Tentative Schedule

(Note: Reading or writing assignments may be moved back or dropped, but will never be moved earlier. ‘Assignment' refers to the day the assignment is given. It is due at the beginning of the next class, unless otherwise noted. All readings other than Sainsbury are available at the course website.)

Week 1

9/1 Introduction to each other and to the course; Introduction to argument

Reading: Muhlnickel and Tillman on Argument in the College; James Pryor on basic terms and reading and writing philosophy.

Week 2

9/6 No class, Labor Day

9/8 Argument EEE: Extracting premises and conclusions; Reading and Writing Philosophy; Citations

Reading : Rea, Introduction pp. xv-xx (print version); Sider, 6-7 & Ch. 5 pp. 141-152 (print version).

Week 3

9/13 Argument EEE: Adding implicit premises for validity; Paradoxes of Material Constitution; Essay Outline 1 Assignment

Reading : Quine, “Identity: an Excerpt from Quiddities ” (print version); Quine, “Identity, Ostentation, and Hypostasis” (print version); Chisholm, “Identity through Time” (print version) .

9/15 Paradoxes of Material Constitution (contd)

Reading : Heller, “Temporal Parts of Four-Dimensional Objects” (print version) .

Week 4

9/20 Paradoxes of Material Constitution, (contd)

9/22 Essay Outline 1 Due; Revision Strategies; Peer Review

Reading : Perry, "The Problem of Personal Identity" (print version); Chisholm, “Which Physical Thing am I?” (print version) ; Parfit, “Personal Identity” (print version).

Week 5

9/27 No class; Conferences

9/29 Essay 1 Due; Self-Assessment; Paradoxes of Personal Identity

Week 6

10/4 Paradoxes of Personal Identity, (contd)

Reading : Lewis “Survival and Identity” (print version); Optional: Nagel, “Split Brains and the Unity of Consciousness” (print version); Olson, “Personal Identity”.

10/6 Paradoxes of Personal Identity, (contd); Essay Outline 2 Assignment

Readings : Lewis, “Many but Almost One” (print version); Weatherson, “The Problem of the Many”. Read at least the introduction, but more if you like.

Week 7

10/11 The Problem of the Many

Readings : Feldman Ch. 6 of Epistemology (print version) .

10/13 The Skeptical Paradox

Week 8

10/18: No class, Fall Break

10/20 Essay Outline 2 Due; Peer Review

Readings : Sainsbury , Ch. 2; Optional: Clark, “The Heap” (print version) , Hyde, “Sorities Paradox”, Sorensen, “Vagueness”.

Week 9

10/25 Vagueness

10/27 Essay 2 Due; Vagueness (contd); Research Proposal Assignment

Readings : Sainsbury Ch. 1; Optional: Salmon, “A Contemporary Look at Zeno's Paradoxes” (print version).

Week 10

11/1 Space and Time: Zeno

11/3 The Library

Reading : Lewis, “Paradoxes of Time Travel” (print version); Strongly Recommended: LePoidevin, "Dilemmas of the Time Traveller" from Travels in Four Dimensions (print version); Optional: Arntzenius and Maudlin, "Time Travel and Modern Physics", Heinlein, "--All You Zombies--" (print version).

Assignment for 11/8: Construct a valid argument for the conclusion that Tim can and cannot kill Grandfather. State which premise you think is least plausible. Give a reason in favor of your decision.

NOTE: The vagueness assignment is not optional. If you have not already turned in your vagueness assignment, do so on 11/08, which is the last day during which we will discuss vagueness. As a reminder, the assignment is to pick the solution to the problem of vagueness that you most prefer and give a reason in favor of that response.

Week 11

11/8 Space and Time: Lewis

11/10 Research Proposal Due; Peer Review

Week 12

11/15 Presentations

11/17 Presentations

Week 13

11/22 Research Paper Draft Due; Self-Assessment and Peer Review

Reading : Sainsbury Ch. 5; Optional: Clark , “The Liar” (print version) , Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry, “The Liar Paradox”.

11/24 No class, Thanksgiving Break

Week 14

11/29 The Liar Paradox

12/1 No Class; Conferences

Week 15

12/6 Catch-Up

12/8 Research Paper Final Draft Due