Ronald C. Pine, Ph.D.
Phone #: 845-9163 (& voice mail)
Office: 7-625
pine@hcc.hawaii.edu
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Course Time Involvement: For every one hour in class = at least two hours outside class preparation

Prerequisite: Since this course meets the guidelines of a writing-intensive course, English 100 is a prerequisite. Word processing skills are highly recommended.

Texts: Discovering Philosophy, by Thomas I. White

Course Description: Great philosophical issues, theories, and controversies.

An introductory course addressing the relevance of philosophical perspectives and issues for living in the modern world. Traditional philosophers and philosophical fields will be covered with a constant emphasis on the application of concepts and controversies for making decisions in one's life.

Traditional fields covered include: value clarification, ethics and theories of the good life, political philosophy, epistemology, and philosophy of religion and metaphysics. Both Western and Eastern philosophical perspectives will be covered.

Each student will be asked to participate critically in evaluating various philosophical perspectives through written exams and assignments.

Specific Course Objectives and Outcomes:

• Understand the relevance of philosophical discussion for one's daily and major life decisions.
• Understand the basic fields of philosophy and the philosophy of major philosophical figures.
• Clarification of one's values and philosophical perspectives, and the practice of ethical deliberation through writing.

1. Introduction -- applied philosophy, some examples.

 
2. Meaning in life, theories of happiness, and the Good Life.

 
3. What should we do? Ethics and political philosophy.

 
4. What can we know? Epistemology and theories of evidence.

 
5. What is the nature of reality? Metaphysics and philosophy of religion.

Midterm    Two (4 page) essays, 40 pts each.
Final          Two (4 page) essays, 40 pts. each.
Quizzes     10 short essay quizzes, 20 pts. each.
Class Participation -- details discussed in class

 The essay method of evaluation used in this course is based on the assumption that clear, well-organized writing is a way of acquiring, analyzing, and communicating knowledge, and that the act of writing does not merely record thought or even simply reformulate it -- it generates thought. In other words, in many disciplines you don't really know what you know until you write about it.

 The essay focus of each paper for the midterm and final will be given to the student early in the semester. Students will write their essays in draft form and then have an opportunity to consult and interact with the instructor. Each final paper is worth 40 points; if an initial draft is not submitted ON TIME 5 points will be deducted. There are no make-up of missed quizzes, but the two lowest quizzes will be dropped at the end of the semester prior to grade computation.

The final grade will be based on class participation and a percentage of the total points as follows:

Please note that the "N"and "Inc." grades are given only for special circumstances.

Final Note:

The course goals are perhaps best represented by the following quote from the 18th century philosopher-physicist Immanuel Kant.

What can I know?
What should I do?
For what may I hope?
What does it mean to be human?

Lecture Notes and Links for Philosophy 100: