PHIL101 Introduction to Philosophy
Professor Margolis
Philosophy challenges us with questions that are directed to our most basic intellectual assumptions and forces us to think hard about ourselves and our position in the world. With its focus on arguments, philosophy also brings clarity and rigour to matters that may otherwise seem inherently obscure and perplexing. Different instructors teach PHIL 101 in different ways. The approach I take doesn’t emphasize historical analysis and won’t touch on the many philosophical systems that are associated with the great philosophers of the past. Instead, the course will focus on a small number of philosophical problems and some important ways of thinking about them. Your job is to adopt a critical stance to the readings and to the lectures, and to develop your own views based on the arguments we work through. Topics include: Does God exist? Do people have souls? Is there free will? Are there objective moral facts?
NOTE: The version of this course in term 1 combines lectures with separate (required) discussion sessions. The version in term 2 is lecture-only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Philosophy challenges us with questions that are directed to our most basic intellectual assumptions and forces us to think hard about ourselves and our position in the world. With its focus on arguments, philosophy also brings clarity and rigour to matters that may otherwise seem inherently obscure and perplexing. Different instructors teach PHIL 101 in different ways. The approach I take doesn’t emphasize historical analysis and won’t touch on the many philosophical systems that are associated with the great philosophers of the past. Instead, the course will focus on a small number of philosophical problems and some important ways of thinking about them. Your job is to adopt a critical stance to the readings and to the lectures, and to develop your own views based on the arguments we work through. Topics include: Does God exist? Do people have souls? Is there free will? Are there objective moral facts?
NOTE: The version of this course in term 1 combines lectures with separate (required) discussion sessions. The version in term 2 is lecture-only.
Frequently Asked Questions