| CODE | PHI1090 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Philosophy: Tools and Problems | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Philosophy | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | An Introduction to Problems in Philosophy Students are often perplexed as to what it is exactly that philosophers are interested in. Frequently their perplexity is accompanied by a number of misconceptions regarding the nature of philosophical activity. This course attempts to dispel those misconceptions and to show that philosophers have been engaged in a search for the answers to those questions that have been an enduring concern to humanity. Philosophical Writing Identification and application of characteristics of good philosophical writing. Students will be asked to present short essays from set readings on selected philosophical topics. Aims and Outcomes This study-unit aims to: - Guide students to distinguish between the different types of argumentation and the reliability of their relative conclusion. - Guide students to identify different kinds of propositions and the relationships between them. - Guide students to identify flaws in reasoning. - With these tools in hand the students will be encouraged to engage critically and meaningfully with the problems in philosophy such as human freedom and action, systems of government, truth and knowledge, and the mind-body relationship. Learning Outcomes: 1.Knowledge & Understanding By the end of this study-unit the student will be able to: - Recognise when the different kinds of reasoning are to be applied. - Obtain true propositions from others already identified as true. - Be alert to fallacies that are commonly found in day-to-day reasoning. - Critically examine issues crucial to human living through sound arguments. 2.Skills By the end of this study-unit the student will be able to: - Identify flaws in reasoning. - Identify and discuss key concepts in the problems in philosophy. - Argue cogently on the fundamental issues related to humans and their environment, such as issues of truth and knowledge, human freedom and action, systems of government and unresolved problems such as the mind’s relation to the body. Reading List -.Baggini Julian, Philosophy Key Themes, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2002. - Hospers, J., An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis, Routledge, London, 1996. - Nagel, T., What Does It All Mean?, OUP, Oxford, 1987. - Solomon, R.C., The Big Questions, Harcourt, London 1998 (6th Edition, 2002). - Martinich, A.P., Philosophical Writing, 3rd ed., Blackwell, 2005. - Westin, A., A Rulebook for Arguments, 3rd ed., Hackett Pub. Co., Cambridge, 2000. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Mary Ann Cassar |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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