PHIL& 101: Introduction to Philosophy

Credits 5
Quarter Offered
Fall (odd year),
Winter (odd year)
Distribution List
Humanities,
Academic Elective

Examination of central issues from each major branch of philosophy. Emphasis on understanding and evaluating diverse answers to philosophical questions about human knowledge, existence, and moral values. This class may include students from multiple sections. (Humanities, Elective)

Prerequisites

Eligibility for or completion of ENGL& 101

  1. Explain the nature, method, and value of philosophy.
  2. Explain, defend, apply, and evaluate various solutions to problems in metaphysics, such as the paradox of free and determinism, the existence of God, and the nature of mind and body.
  3. Explain, defend, apply, and evaluate philosophically important moral theories, such as ethical relativism, utilitarianism, Kantianism, and elitism.
  4. Explain, defend, apply, and evaluate various conceptions of the legitimate purpose of the state, such as anarchist, democratic, libertarian, and rights conceptions.
  5. Explain, defend, apply, and evaluate traditional theories of knowledge, such as the theories developed by Descartes, Locke, and Hume.