Topic outline

    • Readings for Lecture 1: What Is Philosophy?

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      Plato: The Apology of Socrates File PDF

      The classic Plato essay on the apology of Socrates. The essay is a great primer to the basic ideas of practicing philosophical thought.

    • Slides and Literature for Lectures 1 & 2

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      Lecture 1 – Slides File
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      Lecture 2 – Slides File PDF
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      Lecture 1 & 2 – Literature File RTF
    • Readings for Lecture 3

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      Jonathan Evans: In two minds: dual-processing accounts of reasoning File PDF

      A great introduction to the dual processing theories of cognition by one of the leading theorists in the field.

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      Andy Clark & David Chalmers: The Extended Mind File PDF

      One of the more debated and contested arguments in the philosophy of the mind by two prominent present day philosophers.

    • Readings for Lecture 4

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      Ludwig Wittgenstein: Tractatus logico-philosophicus 5.6–7 File PDF

      Younger Wittgenstein's main work on language, logic and how to practice philosophy.

    • Slides and Literature for Lecture 3 & 4

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      Lecture 3 – Literature File RTF
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      Lecture 3 – Slides File
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      Lecture 4 – Slides File
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      Lecture 4 – Literature File RTF
    • Readings for Lectures 5 & 6

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      Lewis - A Pragmatic Conception of the A Priori File PDF

      A ground-shaking paper from the lesser known Harvard pragmatist C.I. Lewis.

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      James - Pragmatism (ch. 2) File PDF

      One of the "big three" in American pragmatism, William James outlines here the cornerstones of the philosophical school of thought.

    • Slides and Literature for Lecture 5


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      Lecture 5 – Slides & Groupwork Materials File
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      Lecture 5 – Literature File RTF
    • Slides and Literature for Lecture 6


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      Lecture 6 – Slides File
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      Lecture 6 – Literature File RTF
    • Readings for Lecture 7: Question everything?


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      Davidson – On the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme File PDF

      Donald Davidson's insightful paper challenging some of the ideas concerning conceptual schemes and introducing his important principle of charity.

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      Kuhn – The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (ch. 1) File PDF

      First chapter of Thomas Kuhn's classic and groundbreaking analysis of scientific progress.

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      (optional) Doyle – Copper Beeches File PDF

      A classic Sherlock Holmes short story. Holmes is a great archetype of the scientific method in how he employs logic and empirical evidence to draw very powerful inferences.

    • Slides and Literature for Lecture 7

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      Lecture 7 – Slides File
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      Lecture 7 – Literature File RTF
    • Slides and Literature for Lecture 8

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      Lecture 8 – Slides File PDF
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      Lecture 8 – Literature File RTF
    • Readings for Lecture 9

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      Hannah Arendt: Eichmann in Jerusalem (Epilogue) File PDF

      The epilogue to Arendt's famous work, subtitled "A Report on the Banality of Evil", discussing morality, ethics and law.

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      (optional) Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics, Book II File PDF

      The second chapter from Aristotle's classic work on ethics where he defines virtue.

    • Readings for Lecture 10

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      John Dewey – Art as Experience (ch. 1) File PDF

      The first chapter of Dewey's seminal pragmatic approach to art and aesthetics.

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      (optional) Aristotle – Poetics (I–XI) File PDF

      The beginning of Aristotle's classic work on poetics.

    • Slides and Literature for Lecture 9

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      Lecture 9 – Slides File
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      Lecture 9 – Literature File RTF
    • Slides and Literature for Lecture 10

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      Lecture 10 – Slides File
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      Lecture 10 – Literature File RTF
    • Readings for Lecture 11

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      Niemiec, Ryan & Deci 2008 File PDF

      An important empirical research on the connection of well-being to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, with some quite ground-shaking results.

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      (optional) Brickman, Coates & Janoff-Bulman - Lottery Winners and Accident Victims - Is Happiness Relative? File

      An intriguing and often-cited study on the effect of strong positive or negative life events on happiness.

    • Slides for Lecture 11

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      Lecture 11 – Slides File
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      Value Exploration Exercise File PDF
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      Lecture 11 – Literature File RTF
    • Slides and Literature for Lecture 12

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      Lecture 12 – Slides File PDF
    • Readings for Lecture 13

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      Suzuki – Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (in part) File PDF

      An excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki's seminal book on zen.

    • Slides & Literature for Lecture 13

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      Lecture 13 – Slides File PDF
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      Lecture 13 – Literature File RTF