Phil.100 Main Page

Course Info

College of San Mateo

Introduction to Philosophy

David G. Danielson contact

Dave’s Home Page

Philosophy Department Web Page

Course
Description

Readings

Required
Materials

Other Resources

Movie Night

Grading Info

Course Description

This class is an introduction to the discipline of philosophy. We will examine theories of the Self, knowledge, ultimate reality and how these relate to several fundamental philosophical questions. We wil also discuss the relation of the Good, the True and the Beautiful.

pIn addition to lectures, class time will be spent in discussions, some of which will focus on readings in the Readings in Philosophy text.

You also need to choose one of the 7 books below and read it.
pThe goal of this course is for you to gain an understanding of the nature of philosophical questions and ideas, and to be able to participate in your own development of your life concerning these questions. Another goal is for you to experience the difficulty and joy of presenting, discussing and understanding your own views and those of others.

Against the Cuts in Community College Funding

CSM Facebook Teach-In page

For a copy of the Syllabus click here. MWF 9:10 - 10, MWF 11:10 - 12

Homework Update

Logic Handout

Logic Worksheet

Writing Center Workshops

ESL Workshops

Article on Writing

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Readings

We will be reading out of the Readings in Philosophy text. The order of the readings is indicated below..

If you bought the Soccio book "How to Get the Most out of Philosophy" read it completely as soon as possible. There are many helpful sections as a grounding for this class. It also has good advice when facing the exams. The second recommended book Looking at Philosophy, by Donald Palmer, can be useful. If provides context for many of the philosophers we will read and discuss. His book summarizes their ideas clearly and easily.

You also need to choose and read one of the 7 recommended I highly encourage choosing and reading that book as soon as possible.

Readings in Philosophy: This will be our main text. It is in your best interest to bring it to class for each session that we are discussing a reading. We will be reading approximately one selection every week.

The following is the order in which we will read the text. Freire, Plato, Descartes, Hume, Marx, Ophuls, Laing, Greer, Polanyi, Kierkegaard, Suzuki. Look them over to decide which you would like to lead.

A podcast of Edward Craig speaking on "What is Philosophy?"

Monty Python's Argument Clinic

Philosophy, Physics, and Mathematics: Dangerous Ideas

Paolo Freire

An online version of the reading is HERE.

Freire Freire Handoutr

Read the following essay by John Gatto

Sir Ken Robinson: TED Talk - Schools Kill Creativity

Mark Morford wrote an article in the S.F. Chronicle. What do you think?

Here is a review of the Rock Band: Guitar Hero III

The movies "Freedom Writers" and "Stand and Deliver" demonstrate how Freire's ideas can be put into practice. You may also want to watch Randy Pausch's Final Lecture. It's inspiring. Here is a commencement charge he gave to graduates shortly before his death.

Taylor Mali, Slam Poet, Teacher What Teachers Make

John Legend's commencement address at University of Pennsylvannia May 2009

Multitasking Article

Pre - Socratic Philosophers

Plato

Tom Lehrer’s Periodic Table Song

Plato Handouts There are on line versions of the Republic. The specific parts we read are at the end of Book 6, VI, and the beginning of Book 7 VII. We read the Divided Line and the Myth of the Cave. Here

Here is a video of Shadows on the Wall. It may be the kind of show Plato imagined.

An animated video of Plato's cave.

The School of Athens Raphael’s Painting

Here is a podcast describing Plato's Cave

Aristotle

Here are some links to help explain Aristotle's ideas

General Info

Aristotle's Metaphysics and Psychology

Aristotle Handout on Virtue Ethics

Physicist Speaking at your Funeral by Aaron Freeman, first read on "All Things Considered" NPR in June 2005.

Jon Stewart interrogating Chris Matthews on the Daily Show

Lawrence Hinman, Univerity of San Diego speaking on Aristotle's Ethics

A podcast on Aristotle's concept of Happiness

David Brook's Where the Wild Things Are

Archived interview with William Irvine on Stoic Happiness

An Article on the Goodness of Human Nature

Rene Descartes

Descartes Descartes Handout

A podcast on Descartes' Cogito argument.

A podcast on Descartes' Meditations

An on line version of The Meditations are HERE. Read Meditation I and II.

A podcast on the modern Mind/Body problem by Tim Crane.

David Hume

Hume Hume Handout

Here is a cool photo of a chalk drawing. Another

This is another. And a side view to prove it’s flat.

On line section is HERE. Scroll down and read SECT. VI. Of Personal Identity

Here is an experiment click on the following site. Your task is to count the number of times the people pass the basketball. Come to class and give me the correct number for extra credit. (On your honor watch the video only once.) HERE

Karl Marx

Marx Marx Handout

An excellent analysis of Marx is Here. (It contains a link to the text we read.)

Here is a podcast of Jonathan Wolff speaking on Marx's concept of Alientation.

Here is a link to the Sadler Report of 1832 which examined the working conditions for children in factories.

William Ophuls

Ophuls Handout No online links to this text

This is an amazing film entitled "Home"

Mindwalk Video Mindwalk Handout

HERE is a link to Fritjof Capra’s web page.

Our Poisoned Water

Nuclear Bomb Quantity

Plastic Island in the Pacific

R.D. Laing

Laing Laing Handout

There are no online links to this text. There is a site devoted to his ideas HERE

Adam Curtis has two documentaries worth watching as background. The first is Pandora's Box episode 2 "To the Brink of Eternity" and "The Trap" part 1 explicitly discussing Laing's ideas.

Germaine Greer

Greer GreerHandout There are no online links to this text which comes from “The Female Eunuch”

Germaine Greer interview with Estelle Morris

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's ideas in his book Flow

Edward DeBono

Buffy vs. Twilight Video

Soren Kierkegaard

Kierkegaard Handout

Here is a site to help explain Truth is Subjectivity.

And this is an article explaning Truth is Subjectivity.

A good course on Existentialism in Literature

Links on Kierkegaard

Eknath Easwaran's Penguin Story (click back a couple of pages to the beginning.) It captures the leap of faith concept.

Indiana Jones' Leap of Faith "The Last Crusade."

Randy Pausch Commencement Address

D.T. Suzuki

Suzuki Handout Mandala Photos Yogi Laser

Buddha's Enightenment Video

More Mandala Construction

Adyashanti Interview

Adyashanti Home Page

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Required Materials

Required: Readings in Philosophy, James Ogilvy, Jerry Gill, Melvin Rader
This is our central textbook. It contains original sources without much explanation. The explanations and discussions occur in class.

You will need to choose and read one of the following. It is best to start reading soon in the semester in order to gain the maximum experience from the reading. You will be held accountable for the material in the book before the final exam.

6. Recommended: Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder (ABE Books)

7. Recommended: Black Elk Speaks, Black Elk and John Neidhardt (ABE Books)

Philosophy Notebook

You will also need to keep a philosophy notebook. We will be discussing this in class regularly. The 1st 10 minutes of class will be spent writing. The initial assignment can be downloaded here. Notebook

There is also a website devoted to The Work of Byron Katie. It's well worth looking at for a way to avoid suffering.

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Other Resources

We are lonesome animals. We spend all of our life trying to be less lonesome. One of our ancient methods is to tell a story begging the listener to say-and to feel- ‘Yes, that is the way it is, or at least that is the way I feel it.’ You’re not as alone as you thought. —John Steinbeck

Movie Night Flyer

Movie Night Questions

February 5th eXistenZ

March 5th

April 23rd

May 14th

Old Movie Nights