Introduction to Philosophy (Fall 2018)

Welcome to the course site for Samuel Taylor's Introduction to Philosophy at Tuskegee University for Fall 2018. In the header here I will post any relevant announcements including reading assignments for the following week. Below you can find links to course materials such as the syllabus, handouts, links to readings etc.
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  • ANNOUNCEMENT (9/10/2018): Class schedule for this week...
    1. For Monday 9/10/2018: You should have finished reading all of the Paley's "The Watch and the Watchmaker" for today.
    2. ​For Wednesday 9/12/2018: Read "The First Morning" from Perry's "A Dialogue on Good, Evil, and the Existence of God" (one of our two required textbooks).
    3. For Friday 9/14/2018: Read "The First Afternoon" from Perry's "A Dialogue on Good, Evil, and the Existence ofGod" (one of our two required textbooks).
    4. QUIZ 2: In class I had said we planned on doing our 2nd quiz this Monday. Quiz 2 will now be given on Wednesday 9/12. Quiz 2 will cover the following material: The three kinds of arguments for God's existence, what it means for something to be known a priori, Al Ghazali's argument for the existence of God, the three absurdities that Ghazali thinks results from the idea that the past is infinite, Hilbert's Hotel, how the big bang theory may supplement Ghazali's argument, arguments from analogy, Paley's analogical design argument for the existence of God.


  • ANNOUNCEMENT (8/29/2018): For Friday (8/31) start reading William Paley "The Watch and the Watchmaker". Also, don't forget that Quiz 1 on the argument material will be on Friday. Stop by my office hours if you have any questions on that material.
 
  • ANNOUNCEMENT (8/24/2018): For week two you should complete the following reading:
    1. For Monday (8/27/2018) read the following selections from Al Ghazali "Moderation in Belief":  (a) pg. 123 [Start at 24.3] - pg. 129 [Stop when you reach 28.1]; (b) pg. 136 [Start at 31.15] - pg. 139 [Stop when you reach 33.16]; pg. 141 [Start at 34.15] - pg. 142 [Stop when you reach 35.12 "The Third Proposition"].
    2. For Friday (8/31/2018) read William Paley "The Watch and the Watchmaker"
    3. NOTE: in class on Friday 8/31/2018 we will have our first quiz. This quiz will cover the material on arguments including the definition of an argument, premises, conclusion, deduction, induction, validity, invalidity, and soundness. There will be at least two arguments that you will have to identify as either valid or invalid.
 
  • ANNOUNCEMENT (8/22/2018): For Friday (8/24/2018) please read the internet encyclopedia article on validity and soundness linked below. If you want, you can also view the wi-phi videos on these topics and look over the argumentative standards handout linked below.
Course Materials (Syllabus, Handouts, Etc.)
Readings