Introduction to Philosophy

This course is organized topically. It begins with a section on the philosophy of religion, concluding with a discussion of the free will defense to the problem of evil. This leads to a section on free will and moral responsibility. Next we move on to epistemology. After a short discussion of the analysis of knowledge, including selections from the Theaetetus and from Gettier, we contrast three varieties of skepticism: Cartesian, Humean, and skeptical worries arising from the apparent impact of implicit biases upon belief formation. The final section of the course is comprised of topics in ethics: the origins and scope of morality, subjectivism and relativism, and the nature of justice.

Syllabus