PHIL 450A:
READING ASSIGNMENTS
Reading assignments are from Louis
P. Pojman, The Theory of Knowledge: Classical & Contemporary Readings, 3rd ed [Text] and from the
Course Reader of photocopied materials [READER], both of which are available
for purchase at the University Book Store. Except for the first week, readings
should be done before class on Tuesday of the week they are due.
Week #1 (Jan. 8-10):
Introduction: What is
Epistemology?
Readings:
(1) Excerpt from Myles Burnyeat, tr., The Theaetetus of Plato
[READER pp. 3-5].
(2)
David Hume, "Skepticism Regarding the Senses" [Text pp. 39-48].
(3) David Hume, "The Problem of Induction"
[Text pp. 434-439].
(4)
Nelson Goodman, "The New Riddle of Induction" [Text pp. 460-463].
Weeks #2-3 (Jan. 15-24): Empirical Justification
Readings: (1) Roderick Chisholm “Contemporary Classical
Foundationalism” [Text pp. 163-174].
(2) Laurence BonJour,
"A Critique of Foundationalism" [Text pp. 182-194, except Section III].
Readings: (1) Jonathan Dancy,
"A Defense of Coherentism" [Text pp. 206-215].
(2)
Richard Fumerton, "A Critique of Coherentism" [Text pp. 215-221]
Readings: (1) Susan Haack,
"A Foundherentist Theory of Empirical
Justification" [Text pp. 237-247.
Note that the first paragraph on page 243 should say: (3) Smith is right-handed.]
(2)
John MacDowell, Mind and World, Lecture I, "Concepts and
Intuitions" [READER pp. 6-16].
(3) David Annis, "A
Contextual Theory of Epistemic Justification" [Text pp. 248-254].
Weeks #4-5 (Jan. 29 – Feb. 7): A
Priori Justification
VOTE
BY EMAIL FOR BEST PAPER #1 INTRODUCTION BY MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY JAN. 28.
SUBMIT
PAPER #1 TO PHIL 450 ELECTRONIC DROPBOX BY MIDNIGHT on Wed. Jan. 30.
MIDTERM
REVIEW QUESTIONS: Distributed in class
on Thursday Jan. 31.
MIDTERM REVIEW IN CLASS ON THURSDAY FEB. 7.
Readings
for Week #4 (Jan. 29-31): (1)
Immanuel Kant, "A Priori Knowledge" [Text pp. 370-377].WARNING: Some of the examples in Pojman’s
introduction are NOT examples Kant uses.
Use Kant’s examples, not Pojman’s,
in explaining Kant’s views.]
(2) W.V. Quine, "Two
Dogmas of Empiricism" [Text pp. 391-403]. NOTE THAT THERE IS AN ERROR ON PAGE 395. Item (3) should be: "(3) All and only bachelors are
unmarried men". The words "is
analytic" should appear on the following line, not as a part of (3).
(3)
Laurence BonJour, The
Structure of Empirical Knowledge, Appendix A [READER pp. 17-29].
(4) Laurence BonJour, In
Defense of Pure Reason, Chap. 4, "A Moderate Rationalism" [READER
pp. 45-60].
Readings
for Week #5 (Feb. 5-7):
(5)
Stephen P. Stich, "Could Man be an Irrational Animal?" [READER pp. 30-40].
(6)
Discussion of the Monty Hall Problem in columns of Marilyn vos
Savant in Parade [READER pp. 41-44].
MIDTERM
EXAM: In class on Tuesday Feb. 12.
Readings for Thursday Feb. 14
(Externalism):
(1)
Edmund L. Gettier, "Is Justified True Belief
Knowledge?" [Text pp. 125-127].
(2)
Alvin I. Goldman, "Discrimination and Perceptual Knowledge" [Text pp.
142-154]. NOTE THAT THERE IS AN ERROR ON
PAGE 150. ITEM (3)(B)
SHOULD READ "at t" not "and T".
(3)
Alvin I. Goldman, "Reliabilism: What is Justified Belief?" [Text pp. 260-273].
(4) Keith Lehrer, "A Critique of
Externalism" [Text pp. 273-286].
INTRODUCTION
TO PAPER #2 POSTED ON PHIL 450 GOPOST SITE BY MIDNIGHT ON THURSDAY FEB. 21.
Readings: (1) Matthias Steup,
"A Defense of Internalism" [Text pp. 310-321].
(2)
Laurence BonJour, excerpt from The Structure of
Empirical Knowledge, "The Epistemological Task" [READER pp.
171-175].
(3)
Read Section III of BonJour, "A Critique of
Foundationalism" [Text pp. 187-189].
(4)
Thomas Gilovich, How We Know What Isn't So,
Chap. 5, "Seeing What We Want to See"
[READER pp. 61-75].
VOTE
BY EMAIL FOR BEST PAPER #2 INTRODUCTION BY MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY FEB. 25.
SUBMIT
PAPER #2 TO PHIL 450 ELECTRONIC DROPBOX by midnight on Wednesday Feb. 27.
Readings: (1) Linda Zagzebski
and her critics, Philosophy & Phenomenological Research 60 (Jan.
2000) [READER pp. 76-101].
FINAL
EXAM REVIEW QUESTIONS: Distributed in
class on Thursday March 7.
Readings: (1) Reread BonJour's
Appendix A to SEK [READER pp. 17-29].
(2)
Reread Quine's "Two Dogmas" [Text pp. 437-448].
(3)
W.V. Quine, "Epistemology Naturalized"
[Text pp. 287-295].
(4) Hilary Kornblith,
"Naturalistic Epistemology and its Critics" [Text pp.322-333].
(5)
Robert Nozick, The Nature of Rationality, Chap. IV, "Evolutionary
Reasons", except you may skip the section "Fitness and Function"
[READER pp. 102-131].
(6)
Robert Brandom, Articulating Reasons, Chap. 6,
"Objectivity and the Normative Fine Structure of Reality" [READER pp.
132-144].
(7)
W.J. Talbott, Learning From Experience
(unpublished manuscript), Chap. 7, "Implicit Sensitivity Alternatives to
Explicit Sensitivity Accounts of Concept Acquisition and Rational Belief
Change” [READER pp. 145-158].
(8)
Robert Nozick, excerpt from Philosophical Explanations, "Does
Neurophysiological Reduction Undercut Tracking?"[READER
pp. 159-170].
FINAL EXAM REVIEW SESSION IN
CLASS ON THURSDAY MARCH 14.
COURSE
EVALUATION IN CLASS ON THURSDAY MARCH 14.
Readings: (1) Lorraine Code, "Is the Sex of the
Knower Epistemologically Significant?" [Text pp. 559-571]. [Note that on p. 565, 2nd column, l. 18,
"relevant" should be "relative" and on p. 566, 2nd column,
l. 28, "conducive" should be "conclusive".]
(2)
Helen E. Longino, "Feminist Epistemology as a
Local Epistemology" [Text pp.571-579].
(3)
Susan Haack, "Knowledge and Propaganda: Reflections of an Old Feminist" [Text
pp. 580-588].
(4)
Richard Rorty, "Dismantling Truth: Solidarity versus Objectivity" [Text pp.
588-595]. [Note that page 592, col. 1,
l. 6 from the bottom should read: "There
is no point . . . "]
(5)
Margarita Rosa Levin, "A Defense of Objectivity" [Text pp. 596-606].