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Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: History of Philosophical Thought

Course Title:	RL515 - History of Philosophical Thought
Department:	Religious Studies
Instructor:	Don E. Peavy, Sr., Ph.D. E-Mail Vita
Prerequisites:	None

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

Welcome to RL 515, History of Philosophical Thought, where we will be studying what are commonly referred to as the underpinnings of western thought. I am excited about this opportunity to explore this fascinating subject with you and am confident that our journey here will be a productive and enlightening one. This course analyzes the history of human consciousness in the Western world. Students will investigate the human effort to understand the world and will appraise the changing ways men and women seek to find meaning in their lives through the "three grand epochs of seeking."

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

Students should strive to use inclusive language in their writings. By inclusive language is meant language that is not gender specific and which attempts to include as many people as possible. For instance, instead of writing that "God wills that every man obeys His will," inclusive language would require us to write, "God wills that everyone obeys Gods will."

REQUIREMENTS

1. Readings. The required texts are: Online Bookstore
   
   The Seekers: The Story of Man’s Continuing Quest to Understand His World by Daniel J. Boorstin, Knopf Publishing Group (1999). ISBN13: 9780375704758 ISBN: 0375704752

2. Conferences. Students may schedule no more than two Internet conferences between the student and the professor. These should be scheduled as necessary by the student. Of course, students may ask questions of the professor at any time by sending an E-mail to the address at the link above or by posting them to the message board.

3. Exams. There will be no exams in this course.

4. Papers.There will be a short paper of at least two single-spaced pages or 1,250 words (not counting end-notes and bibliography), due at the end of each week=s readings in which students will answer the discussion questions and give a reaction to their readings. There is a mid-term paper due of between 1500 and 2500 words. These papers are to be e-mailed to the professor. Those who do not feel comfortable with e-mailing the papers can contact the professor for a mailing address. Papers should conform to the form and style outlined in Kate L. Turabian=s "A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations," 6th ed. Students should use end notes instead of footnotes. Finally, the papers are intended to be reflection papers and not research or the "author said" papers. Students should indicate their understanding of the texts and this cannot be done merely by quoting the authors.

5. Grades. Course work will be weighted as follows:
   
   

   Papers	60%
   Midterm Paper	40%

6. Grading Scale
   
   

   90 - 100%	A - Excellent
   80 - 89%	B - Above Average
   70 - 79%	C - Average
   60 - 69%	D - Below Average
   59% or below	F - Failing Grade

   
   
   A = Clearly stands out as excellent performance. Has unusually sharp insight into material and initiates thoughtful questions. Sees many sides of an issue. Articulates well and writes logically and clearly. Integrates ideas previously learned from this and other disciplines. Anticipates next steps in progression of ideas.
   
   B = Grasps subject matter at a level considered to be good to very good. Is an active listener and participant in chats, message boards, e-mails and conferences. Speaks and writes well. Accomplishes more than the minimum requirements. Work is of high quality.
   
   C = Demonstrates a satisfactory comprehension of the subject matter. Accomplishes only the minimum requirements, and displays little or no initiative. Communicates at an acceptable level for a college student. Has a generally acceptable understanding of all basic concepts.
   
   D = Quality and quantity of work is below average and barely acceptable.
   
   F = Quality and quantity of work is unacceptable.

WEEK ONE

Read Boorstin 1-72.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What is the difference between a prophet and a seer?
2. What is it that prophets sought to do that distinguished them from seers?
3. Reluctant to abandon belief in their God, Western Seekers have exercised ingenuity and imagination.” What does Boorstin mean by this statement? Is Boorstin suggesting that theology is nothing more than humanity’s attempts to explain why God fails to meet the expectations humans have of God?
4. Discuss the first and second Ionian revolutions and their contributions to Western thought?

WEEK TWO

Read Boorstin 73-172.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What does Boorstin say is the relationship between the Church and the Seekers?
2. What are the three institutions that emerged during the Middle Ages that represented communities of Seekers?
3. What is humanism and what contributions did it make to Western thought?
4. Discuss how the Seekers move from myth to history and how Herodotus moves the writing of history even further.

WEEK THREE

Go to: http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm and read about the allegory of Plato’s Cave. Then watch the movie, “The Matrix,” the first in the trilogy of movies. Write a coherent essay of 1500 to 2500 words in which you answer the following questions:

1. What is Plato’s Cave an allegory for?
2. What is the Matrix? Do the Matrix and the Cave represent the same reality?
3. Who is it that frees the prisoner from the Cave and who is it that frees Neo from the Matrix? Does this person represent a seer, prophet, seeker, or some other person?
4. Is there a way in which the history of philosophical thought can be understood as a quest to escape the cave? If so, what is the cave a metaphor for? Please explain.

WEEK FOUR

Read Boorstin 174-242.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What is the “Liberal Way” and how did it differ from “scholastic methods?”
2. What is the difference between truth and human understanding, according to Locke?
3. What are the “three earlier happy ages?” What are the time periods and who are some of their greatest Seekers?
4. What are some of the key changes Voltaire makes to Western thought that preceded him?
5. What does Boorstin mean by a shift from nations to culture? How does this shift advance Western thought, if it does at all.

WEEK FIVE

Read Boorstin 243 to end.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. How does doubt add to the development of Western thought? Who are some of the key players who bring about this shift in Western thought?
2. Do an outline of the rest of this week’s readings in which you set forth the Seekers discussed, their time period, and a few key concepts they developed.
3. What do you see as the greatest advance in Western thought?
4. For further reading on the history of philosophical thought, check out the following website: http://www.friesian.com/history.htm.