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

INTRODUCTION TO PAPER #1 POSTED ON PHIL 450 GoPost site by midnight on Thursday Jan. 24.

A. Foundationalism (Jan. 15)

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].

B. Coherentism (Jan. 17)

Readings:  (1) Jonathan Dancy, "A Defense of Coherentism" [Text pp. 206-215].

(2) Richard Fumerton, "A Critique of Coherentism" [Text pp. 215-221]

C.  Hybrid Theories (Jan. 22-24)

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].

 

Week #6 (Feb. 12-14):  Midterm Exam and Externalism

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].

 

Week #7 (Feb. 19-21):  Internalism

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].

 

Week #8 (Feb. 26-28):  Virtue Epistemology

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].

 

Week #9 (March 5-7):  The Metaphysics and Epistemology of Epistemology

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].

 

Week #10 (March 12-14):  The Politics of Epistemology

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].