- More information on the learning units can be found on the Philosophy Padlet
Unit One: Arguments, Fallacies, and Propaganda
Required Reading: Nonsense by Robert J. Gula
“The answer is a philosophy.” (Solomon)
Before we have an argument…
- Logic: Inductive and Deductive Arguments
- Common Rhetorical Devices
- Fallacies Skit Assignment
- Name the Propaganda
Unit Two: The Big Questions Sessions (1-8)
Required Reading: Examined Lives by James Miller
- Reading Response Assignment for Examined Lives
- Reading Response Samples
- Socratic Circle Discussions of Literature
Sixteen Big Questions (Philosophical questions):
BQ Padlet
- BQ1: Is there anything you would willingly die for? What?
- BQ2: If you only had a few minutes to live, what would you do with them? What if you only had a few days? Twenty years?
- BQ 3: What purpose does human life have that is not to be found in other animals? What is the purpose of your life?
- BQ 4: Do you believe in God? What is God like? How would you prove that God exists and your belief is true?
- BQ 5: Which is more real– the chair you are sitting on, the molecules that make up the chair, or the sensations and images you have of the chair as you are sitting on it?
- BQ 6: What could you do to prove that you have thoughts and feelings, a “mind”?
- Anselm‘s ontological argument.
- BQ 7: Is it really possible that only you know the truth and that everyone else is wrong?
- BQ 8: How would you prove to yourself that you are not dreaming and that you are awake?
- Norman Malcolm’s Ontological Argument
Unit Three: The Big Questions Sessions (9-16)
- BQ 9: How would you describe yourself if you were in a story? What do you like– and dislike– about yourself?
- BQ 10: Explain who you are to a visitor from another planet. How would you do this?
- BQ 11: If there was such a thing called a happiness box, would you step inside of it? Why or why not?
- BQ 12: Will a good person necessarily be happy as well? Is life ultimately fair?
- BQ 13: Do you believe it is wrong to take a life under any circumstances?
- BQ 14: Have you ever made a decision that is totally your own?
- BQ 15: Is freedom always a good thing?
- BQ 16: Do you want to have children? Why or why not?
Midterm Exam
Philosophy Day (February 2018)
Unit Four: The Awakened Life
Required Reading: Choose from one of the following:
- Excerpts from Walden by Henry David Thoreau
- Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman
- Waiting for Godot by Samual Beckett
Unit Five: Eastern Philosophy
Required Reading: Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Unit Six: Examining Life (Independent Project)
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