Course Description
Theorists across the academy seek to understand why people do what they do, believe what they believe, and want what they want. They seek, that is, to understand people. Historians want to know why, for example, Napoleon didn't end his war in Spain before invading Russia in June of 1812. Literary critics and historians want to know, for example, why Fitzgerald decided to take aim at the decadence and self-absorption of American culture in the 1920s. Psychologists and neuroscientists want to know why, for example, psychopaths have such a hard time caring for other people. Novelists want to explore how our quest to understand ourselves and those around us complicates and enriches our lives.
Philosophy does not escape this trend. Many important philosophical questions in several different sub-disciplines are about why people do what they do, believe what they believe, and want what they want. These questions are important in, to name a few sub-disciplines, ethics, epistemology, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of action.
In this course we will explore some of the issues philosophers are interested in when it comes to understanding people. We will be particularly interested in a set of questions that interest \emph{practical} philosophers like ethicists and philosophers of action and a set of questions that interest \emph{theoretical} philosophers like epistemologists and philosophers of mind. We will also investigate whether work done in other fields bears on the relevant philosophical issues. This will include work from psychology, neuroscience, and literature.
Readings
My lecture notes through September, 17th are available here.
Details about the assignments related to the term paper can be found here.
Week One
Readings for September 3
Stout, Action, ch. 2 (1 also included and recommended): get it here.
Audi, "Acting for Reasons" (1976) The Philosophical Review: get it here.
Readings for September 5
Stout, Action, ch. 4: get it here.
Davidson, "Actions, Reasons, and Causes", (1963) The Journal of Philosophy: get it here.
Week Two
Readings for September 10
Stout, Action, ch. 3: get it here.
Smith, "The Humean Theory of Motivation" (1987) Mind: get it here.
The argument analysis that's due on 9.12 is here.
Readings for September 12
Alvarez, "The Causalist/Anti-Causalist Debate in the Theory of Action": get it here.
Tanney, "Reasons as Non-Causal, Context Placing Explanations": get it here.
Week Three
Readings for September 17
Dancy, Practical Reality (selections), ch. 1 is here; the rest is here. You are only required to read chs. 5 and 6.
Readings for September 19
Armstrong, Belief, Truth, and Knowledge (selections): here.
Audi, The Structure of Justification (selections): here.
Week Four
Readings for September 24
The readings from 9.19 will be relevant.
Boghossian, "What is Inference?": here.
The Argument Analysis that is due on 9.26 is here.
Week Five
Readings for October 1st
Broome, "Comments on Boghossian": here.
Wright, "Comments on Paul Boghossian, 'What is Inference'": here.
The writing assignment for The Black Prince (which replaces the fifth argument analysis) is here.
We will be having a make up class on Wednesday, October 2nd from 4.40-6. We'll be talking about Murdoch's The Black Prince. This will be the topic for October 3rd, as well.
Week Six
Readings for October 8th
Ryan, "Motivation and the Organization of Human Behavior": here.
Laming, "Introduction: Three Fundamental Ideas": here.
Fiske, "Core Social Motivations": here.
Dweke and Grant, "Self-Theories, Goals, and Meaning": here.
Readings for October 10th
Reeve and Lee, "Neuroscience and Human Motivation": here.
Daw and Showhamy, "The Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning and Motivation": here.
The Writing Assignment for this week is here. Note that it is not due until Friday October 11th.
Week Seven
Readings for October 17th
Sandis, chs. 1-2 of The Things We Do and Why We Do Them: here.
The writing assignment for this week is here. Note that it is not due until Sunday October 20th.
Week Ten
Readings for November 5th
Pollock and Cruz, selections from ch. 2 of Contemporary Theories of Knowledge: here.
Wedgwood, 'Justified Inference': here.
Readings for November 7th
Foot, "Virtues and Vices": here.
Week Eleven
Readings for November 12
McDowell, 'Virtue and Reason': here.
Readings for November 14
Sosa, selections from A Virtue Epistemology: here.
Turri, 'Believing for a Reason': here.
The final short writing assignment is here. It is due on November 16 by 5pm.
Week Twelve
Readings for November 19
Alfano, Character as a Moral Fiction: the book is here. We are reading chs. 1 and 2 for 11.19.
Readings for November 21/26
We will be discussing Home and Gilead these days.
Week Thirteen
Readings for December 3
We are reading chs. 5 and 6 fo the Alfano (see above).
Readings for December 5
Sabini and Silver, 'Lack of Character? Situationism Critiqued': here.
Pritchard, 'Reevaluating the Situationist Challenge to Virtue Epistemology': here.