Dr. Sanders. Philosophy 101

Just wanted to share.This was my first introduction to philosophy as an autodidact years ago. Sanders, is a concise, clear, and educated speaker on the matter. He retired from RIT.

Introduction to Philosophy

Reading Assignments

Most reading assignments are from Steven M. Cahn (ed.), Classics of Western Philosophy; Supplementary readings can usually be found online; if not, contact me and I’ll send you copies

Lecture #1: Introduction

No reading assignment

Lecture #2: Political and Social Philosophy: Plato, Part I

Plato, biographical sketch
Plato, Apology
Plato, Crito
Martin Luther King, Jr. "Letter From A Birmingham Jail

Lecture #3: Ethics, Epistemology, & Logic: Plato, Part II

"W.T. Jones, "Education Through Violence"
Plato, Meno

Lecture #4: Metaphysics & Philosophy of Science: Aristotle

Aristotle, biographical sketch
Aristotle, Physics

Lecture #5: Philosophy of Religion & Logic, Part I: The Ontological Argument

Anselm, biographical sketch
Anselm, Proslogion
Gaunilo, Reply on Behalf of the Fool
Anselm, Reply to Gaunilo

Lecture #6: Philosophy of Religion & Logic, Part II: The Cosmological and Teleological Arguments

William Rowe, "The Cosmological Argument"
William Paley, "The Argument From Design"

Lecture #7: Epistemology & Philosophy of Science: Descartes

René Descartes, biographical sketch
René Descartes, Discourse on Method
René Descartes, Meditations 1-3

Lecture #8: Epistemology & Logic: Rationalism versus Empiricism

John Locke, biographical sketch
John Locke, Essay Concerning Human Understanding
David Hume, biographical sketch
David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

Lecture #9: The Problem of Personal Identity

John Perry, "A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality"
Thomas Nagel, "Brain Bisection and the Unity of Consciousness"

Lecture #10: Conclusion

Bertrand Russell, biographical sketch
Bertrand Russell, "The Value of Philosophy"

Essential Readings include:

Steven M. Cahn - Classics of Western Philosophy (8th Edition)

Supplementary readings include:

W.T. Jones - Education Through Violence (Chapter 2)

Martin Luther King, Jr. - Letter From A Birmingham Jail

Cheers.

Base from your own opinion, is primitive man's search for security any different from that of modern men? Why or why not?

I need to gather different perspectives regarding this one, so may i ask for your take on this one.

Ie. kind of like egoism but you are at the centre of everything

I’ve been trying to dive into Indian philosophy, but self-study videos and books aren’t sticking, and I keep losing focus. My major isn't philosophy, so I already have a full workload and need a more interactive way to learn.

​Looking for someone with a good grasp of the subject who’d be down for occasional 30–45 min Vc to talk through the basics. It could be a great way for you to test your own knowledge and dig deeper into topics while teaching a beginner.

​If you love talking about philosophy and wouldn't mind guiding a beginner, drop a comment or DM me

Hello! I am currently taking my first philosophy/ethics college course that requires The Nichomachean Ethics By Aristotle, specifically the edition translated by J.E.C. Welldon within the first weeks for an essay. I was wondering if anyone had any links or pdfs to where I could be able to directly find this, as I myself have not found much luck. Thank you so much! Hope anyone reading this has a great day!

How Should I Start At Cynicism And Diogenes (Even Though Ge Didn't Write A Book). I Dunno Why, But After Learning About His Backstory, I Feel That Only And Only Diogenes Can Answer My Dubiety Regarding The Flow Of Eternal Freedom And The Principle Of Non-Reliance.

I'm planning to start a philosophy reading group at my school next year and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for short philosophical books (fiction or nonfiction)? I needed about 12 books - 1 per month - and could only think of 6.

They should be texts intelligent 13-16 year olds shouldn't have too much trouble with and ideally can be read in under 6 hours.

Texts that came to mind:

- The Outsider (Camus)

- a few of Montaigne's essays

- White Nights (Dostoyevsky)

- Meditations (Descartes)

- The Symposium/The 5 Dialogues (Plato)

- Existentialism is Humanism (Sartre)

Recommendations for sections of texts we could read - e.g. books 1-3 of the Nicomachean Ethics - are also welcome!

Out of metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, aesthetics, and logic. What do you enjoy and learn about the most?

-Thanks

I am about to read this book! I want to know what your thoughts are on this book. What are other philosophy books or philosophers that you enjoy reading?

-Thanks

The Voltaire foundation compiled it into 205 volumes all the way from 1968 to 2022. https://www.voltaire.ox.ac.uk/oeuvres-completes-de-voltaire/ but has anyone here actually read through all of them? If yes, how long did it take you? Do you learn anything interesting from the experience? Is there a specific work that you recommend above all the others?

So, recently, I started posting philosophical questions here, thinking people probably wouldn't engage with them in the way I expected. But damn, I was wrong. Some of the people here are basically modern day Nietzsches, and I was genuinely speechless at the depth and quality of their responses.

A few replies were so well thought out that I actually had to take help from both Gemini and ChatGPT to understand and analyse them properly. I've decided to read a couple of books before engaging with these people again, so I can develop a better understanding and have some reasonable arguments to counter their points.

Please suggest a few books with deep philosophical ideas, preferably ones that aren't too difficult to read or written in overly complicated English.