Kant will be devoted to respect and dignity of human beings. We will discuss how this respect and dignity changed in 20th Century. Reading: Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals part. 4 Assignments / deadlines: final paper (written in class) |
|
Session 14 13.5. |
Topic: The End of Philosophy Description: The closing meeting will be devoted to (a) feedback and evaluation of the final papers, and (b) discussion of the conflict between different styles of philosophy we read. We will discuss the notion of moral luck. Reading: no assigned reading Assignments / deadlines: final paper feedback and evaluation |
6. Course Requirements and Assessment (with estimated workloads)
|
Assignment |
Workload (hours) |
Weight in Final Grade |
Evaluated Course Specific Learning Outcomes |
Evaluated Institutional Learning Outcomes* |
|
Class Participation |
42 |
10% |
Active, critical and well-argued (thoughtful) participation in class. This will show comprehension and understanding of the main philosophical questions and of the main positions taken in the central philosophical debates. |
1, 2, 3 |
|
Presentation |
10 |
10% |
Comprehension and a clear understanding of the main philosophical questions and the main positions taken in central philosophical debates. An outline and analysis of the most important ideas of history's greatest philosophers. Comparison and contrast of the ways in which various philosophers justify their claims and defend their philosophical positions. Ability to identify the main argument, critical evaluation. |
1, 2, 3 |
|
1st short paper |
25 |
20% |
Comprehension and a clear understanding of the main philosophical questions and the main positions taken in central philosophical debates. An outline and analysis of the most important ideas of history's greatest philosophers. |
1, 2 |
|
2nd short paper |
28 |
25% |
Comprehension and a clear understanding of the main philosophical questions and the main positions taken in central philosophical debates. An outline and analysis of the most important ideas of history's greatest philosophers. |
1, 2 |
|
Final paper |
45 |
35% |
Comprehension and a clear understanding of the main philosophical questions and the main positions taken in central philosophical debates. An outline and analysis of the most important ideas of history's greatest philosophers. Comparison and contrast of the ways in which various philosophers justify their claims and defend their philosophical positions. |
1, 2 |
|
TOTAL |
150 |
100% |
|
|
*1 = Critical Thinking; 2 = Effective Communication; 3 = Effective and Responsible Action
7. Detailed description of the assignments
Assignment 1: Class participation
Students will participate in discussion during the seminar. The discussion presupposes familiarity with the relevant text. It is welcomed (but not necessary) to search for other relevant material on the subject and use it in the discussion.
Assessment breakdown
|
Assessed area |
Percentage |
|
Content (do your points relate to the matter in discussion, do they move the discussion forward) |
35% |
|
Form of argumentation (is your point supported by valid argumentation and reasons which you are able to explain) |
35% |
|
Reaction to questions (if asked by a lecturer or student, are you capable of (i) providing a reply based on the material read and (ii) explain your position in detailed to your colleagues) |
30% |
Assignment 2: Presentation
Each student will do two short presentations (max. 10 minutes) about the main argument of the text and (more importantly) relevant questions and problems related to the text. The first presentation will be before the midterm break, the second one after the midterm break. For the presentation please prepare slides which will (a) identify the main theses of the discussed text; (b) highlight ideas of particular interest (and explain why you think these ideas are important) and (c) provide questions for the subsequent discussion. These question might be of two sorts – question of understanding (what do you think should be explained in detail, what was hard to follow) and critical questions (on the points which you believe were weak or wrong, please explain reasons for your evaluation).
Assessment breakdown
|
Assessed area |
Percentage |
|
Content – getting the main argument right; identifying some important topics; formulating questions for the subsequent discussion |
40% |
|
Presentation – clarity, structure and convincing argumentation |
40% |
|
Reaction to questions – can you help your colleagues with their questions? Based on the text under discussion, can you react to the questions by the lecturer? |
20% |
Assignment 3: 1st short paper
At the beginning of the class students will be presented with three topics; each student will choose one topic and write a short reflection/essay. The text should be around one page long, structured and all the claims should be supported by valid argumentation based on the knowledge of the texts discussed so far. The texts must handed in 60 minutes after the start of the paper.
Assessment breakdown
|
Assessed area |
Percentage |
|
Content (does the text answer the question and/or explain the topic; does it use the texts discussed so far) |
35% |
|
Structure (clarity of the text, leading the reader towards the conclusion) |
30% |
|
Argumentation (are the arguments valid? Consideration of counter-arguments and reply to them) |
35% |
Assignment 4: 2nd short paper
At the beginning of the class students will be presented with three topics; each student will choose one topic and write a short reflection/essay. The text should be around one page long, structured and all the claims should be supported by valid argumentation based on the knowledge of the texts discussed so far. The texts must handed in 60 minutes after the start of the paper.
Assessment breakdown
|
Assessed area |
Percentage |
|
Content (does the text answer the question and/or explain the topic; does it use the texts discussed so far) |
35% |
|
Structure (clarity of the text, leading the reader towards the conclusion) |
30% |
|
Argumentation (are the arguments valid? Consideration of counter-arguments and reply to them) |
35% |
Assignment 5: final paper
At the beginning of the class students will be presented with three topics; each student will choose one topic and write a short reflection/essay. The text should be at least two pages long, structured and all the claims should be supported by valid argumentation based on the knowledge of the texts discussed so far. The texts must handed in 120 minutes after the start of the paper.
Assessment breakdown
|
Assessed area |
Percentage |
|
Content (does the text answer the question and/or explain the topic; does it use the texts discussed so far) |
35% |
|
Structure (clarity of the text, leading the reader towards the conclusion) |
30% |
|
Argumentation (are the arguments valid? Consideration of counter-arguments and reply to them) |
35% |
8. General Requirements and School Policies
General requirements
All coursework is governed by AAU’s academic rules. Students are expected to be familiar with the academic rules in the Academic Codex and Student Handbook and to maintain the highest standards of honesty and academic integrity in their work. Please see the AAU intranet for a summary of key policies regarding coursework.
Course specific requirements
There are no special requirements or deviations from AAU policies for this course.
Here is the course outline:
1. Introduction to philosophy and Plato – the case of Socrates
Feb 4
Explanation of the course structure and its aims. Introduction to the topic. What is philosophy? What shall we read and why? How to read a philosophical text. Why Plato writes? Why Plato writes dialogues? |
2. Death, dying and philosophy
Feb 18
According to Plato philosophy is a preparation for death. What does he mean? What is the relation between the soul and the body (with references to different contemporary theories and problems). Reading: Plato, Phaedo 57a-69e |
3. Immortality of soul and ontology
Feb 21
Plato presents three arguments for immortality of the soul which are closely related to his ontology (a study of being, reality, what is). Again, with references to different views of reality we will discuss and critically examine these arguments. |
4. The nature of philosophical discussion
Feb 25
Plato presents counterarguments to Socrates’ views. How does a philosophical discussion work? What arguments can be used and how? Who is successful Socrates or his critics? The text of the Phaedo will be used for investigation of logic behind different philosophical arguments and their usage. First part of the class will be a short written assignment in class. |
5. Teleology and further development of Plato’s philosophy
Mar 4
Why is Plato important for history of philosophy? Plato’s final discussion of teleology (the idea that any process is directed by its settled end) will be used to explain the importance of Plato’s philosophy for further development of the discipline. |
6. Knowledge and skepticism
Mar 11
What is knowledge? How do we get any knowledge and is the role of skepticism? Based on Descartes’ we will discuss different approaches to skepticism and possibilities to overcome skeptical position. |
7. Certainty and the self
Mar 18
In the second Meditation Descartes arrives at a possibly certain point, ground from which he might be able to find a way out of skeptical position. We will examine his solution and we will use his text for introduction of different conceptions of self in philosophy. |
8. Philosophy and God
Apr 1
What is the relation between critical philosophy and the divine? Descartes argues that since he has a clear and distinct idea of God as a perfect and infinite being, and he himself is imperfect and finite, the idea of God must have originated from a source that is perfect and infinite. Does his argument work? |
9. Mind and body
Apr 8
Descartes argues that the mind and the body are distinct substances with different natures: the mind is a thinking, non-extended substance, and the body is an extended, non-thinking substance. However, is this an accurate description of mind-body relation? We will examine several possible alternative views on the mind-body relation. |
10. What is ethics about?
Apr 15
Immanuel Kant presents perhaps the most influential view on what is morality about. First, we will consider not Kantian morality itself, but his view on “range” or scope of morality. Is Kant right? What other approaches to morality we know? |
11. Different families of normative ethical theories
Apr 22
We will use Kantian critique of virtues (and empirical approaches to ethics) in order to introduce and critically discuss three families of normative ethical theories: virtue ethics, deontology and consequentialism. |
12. Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals
Apr 29
We will discuss the categorical imperative, its application and possible problems. What is “moral” about categorical imperative? We will discuss the problem of universalization. |
13. Respect and dignity
May 6
The closing discussion of Immanuel Kant will be devoted to respect and dignity of human beings. We will discuss how this respect and dignity changed in 20th Century. |
14. The End of Philosophy
May 13
The closing meeting will be devoted to (a) feedback and evaluation of the final papers, and (b) discussion of the conflict between different styles of philosophy we read. We will discuss the notion of moral luck. |