This is an incomplete version of the syllabus I used to teach an introduction to philosophy course in spring 2016 at Collin College. I don't have records for some of the materials I provided that were not found in the course textbook.

  • Course textbook: Jonathan E. Adler and Catherine Z. Elgin, Philosophical Inquiry: Classic and Contemporary Readings. ISBN: 9780872208674.
  • Introduction
    • Week 1: Alan Turing, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" (provided outside the course textbook)
  • Political Philosophy
    • Week 2: John Rawls, "The Original Position and the Principles of Justice"
    • Week 3: Robert Nozick, "A Libertarian Critique of Rawls"
    • Week 4: G.A. Cohen, "Robert Nozick and Wilt Chamberlain: How Patterns Preserve Liberty" (provided outside the course textbook)
  • Epistemology
    • Week 5: Plato, "Meno"
    • Week 6: Edmund L. Gettier, "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?"
    • Week 7: Robert Nozick, "An Analysis of Knowledge"
    • Week 8: Spring Break
  • Ethics
    • Week 9: Immanual Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals
    • Week 10: John Stuart Mill, "Understanding and Defending Utilitarianisms"
    • Week 11: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
    • Week 12: Christine M. Korsgaard, "What's Wrong with Lying?"
  • Perception
    • Week 13: George Berkeley selection (provided outside the course textbook)
    • Week 14: David Hume selection (provided outside the course textbook)