An introduction to argument analysis and the interpretation of philosophical texts. Readings will include Gournay's The Equality of Men and Women, Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, and selections from Hume's Enquiry concerning Human Understanding. The central theme of the course is skepticism. More specifically, we' ll discuss the structure of skeptical arguments, skeptical worries about our confidence in sense perception and the intellect, and the problem of induction.
Philosophy is our attempt to understand the world.
In this introduction to the subject, we shall discuss some of the deepest mysteries, such as free will, the relation of mind to body, the self, perception, and the meaning of life. Introduction to symbolic logic, including propositional and predicate logic. Analysis of English sentences and arguments using symbolic notation. Evaluation of symbolic arguments for validity. Formal proof techniques.