Phil 1101 Readings

#1. W. K. Clifford, “The Ethics of Belief

#2.  Logic, Rationality and Truth

#3. A Very Short and Selective History of Philosophy

#4.  Sense perception

#5.  Knowledge is Justified True Belief

#6. René Descartes, Meditations.  (It’s rather long, but read as much as you can.)

(#6b.  Alternatively, read this shortened version of the Meditations.)

#7. John Locke, Essay Concerning Human Understanding (selection)

#8. David Hume, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section 2, on where ideas come from.

#9. Gottfried W. Leibniz, New Essays on Human Understanding, Preface.

#10.  The Argument (for Rationalism) from Induction

(Extra). David Hume, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section 4, on how induction works.

#11. Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, Preface to the 2nd edition.

#12. Rene Descartes, Discourse on Method, on the relation between mind and body.

#13. Lady Anne Conway, The Principles of the most Ancient and Modern Philosophy, on mind and body.

#14.Paul Churchland, Matter and Consciousness, Section 1, on dualism

#15.  Causation and Determination

(Extra).  Jerry Coyne “You Don’t Have Free Will” (a biologist argues for hard determinism)

#16. Baron d’Holbach, argument for hard determinism

#17. Walter Stace, argument for compatibilism.

#18. Richard Taylor, argument for libertarianism

(Extra).  C. A. Campbell, “In Defence of Free Will“.  (A good example of agent-causation libertarianism)  And here’s an edited version, with section headings.

(Extra).  Robert Kane on libertarianism (Kane is an event-causation libertarian)

#19.  Derek Parfit and Godfrey Vesey, “Brain Transplants and Personal Identity“.

(Extra).  Bernard Williams, “The Self and the Future

#20. Paul Churchland, Matter and Consciousness, Section 2, on behaviourism

#21. Paul Churchland, Matter and Consciousness, Section 3, on the identity theory

#22. Paul Churchland, Matter and Consciousness, Section 4, on functionalism

#23. John Searle’s Chinese Room argument against functionalism.

(extra)  Part 2 of Searle’s Chinese Room paper, where he discusses objections to his argument.

(Extra). Paul Churchland, Matter and Consciousness, Section 5, on eliminative materialism

(Extra).  Frank Jackson, “Epiphenomenal Qualia

(Extra).  Laurence Bonjour, “Against Materialism“.