Resources for Philosophy

In the course of the semester, you are going to be encountering some of the most important, perplexing, and challenging questions that thinking human beings of every age encounter. These questions will demand of you the ability to read, listen, think and discuss in depth. No one who has really studied philosophy will say it is easy, and it cannot be passive.But the rewards for your efforts can extend far beyond good grades.As you search for answers, you may just find yourself.

Fortunately, there are a myriad of resources which can be very useful and helpful on your journey. (Some resources show up as links in the relevant places in the syllabus.)By all means, try all of them and find out which are the most valuable for you. Every extra bit of effort you put into mastering the course will pay off not only in greater understanding of the material but in enjoyment of the classes and appreciation of
value of philosophy to growth as a person.

---- Your textbook for the course, which is, naturally, one of your most important resources, has the added advantages of providing a CD rom and a web site which offer a variety of useful and helpful materials. These include glossaries, links to relevant web sites pertaining to the current topic, study aids (such as flash cards, outlines and mini-lectures) and quizzes.

----Links for Philosophy

Reading and Writing About Philosophy
http://commhum.mccneb.edu/argument/summary.htm
http://www.philosophypages.com/sy.htm(some useful guidelines)
http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/philosophy/phlwrite/sousa.html

A brief review of the essay and outlining
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_essay.html
http://www.history.ohio-state.edu/essayexm.htm

For review of the mechanics of writing in general: http://www.bartleby.com/141/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/index2.html

General Philosophy Sources (i.e. encyclopedias, links)
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/
http://plato.stanford.edu/contents-unabridged.html
http://www.philosophypages.com/dy/index.htm

Individual Philosophers and their theories

Sophists:
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/s/sophists.htm

Socrates:
http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/socr.htm

Plato's forms:
http://depts.washington.edu/chid/chid207/plato/line.html
http://www.soci.niu.edu/~phildept/Dye/forms.htmlforms.html
http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htmcave.htm


Descartes:
http://www.orst.edu/instruct/phl302/reading/302-e2.html
file:///F:/web%20site2/%20http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-ontological/

David Hume
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4753/humen.html


Locke:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4753/locken.html



Ethical Theories

Lawrence Hinman of San Diego University keeps an outstanding website at:
http://ethics.acusd.edu

This site offers tremendous resources for ethical theories, including on-line lectures in a classroom setting which are clear and very helpful. (You may have to download Real Video on your home computer, if you have one, in order to see and hear the lectures; at school, the Mega Lab in the Academic building has some computers which have Real Video; ask which ones if you are having trouble.

Ethical Relativism
http://ethics.acusd.edu/video/theory/Relativism/relativism_rm.html
http://www.etsu-tn.edu/philos/faculty/hugh/relative.htm
interesting discussion

Utilitarianism:
http://ethics.acusd.edu/video/theory/utilitarianism/utilitarianism.html
http://ethics.acusd.edu/presentations/theory/utilitarianism/index_files/v3_document.htm

Deontology and Kant
http://ethics.acusd.edu/kant.html
http://ethics.acusd.edu/video/Theory/Kant/Kant_rm.html
To hear a very interesting discussion of lying, scroll down the Kant page to the link for Talk of the Nation


--- Some of the most easily overlooked and most valuable resources that I hope you will draw on are the other students in the class. While probably all subjects can be mastered better when you sometimes discuss, study and work with other students, some disciplines invite this interaction more than others. Frequently, my students will arrange times outside of class when they can work together in small groups, and they almost invariably find this to be extremely helpful. It's a great way to review the material, pinpoint areas of confusion, and fill in the gaps that you discover when you try to go back over the class discussion. You will probably also find the time you spend together very congenial, and frequently, real friendships are born here.

---Finally, don't forget me! My chosen work is teaching you and my success depends on you. If you are having difficulty, please let me know so I can help. When you have a question in class, please ask. Research shows that when a student has a question, usually at least one-third of the other students have the same question. By asking, you'll be doing yourself, the other students and me a service. I also have office hours every day of the week, so come talk to me if you are having problems. My office is Acad. 316 on Pemberton's campus, and Rm. 109 at Briggs.


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