Jagdish Hattiangadi

Instruction: Tuesdays and Thursdays: 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. by Zoom Meetings.

Office Hours: By telephone or by Zoom meeting. Please email me to make an appointment. Email: jagdish@yorku.ca, Tel. at home 416 766 4446

This course is an introduction to epistemology and metaphysics, with a primary focus on epistemology. Epistemology is a branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of knowledge and with questions about what we can know and how we can acquire knowledge. Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of reality, and addresses questions about what there is in the world and about the real nature of things.

We will explore a sampling of epistemological and metaphysical questions in this course, using texts written by David Hume and Bertrand Russell.  In this course, we will take a look at the difficulties of knowing things, and as we pursue it we come to assess what must be there for us to know much about the world. However, you will not necessarily be asked to agree with either David Hume, or Bertrand Russell, though some of you may well do so. Our task is to examine their intriguing arguments and conclusions to see where they may have erred, or to endorse whatever they may have rightly observed, if we think so after critical reflection.

Technical requirements for taking the course Technical requirements for taking the course: There is no on campus meeting scheduled for this course. All contact is through video conferencing. Anyone taking the course must be prepared to also appear on video (e.g., for tutorial/seminar discussion, remote proctoring, etc.). In addition to stable, higher-speed Internet connection, you will need a computer with webcam and microphone to participate in the course. A smart device like a tablet or smart phone with these features is not adequate for participation in the course.

Here are some useful links for student computing information, resources and help:

Student Guide to Moodle

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices 

Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide

Computing for Students Website

Student Guide to eLearning at York University

To determine Internet connection and speed, there are online tests, such as Speedtest, that can be run.]

David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy.

Participation in tutorials and on Moodle:  30% Twice a week 36 hours in advance

Mid-term in class test                                  30% February 23

Final Essay                                                      40% due at 1:00 p.m. April 8

Class time (on Zoom) will be used for short lectures and discussion, but mostly the latter. Moodle discussions are due under the appropriate topic each week, and will be an essential component of your final grade computation. Please read the material for the week and post at least one of your remarks 36 hours prior to each class to be used for a grade. There is a midterm examination and a final paper in this course. The midterm exam is mandatory to earn a passing grade in the course. The entire class will be on video on Zoom being invigilated at the time. You will not get a grade without taking it in person on a Zoom video where you can be seen. The final paper must be submitted electronically to the Turnitin site on Moodle on time. There is a penalty for late submission of 2% per day.

After completing the course, you should be able to improve at the following tasks:

• Critically analyze conceptual issues.
• Actively read a text for its meaning.
• Accurately summarize a text.
• Critically evaluate a text.
• Critically evaluate arguments.
• Form well considered judgments on difficult questions.
• Construct well-thought-out arguments.