Instructor: İlhan İnan
Office : TB 350
E-mail :
inanilha@boun.edu.tr
Phones :
(office) 263 1540/2210
(home) 287
6063
Lectures : Mon 10:00-10:50
TB310
Wed 10:00-10:50 M1100
Friday 10:00-10:50
PARK 2
Office Hours : Mon 11:00-12:00
Wed 11:00-12:00
Course Description: The course aims
at giving a picture of what philosophy is by going through a discussion of some
important philosophical problems in the three major areas of philosophy;
epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics. After a brief introduction about
methodology, first we will deal with the question of what knowledge is, and the
problem of induction. Later we will deal with the metaphysical problem of
whether we have freedom assuming that the world is governed by deterministic
laws. The last part of the course will concentrate on a particular problem in
the realm of ethics, namely the problem of whether egoism challenges
morality?
Tentative Schedule:
Part 1: Introduction,
Argumentation (Kitcher & Sher)
What is knowledge? (Plato, Gettier, Russell,
Descartes)
Induction
Problem (Hume, Russell, Goodman)
Part 2: (Free Will and
Determinism Problem)
Hard Determinism
(Holbach, Schopenhauer)
Soft Determinism (Ayer, Strawson)
Libertarianism (Taylor)
Part 3: Egoism and
Morality (Plato, Rachels, Feinberg, Baier)
Readings: There is a reader for this class that can be
purchased at Durak Copy.
Requirements: This section is only for philosophy students. We will have one mid-term (%30), one short paper (%30) and one final (%40). Attendance and careful reading is essential in making this class a useful one for yourself. Class participation and discussion with the instructor is definitely encouraged.