Fall 2019 Schedule

Important Dates

15 October Term Paper 1 Posted
7 November Term Paper 1 Due
14 November Term Test 1
28 November Term Paper 2 Posted
17 December Term Paper 2 Due
19 December Term Test 2

Schedule of Topics & Readings

17 Sept. Course Introduction & Syllabus
Further Oliver Sacks, “What Hallucination Reveals about our Minds”
Unit 1 Illusion, Hallucination, & the Problem of Perception
24 Sept.–1 Oct. 1.1 Appearance & Reality
Prep. Wi-Phi, “The Argument from Illusion”
Wi-Phi, “The Argument from Hallucination”
Discuss Bertrand Russell, “Appearance and Reality”
Further BBC Horizon, “The McGurk Effect”
3–10 Oct. 1.2 What Are We Aware of When We Perceive?
Prep. Jessica Yu, “James Turrell (Art + Film Honorees)"
Discuss Selections from Arthur Eddintgon, The Nature of the Physical World
Further Director X, “Drake, ‘Hotline Bling’"
Unit 2 Conflicting Appearances & “Alternative Facts”
15–24 Oct. 2.1 Arguments from Conflicting Appearances
Prep. History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps, “Healthy Skepticism: Sextus Empiricus”
Discuss Selections from Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism
Further Guardian News, “Yanni v Laurel”
31 Oct.–7 Nov. 2.2 “Alternative Facts” & Scientific Progress
Prep. Hi-Phi Nation, ``The Ashes of Truth’' |
Discuss Selections from Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Further Philosophy Overdose, “Thomas Kuhn Speaking”
Periscope Film, “The Discovery of Oxygen & Combustion”
Crash Course, “The Creation of Chemistry”
12, 14 Nov. Review, Term Test 1
Unit 3 Learning by Perceiving?
19–26 Nov. 3.1 Do Beliefs & Emotions Shape Our Experience?
Prep. CBS News, “Perceptual Learning”
Discuss Anderson et al., “The Visual Impact of Gossip”
Further Inc., “Daniel Kahneman: Thinking Fast vs. Thinking Slow”
28 Nov.–5 Dec. 3.2 “Cognitive Penetration” & “the Problem of Hijacked Experience”
Prep. The Harvard Implicit Bias Study
Discuss Susanna Siegel, “The Problem of Hijacked Experience”
Further PBS Newshour, “Police Training and Implicit Bias”
Unit 4 Appearance & Epistemic Authority, or: How to Spot Fake News
10–17 Dec. 4.1 Fake News & “Epistemic Injustice”
Prep. This American Life, “Anything Can Be Anything”
Discuss Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Further Think Nice, “Bullshit! Featuring Harry Frankfurt”
18, 19 Dec. Review, Term Test 2