This course offers a combination of skills in critical thinking, introductions to two types of formal logic, and a survey of informal logical fallacies, all with the aim of finding uses for those skills in real life. The goal of the class is to develop the ability to distinguish between successful and unsuccessful arguments by learning the structure of good thinking and evaluating the quality of evidence used to support an argument. There are no prerequisites. This course introduces students to the origin of the Western philosophical tradition. It traces the development of Western philosophy from Socrates to its first Christian expressions and examines the contribution made to Western culture by the philosophers of the classical period, especially Plato and Aristotle.
Discussions focus on applying the insights of classical philosophers to contemporary issues.
Both primary and secondary sources will be used. This course is an introduction to the philosophy of human nature. It examines some major theories that treat the nature of the human person. Such key issues as knowledge, freedom, immortality, and person are discussed. This course is an introduction to the philosophical discipline of ethics.