Бакалавриат 2020/2021

Философия

Лучший по критерию «Новизна полученных знаний»

Статус: Курс обязательный (Социология и социальная информатика)

Направление: 39.03.01. Социология

Кто читает: Департамент социологии

Где читается: Санкт-Петербургская школа социальных наук

Когда читается: 1-й курс, 1, 2 модуль

Формат изучения: с онлайн-курсом

Преподаватели: Тискин Даниил Борисович

Язык: английский

Кредиты: 4

Контактные часы: 20

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course offers an outlook of philosophy and its subdisciplines, such as ontology, philosophy of language, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, ethics, social and political philosophy, through the lens of their major problems. The historical perspective enters the course via the viewpoints of major philosophical authorities of the past on the problems discussed, but the overall organisation of the course is problem-oriented rather than historical. Special attention is paid to philosophical method, which is taken to be grounded in conceptual analysis and thought experiment. The course includes the MOOC “Introduction to Philosophy”, https://www.coursera.org/learn/philosophy, as its integral part.

Learning Objectives

• Understanding of the main features of philosophical inquiry and of its core problems
• Knowledge of the most influential proposed solutions to the problems discussed
• Ability critically to read and interpret philosophical texts, to explicate background assumptions and to compare different viewpoints
• Academic writing and oral discussion skills

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Ability to learn and acquire new knowledge and skills, including in areas beyond his/her professional one
• Ability to solve problems in professional practice based on analysis and synthesis
• Ability to communicate efficiently based on communication goals and situations
• Ability to carry out occupational or applied activities in the international environment
• Ability to analyze socially significant problems and processes with impartiality and scientific objectivity
• Ability to use basic laws of the humanitarian and socio-economic sciences to solve professional tasks
• Ability to participate in analytical and consulting activities

Course Contents

• Introduction: Philosophy, Its Subject Matter and Methods
  MOOC topics: “What is Philosophy?” (Week 1), Lessons 1–2. Discussion topics: philosophy as method and as lifestyle; philosophy vs. science vs. religion vs. art; the role of logic and of linguistic analysis in philosophical inquiry; the main problems of philosophy; the continental and the analytical tradition in philosophy. The structure of arguments: premisses, conclusions, validity.
• Ontology: On What There Is
  Discussion topics: concreta vs. abstracta; universals vs. particulars; individuals vs. properties/relations; the explanatory role of abstract objects and universals and the worries of ontological minimalism.
• Philosophy of Language: Meaning and Saying
  Discussion topics: the problem of meaning; sense and reference; externalism vs. internalism. Knowledge of language as a productive capacity. Language as a distinctive property of humans.
• Epistemology: What Do We Know?
  MOOC topics: “What is Knowledge? And Do We Have Any?” (Week 2), Lesson 1. Discussion topics: sense data and external objects; realism and skepticism; ways to define knowledge; the role of intuition in the arbitration between philosophical accounts.
• Philosophy of Science: Uniformity of Nature?
  Discussion topics: the problem of induction; from phenomena to laws of nature; fulfilling the task of “staying in touch with reality” via verifiablity or falsifiability; demarcation.
• Philosophy of Mind: The Elusive Mind
  MOOC topics: “Minds, Brains and Computers” (Week 4), Lessons 1–2. Discussion topics: qualia; epiphenomena; physicalism and functionalism vs. dualism vs. logical behaviourism.
• Free Will: Can We Do Otherwise?
  MOOC topics: “Do We Have Free Will and Does It Matter” (Week 5), Lessons 1–2. Discussion topics: (in)determinism and (in)compatibilism; determinism and modern science; modern libertarianism.
• Ethics: The Status of Morality
  MOOC topics: “Morality: Objective, Relative or Emotive?” (Week 2), Lessons 1–2. Discussion topics: consequentialist vs. deontological ethics; moral realism and moral antirealism; facts vs. values; “ought” and “is”.
• Political Philosophy: Limits of State Intervention
  Discussion topics: different notions of freedom; freedoms and rights; paternalism; distributive justice; limits of redistribution.
• Social Philosophy: The Global Future
  Discussion topics: “the end of history”; multiculturalism; the future of liberal democracy.

Assessment Elements

• In-class performance
  Since in-class performance is evaluated every class on the basis of the students’ performance, in cases of documented absence the student will be allowed to submit a written discussion of the reading designated for the particular class.
• Essay
• Midterm test
• Exam
  Documented absence at the final exam may be compensated by taking the exam according to the usual requirements on the day designated by the study office.

Interim Assessment

• Interim assessment (2 module)
  0.15 * Essay + 0.4 * Exam + 0.3 * In-class performance + 0.15 * Midterm test

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Craig, E. (2005). The Shorter Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=144847
• Kenny, A. (2010). A New History of Western Philosophy. Oxford: OUP Oxford. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=516790

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Jaworski, W. (2011). Philosophy of Mind : A Comprehensive Introduction. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=510161
• McGinn, C. (2015). Philosophy of Language : The Classics Explained. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=956432
• White, M. J. (2012). Political Philosophy : An Historical Introduction (Vol. 2nd ed). New York: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=469383