Schedule

Last updated: Sat, Nov 29, 2025

Date Module Readings Due Dates
2025-09-03 Introduction Getting philosophical
  • Jennifer Morton, “Philosophy as an Antidote to Injustice” [CourseWorks > Files]
 Please complete this “Getting to Know You” survey by 5pm the day before our first day of class (or as soon as possible if you are joining late)
2025-09-08 Portraits of a philosopher The junzi (“gentleman”) I
  • Kongzi [Confucius], Analects, 1.1–4; 2.1–4, 11–12, 17; 3.8, 23; 4.1–10, 15–25; 5.12–13; 6.5, 12, 18, 21–23, 27–30; 7.3–8, 12, 30; 8.9, 13; 9.2–3, 6, 13–14, 17–19, 23–24; 10.12; 11.12, 22, 26; 12.17–19; 13.5–6; 14.4, 36; 15.24, 36, 39; 16.4–5, 7–9; 17.2, 21, 25; 19.11 [CourseWorks]
2025-09-10 Portraits of a philosopher The junzi II
  • Mozi, Mozi, pp. 66–67, 73–74, 85–90, 103–8 [CourseWorks]
  • Ban Zhao, in Nancy Lee Swann, ed., Pan Chao: Foremost Woman Scholar of China:
    • Lessons for Women, pp. 82–90, 91 nn. 11–12
    • “The Needle and Thread,” p. 104
    • “Traveling East,” pp. 113–14, 116, 118
2025-09-15 Portraits of a philosopher The lover of wisdom I
  • Thales, ¶¶ 1–5; Anaximander, ¶¶ 1, 3, 6–7, 9–11 [Coursework]
  • Heraclitus, ¶¶ 1–5, 11–13, 16–17, 33–39, 44, 50, 52, 60, 62 [Coursework]
  • Parmenides, ¶¶ 1–2, 7–8, 13, 17–18 [Coursework]
  • Protagoras, ¶¶ 5–8, 10–12 [Coursework]
  • Sappho, in Diane J. Rayor and André Lardinois, eds., A New Translation of the Complete Works, frs. 1–2, 16–17, 23, 26, 31, 41, 44, 50, 58, 94–96, 102, 105, 126, 129–30, 147–48, 153–54; “Brothers Song”
2025-09-17 Portraits of a philosopher The lover of wisdom II
  • Plato, Euthyphro, 2a–12a, 15c–16a; Apology, 17a–26b, 35e–42a; Crito, 43a–54e [CourseWorks]
  • Plato, Phaedo, 115a–118a [CourseWorks]
  • Plato, Republic, 514a-518d, 523a-525b, 531c-535a [CourseWorks]
  • Aristotle, Metaphysics I.1–2, 980a22–983a23 [CourseWorks]
2025-09-22 Philosophy & religion Between reason and faith
  • Ibn Rushd [Averroes], The Decisive Treatise [CourseWorks]
2025-09-24 Philosophy & religion Ontological & cosmological arguments
  • In Anselm, Proslogion: With the Replies of Gaunilo and Anselm [CourseWorks]:
    • Anselm, Proslogion, chaps. 1–5, 15
    • Gaunilo, “Reply on Behalf of the Fool”
    • Anselm, “Reply to Gaunilo”
  • Ibn Sina [Avicenna], The Book of Salvation II.12–13 [CourseWorks]
  • Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I, Question 2, Article 3
2025-09-29 Philosophy & religion The problem of evil
  • Augustine, Confessions VII.xi (17)–xiii (19)
  • Augustine, Enchiridion, chaps. 3–4 [CourseWorks]
  • Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed, Part I, Introduction (up to 1.3b) and Part III, chaps. 8, 10, 12 (up to 3.20b), 51
2025-10-01 Philosophy & religion Pascal’s wager
  • Pascal, Pensées, selections [CourseWorks]
2025-10-06 Knowledge & skepticism Skeptical hypotheses
  • Zhuangzi, Zhuangzi, the butterfly dream and the debate on fish’s joy
  • Descartes, Meditations I [CourseWorks]
  • In-class screening: The Matrix, directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, 136 min
2025-10-08 Knowledge & skepticism Inference to the best explanation
2025-10-13 Knowledge & skepticism Minds & machines
2025-10-15 Determinism & free will The consequence argument
2025-10-20 Determinism & free will Frankfurt cases
2025-10-22 Determinism & free will Time travel
2025-10-27 Midterm exam Midterm review
N.B. I have a scheduling conflict and need to move today’s office hours to this Wednesday (same time).
2025-10-29 Midterm exam Midterm exam (our usual time & classroom) Midterm course lexicon due in person in hard copy
2025-11-03 Midterm exam Fall break (no class)
2025-11-05 Meaning in life The reasonable & the absurd
  • Immanuel Kant, “An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment?” [CourseWorks]
  • Friedrich Nietzsche, “‘Reason’ in Philosophy” in Twilight of the Idols, or How to Philosophize with a Hammer [CourseWorks]
  • Nietzsche, The Gay Science, sec. 125 [CourseWorks]
  • Albert Camus, “Absurdity and Suicide” and “The Myth of Sisyphus” in The Myth of Sisyphus [CourseWorks]
  • In-class screening: Asteroid City, directed by Wes Anderson, 105 min (if you’d like to watch the rest of the movie, I have asked the library to make the DVDs available)
2025-11-10 Meaning in life Existentialism
  • Jean-Paul Sartre, “Existentialism Is a Humanism,” pp. 17–54 [CourseWorks]
2025-11-12 Meaning in life No new readings
N.B. The Barnard philosophy department’s program planning meeting is noon to 1pm, so my office hours will be cut short but come chat with us about our spring courses over in Milbank 326!
2025-11-17 Meaning in life Authenticity
Prof. Bell visits the morning section on Zoom!
2025-11-19 Meaning in life Woman as a situation
  • Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, pp. xviii–xx, 3–9, 21, 283, and skim pp. 284–95 [CourseWorks]
2025-11-24 Politics & society Social contract
  • John Locke, Second Treatise, chaps. 2, 4–5, 7 (only §§ 77–82), 8 (only §§ 95-99)
2025-11-26 Politics & society College recess (no class)
2025-12-01 Politics & society Alienation & emancipation
  • Karl Marx, Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, pp. 85–95, and “Theses on Feuerbach” [CourseWorks]
2025-12-03 Politics & society Philosophy & poetry redux
Unfortunately, Dr. Ward has to cancel; I’ll instead make his recorded lecture this summer at CUNY eligible for the final extra credit assignment. 		If you are interested in pursuing a creative final project, please meet with Ding (sec. 002) or Nick (sec. 003) by this day
2025-12-08 Final Exam Final exam review
2025-12-10 Final Exam Reading day (no class)
2025-12-15 Final Exam Sec. 003 final exam: 4:10–6:10pm, Barnard 302 Final course lexicon (sec. 003) due in person in hard copy
2025-12-17 Final Exam Sec. 002 final exam: 10am–noon, Milbank 302 Final course lexicon (sec. 002) due in person in hard copy; final project (both sections) due to CourseWorks by midnight