Exam #3

Just a reminder: we've scheduled two different times to take exam #3.  You can take it on Thursday, December 15th at 2:40 p.m.  We'll meet outside our normal classroom and see if it's empty.  If it's not, we'll find a different room.  Text me (609-980-8367) if you're late and don't see us in that room.

You can also take it on Tuesday, December 20th at 7:00 p.m. in our normal classroom. It should take about 60-90 minutes to finish it, but you'll have two hours to take it.

Last Chance

Just a reminder that the course evaluation for this class is only open two more days (today and tomorrow).  If you haven't done it yet, go do it!  Here are instructions:

1. Go to http://cp.rowan.edu/cp/.
2. Click "Student Self-Service" icon.
3. Click "Access Banner Services - Secure Area - login required"
4. Enter User ID and PIN.
5. Click "Personal Information".
6. Click "Answer a Survey".
7. Click on one of the student evaluations for your classes.
8. Complete the student evaluation.
9. Click “Survey Complete” to submit your completed student evaluation.
10. Repeat for other fall 2011 classes.

Reading Response #4: Consciousness

Reading Response #4 is worth 50 points (5% of your overall grade), and is due at the beginning of class on Thursday, December 20th (the day of our final exam).  The assignment is detailed below:

Consider the three following positions:

1. Tinkerism: The mind-body problem is all but solved. One of the current, commonly-held theories we have discussed in class (that is, a version of materialism or dualism) is basically correct. We may have to clean up the theory a little bit to make it fully correspond with the truth, but we’re pretty much finished.
   
2. Overhaulism: None of the current theories we have discussed is an adequate response to the mind-body problem. An adequate response is going to require a radical shift in our understanding of the world. We will have to reject at least one widely held assumption, and possibly more, though we should inevitably be able to uncover a satisfying solution.
   
3. Unpossiblism: Not only is none of the current theories we have discussed an adequate response to the mind-body problem, there is no theory we humans can come up with to adequately resolve the problem. It’s simply too difficult for us to figure out. We’re doomed to never uncover a solution.

Which position best characterizes your stance on the mind-body problem? In approximately a 750-word essay, explain and defend your stance.

First, explain each of the three positions in greater detail. Among the philosophers we read (including the Nagel and McGinn articles we’re reading this week), who is a Tinkerist? Who is an Overhaulist? Who is an Unpossiblist? Be sure to defend all your answers. Use support from the texts!

Second, explain why you did NOT pick the two positions you did not pick. For example, if you’re a Tinkerist, why don’t you think we have to reject any strong intuitions? Why is the problem solvable at all?

Third, defend the position you choose. If you’re a Tinkerist, explain which theory is basically right, say why you believe it’s correct, and defend it against criticisms. If you’re an Overhaulist, explain what’s wrong with the current theories out there (be sure to consider responses to your general criticism[s] of these theories), and defend the claim that it’s nevertheless still possible to find a solution. If you’re an Unpossiblist, explain what’s wrong with the current theories out there (again, be sure to consider responses to your critique), and defend the further claim that the problem is in principle impossible for us to figure out.

The Probe Probes the Broab

Brain science comedy!

Wittgenstein's Poker

Remember that book I referenced in class this week about the one philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein, who threatened another, Karl Popper, with a poker?

• It's called Wittgenstein's Poker: The Story of a Ten-Minute Argument Between Two Great Philosophers.   
• If a book is a bit too long for you, there's also this short article on the incident.  
• Or if you're looking for even more, there's a second book by someone who was in the room at the time of the incident.

Reading Response #3: Dualism

Here is the assignment for reading response #3:

Do you think dualism is a good theory of mind? Why or why not? In an approximately 500-word essay, explain and evaluate dualism. Be sure to discuss and evaluate criticisms for this theory. Furthermore, explain and defend your opinion of dualism. Don’t just explain what you believe; explain why you believe it, as well.

This assignment is worth 50 points (5% of your overall grade), and is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, November 29th.

Course Evaluation

The course evaluation for this class is now open.  Here are instructions on how to do this:

1. Go to http://cp.rowan.edu/cp/.
2. Click "Student Self-Service" icon.
3. Click "Access Banner Services - Secure Area - login required"
4. Enter User ID and PIN.
5. Click "Personal Information".
6. Click "Answer a Survey".
7. Click on one of the student evaluations for your classes.
8. Complete the student evaluation.
9. Click “Survey Complete” to submit your completed student evaluation.
10. Repeat for other fall 2011 classes.

Hear No Evil

If you like to get philosophical on the treadmill, try downloading and listening to these podcasts on the problem of suffering:

• Well-known contemporary philosopher (and ordained priest) Marilyn McCord Adams offers some insights into the problem of evil in this audio interview. (Download)
  
• The NPR program Fresh Air has an audio interview with Bart Ehrman on the problem of suffering. (Download)
  
• Here's even more audio from a few philosophers on the problem of suffering. (Download)
  
  

Test #2

Just a reminder that test #2 will be held on Tuesday, November 15th. It's worth 25% of your overall grade.

There are a variety of questions on the midterm: some multiple choice, some short answers, different types of argument evaluation, a mini-essay, and extra credit. It covers everything we've gone over in class so far:

• Philosophy
  -Definitions
  -Doing philosophy
• Arguments
  -Evaluation: truth and support tests
  -Types: deductive and abductive
• Knowledge
  -Definition: Plato says true belief doesn't equal knowledge
  -Skepticism
  -Descartes: uncertain of childhood beliefs, senses, and reasoning; certain he's thinking and he exists
• God Stuff
  -Evidentialism vs. nonevidentialism
  -Design Argument: Paley's version, the abductive version, Hume's criticisms of the analogy & inductive versions
  -Problem of Suffering: the logical (deductive) version, the free will theodicy, Hick's soul-building theodicy, evaluating greater good responses, the abductive (evidential) version

10/25 Class Canceled

I'm sick, so this week's class is canceled. This confuses a few things logistically, so here are the changes:

• Test #2 will be moved back to Tuesday, November 8th.  
• We'll be reviewing for Test #2 in class on Tuesday, November 1st.

Suffer-iness

Here's Stephen Colbert's take on evil:

Egg

Before class last week, Ben told me about a cool short story that's related to the stuff we're studying.  Here's a link to it:

• The Egg

Bad Things to Good People

Here are some links on the problem of suffering.

• This is a great introductory article on the problem of suffering.
• There is a collection of resources all about the problem of evil, including criticisms of several different responses to the problem. I mean, wow.
• I'd like to highlight one article in particular: a discussion of the "God works in mysterious ways" response: do we have enough evidence to believe that there is a reason for all the suffering in the world, but humans aren't smart enough to understand what that reason is?
• And here's a video talk on the humility response.
• Does everything happen for a reason? This cartoon dinosaur has an interesting take on that question. (T-Rex also occasionally wonders why bad things happen to nice people, and whether we're in the worst possible world.)

Random Comedy

As usual, The Onion nails it:

• "Realistic Announcer Shouting How Kevin Durant Making His Last 4 Shots Has No Bearing On Whether He Will Make Next Shot"
• "Cornell Drains Fun Out Of Cinderella Run By Explaining How On A Long Enough Timeline The Improbable Becomes Probable"

The Importance of Being Stochastic

Here is a bunch of links related to our natural tendency to misinterpret randomness as if it's an intentional pattern:

• Most of us are pretty bad at statistical reasoning.
• Here's a review of a decent book (The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives) on this topic.
• What was that infinite monkey typewriter thing we were talking about in class? Someone recently tried it! Well, sort of.
• A radio show I love recently devoted an entire episode to probability.
  
• Another radio show I love ran a great 2-part series on the screening for diseases called "You Are Pre-Diseased".
• What's up with that recent recommendation that routine screenings for breast cancer should wait until your 50s rather than 40s? Math helps explain it.