Intro to Philosophy Class Notes

  10/30/2025 [Philosophy Club every Tuesday at 5:00pm in CAS 436 ("The Cave")] [Challenge for today: Try to think of (and possibly ask) at least one question.] Do you believe in ghosts?   (ectoplasm) What, exactly, is consciousness? (Why take one view over another and what is at stake?)       Property dualism Non-reductive physicalism (Epiphenomenalist dualism / emergentism)   Frank Jackson “Knowledge Argument” (paper: “What Mary didn’t know”)   Mary is the world’s greatest color scientist. She knows EVERYTHING that can be known about color. She knows all the physical facts about color. But she has never seen the color red. Suppose she sees red for the first time. She will gain a new kind of knowledge. Knowledge of a new FACT = the fact regarding what red looks like. Therefore, what red looks like is not a physical fact. (it is non-physical subjective experiential fact)     1....

  8/26/2025   Introduction to Philosophy       Grades: 50% Weekly reflections/responses (Assignments page) 20% Essay (mid-term) 20% Exam (final) 10% Attendance      Maximum of 14 absences before failing course      You get 1.5 points for each day you come to class. There are 28 class meetings (= 42 points). If you attend 21 class meetings, you will get 100% on your attendance grade (31 points). If you attend more than 21 class meetings (up to 28) you can earn 135% on your attendance grade. 8/28/2025 [Philosophy Club: Tuesday, September 2 at 5:00 in CAS 436 (“The Cave”)]   Could two things exist that are EXACTLY alike?   When asked what soft skills they most need in employees, the three most mentioned usually include: Critical Thinking, Communication, and Ethical Judgment.   Philosophy excels in teaching 2/3 of these … or maybe 2.5/3 … because p...