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Philosophical Methods

Phil 250
Fall 2023

Tues/Thurs  9:40-11:10

Professor: Dr. Joel A. Martinez (He/Him/His)

Tentative Course Schedule

 

Please Note: Based on Class Discussion and Interest, we may revise the schedule as we go through the semester.

 

Week 1:  Introduction
 

9/5       Introductions, Getting to know each other, Syllabus, Begin Course Agreement.                           What. Philosophy. Is.
 

9/7         Discussion Day. Question: What work of Philosophy did you pick and why? What does it reveal about, in your view, What. Philosophy. Is.?           

 

Week 2: Common Sense

9/12  IPM, Ch. 1

DC                         DQ                 TR

1                              2                     3

 

9/14  William Lycan, “Moore Against the New Skeptics”  
                          

Week 3:  Conceptual Analysis
 

9/19   IPM, Ch. 2

 

DC                         DQ                 TR

4                              1                     2

9/21   Sally Haslanger  “Gender and Race:  (What) Are They? (What) Do We Want Them To Be?”

  

Week 4:  Thought Experiments
 

9/26    IPM, Ch. 3

 

DC                         DQ                 TR

3                             4                      1

9/28   J.J. Thomson, “The Trolley Problem”

                       

Week 5:   Simplicity
 

10/3    IPM, Ch. 4    

 

DC                         DQ                 TR

2                              3                     4

10/5   Library Assignment and Reading on Occam’s Razor                   

 

Week 6:   Fall Break
 

10/10   Exam 1       
              

10/12   Fall Break

                                               

Week 7:  Explanation
 

10/17   IPM, Ch. 5     
                 

10/19    Nancy Cartwright, “The Truth Doesn’t Explain Much”                     

 

Week 8:  Science
 

 10/24     IPM, Ch. 6 
                 

 10/26     Patricia Churchland, “Neurophilosophy”               

 

Week 9:  Transition to Social Contract
 

10/31            Exam 2
           

11/2      Rosseau The Social Contract and Discourse on the Origins of Inequality      

Discussion of the uses of The Social Contract (Hobbes, Locke, Mill, Rawls)         

 

Week 10:  The Racial Contract
 

11/7      C. Mills RC  pp. 1 - 19  
          

11/9       RC  pp. 19-40            

 

Week 11: The Racial Contract
 

11/14           RC  pp. 41 - 90
               

11/16           RC  pp. 91 - 120        

 

Week 12:  The Racial Contract
 

11/21    Garcia “The Racial Contract Hypothesis”            

THANKSGIVING BREAK

 

Week 13:  The Racial Contract
 

11/28   Mills “The Racial Contract as Methodology (Not Hypothesis)”
 

11/30    Buffer

​ 

Week 14:  Student Project Discussions
 

 12/5        Student Project Discussions
        

 12/7         Student Project Discussions
     

Week 15: Student Project Discussions
 

12/12         Student Project Discussions                       

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