Philosophy 1304: Morality and Justice
(Note: Section I below is a repeat of what
you may already have gotten through the advice link on the syllabus. If you've
already read it, please just skip to section II.)
I. General Advice for the Course:
A. Reading: I strongly suggest taking marginal notes in your
books as you read. Taking notes as you read will give you a deeper and more
active understanding of what you're reading. I would also recommend sometimes
taking more notes on your computer afterward, really trying to map out the main
arguments, or to clarify the central distinctions being drawn, etc. I find that
this gives me a better understanding of the text than I ever get just from
reading through it. You won't always have time to do that, but when you do it
will help and you will learn more. Your notes will then also be a great study
guide later.
Please be careful not to fall behind on the
reading. I've deliberately cut back on what I have sometimes required in the
past, so that the amount of reading I am asking of you is very fair and
manageable, though I know it is sometimes difficult. The biggest mistake some
people make is to start to think, part way through the course, that the
readings don't matter, and that it is possible to get by just reading the
supplementary notes I provide. I want to be clear up front that this is a
mistake: the readings are a crucial component of the course, and it will be
necessary to do them in order to do well in the course.
B. Lectures: Again, just as the supplementary notes are no
substitute for doing the reading, they are also no substitute for the lectures
themselves, which go well beyond both what is in the notes and what you'll find
in the reading. The level of detail we will expect both in exams and especially
in papers will require both attendance of lectures and careful reading of the
material. I also presuppose material from previous lectures as the course
progresses, which makes frequent absences a compounding problem. So I don't
want anyone to get caught in that trap. Also, just as I recommend taking notes
on the readings, I recommend even more strongly taking notes in lecture. The material will usually be complex
enough that it will be difficult to remember it in any detail later on if you
haven't taken any notes on it. Since you'll be printing out and bringing the
outline notes to lecture with you, you should at least take additional notes on
those sheets, filling out the basics I've given you; and often it would be wise
to take more extensive notes in your notebook.
C. Sections: Attendance of Friday sections, like attendance of
lectures, is a required part of the course, and it will be recorded. These
discussion sections are an important part of a large class like this, because
they give you the opportunity not just to listen to some gas bag lecture about
philosophy, but to do philosophy yourselves, in small group discussions.
That's an essential part of the learning process: philosophy isn't just
something to take in, but something to engage in, and while I always welcome
questions and comments during lectures, there are obviously limits to what can
be done during a 300 person lecture. If you take advantage of the small
discussion sections you can get a lot out of them.
D.
Finally, don't be a stranger: If you're having trouble at any point in the
course, please don't hesitate to come talk to me or to your TA before
the problem gets worse. Philosophy courses can be very difficult, especially
the first time, since philosophy involves ways of thinking and writing that are
somewhat unfamiliar to many people. There's nothing wrong with that, and we're
happy to help with the transition. I'm also very happy to see people during
office hours just to chat about ideas and issues from the course.
II. Some Logic Terminology You Need to
Know (Please bring these notes with
you to section on Friday, so your TA can go over them.)
ARGUMENT: A set of propositions (claims) consisting of premises and a conclusion,
where the conclusion is some claim or thesis being advanced, and the premises
are presented as support for it--as together constituting sufficient reason for
believing the conclusion to be true.
Example:
P1: All human beings are mortal.
P2: Socrates is a human being.
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C: (Therefore,) Socrates is mortal.
VALIDITY: Has to do with the logical structure of the argument. An
argument is logically valid when it is so structured that IF the
premises were all true, then it would be impossible for the conclusion
to be false. That is, you couldn't logically accept the premises but still deny
the conclusion. The premises, taken together, logically imply the
conclusion, so that the conclusion genuinely follows from the premises.
SOUNDNESS: Has to do with both the logical structure of
the argument and the truth of the premises and conclusion. An argument
is sound if it is valid and its premises are true.
Is this argument valid?
P1. All slugs fly.
P2. Prof. Fitz is a slug.
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C. Prof. Fitz flies.
Is this argument valid?
P1. All politicians are human.
P2. Clinton is human.
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C. Clinton is a politician.
Is this argument valid? sound? any good?
What is the fallacy?
P1. Grass is Green
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C. Grass is Green
How about this one?
P1. If a book is divinely inspired, what it
says is true.
P2. The Bible is divinely inspired.
P3/C1. Therefore, what the Bible says is
true.
P4. The Bible says that God exists.
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C2 Therefore, God exists.