Introduction to Philosophy & Critical Thinking

Course Outline

HUM 233
 Introduction to Philosophy & Critical Thinking
Course Description

This course seeks to explore and answer fundamental questions of human life such as Is our universe real? Am I simply a body or
spirit? How do I know what I know? Can we know anything with certainty? Am I master of my fate? What is meant to be good human
being? etc. This course provides students with an opportunity to learn the most thoughtful answers given by well-known Philosophers
to these primary questions as well as enables them examine their own views on these issues. Students will learn to critically analyze
and evaluate various philosophical thoughts and their implications. It will also enable them to rationally justify their own views. This
course will also develop critical thinking skills which will prove very essential in the pursuit of any career the students choose for
themselves.

Course Goals

The main goals of the course are to enable the students to:
 examine critically philosophical issues concerning the nature of reality, human experience, knowledge, value
 develop understanding of and appreciate multiple viewpoints on these issues
 reconstruct and debate these foundational issues in the philosophical tradition
 develop critical thinking skills

Course Objectives
The objectives of the course are to enable the students to:
 summarize and evaluate the arguments, problems, questions, or issues central to philosophy
 gain understanding of ideas of key figures of Western philosophical tradition
 compare the views of various thinkers on fundamental questions of Philosophy
 identify and articulate their own views on philosophical issues
 form arguments to support their views
 be engaged in thoughtful discussions
Week Topics SLOs

 Define the term ‘Philosophy’ and

identify the fundamental questions of
Introduction to Philosophy
Philosophy
 What is Philosophy?
 Distinguish between Philosophy and
 Why Philosophy Matters?
1 Philosophizing
 Branches of Philosophy
 Enlist various branches of Philosophy
 Division of Historical Eras of and explain their goals
Philosophy
 Examine the practical relevance and
importance of studying philosophy
What Level Thinker are you?
 Critical Thinking and Its Stages
 Identify the stages of development
 The Unreflective Thinker.
of critical thinking and analyze
 The Challenged Thinker.
them
 The Beginning Thinker.
2
 The Practicing Thinker.  Explain the essential qualities of
critical thinker
 The Advanced Thinker.
 The Accomplished Thinker  Apply the critical thinking model
in examining a given issue
 Qualities of Critical Thinker
 Critical Thinking Model
 Differentiate proposition from
other kinds of statement
What are the Principles of Correct  Define and identify the arguments
Thinking? and its parts; premises &
 Structure of an Argument conclusion
3
 Evaluation of an Argument  Evaluate an argument as valid or
invalid, sound or unsound
 Types of Argument  Build an argument
 Compare inductive and deductive
argument

Common Fallacies of Reasoning
 Fallacies of Relevance
4  Fallacies of Defective Induction
 Fallacies of Presumption
 Fallacies of Ambiguity
Does life has a Meaning/ Purpose?
 The Meaning of Meaning
 Children as Meaning
5  God as Meaning
 Afterlife as Meaning
 No Meaning at All
 Various Philosophical Answers
What is Reality?
 Materialism: Reality as Matter
6
 Idealism: Reality as Non- Matter
 Define ‘fallacy’ & explain the
kinds
 Demonstrate understanding of
various fallacies by identifying
them
 Develop a fallacious argument as
an example for each fallacy
 Examine the question of meaning
of life
 Evaluate four major meanings as
ascribed to life
 Demonstrate understanding of
various philosophical views on the
meaning of life
 Identify and reflect on the meaning
of life they have
 Contrast between Idealism &
Materialism as two metaphysical
rival views
 Demonstrate understanding of
Plato’s Idealism by interpreting his
allegory of cave
 Differentiate Plato’s objective
idealism from Subjective Idealism
 Explain Materialism and draw its
implication

How do we know what we know?
 Common Sense Realism
 Rationalism
7  Empiricism
 Intuitionism
 Scientism
8 Mid-Term
What is human nature?
 The Rationalist Version of the
Traditional Western View of
9 Human Nature
 The Judeo- Cristian Version
 The Darwinian Challenge
 Explain and critically analyze
view of common sense realism
 Rephrase Descartes criticism on
senses as source of knowledge
 Articulate & assess Descartes
Rationalism by referring to
Cartesian methodic doubt and
cogito argument
 Articulate & assess Locke’s
Empiricism
 Differentiate between Rationalism
& Empiricism
 List basic features of Intuitionism
& Scientism
 Describe & critically evaluate the
Greek rationalistic & Judeo-
Christian versions of the
Traditional Western view of
human nature
 Explain how Darwinism
challenged these views

What is human nature?
 The Dualistic View
 The Materialistic View
10
 The Mind/Brain Identity
 The Behaviorist View
Are We Master of Our Fate?
 Free Will and Good Life
 Determinism a Challenge to
11
Morality
 Determinism VS. Indeterminism
 Compatibilism
Does Beauty Lie in the Eyes of Beholder?
 What is Beauty?
 What is Art?
12
 What is/should be the purpose of
Art?
 Explain why dualism is so
influential as a view of human
nature, even though it leads to
mind-body problem
 Explain & critically evaluate the
way materialism, identity theory,
behaviourism & new dualism tries
to solve the mind-body problem
 Examine the relationship between
free will & morality
 Explain & critically evaluate the
indeterminism
 Explain & critically evaluate the
deterministic view of human
nature
 Explain Compatibilism as an
attempt to reconcile determinism
& indeterminism
 Identify & explain the various
philosophical approaches to art
and beauty
 Analyze the various philosophical
issues and questions related to
Aesthetics
 Develop an understanding of
objectivity/subjectivity debate
surrounding the concepts of art &
beauty

What are the Rational Arguments for the
Existence of God?
 The Design Argument
 The Cosmological Argument
13
 The Ontological Argument
 The Pragmatic Argument
 Problem of Evil
 Explain & critically evaluate the
design, cosmological, ontological,
& pragmatic arguments for the
existence of God
 Explain the difference between
atheism & agnosticism
 Define the Problem of Evil &
critically evaluate the it as an
argument against the existence of
God

Brief Introduction to Philosophical  Summarize the main features of

Trends of 21st Century Existentialism
14
 Existentialism  Identify the major thinkers of
Existentialism

Brief Introduction to Philosophical  Summarize the main features of

Trends of 21st Century Pragmatism & Postmodernism
15
 Pragmatism  Identify the major thinkers of
 Postmodernism Pragmatism & Postmodernism

16 Final Exams
EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT

Marks Distribution

Marks Head Frequency Total Marks

Quizzes 1+1 10

Mid Term Exam 1 25

Assignments 2 15

Presentations 1 10

Final Exam 1 40

Total Marks 100

SUGGESTED TEXTS
Warburton, Nigel. 2013. The Basics. Oxford: Routledge.
Velasquez, Manuel G. 2011. Philosophy, a Text with Readings. Boston: Cengage Learning
Solomon, Robert C. 2010. The big questions: a short introduction to philosophy. Belmont: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Chaffee, John. 2016. The Philosopher’s Way: a Text with Readings. New York: Pearson.