COURSE DESCRIPTION
Many thinkers, whether they are philosophers or not, have devised abstract conceptions of the world based upon their views about the nature of human beings, including whether they are capable of rational reflection, of upholding moral values independent of divine assistance, and so on.  In this course, we will focus upon several basic theories about human beings and their capacities, as reflected in writing of Euripedes, Plato, Kant, Mill, Gilman, and others.  Some of the themes we address in the texts include: the sufficiency of human reason for the good life, the need for liberty and intellectual freedom (for women as well as men), and the possibility that the search for values is fruitless and human life is absurd. Note: in addition to the regular hardcopy texts, some links to texts on the Web have been made in the syllabus: these should be downloaded and copied in advance of class discussion.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. To enable students to think critically about various philosophical views of human nature.
2. To give students the opportunity to apply these views of human beings to current problems, such as their relation to issues of race, class, and gender.
3. To develop students' ability to read and evaluate philosophical positions using argumentative essays.

COURSE FORMAT
1. Lecture and discussion work is combined so that class participation is expected.
2. Honors Sections: class discussion expected in regular class meetings.
3. Short written summaries based on textual readings used for class and small group discussion.
** These presuppose regular class attendance.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Term Paper: 6-8 pp. (typed, double-spaced); this is an argument paper due week 15 (see topics, last page).
2. Short Summaries: about 1 p. typed; worth 4 pts. each (do 6 out of 8). Summaries are due at in class on the day specified here. No summaries turned in late will receive credit--no exceptions. If you have to miss class, email it to me.
3. Exams: Two exams, mid-term and final (week 8, finals week).
Each of the above components counts about 25% of the final grade; strong class participation will be counted.
Honors Section: additional requirements: (a) write all 8 summaries, (b) final term paper is 8-10 pp. long, (c) more stringent grading standards apply.

REQUIRED TEXTS
(1-6 at the Bookstore)
1. Euripides, Bacchae (Norton).
2. Plato, Republic (Hackett).
3. Hesiod, Theogony and Works and Days (Hackett).
4.  Kant, Groundwork of Morals (Hackett).
5. J. S. Mill, On Liberty and Other Essays (Cambridge).
6. Charlotte Gilman, Herland.

Additional Required Readings:
Web Page Linked Texts, & Reserve Readings (articles to xerox) in Cudahy Library Reserves under Instructor, "Ward."

SYLLABUS
Texts and Topic By Week

week 1: Aug. 27-29.
TU: Introduction: the nature of philosophy and argumentation.  What is a theory of human nature? What is philosophical argument? We will work on some short argument structures.
TH:  Mill, On Liberty: ch. 1: the value of liberty, its constraints.

week 2:  Sept. 3-5.
TU: On Liberty, ch. 2: freedom of thought and discussion.
TH: On Liberty, ch. 3: individuality and well-being.
TH: Summary 1: choose two of the individual freedoms that Mill thinks worthy of protection and discuss them. Do you find them important also? Give some reasons or arguments to support your answer.

Week 3: Sept. 10-12.
TU: On Liberty, Ch. 4: limits of authority of society over individuals. Discussion: problems in Mill:  self-regarding actions may affect others; paternalism-- is denial of liberty always unjust?; social enforcement of morality-- any good arguments?
TH: Kant, Groundwork, Ch. 1- ch. 2 (through to section 420): duty, the good will, kinds of imperatives, univeralizability and moral imperatives, the 4 cases of test maxims.

Week 4: Sept. 17-19.
TU: Groundwork, Ch. 2. (sec. 420- end): cont. discussion of 4 test cases; the test for maxims.
TU: Summary 2: State and then explain the formulation of the categorical imperative about treating others as ends.  How does Kant argue it is wrong to treat persons as things? What is the basis for Kant's distinction between persons and things?
TH: Groundwork,  Ch. 3: freedom, autonomy as rationality.  Problems in Kantianism: defining maxims; covert appeal to consequences; abstractionism.

Week 5: Sept. 24-26.
Challenges to Kantian ideal:  inegalitarianism, egoism, irrationalism.
TU: See Link, to Genesis I (download I, chapters 1-3): The Biblical account of human creation.
TU: Summary 3: explain what view of human nature is implied by the Biblical story of human creation and the expulsion from Eden.
TH:  A Greek myth of human creation and the creation of Woman.
Read  Hesiod's Theogony  (focus, lines 405-720, 880-1020), and Works and Days  (focus, lines 1-320). What view of humans and esp. of woman does Hesiod reflect?

Week 6: Oct. 1-3.
TU: Trip to the D'Arcy Collection, Cudahy Library: view representations of human creation, and items relating to Eve, Mary, and the nature of women. This trip scheduled with a Museum docent; please get instructions from me, Week 5.
TH: See Link  to Aquinas, Summa Theologica, question on the nature of woman.
TU: Summary 4:  Explain the argument of one of Aquinas' arguments regarding the inferiority of woman's nature.  Note: first you have to explain what objection he is repsonding to, and then state what his own position consists in.

Week 7: Oct. 8-10.
TU-TH: The frailty of human reason; irrationalism.  Read Euripedes, The Bacchae.
TU: Summary 5 : Why does Pentheus oppose Dionysus? What does Euripedes mean to say about the limits of human reason?

Week 8: Oct. 15-17.
TU: Mid-semester break. No Class.
TH: Mid-Term Exam: in-class, short answer and essay (1 hour).

Week 9: Oct. 22-24.
A Feminist Social Ideal: Gilman's Herland.
TU-TH: Read Herland, all.  We will discuss issues relating to her view of socialist feminism, such as the family, motherhood, social harmony and individual freedoms over both classes; read entire book for TU.
TU: Summary 6 : What specific values does Gilman's ideal society reflect, and how? Do you agree with her utopian view?

Week 10: Oct. 29-31.
TU: Cont. discussion of Gilman's feminism (handouts), and the problem of Egoism (class worksheet/handout).
TH: Plato, Republic. ch. 1: The challenge to justice from egoism: "might makes right."
TH: Summary 7: State one of the arguments Thrasymachus gives for his view, and then state Socrates' argument in response.

Week 11: Nov. 5-7.
Threats to Justice:  Egoism and Erotic Desires.  Training of the Virtues.
TU:  Republic, Bk.  II: the story of Gyges' Ring, and seeming just over being just. Does being just pay?
TH:  Republic, Bk. III: skim 386a-395c; focus 395c-396e; skim 397a-405a; focus 405a-417b: education of the elite, consorship; note the "noble lie,"  and the "myth of the metals" (414c-415d).
TH: Summary 8: What is Plato's argument for censorship of music and literature? How do you respond to it?

Week 12: Nov. 12-14.
Reason, Virtue, and Freedom for the Elite.
TU: Republic, Bk. IV: the special character of the guardians, nature of the good soul.
TH: Republic, Bk. V: The Three "waves": focus, 450b-457b: is it contrary to women's nature to be rulers? Plato's arguments for women as rulers.

Week 13: Nov. 19-21.
The Just Society attained through reason and philosophy:
TU: Plato, Republic Bk. VI: the  sun, the divided line: the educational program for rulers.
TH: Plato, Republic Bk. VII : myth of the cave, the paradox of philosphers as rulers.

Week 14: Nov. 26-28.
TU:  Existentialism and the Meaning of Life. Read Camus' Myth of Sisyphus. See link  Camus, "Myth of Sisyphus," and also read Reserve materials in Cudahy, under "Existentialism."
TH: Thanksgiving Break. No Class.

Week 15: Dec. 3.
TU:  Cont. discussion, Existentialism, nihilism and the meaning of life.

TU: Term Papers Due In Class, Dec. 5th.  No Late Papers.

Mon. Dec. 9, 3 pm-5pm: Final Exam:  In-Class, Short Answer and Essays (2 hours).  No Make Up Exams.

ACADEMIC POLICIES
1. Cheating will be punished as per Loyola Student Handbook policies.
Students are expected to know what kinds of textual use constitutes plagiarism.
2. Every student is responsible for information about assignments, papers, and for material given out in class. If you miss class, call me or another student to find out what you missed on that day.
3. All writing assignments are due in class on the day marked above; no late papers will be accepted except for medical emergencies, or similar matters.
 

TERM PAPER TOPICS
Write on One Topic: select one topic below, and prepare a carefully argued essay, using specific textual passages for your support.  Remember to use proper footnote or endnote format for all direct and indirect references.

1. Paper Topic # 1:
Why does "individuality" matter to Mill? First, explain what this notion is, using some of Mill's arguments for this concept. Why does Mill devote so much time to individuality?  Then, give your own assessment of this concept both to person and to society.  Consider the objection that society might fare better if we were to forego this value by limiting freedom, and engaging in forms of censorship: how might Plato or Gilman respond to the issue of limiting individual freedom?

2. Paper Topic # 2:
Hesiod in Theogony says that "Zeus ...created women as an evil for men...."(600-601). In this, the Bible seems to agree, but Plato and Gilman offer different views about the capacities of women.  Begin with either Hesiod or the Biblical account of woman's nature, and compare and contrast the positions of Plato and Gilman on the possibilities of women as political rulers and thinkers.  Give specific passages from all the texts for your support; do not generalize. In your final assessment, include a critical evaluation of these thinkers; views of human and female nature.

3. Paper Topic # 3:  In the Republic, Plato argues that the most just society is one ruled by philosophers.  Yet various problems attend this proposal, including that it contradicts the one person-one job principle, and requires some forms of inequality.  First, explain why Plato thinks this society is just, and then discuss some of its problems.  For example, consider the basic objections to Plato's city arising from a liberal, democratic view of the state. In this regard, discuss the extent to which you find Plato's ideal state feasible and desirable.
 
 

NOTE ON TERM PAPERS
1. These papers should be argumentative, not merely descriptive: for more information, please consult the pages on writing Philosophy papers, and the sample thesis statements on Reserve in Cudahy Library for this class.

2. The Goal : I am interested in seeing what you think about the texts, and not what some secondary source has written; consequently, you will have to engage with these texts yourself if you want to do excellently in this class.

Note on Grading: I grade for the level and quality of the arguments given for the thesis advanced in the paper. I have to include your ability to compose a correct, and well-written essay in this grade. Badly written papers will be graded down--so please use the Writing Center before you turn in your paper to me.  See the link to Grading Standards on my main Homepage.