Year 7 Philosophy : 4 hour
Philosophy and the Environment |
Why do humans treat nature the way they do? Is the current environmental crisis a sign that humans need to radically rethink their relationship with the rest of nature?
We will examine the idea that the way that humans view nature is the primary cause of modern environmental problems. The dualistic worldview articulated by René Descartes (1596-1650) is viewed by some environmental philosophers as one that encourages our mistreatment of nature. By placing humans as the centre of value it has encouraged an instrumental and ultimately destructive attitude towards the natural world. Deep ecologists argue for a radically different worldview. They believe that the environmental crisis will only be solved when nature is given intrinsic value. We will critically examine this idea and compare it with the views of "shallow" ecology. Perhaps the scientific view of nature is one that is also unhelpful. We will compare the modern scientific conception of nature with the pre-modern romantic view. The role of science will also be examined through the study of the ideas of Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979). He argued that science is necessarily committed to the domination of all that it studies. We will also look at whether it is possible to say that future generations of humans should be given some form of moral protection. We will conclude by examining in detail the extension of moral consideration beyond the human sphere, especially with regard to the moral status of non-human animals. Is it ethical to eat animals or to perform medical experiments on them? |
Political Philosophy |
Political Philosophers attempt to answer the question of how society should be organised.
We will begin by looking at the state. What exactly is it? Do we need it? What have the different philosophers said about the state? We will examine the ideas of Hobbes, Rousseau, Anarchism and the Social Contract Theory. The next issue that we will examine is that of democracy. It is often taken for granted that democracy is a good thing, but is this really the case? We will look at the ideas of the celebrated opponent of democracy, Plato, and also the ideas of those who support democracy, like John Stuart Mill and Karl Popper. We will then look at personal freedom, and ask ourselves the extent to which the state can legitimately interfere with our behaviour. We will look at John Stuart Mill's 'Liberty Principle' as an example of one response to this question. The assumptions that Mill's ideas are based on will be critically examined from the perspective of Communitarianism. Marxism will be studied as a theory that claims to understand the way in which history operates and as a theory that provides a radical critique of the dehumanising and exploitative nature of capitalism. The issue of inequality will then be addressed. To what extent is it acceptable for some people to be paid more than others? Should we all be paid the same amount? The ideas of John Rawls (1921-2002) will be critically examined. Finally, we will examine the idea of rights. What are rights? Do they really exist? How can we justify them? We will look at John Locke (1632-1704) and how he justified the right to own private property. |
The Philosophy of Art |
The central question that we address in the Philosophy of Art is whether or not it is possible to come up with a satisfactory definition of art. We all seem to know what art is, but find it extremely hard to define it precisely.
We will begin by looking at several pieces of work and asking whether or not they are art. We will also critically examine the Family Resemblance Theory, Clive Bell's idea of Significant Form, Collingwood's Idealist Theory and George Dickie's Institutional Theory of art. Students will also be asked to bring in pieces of art to class to discuss. |
The Philosophy of Science
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What is science? How does it work? Does it deserve the high epistemological status it enjoys today?
We will look at the commonsense model of science and see why it is faulty. We will pay particular attention to the problem of induction and examine why this makes the commonsense model an unsustainable one. Karl Popper's attempt to rescue the high epistemological status of science through his ideas of falsifiability, conjectures and refutations will also be examined in detail. After looking at some of the problems that Popper's theory faces, we will look at the ideas of Popper's "rival", Kuhn. We will conclude this topic by examining the ideas of the "epistemological anarchist" Feyerabend. |
Philosophy of Mind
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We will briefly examine some of the key issues that are discussed by philosophers when it comes to the mind.
Using Stephen Law's "The Strange Case of the Rational Dentist" we will look at whether it is possible to know for certain that anyone else has a mind. Following on from this, we will look at the possibility that a computer may, one day, also be said to have a mind. We will investigate the difference between 'weak' and 'strong' artificial intelligence and learn about the Turing Test. We will also read about John Searle's "Chinese Room" response to the issue of artificial intelligence. The class will then be given the opportunity to "chat" with 'George', an artificially intelligent computer programme. We will discuss the various levels of awareness that different beings may be said to have and conclude by examining the moral issues that are raised. (If a computer is "aware", should it have certain rights?) |
Nietzsche
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The ideas of the famous philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), will be critically explored at the start of the 7th Year. Particular attention will be paid to the notion of the "Death of God" and its implications for the world. We will also investigate Nietzsche's highly original criticism of conventional or "herd" morality. Continuing the theme that begins with Nietzsche's rejection of objective moral values, we will briefly examine the ideas of postmodernism, paying particular attention to the ideas of the French thinker, Baudrillard. |