Gensler's Philosophy Courses
We will study various systems of logic (propositional, quantificational, modal, deontic, and epistemic) and use these to analyze hundreds of arguments, many on philosophical topics like morality, free will, and the existence of God. We will also study a little metalogic (about consistency and completeness) and work out a logical formalization of an ethical theory. Our text is Introduction to Logic (by Harry J. Gensler, Routledge 2010, second edition).
This course presumes no previous study of logic. If you have had a previous logic course (e.g., PHIL 174), then some of the beginning material should be familiar; but we will cover these areas more quickly.
We will have six half-period quizzes plus a comprehensive final exam (which counts as three quizzes). Missed quizzes count as zero. If you can't take a quiz on time, contact me before the morning of the next class and we might be able to set up another time; you can't take a quiz after I hand them back. Cheating on a quiz will earn you a grade in the F range. I will use this grading scale: A = 90s or above (90-92 = A-), B = 80s (87-89 = B+, 80-82 = B-), C = 70s (77-79 = C+, 70-72 = C-), D = 60s (67-69 = D+), F = 50s or below.
If you take the course as PHIL 301, then you needn't do a paper. To figure out your grade, write each quiz score, write the final exam score three times, drop the lowest number, and average the others. (So your lowest quiz drops if it's lower than the final; if the final is lower than any quiz, then it counts as only two quizzes.)
If you take the course as PHIL 444, then you'll do a paper of at least eight pages on a topic that I approve in advance; you are to meet with me to help plan your paper and relate it to your interests. You might, for example, take one of the Chapters 16 to 18, begin with a short summary of the chapter, and then go into a more specific topic. Chapter 16 is about history of logic, from Aristotle and traditional logic, through the emergence of classical symbolic logic in Frege and Russell, and then into more recent work. Chapter 17 is about deviant logic, including multi-valued logic, paraconsistent logic, intuitionist logic, and relevance logic. Chapter 18 is about philosophy of logic, which deals with epistemological and metaphysical issues about areas like abstract entities, the justification of logical laws, the nature of truth, and the scope of logic. Or you might do something in inductive logic (Chapter 5), or you might use logical tools to analyze arguments in some area or figure that you're interested in (see the end of Chapter 4). Again, see me about topics.
If you take the course as PHIL 444, then your paper counts as three quizzes. To figure out your grade, write each quiz score, write the final exam score three times, write the paper score three times, drop the lowest number, and average the others. (So your lowest quiz drops if it's lower than the final and the paper; if the final is your lowest score, then it counts as only two quizzes; if your paper is the lowest score, then it counts as only two quizzes.)
You'll do much of your homework on computer using the LogiCola program. Download LogiCola from http://www.harryhiker.com/lc. Give me your scores by e-mail or on a USB flash drive when you take the corresponding written test; I won't accept scores after I return the quiz. Try to do the exercises at an average level of 7 or higher (levels go from 1 to 9). Your exercise scores add a bonus or penalty to your exam score. Let's say your average level (dropping fractions) is N. You get a +1 bonus for each number N is above 7; so you get a +2 bonus if N=9. You get a -1 penalty for each number N is below 7; so you get a -3 penalty if N=4. If you fake scores, your course grade will be lowered by one grade.
E-mail me if you have any questions.
This course aims to promote reasoning skills, especially the ability to recognize valid reasoning. We'll study syllogistic, propositional, modal, and basic quantificational logic. We'll use these to analyze hundreds of arguments, many on philosophical topics like morality, free will, and the existence of God. We'll also study informal fallacies. Our text is Introduction to Logic (by Harry J. Gensler, Routledge 2010, second edition).
We'll have four full-period quizzes plus a comprehensive final exam, which counts as two quizzes. Missed quizzes count as zero. If you can't take a quiz on time, contact me before the morning of the next class and we might be able to set up another time; you can't take a quiz after I hand them back. Cheating on a quiz will earn you a grade in the F range. A = 96 or above, A- = 95-92, B+ = 91-89, B = 88-85, B = 84-82, C+ = 81-79, C = 78-75, C- = 74-72, D+ = 71-69, D = 68-65, F = below 65.
You'll do much of your homework on computer using the LogiCola program. Download LogiCola from http://www.harryhiker.com/lc. Give me your scores on a USB flash drive or by e-mail when you take the corresponding written quiz; I won't accept scores after I return the quiz. Try to do the exercises at an average level of 7 or higher (levels go from 1 to 9).
Your exercise scores add a bonus or penalty to your exam score. Let's say your average level (dropping fractions) is N. You get a +1 bonus for each number N is above 7; so you get a +2 bonus if N=9. You get a -1 penalty for each number N is below 7; so you get a -3 penalty if N=4. If you fake scores on the disk, your course grade will be lowered by one grade.
You are required to attend class. You can miss 6 classes without this lowering your grade (these 6 are for sicknesses, funerals, etc.). After that, each unexcused absence subtracts one point from your final course average. Perfect attendance adds a four point bonus to your final course average.
No student use of electronic devices (phones, iPods, tablets, laptops) is allowed during class.
Students with disabilities who need special arrangements should see the instructor.
Report bias (racial, religious, etc.) to http://sites.jcu.edu/bias or see the instructor.
This course is built around the Anthology of Catholic Philosophy, edited by James C. Swindal and Harry J. Gensler (Sheed & Ward 2005). This book gives the first ever comprehensive collection of readings from Catholic philosophers, from Biblical times to the present. Our authors and readings will be arranged historically, from five main groups:
The authors and readings give a sample of the richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition. They emphasize central themes, such as the harmony of faith and reason, the existence and nature of God, the nature of the human person, the nature of being, and the objectivity of the moral law. We will cover a good part of the book, from the beginning to the end.
You are required to do assigned readings by the assigned dates. Most or all of our readings will be from the Anthology of Catholic Philosophy, which you should buy and always bring to class. I'll update homework assignments each class and put them on a Web page (in case you miss class or are unsure of assignments):
You will be required to prepare some selections more thoroughly and give mini-reports about them. A typical assignment might say "Felix - objections to Christianity (Smith-Jones 63-65)"; this means that these two students will prepare the section by Minucius Felix on pages 63-65, which gives objections to Christianity from the early Roman Empire. I will ask a random student from the two some questions about this section, like "Could you summarize this section for us?" or "What do you think of these ideas?" Your class participation, which mostly involves these mini-reports, counts for 20 percent of your grade.
There will be four 10-minute oral exams, likely on February 6, March 1, April 5, and May 6. I will give you more information on these later. Each oral covers a quarter of the course and counts for 15 percent of your grade.
A paper of 5 to 10 pages in length will be due on Wednesday, April 17. Papers can be on readings that we don't take in class - or, with approval, on any other topic. I want the paper in both printed and disk forms and will likely run the disk version through plagiarism software; lateness and plagiarism will be penalized. I'll give you an information sheet about the paper assignment later. The paper counts for 20 percent of your grade.
The final exam will be at 1 pm on May 6. This is like the other tests; it is a 10-minute oral, covers the last quarter of the course, and counts for 15 percent of your grade.
You are required to attend class. You can miss 5 classes without this itself hurting your grade (these 5 are for sicknesses, funerals, etc.). After that, each unexcused absence subtracts one point from your final course average. Perfect attendance will add a four point bonus to your final course average.
Click here to see my grading scale.
No student use of electronic devices (phones, iPods, tablets, laptops) is allowed during class.
Students with disabilities who need special arrangements should see the instructor.
Report bias (racial, religious, gender, etc.) to http://sites.jcu.edu/bias or see the instructor.
This course aims to promote reasoning skills, especially the ability to recognize valid reasoning. We'll study propositional, basic quantificational, relational, and modal logic. We'll use these to analyze hundreds of arguments, many on philosophical topics like morality, free will, and the existence of God. We'll also study some related areas, like metalogic, history of logic, deviant logic, and philosophy of logic. Our text is Introduction to Logic (by Harry J. Gensler, Routledge 2010, second edition).
We'll have four full-period quizzes plus a comprehensive final exam. Missed quizzes count as zero. If you can't take a quiz on time, contact me before the morning of the next class and we might be able to set up another time; you can't take a quiz after I hand them back. Cheating on a quiz will earn you a grade in the F range. Your lowest quiz gets dropped if it's lower than the final; then final counts as two quizzes. If the final is your lowest grade, then the final counts as one quiz. A = 96 or above, A- = 95-92, B+ = 91-89, B = 88-85, B = 84-82, C+ = 81-79, C = 78-75, C- = 74-72, D+ = 71-69, D = 68-65, F = below 65.
You'll do much of your homework on computer using the LogiCola program. Download LogiCola from http://www.harryhiker.com/lc. Give me your scores on a USB flash drive or by e-mail when you take the corresponding written quiz; I won't accept scores after I return the quiz. Try to do the exercises at an average level of 7 or higher (levels go from 1 to 9).
Your exercise scores add a bonus or penalty to your exam score. Let's say your average level (dropping fractions) is N. You get a +1 bonus for each number N is above 7; so you get a +2 bonus if N=9. You get a -1 penalty for each number N is below 7; so you get a -3 penalty if N=4. If you fake scores on the disk, your course grade will be lowered by one grade.
You are required to attend class. You can miss 6 classes without this itself hurting your grade (these 6 are for sicknesses, funerals, etc.). After that, each unexcused absence subtracts one point from your final course average. Perfect attendance will add a four point bonus to your final course average.
Students with disabilities who need special arrangements should see the instructor.
Philosophy = reasoning about the ultimate questions of life. In this course, we'll consider these questions about religion:
I welcome people from diverse perspectives. My purpose in this course isn't to convince you of the existence of God. My purpose is to help you to understand different views and sort through them -- and so to arrive at well thought-out answers to some of the deepest questions that humans face.
We'll use two textbooks:
Part Two - Non-belief (Orals April 3-4): Can we show that belief in God is irrational?
Part Three - Fideism and Other Topics (Orals May 4, 5, 8, 9, or 10): Can we reasonably believe in God without proof? Is there an afterlife? Does morality presuppose belief in God?
Click here to see my grading scale.
This course is about the foundations of ethics. We will focus on the nature of morality and how to reason and argue about ethical issues. Philosophers differ greatly on these topics; some take ethics to be about social conventions or feelings, while others base it on religion or reason.
In this course, we'll wrestle with some of the deepest questions of life, learn to think better about morality, and sharpen our general thinking skills.
Our texts will be Ethics: A Contemporary Introduction (by Harry Gensler) and Ethics: Contemporary Readings (edited by Harry Gensler, Earl Spurgin, and James Swindal).
Our course has four parts:
You are required to:
Click here to see my grading scale.
This course is an introduction to analytic philosophy, which is currently the dominant approach in the United States and England.
Analytic philosophers emphasize clear thinking and reasoning - but hold a wide range of views on substantive issues. We'll study major currents and figures, including:
Our texts include a course packet plus four small paperbacks:
You are required to:
Click here to see my grading scale.
PHIL 301 - Symbolic Logic (undergraduate)
PHIL 444 - Topics in Logic (graduate)
Fall 2013 at Loyola Lakeshore Campus (Chicago)
MWF 12:35-1:25 pm, Information Commons 216
PL 301 - Introduction to Logic
Spring 2013: MWF at 8 & 9
PL 230 - Christian Thinkers
Spring 2013: MWF at 12:00-12:50 pm
PL 360 - Symbolic Logic (like PL 301 but with some advanced material)
Fall 2011: MWF at noon
PL 307 - Philosophy of Religion
Spring 2006: MWF at 11:00-11:50 am
We'll examine various answers to these questions and look for problems and objections. So we'll search for the most reasonable answers.
Part One - Rationalism (Orals February 21-23): Can we give strong evidence for God's existence?
Each oral exam and paper counts for 20% of your grade. To your course average, I may add a class participation bonus/penalty (from +4 to -2) and a penalty for excessive absences (see above).
PL 302H - Introduction to Ethics
Fall 2005: 8:00-8:50 am MWF
We'll apply the various views to issues like racism and moral education.
Your four oral exams each count for 1/6 of your grade. Your presentations in the first half of the course count for an additional 1/6 of your grade, as do your presentations in the second half of the course.
PL 270 - 20th Century Anglo-American (Analytic) Philosophy
Fall 1998: 11:00-12:15pm TH
We'll deal with areas like philosophy of language, theory of knowledge, metaphysics, ethics, and philosophy of religion. We'll also learn analytic tools for dealing with philosophical issues - tools that are useful even for people who are mostly interested in areas other than analytic philosophy.
Here's a tentative schedule of readings:
I'll tell you when to do each reading.
The three oral exams each count for 25% of your grade. The last 25% (your fourth grade) brings in class participation and your analytic folder. To calculate the fourth grade, I take the average of your three orals, add a class participation bonus/penalty (from -4 to +4 or +8 or more), and add cumulative bonus/penalty points for your analytic folder (you typically get a "good" or +0 each time, but can get "very good" or +2 for unusually good work or up to -4 for late or poor work).
Bertrand
RussellG.E.
MooreLudwig
WittgensteinA.J.
Ayer
V.W.O.
QuineJohn
AustinRoderick
ChisholmAlvin
Plantinga