Last Updated 15th May, 1999 |
Perhaps someone might say:
But Socrates, if you leave us will you not be able to live quietly, without
talking? Now this is the most difficult point on which to convince some
of you. If I say that it is impossible for me to keep quiet because that
means disobeying the god, you will not believe me and will think I am being
ironical. On the other hand, you will believe me even less if I say that
it is the greatest good for a human being to discuss excellence every day,
and those other things about which you hear me talking and testing myself
and others: for the unexamined life is not worth
living for a human being.
--Socrates, in The Apology |
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Students majoring in philosophy
develop with their mentor a program of study including a minimum of eight
courses, including one logic course and one ethics course; at least three
courses from the History of Philosophy series; Contemporary Philosophical
Methodology; and other upper level courses focused on the student's particular
philosophical interests. In addition, philosophy majors are expected to
take
complementary courses in other
disciplines that provide background and breadth in their program of study.
Philosophy majors are to have a
working knowledge of the issues and methods covered in their required courses
in logic, ethics, and the history of philsophy sequence, in addition to
those in their chosen area of focus. This competence and the ability to
communicate it in speaking and in writing is demonstrated by satisfactory
completion of the courses in the philosophy major and of a Senior thesis
or
comprehensive examination in philosophy.
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Why do we go through the struggle
to be educated? Is it merely in order to pass some examinations and get
a job? Or is it the function of education to prepare us while we are young
to understand the whole process of life? Having a job and earning one's
livlihood is necessary--but is that all? Are we being educated
only for that? Surely, life is not merely
a job, an occupation; life is wide and profound, it is a great
mystery, a vast realm in which we function as human beings. If we merely
prepare ourselves to earn a livelihood, we shall miss the whole point of
life; and to understand life is much more important than merely to prepare
for examinations and become very proficient in mathematics, physics, or
what you will. --J. Krishnamurti
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The Double Major Option
The philosophy major at Eckerd is structured
with an openness to combining the philosophy degree with a degree in another
major. This gives the graduate a true depth and breadth to their liberal
arts education that would be hard to achieve otherwise. This option has
been followed by Eckerd students who combine a degree in the sciences,
for example, with the philosophy degree, or one in the creative arts, or
wherever the interests and carrer choices of the student might lead them.
So someone thinking of applying to medical school, for example, might double
major in biology and philosophy; or someone thinking of law school might
major in economics and philosophy; and so forth. Many of our most successful
students have followed this option. We work with students to design their
curriculum so that this double degree
possibility can become a reality.
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A monk told Joshu: "I have just entered the monastery. Please teach me."
Joshu asked: "Have you eaten your rice porridge?"
The monk replied: "I have eaten."
Joshu said: "Then you had better wash your bowl."
At that moment the monk was enlightened.
--Mu-mon, The Gateless Gate
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Without that laughter
It wouldn't be Tao.
--Tao Te Ching
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Bruce V. Foltz
Humanities Press
There is a growing urgency in the worldwide environmental crisis. In
Inhabiting the Earth, Bruce Foltz, philosopher and environmental spokesperson,
undertakes the first sustained analyis of how Heidegger's thought can contribute
to environmental
ethics and to the more broadly conceived field of enviornmental philosophy.
Through a comprehensive study of the status of "nature" and related concepts
such as "earth" in the thought of Martin Heidgger, Foltz attempts to show
how Heidegger's
understanding of the natural environment and our relation to it offers
a more promising basis for environmental philosophy than others that have
so far been put forward.
CONTENTS
1 Earth, Nature, and Environment: An Introduction to the Problem and
a Summary
of the Argument
2 The Critique of the Traditional Methaphysics of Nature in Heidegger's
Early
Writings
3 The "Primordial Sense" of Nature in the Early Writings
4 The History of Being
5 Science and Metaphysics: Nature as Object
6 The Technological Domination of Nature: Nature as Inventory
7 Heidgegger's Deconstruction of the Metaphysics of Nature: Toward a
New
Topology
8 Dwelling Poetically Upon the Earth: Toward a New Environmental Ethic
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But where are today's philosophers to be found? Too many
have almost forgotten that Science and Technology are mere children, that
ageless Father Philo and Mother Sophia still must worry about their notions
and their adventures. Thus neglecting the parents, these philosophers become
enthralled by the willful children. Their "philosophy" becomes a mere "handmaiden"
of "Science," and is hard-pressed even to cope with rambunctious Technology.
They take comfort in assuming the role of technicians of language and other
concpetual systems, servicing the theoretical software of the empirical
experimenters, whose work they assume to be the really important
. . . they constantly proclaim the "end of philosophy," or the "end of
metaphysics," and devote much care to the histroy of this now obsolete
pursuit. In fact, metaphysical thought is still very much in charge of
the prevalent world view. It seems an end only because it has become stuck
on matieralism, it has conceded final, "objective" reality to the "given
data" of the senses. In short, it has become dogmatic and, like other dogmatisms
before it, it has little patience with heresies. In particular, it has
eviscerated itself by completely devaluing the power and importance of
the mind, losing sight of the role the understanding plays in the construction
of "reality."--Robert Thurman
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James R. Goetsch jr.
Yale University Press
In spite of the importance of Giambattista Vico--the Italian philosopher
whose reflections on history, metaphysics, rhetoric, law, and other subjects
were influential in the shaping of modernity--scholars have debated whether
he presented a coherent
philosophy or simply a set of provacative random ideas. In this book
James Goetsch argues that Vico's major work, the New Science, is a sustained
, controlled poetic-philosophical meditation on the human world, and that
it represents a philosophy in its own right.
According to Goetsch, Vico proposes that we abandon the alliance between
logic and metaphysics, and instead form one between logic and the rhetorical
and poetical conceptions of human understanding that inform the human community.
In this way Vico revives the ancient sense of rhetoric found in Aristotle,
who stated that logic and rhetoric are counterparts. Vico's philosophical
system is best exemplified by the 114 axioms at the base of his New Science.
These axioms, which range over a
puzzling variety of subjects, do not follow a logical or geometric
model in the conventional sense, making it hard to account for Vico's claim
that the thinks in the "geometric manner." Goetsch asserts, however, that
they are used by Vico to express what Aristotle called maxims--"thoughts
worth thinking"--which establish the fundamental points necessary to speak
about human realities. Once this becomes clear, we see that Vico's thought
combines history, philosophy, and poetry in a comprehensive manner, and
gives us a new geometry of the human world.
CONTENTS
1: Vico's Anabasis
2: Eloquent Memory and Barbaric Clarity
3: The Way Down
4: The Way Up
5: The Roots of Rhetoric
6: The Discovery of the True Aristotle
7: The Comic Nature of Geometric Method
8: What Is Worth Thinking?
9: Conclusion: Heroic Wisdom
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You are that which we believe. And we believe that you are a being than which nothing greater can be conceived. And you exist so truly, that you cannot be conceived not to exist; and this is greater than one which can be conceived not to exist. So, if that being than which nothing greater can be conceived can be conceived not to exist, it is not that being than which nothing greater can be conceived. But this is an irreconcilable contradiction.
Furthermore: if you can be conceived at all, you must exist. For no one who denies or doubts the existence of a being than which a greater is inconceivable, denies or doubts that if it did exist, its non-existence, either in reality or the understanding, would be impossible. For otherwise it would not be a being than which a greater cannot be conceived. Whatever can be conceived, but does not exist, if it existed, would not be a being than which a greater is inconceivable. If, then, there were a being a greater than which is inconceivable, and it did not exist, it would not be a being than which a greater is inconceivable: which is most absurd.
But if someone might say that it is not understood, and
that it is not in the understanding, because it is not thoroughly understood,
that person should also say that a human being who cannot face the direct
rays of the sun does not see the light of day, which is none other than
the sunlight. -- Anselm,
The
Proslogium
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| Structure & Sequence | Options | Literacy Study Terms | Sample Exam |
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Philosophy majors, unless they are invited to do a senior thesis, are
required to take a comprehensive examination in philosophy
during their senior year. This will normally be taken during Winter
Term by signing up for PLL 498.
The exam will be given over a 3 day period the last week of Winter Term.
The first two days will cover the History of
Philosophy, and the third day will cover a major subject area. Each
day will also include a philosophical literacy component,
which will involve short answers covering the field of philosophy in
general. No later than three weeks after the written
component of the exam, an oral examination based upon the written work
will be given by the members of the philosophy
faculty. Evaluation will be based both upon the written and oral components.
Sequence
By 15 October of the Senior year, the student will pick two historical
periods and one subject area to be tested on, and notify
the discipline coordinator of their choices. The student will then
be presented by 30 November with six study questions for
each period and subject chosen. Students will also be presented with
a list of key terms which will form the basis for the
philosophical literacy portion of the exam. The exam will be administered
the last week of Winter Term. Students will prepare
for the examination intensely during the first part of Winter Term,
but are advised to begin during the Fall. It is recommended
that a good history of philosophy and dictionary of philosophy be used
during this period.(Consult with your mentor to
determine an appropriate history and dictionary.)
On each exam day, at a pre-determined time, students will be presented
with two of the six study questions, of which they will
choose one to answer. This answer will take the form of a complete
essay. Students will also be presented with ten short
answer questions, based upon the list of terms provided to the student,
of which they will answer seven. These short answers
will take the form of a complete paragraph (and only a paragraph) which
will define the key term or terms of the question and
relate its context. The exam must be completed within three hours.
Students are honor bound not to use any materials
whatsoever (but mind and memory!) to answer their essays and short
answers. The exam will be distributed at 9:00 AM and
will be collected at 1:00 PM on each day of the exam.
The exam will then be evaluated by all members of the philosophy
discipline, both for its written content, and in the oral
component of the exam.
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History of Philosophy
Choose two of the following:
*Ancient Philosophy
*Medieval Philosophy
*Modern Philosophy (17th-18th Century)
*19th Century Philosophy
Subject Areas
Choose one of the following:
*Metaphysics
*Ethics
*Philosophy of Science
*Epistemology
*Philosophy of Religion
*Existentialism
*Symbolic Logic
*Social and Political Philosophy
*Eastern Philosophy
*Aesthetics
*American Philosophy
*Philosophical Theology
*Phenomenology
*The Thought of a Major Philosopher
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Study Terms
for the
Philosophical Literacy Component
Remember, you will be presented with 10 short answer questions
on each day of the exam, of which you will choose 7 to
answer. The questions will be based on the following terms. To prepare
for this portion of the exam, it is recommended that
you buy a good dicitionary of philosophy (ask your mentor for a recommendation)
and practice putting the definitions into your
own words. Some students make flash cards of these, others make up
their own little dictionary--whatever best helps you to
learn these basic terms.
aesthetics
linguistic philosophy
analytic philosophy
a priori/a posteriori
argument
axiology
conceptualism/realism/nominalism
necessary condition/sufficient condition/necessary and sufficient
condition
connotation/denotation
necessary/contingent
cosmological argument
deism
deontological ethics
ontology
teleological ethics
metaethics
normative ethics
determinism/free will
dialectic
skepticism
dualism
monism
egoism/altruism
empiricism
rationalism
metaphysics
epistemology
emotivism (in ethics)
naturalistic fallacy
extrinsic/intrinsic good
fallacy
Types of informal fallacies:
argumentum:
ad baculum
ad hominem
ad ignorantium
ad misericordiam
ad populum
ad verecundiam
fallacy of:
ambiguity
accident
amphiboly
begging the question
equivocation
non causa pro causa
post hoc ergo propter hoc
hasty generalization
ignorantio elenchi
tu quoque
ethical hedonism
historicism
idealism
induction/deduction
validity/invalidity/soundness
is/ought dichotomy
materialism
mind/body problem
monism
nihilism
Ockham's Razor
phenomenology
logical positivism
pragmatism
principle of sufficient reason
primary and secondary qualities
the three laws of thought: identity, noncontradiction, excluded
middle
reductivism
reification
moral relativism
substance and accident
syllogism
tautology
teleological argument for God
ontological argument for God
cosmological argument for God
theism/deism/atheism/pantheism
truth as: coherence/correspondence/pragmatic
utilitarianism
existentialism
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Eckerd College/Letters Collegium
Winter Term 1996
Senior Comprehensive Exam in Philosophy
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
The exam should be typewritten, double-spaced, with one-inch margins
(and make sure to number your pages and attach the
exam as a cover sheet!). It is being distributed at 9:OO AM and should
be returned by 1:00 PM of the same day. You are
honor-bound not to use any materials whatsoever (but mind and memory!)
in answering the short answers and essay. GOOD
LUCK!
DAY TWO: HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY--MODERN
Part I: General Philosophical Literacy--Short Answers
Answer seven (7) of the following questions in the form of a complete
paragraph. Given that the answers are being typed and
double-spaced, with one-inch margins, the answers should cover approximately
three-fourths of the page, and should be not be
more than one page.
1. Define the following fallacies: ambiguity, accident, begging the question, post hoc ergo propter hoc.
2. Define/explain the notions of connotation and denotation, and give an example of each.
3. Define/explain ethical hedonism (and give an example of how it would solve a moral dilemma).
4. Explain the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning (and give an example to illustrate it).
5. Explain the differences between theism, deism, pantheism, and atheism.
6. Define existentialism. Then name one existentialist philosopher, and state why his or her thought fits your definition.
7. Explain the difference between a priori and a posteriori reasoning, and give an example to illustrate it.
8. Explain the idea of Ockham's Razor, and give an example of it.
9. Briefly characterize the determinism/free will debate.
10. Define phenomenology. Then name one phenomenologist, and state why
his or her thought fits your definition.
Part II. History of Philosophy--Essay
Answer one (1) of the following questions in the form of a complete
essay. Remember to define and explain all key terms! And
remember that this is to be an essay, with an introduction and a conclusion!
GOOD LUCK!
1.The growth of modern philosophy, to a great extent, can be tied to
the explosion of scientific knowledge that occurred in the
modern period. First, explain how science influenced philosophy in
this era. Then explain how the paradigm of scientific
knowledge is at the base of the two movements of modern philosophy
usually held to be opposites, empiricism and rationalism.
(N.B. Be careful to illustrate your answer with the examples of an
actual empiricist and rationalist philosopher.)
2. Compare and contrast the idea of the State of Nature in Hobbes and
Locke, showing how this idea is used in their
respective political theories as a thought-experiment. What are the
implications of their differing results? In your judgement,
which analysis is more insightful? Why?
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How long do you put off thinking yourself worthy of the
best things, and worthy of never going against the definitive capacity
of reason? You have received the philosophical propositions that you ought
to agree to and you have agreed to them. Then what sort of teachers are
you still waiting for, that you put off improving yourself until they come?
If you now neglect things and are lazy and are always making delay after
delay and set one day after another as the day for paying attention to
yourself, then without realizing it you will make no progress but will
end up a non-philosopher all through life and death. So decide now that
you are worthy of living as a full-grown human being who is making progress,
and make everything that seems best be a law you cannot go against. And
if you meet with any hardship or anything pleasant or reputable or disreputable,
then remember that the contest in now and the Olympic games are now and
you cannot put off things any more and that your progress is made or destroyed
by a single day and a single action. Socrates became fully perfect in this
way . . . You, even if you are not yet Socrates, ought to live as one wanting
to be Socrates. --Epictetus
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The following links are sometimes useful, and often interesting (and
reflect more than anything else the web wanderings of the maintainer of
this web page).
The challenge is not to scholars and university professors,
but to all of us. At stake is our very life, and
we shall need all the energy, inventiveness, imagination,
goodness, and strength we can muster to triumph
in our predicament. While waiting for the specialists
to get on with their work on behalf of society, each
of us, in his own life, must seek ways of resisting and
transcending technological determinants. Each man
must make this effort in every area of life, in his profession
and in his social, religious, and family
relationships. --Jacques
Ellul
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