Tuesday classes

For Early Modern Philosophy the quiz question today while discussing Hegel is what do you consider prime examples of the socially constructed world? The video we watched some of is here and it is an excellent introduction to Hegel. For Introduction to Philosophy today we did Hobbes and the quiz question concerns the rights you think we should consider necessary for our social contract. How do you think the health care issues should play out in our national discourse? Is health care a right that should be supported by the government?

Monday Logic

For today in Logic we were going over syllogisms in class but the quiz question was analyze your favorite article from a newspaper today. The one I did was Charles Krauthammer

Friday Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Aristotle

For this evening in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy while talking about Aristotle On the Soul I used Stuart Hameroff as an example and asked the quiz question what do you think of his conception of the soul? (He is calling it Consciousness.) During the second part of class we were talking about Nichomachean Ethics and my quiz question was why is Avril Lavigne so sad in this song?

Thursday classes

For Early Modern Philosophy today we started talking about reactions to Kant. The quiz question was what did you think of the art I brought to class? What does it signify? By the way, that piece is still available if you want to take a selfie with it or something let me know. For Introduction to Philosophy this afternoon we started the Modern Period and my quiz question was why do you think the French love Descartes so much? For my evening Introduction to Philosophy course for the first quiz question there are two questions because I can't decide which is better: how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Do you think there is a conflict between religion and science? The second half quiz question was why do you think the French love Descartes so much?

Wednesday Logic

Okay, let's try this again. Is EIO-2 a valid syllogism or not? Today hopefully things became a little clearer.

Tuesday classes

For Early Modern Philosophy today I asked the quiz question if you were in traffic and three guys were trying to beat up a beautiful woman in the car next to you what would be your moral obligation? A second question, what do you think you would actually do? For Introduction to Philosophy this afternoon there are two questions because I can't decide which is better: how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Do you think there is a conflict between religion and science?

Monday Presidents Day Logic

Today in Logic we continued to discuss Aristotelian Logic and began putting together syllogisms. The quiz question today is determine if the syllogism AAA-4 is valid or not.

Friday Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Class

For this evening's class we began Aristotle. The first portion quiz question was give me a true statement and explain where on the traditional square of opposition it belongs. For the second quiz question how many categories does Aristotle argue are basic to all things? Does that seem to cover everything to you?

Thursday classes

For Early Modern Philosophy this morning we discussed Rousseau and for the last few minutes Kant. My quiz question must have been something about my treatment of Rousseau but I forget exactly what I asked. Does anyone remember? For Introduction to Philosophy this afternoon my quiz question was how would you have like to be a monk or nun during the Middle Ages? For my Introduction to Philosophy class this evening there were two questions: the first quiz question was what did you think of the orthodoxy of Augustine as I presented it? Does that sound like Christianity to you? And the second was how would you have like to be a monk or nun during the Middle Ages?

Wednesday Logic class

Today we were going over the traditional square of opposition. One point we discussed was the inclusive versus the exclusive sense of "or". The quiz question for today was in your family language use do you feel the word "or" was used with the inclusive use or the exclusive use - or both depending on context?

Tuesday Classes

For Early Modern Philosophy this morning the topic was David Hume. The quiz question was concerning Thomas Metzinger's question regarding the nature of the persistent self - basically that there isn't one. But what does it mean to be someone? Today's lecture was on Saint Augustine for Introduction to Philosophy and the quiz question was what did you think of the orthodoxy of Augustine as I presented it? Does that sound like Christianity to you?

Monday Logic

We finished the chapter on Fallacies today and spent the last fifteen minutes looking at the beginning of the next chapter. I gave a brief over view of Aristotle's critique of Plato's theory of knowledge and started the categories. The four statement types that can be true or false are in the text and also here: traditional square. The quiz question today was give a true statement and identify which of the four statement types it is.

Friday class

This evening in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy we discussed Plato's Republic and had a discussion about which culture had more impact on us - the Greek or the Roman and we watched a portion of the video from Intelligence Squared with Boris Johnson and Mary Beard. The quiz question from this is which side do you vote for: Greece or Rome? We also briefly covered the remaining dialogs in our syllabus for Plato and posed the quiz question should we keep the electoral college? (If you think what kind of government we have - representative democracy - republic - what role does the popular vote have or should have.)

Thursday classes

For Early Modern Philosophy this morning I forgot to turn on the camera so did not record the lecture! Sorry! We talked about Bishop Berkeley and his contemporaries - Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan Swift, Leibniz, Newton, Shaftesbury, and the philosophy of British Idealism. There were two interesting questions that came up. One in response to Edwards as an early American Philosopher influenced by Berkeley was what does it mean to be saved? Have you ever been Saved? What do you mean by that? Deborah Hatheway was the person who received the famous letter. But a second question that is the famous one associated with Berkeley is if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it fall, does it make a sound? So two quiz questions for today. For Introduction to Philosophy this afternoon the quiz question question is what does it mean to be a Christian? In my evening double session of Introduction to Philosophy the first quiz question was which of the philosophies that I briefly described do you think is closest to your conception of Eudaimonia? The second quiz question was what does it mean to be a Christian?

Wednesday Logic

Working on fallacies today along with jokes because the relationship seems so obvious. SO for today's quiz question go the opposite direction from last class and pick a fallacy, make an argument using it, and then change the argument into a joke.

Tuesday classes

The quiz question this morning for Early Modern Philosophy was on Leibniz - though I can't figure out how. What do you think of the idea that we're all Klein bottles? The quiz question for Introduction to Philosophy this afternoon was which of the philosophies that I briefly described do you think is closest to your conception of Eudaimonia?

Monday Logic

Today we finished up meaning / definitions in the broader sense of narration. Then went on to briefly cover the chapter on diagramming arguments. But in preparation for next class on fallacies I asked who your favorite comic was for the quiz question. Please send me a link to a sketch if you can. And think what type of fallacy does that comic use as their template for jokes?

Friday Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

For the first half of today's discussions the quiz question is what do you think of Plato's theory of knowledge? And for the second the question is what do you consider Love?

Thursday classes

For Early Modern Philosophy this morning discussing Spinoza my quiz question is which way do you think the argument goes - is that than which nothing greater can be conceived necessarily inclusive of everything? Or can there be a separation of God and the world? For Introduction to Philosophy this afternoon on the Nicomachean Ethics, what do you think Eudaimonia is? For my evening Introduction to Philosophy class there are two questions: the first is give an example of a true A statement and show all the other three types of statements using the same S and P, and the second is what do you think Eudaimonia is?

Wednesday Logic

Today in Introduction to Logic we discussed the nature of definitions and meaning and the importance of this to insuring arguments are understood as nearly as possible to what the speaker intended. The quiz question today is what is the difference between a musical meme and a spoken meme? What I was calling Crank in class today is actually called Creak, and also vocal fry.