PY 101 - Introduction to Philosophy

Credit Hours: 3

Philosophy - as the love of wisdom and the systematic search for truth - is introduced in this course. Students will receive an overview of the major issues and problems in philosophy. Topics will include: the study of moral truth (ethics); the nature of knowledge and the question of what can be known (epistemology); the study of existence (metaphysics); the study of reasoning (logic); the nature of art and beauty (aesthetics); and assorted topics in other sub-disciplines. Emphasis will be placed on reading and understanding philosophical texts and arguments.

Fulfills SUNY General Education – Humanities.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

write an essay describing a philosophical position or theory;
explain the elements of each of the major ethical theories (virtue ethics, deontology, consequentialism) upon reading representative texts;
summarize major arguments in the history of epistemology and metaphysics upon reading representative texts; and
demonstrate understanding of the structure of arguments and their evaluative concepts.

F/S (C, N, S)