PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy

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: I am teaching one lecture/discussion version of this course (section 001 in term 1) and one lecture-only version (section 003 in term 2). For information about these different formats, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Enrolled students: click here for the course website—the password will be distributed via e-mail.