Philosophy of Human Nature

Philosophy 201 Section 8 – Fall 2002

Gonzaga University

Dr. Phillip McReynolds

Class Meeting Place/Time	MWF 4:10-5:00 AD101
Office	AD 421
Office Phone	x6653
Office Hours	MW 2-3, Th 3-5, or by appointment
Email	mcreynolds@gonzaga.edu
Course web site	http://www.gonzaga.edu/faculty/mcreynolds/phil201.8

Course Objectives

What does it mean to be human? What (if anything) separates us from other animals? What is the meaning (are the meanings) (if any) of human existence? One feature that appears to be uniquely human is our ability to ask these questions. In this course, we will pursue this question philosophically through the careful study and discussion of texts and figures that have grappled with these questions.

By studying and discussing these works, as well as contemporary views of human nature, we will to achieve a better understanding of who we are as human beings.

This class is a cooperative endeavor. Because learning is an active process, you, as student, have the primary responsibility for the quality of the class. Most of the course work will involve working together as a class and in smaller groups to pose and answer questions about human nature and to interpret the readings. Your active participation is expected and required. This is not primarily a lecture course. The evaluation criteria for the course have been design expressly to encourage your involvement in the course.

Required Texts

PLATO. The Trial and Death of Socrates: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, death scene from Phaedo, Second Edition. Translated by G. M. A. Grube

PLATO. Republic. C. D. C. Reeve, G. M. Grube (Translator) 2nd edition (November 1992)

Soren Kierkegaard. Fear and Trembling/Repetition : Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol. 6 by Howard and Edna Hong, (June 1, 1983) Princeton University Press; ISBN: 0691020264

Jean-Paul Sartre. Existentialism and Human Emotions (A Philosophical Library Book). Paperback Reissue edition (June 1984) Lyle Stuart; ISBN: 0806509023

Online: Hobbes’ Leviathan and James essay. See course web site.

CLASS REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION

The class will be run as a mix of lecture and discussion. On occasion, the class will begin with a brief, unannounced quiz, followed by discussion of the answers to the quiz. Your quiz grades will be averaged into an overall quiz grade; one quiz grade may be dropped. Please note that missed quizzes cannot be made up.

Your final grade will be composed of grades on two exams, one of which will be a final comprehensive exam, a group project, and your quiz grade. The plus/minus grading system will be used in this class. More information on the exams and on the group project will be provided in class later in the semester. Your final grade in the class will be calculated as follows:

15% Quiz Grade

25% Mid-Term Exam

25% Group Work

05% Film Write-Up

10% Oral Presentation

10% Presentation Write-Up

35% Comprehensive Final Exam

100% Total

Strong and active participation in the course throughout the semester may positively affect your final grade. A strong student will have done the day’s reading, be well prepared with questions and comments on the day’s material, and be an active participant in discussion. Please note that active participation includes attentive listening, as well as frequent (but not incessant) talking. Also, don’t be afraid to ask what may seem to you to be “stupid” questions – others in the class are probably confused about the very same thing you are!

GROUP WORK

To enhance cooperative learning, in addition to regular small group and class-wide discussion, there will be two opportunities for working together in groups on substantial assignments.

Film Discussion (11/1 & 11/4)

The first will involve student led small group discussions of the film Crimes and Misdemeanors. Questions and a viewing guide will be available for this film online before the film is shown in class. One day will be set aside for students to meet together in class to discuss the topics and answer the questions posed by the film. The group will then (outside of class) write up the group’s responses to these questions to turn in for a grade. (See schedule.)

Modern Perspectives Presentation and Write-Up (12/2 – 12/13, write-up due 12/6)

In our class we will be addressing a number of historical perspectives on human nature. There are, however, a number of contemporary perspectives on human nature (with important implications for issues such as crime & punishment, personal responsibility, social welfare, and personal identity, for example) many of which come from the areas of science and technology and that exercise a great deal of influence on how we think of who we are.

For example:

• Evolutionary theory and primatology have encouraged us to think of ourselves as continuous with other species. Moreover, we often look to other animals (especially non-human primates) as a mirror of our “natural” selves. What notions of progress are built into such a view? How does such research affect constructions of what is thought of, for example, as the “natural” family?
• Recent work in DNA has encouraged us to think of ourselves as mere means of reproduction of “selfish genes” (i.e., Dawkins). Or, we are encouraged to think of the essence of humanity as located within our DNA, with many of our more important qualities “coded” in this chemical structure. What are the implications of this view for human freedom?
• Recent advances in computers have encouraged a “computational model” of intelligence such that we have come to think of the human brain (and entire organism) as a complex information processor. How this notion of information differ from traditional notions of knowledge and/or wisdom and what implications are there for our understanding of understanding itself?
• Much work in economic centers on a game theoretic approach in which individual persons are viewed not only as consumers and producers of goods but as utility-maximizers. This powerful metaphor has invaded virtually every area of discourse, causing the entire world to come to be interpreted in terms of market metaphors. What does it mean to import such economic notions to traditionally sacrosanct areas such as education, politics, and religion?

You will be encouraged to use outside reading and your work in other classes to think about these issues, particularly in the context of our discussions of the classic philosophical texts. Fairly early in the semester you will be asked to form groups that will:

• Actively seek to articulate contemporary perspectives of human nature
• Explore their relations to the classical texts
• Explore the implications of these views for personal and policy choices
• Critically evaluate these perspectives

Each group will be asked to turn in a written report of their findings and to lead a discussion of their topic at the end of the semester.

Although I will occasionally allocate a little time at the end of a class for the groups to plan when and where they will meet and what they will discuss, the majority of your group work will occur outside of class. This is intended both to improve the quality and relevance of our in-class discussions and to encourage students to make contact with one another that goes beyond the classroom experience.

I will make suggestions, be available for consultation, and suggest resources for very topics but both the selection/definition of each group’s topic and location of relevant resources are up to the individual groups. Moreover, in order to succeed with your presentations, you are going to have to start meeting and working on them in your groups by the beginning of November, at the latest.

EXAMS

There will be two exams: a mid-term and a final. The final exam is cumulative. Both exams will be taken in class. For the mid-term, you will have roughly 50 minutes to answer a set of short and long essay questions. You are required to bring an exam booklet (“blue book”) to write the exam in. During the test, you will be allowed to use the texts from the course and a 3”x5” index card (both sides) filled with any information that you like, as long as it is your own work.

The questions from which the exams will come will be posted online in advance. Students are encouraged to discuss exam questions together in studying for the test. This is not an invitation to cheat. You are encouraged to talk about and think about how you will answer the questions in advance but you may not write up answers in and simply copy them during the test.

Students who miss the midterm exam will be permitted to make it up for very serious reasons. (Examples of serious reasons are a death in the family, documented illness of the student, or participation as a player in an intercollegiate varsity athletic event. Wanting to go home early for a vacation, for example, is not a serious reason.) If possible, the student should contact me by telephone or in person beforehand in case an exam will be missed. It is the responsibility of the student to meet with me to determine if and when missed work should be made-up.

The final exam is cumulative.

The very best way to prepare for an exam is to read and think critically about the material throughout the semester, not just a few days before the test. To aid you in this endeavor, I will post reading questions that will help you focus your readings and comprehension of the material.

The final exam date and time are listed on this syllabus. Barring an unforeseen emergency (and I mean a serious one) you are expected to take the final at the scheduled time. You are expected to make your travel arrangements conform to the exam schedule and not vice versa.

Plagiarism

Students are also reminded that plagiarism is contrary to the rules of the University and that serious penalties will be imposed for such misconduct. As a student at this university you are expected to know what counts as plagiarism. Plagiarism is still plagiarism (cheating) even if you don’t know that you’re doing it. Ignorance is no excuse.

There are several different types of plagiarism

a) Using text verbatim without quotes or citation.

b) Presenting the ideas or analysis of others as your own (without citation). Paraphrase plagiarism. This is easy to avoid by dealing with the text on your own first. Write down your own interpretation and your own ideas first. Putting things in your own words is the way you learn. This is plagiarism just as much as is the use of verbatim text.

c) Borrowing the structure of another essay. When an author goes to the trouble to structure an essay in a particular way, this is a reflection of his/her intellectual mastery of the material and creative effort to analyze and represent that material. Borrowing the structure of someone else’s work is using someone else’s work without citation and is therefore plagiarism. It is also highly unproductive for learning since finding the structure and structuring ideas for yourself is how learning occurs.

There is more information about plagiarism (including examples) and some advice about online resources (such as Sparknotes in particular) on the course web site.

Other Expectations

Students are expected to prepare their reading assignments. The short essay questions will be available well before we start each reading and are designed to aid in your comprehension of and engagement with the material. I will also post reading/study guides for most of the texts that we read. These are available on the course web site. As a result of studying the texts and working on your short essays, you should be able to come to class prepared to discuss the texts assigned.

Tips for success in the course:

• Get to know your fellow students. Your fellow students are an important research and you will do well in the class and enjoy it more if you take time outside of class to discuss the material.
• Get to know the professor. I’m here to help you. If you are having a problem understanding the material, are having difficulty in the course or with other matters that may affect your performance in the course, please come see me. I may be able to help.
• Prepare your assignments (reading and writing) and come ready and willing to contribute to the class. Your fellow students can’t benefit from your wisdom if you refuse to share it with them.
• Check the web site often. The web site has a wealth of material that is designed to help you understand the material as you read it for the first time and as you continue to reflect. There are reading guides, study guides, film guides, questions designed to get you thinking, and other resources for your various assignments. Also, the web site is my primary means of communicating with you outside of class.
• Come to class. Students are reminded that, according to University policy, missing more than two weeks’ worth of class (six class meetings) warrants automatic dismissal from the course.