Syllabus
Philosophy 5340 - Epistemology
Section
001
Professor Michael Tooley
Monday 5:00-7:30
Office hours: MWF 12-12:50
Hellems 177
Hellems,
Room 277
Textbooks
The texts that we will be using
in this course are as follows:
Michael Huemer (ed.), Epistemology
- Contemporary Readings (London and New York: Routledge, 2002.)
Michael Huemer, Skepticism and the
Veil of Perception (New York: Rowman & Littlefield
Publishers, 2001)
Two useful sources of
(generally)
good overview articles for many of the central topics in this course
are
the Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Paul Edwards (8
volumes,
plus a 1996 Supplement, edited by Donald M. Borchert; call
number:
B41 .E5), and the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited
by
Edward Craig (10 volumes; call number: B51 .R68). Copies of both
of these encyclopedias are available in the Reference room of Norlin
Library.
The Encyclopedia of Philosophy
now has a second edition, edited by Donald M. Borchert, and published
in 2006. Unfortunately, a copy of it is not yet available in the
University library.
Another useful source, though it is still in a
rather
incomplete state, as many of the articles have not yet been written, is
the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, found online at
http://plato.stanford.edu/
Required Work
The required work for the
course can take the form either of two shorter essay-writing exercises,
of about 7 or 8 double-spaced, typewritten pages in length, or of one
longer essay-writing exercise, of about 16 to 20 pages in length.
In each case, the
essay-writing exercise will consist of two parts:
Part One:
A clear outline, of about 400-600 words, in which you briefly describe:
(1) The problem that you are going to consider.
(2) The basic thesis that you will be defending.
(3) One or two central supporting arguments.
(4) One or two important objections that you will address.
Part Two:
The completed essay.
Course Grade
The outline (or outlines) will count for 10% of your grade for the course.
The paper (or papers) will count for 90% of your grade for the course.
Due Dates for the Two, Shorter
Papers Option:
First Paper
Outline Due:
Monday, February 22
Completed Essay Due: Monday, March
15
Second Paper
Outline Due:
Monday, April 5
Completed Essay Due: Monday, April 26
Due Dates for the One, Longer Paper
Option:
Outline Due:
Monday, April 5
Completed Essay Due: Monday, April 26
Detailed
instructions for the essays, together with a list of possible topics,
can be found online at http://spot.colorado.edu/~tooley/EssayTopics5340.html.
If you want to write on a slightly different topic
than those listed, talk to me about that, so that I can alert you to
possible problems that may arise.
Class Web Site
Other ourse materials,
including semianr notes, can be found
online at the following location:
http://spot.colorado.edu/~tooley/Philosophy5340.html
Format of the Course
Classes will take the form
of lecture/discussion. My goal will be to explain and to motivate
the central concepts and arguments, and to encourage class discussion
of those ideas and arguments.
Before each class, one
should read both the relevant articles, and the seminar notes that are
available online, in order to be able to participate fully in the class
discussions. Such participation will be very helpful in enabling
you to master the material.
Topics and Readings
In the case of some of the
topics,
the readings are divided into "core readings" and "optional
readings".
The core readings will more than suffice, in the case of every topic,
to
give you a very good grasp of the basic issues. If, however, you
have a good background in philosophy, or if you find the core readings
insufficiently challenging, you may well want to go on to do some of
the
optional readings. The latter are generally, though not always,
somewhat
more complicated and difficult, and also, in some cases, rather on the
long side.
I. Introduction: Epistemology and Philosophy
II. The Problem of Analyzing the Concept of Knowledge
Michael Huemer, Introduction to Chapter 8, s,Epistemology
-
Contemporary Readings, pp. 435-39.
A. J. Ayer, "Knowing as Having the Right to be Sure,"
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings, pp. 440-3.
Edmund L. Gettier, "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?"
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 444-6.
Michael Clark, "Knowledge and Grounds: A Comment on Mr. Gettier's
Paper," Epistemology - Contemporary
Readings, pp. 447-9.
Alvin Goldman, "A Causal Theory of Knowing," Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 450-63.
Keith Lehrer and Thomas Paxson, "Knowledge: Undefeated Justified
True Belief," Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 464-74.
Robert Nozick, "Knowledge," Epistemology
- Contemporary
Readings, pp. 475-490.
Keith DeRose, "Contextualism and Knowledge Attributions,"
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 491-505.
III. Analysis,
Analytically
Basic Concepts, Direct Acquaintance, and Theoretical Terms
David Lewis, “How to Define Theoretical Terms,” Journal of Philosophy, 67, 1970,
427-46.
(This article can be downloaded, via the University library, from
JSTOR.)
IV. Skepticism
Michael Huemer, Introduction to Chapter 9, Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 507-12.
René Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy,
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 513-23.
G. E. Moore, "Proof of an External World," Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 602-5.
G. E. Moore, "Hume's Theory Examined," Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 606-10.
Michael Huemer, “The Lure of Radical
Skepticism”, chapter II of
Skepticism and the Veil of Perception, pp. 7-25.
Michael Huemer, “Easy Answers to Skepticism”, chapter III of Skepticism
and the Veil of Perception, pp. 27-49.
Hilary Putnam, "Brains in a Vat," Epistemology
- Contemporary
Readings, pp. 524-38.
Peter Klein, "Skepticism and Closure: Why the Evil Genius Argument
Fails," Epistemology - Contemporary
Readings, pp. 552-74.
V. The Justification of Induction
Core Readings
Michael Huemer, Introduction to Chapter 6, Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 293-7.
David Hume, An excerpt from An Enquiry Concerning Human
Understanding, Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 298-310.
Paul Edwards, "Russell's Doubts about Induction," Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 311-19.
Nelson Goodman, "The New Riddle of Induction," Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 320-32.
John Foster, "Induction, Explanation, and Natural Necessity,"
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 333-43.
Optional
Readings
Colin Howson and Peter Urbach, An excerpt from Scientific
Reasoning: The Bayesian Approach," Epistemology
- Contemporary
Readings, pp. 344-51.
David Stove, "Another Attempt to Prove that Induction is Justified:
The Law of Large Numbers," Epistemology
- Contemporary Readings,
pp. 352-68.
VI. Theories of Justification: Foundationalism and
Coherentism
Michael Huemer, Introduction to Chapter 7, Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 369-71.
Sextus Empiricus, "The Five Modes," Epistemology
- Contemporary
Readings, pp. 372-4.
I. T. Oakley, "An Argument for Scepticism Concerning Justified
Beliefs," Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 375-86.
Laurence Bonjour, An excerpt from The Structure of Empirical Knowledge,
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 387-401.
William Alston, "Has Foundationalism Been Refuted?" Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 402-16.
Susan Haack, "A Foundherentist Theory of Empirical Justification,"
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 417-31.
VII. Perceptual Knowledge of the External
World
Core Readings
Michael Huemer, Introduction to Chapter 1, Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 27-31.
Michael Huemer, “Introduction: The Problem of Perceptual Knowledge”,
chapter I of Skepticism and the Veil
of Perception, pp. 1-5.
John Locke, An excerpt from Essay
Concerning Human Understanding,
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 32-6.
George Berkeley, An excerpt from Of
the Principles of Human
Knowledge, Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 37-45.
David Hume, "Of the Academic or Skeptical Philosophy,"
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 46-50.
Thomas Reid, An excerpt from Essays
on the Intellectual Powers of
Man, Epistemology -
Contemporary
Readings, pp. 51-63.
Bertrand Russell, An excerpt from The
Problems of Philosophy,
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 64-73.
J. L. Austin, An excerpt from Sense
and Sensibilia,
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 74-84.
Optional
Reading on Perception
H. P. Grice, "The Causal Theory of Perception," in Perceiving,
Sensing, and Knowing, edited by Robert J. Swartz, (Garden City,
New
York: Anchor Books, 1965), pp. 438-72.
Winston H. F. Barnes, "The Myth of Sense-Data," in Perceiving, Sensing, and Knowing,
pp. 138-67.
G. A. Paul, "Is There a Problem About Sense-Data?" in Perceiving, Sensing, and Knowing,
pp. 271-87.
VIII. Michael Huemer on Direct Realism
Versus
Indirect Realism
Michael Huemer, “A Version of Direct Realism”, chapter IV of Skepticism
and the Veil of Perception, pp. 51-92.
Michael Huemer, “A Version of Foundationalism”, chapter V of Skepticism
and the Veil of Perception, pp. 93-117.
Michael Huemer, “Objections to Direct Realism”, chapter VI of
Skepticism and the Veil of Perception,
pp. 119-147.
Michael Huemer, “An Objection to Indirect Realism: The Problem of
Spatial Properties”, chapter VII of Skepticism
and the Veil of
Perception, pp. 149-174.
Michael Huemer, “The Direct Realist’s Answer to Skepticism”, chapter
VIII of Skepticism and the Veil of
Perception, pp. 175-196.
IX. Knowledge of the Past
Michael Huemer, Introduction to Chapter 2, Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 85-7.
Sydney Shoemaker, "Memory", Encyclopedia
of Philosophy. Vol. 5, pp.
265-74.
Bertrand Russell, "Memory," Epistemology
- Contemporary Readings,
pp. 88-90.
Norman Malcolm, "A Definition of Factual Memory," Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 91-103.
John Pollock and Joseph Cruz, "Reasoning and Memory,"
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 104-112.
Michel Huemer, "The Problem of Memory Knowledge," Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 113-23.
X. A
Priori Knowledge
Core Readings
Michael Huemer, Introduction to Chapter 3, Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 125-30.
Plato, An excerpt from Meno, Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 131-41.
Immanuel Kant, An excerpt from The Critique of Pure Reason, Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 142-51.
Bertrand Russell, An excerpt from The
Problems of Philosophy,
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 152-65.
A. J. Ayer, "The Elimination of Metaphysics," Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 166-75.
W. V. Quine, "Two Dogmas of Empiricism," Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 176-93.
Optional Readings
Rudolf Carnap, An excerpt from Philosophical
Foundations of
Physics, Epistemology -
Contemporary Readings, pp. 194-207.
Laurence BonJour, "Appendix: Non-Euclidean Geometry and Relativity,"
Epistemology - Contemporary Readings,
pp. 208-15.
Statements Concerning Various
Matters
The University currently recommends the inclusion in all syllabi of
statements dealing with the following matters:
(1) Students with Disabilities
If you qualify for accommodations because of a
disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services in a
timely manner so that your needs may be addressed. Disability
Services determines accommodations based on documented
disabilities. Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322, and
www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices.
(2) Religious Observances Policy
Statement
Campus policy regarding religious observances
requires that faculty make every effort to reasonably and fairly deal
with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts
with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. In this
class, students who are absent from a class due to a religious
observance should talk to me about the material that I covered in that
class. If a religious observance conflicts with the date of the
final examination, please inform me of this as early as possible, so
that alternative arrangements can be made.
(3) Classroom Behavior Policy Statement
Students and faculty each have responsibility for
maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Students who fail to
adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline.
Faculty have the professional responsibility to treat all students with
understanding, dignity and respect, to guide classroom discussion and
to set reasonable limits on the manner in which they and their students
express opinions. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are
especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing
with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual
orientation, gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters
are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will
gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender
pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so
that I may make appropriate changes to my records.
(4) Statement concerning the Boulder
Campus Honor Code
All students of the University of Colorado at
Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic
integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy
may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty,
fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All
incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code
Council (honor@colorado.edu;
303-725-2273). Students who are
found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be
subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and
non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university
probation, suspension, or expulsion.
(5) Statement concerning Sexual
Harassment and Amorous Relationships
The University of Colorado at Boulder policy on
Discrimination and Harassment
(http://www.colorado.edu/policies/discrimination.html), the University
of Colorado policy on Sexual Harassment and the University of Colorado
policy on Amorous Relationships applies to all students, staff and
faculty. Any student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he
has been the subject of discrimination or harassment based upon race,
color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual
orientation, or veteran status should contact the Office of
Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of
Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information about the ODH and
the campus resources available to assist individuals regarding
discrimination or harassment can be obtained at
http://www.colorado.edu/odh