Phil 87 Freshman Seminar: What Does It All Mean? 9 Philosophical Dilemmas
| Room: H&SS 7077 | Prof. Eric Watkins |
| Times: Fri 9:00-11:00/11:00-1:00 | Office: H&SS 8018 |
| Term: Fall Quarter 2006 | Office tel: 822-0082 |
| Office Hours: by appointment | E-mail: ewatkins@ucsd.edu |
I. Reading Assignments (subject to adjustment):
| 9-22 | Introduction |
| 9-29 | A. Death Nagel, What Does It All Mean?, Ch. 9 Nagel, Mortal Questions, Ch. 1 |
| B. The Meaning of Life Nagel, What Does It All Mean?, Ch. 10 Nagel, Mortal Questions, Ch. 2 |
|
| 10-6 | A. Moral Luck Nagel, Mortal Questions, Ch. 3 |
| B. Right and Wrong Nagel, What Does It All Mean?, Ch. 7 Nagel, Mortal Questions, Ch. 5 |
|
| 10-13 | A. The Nature of the Mind Nagel, What Does It All Mean?, Ch. 4 Nagel, Mortal Questions, Ch. 11 & 12 |
| 10-20 or 27 | A. Knowledge and Skepticism Nagel, What Does It All Mean?, Chs. 2 & 3 |
| B. The Origin and Resolution of Dilemmas Nagel, Mortal Questions, Ch. 14 |
|
| 11-10 | Paper Due |
II. Texts:
Nagel, Thomas. Mortal Questions, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1979.
Nagel, Thomas. What Does It All Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy, New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.
III. Requirements:
One Presentation (30%)
One Paper (30%)
Class Participation (40%)
Presentations: Everyone must do (at least) one 15 minute presentation (in a group of 2 or 3).
Paper: The paper should be short (2-3 pages) and treat how you think that a particular issue that was presented in the readings and discussed in class, should be pursued further. It can be on the topic that you present in class.
Class Participation: Class discussion is essential.