In order to detect and avoid errors in our reasoning, we examine fallacies of reasoning, different forms of arguments, the concepts of truth and validity, proof and evidence, consistency and contradiction, definition and generalization, deduction and induction. Throughout the course, we apply our methods of reasoning to various issues, both practical and theoretical. There have always been conflicts between individuals, and between social organizations and the individuals who compose them. These questions, and the answers offered by classic and contemporary authors such as Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Mill, and Marx, are examined in lectures, films, discussions and writing. TWU Many of the traditional problems and arguments in philosophy deal with the nature of human individuality.
Individuality is acclaimed as one of the great achievements of western civilization.
The progress of civilization has often been measured by how much individuality is allowed to flourish. TWU Through seminars and directed reading, problems of current interest in moral and political philosophy are dealt with, including conflicts between dominant moral theories, between the demands of morality and of politics, and between theories of justice, freedom, and human nature. PHIL 210 is the same as POSC 270. Through seminars and directed reading, traditional problems of metaphysics and epistemology are examined, such as the nature of persons, theories of truth, free will and determinism, the nature of space and time, language and meaning, the relation of evidence to knowledge and belief, scientific method. TWU Our legal and penal systems are often severely criticized.