AP/PHIL1000 6.0 B: Introduction to Philosophy
Offered by: PHIL
Session
Fall 2025
Term
Y
Format
LECT
Calendar Description / Prerequisite / Co-Requisite
An introduction to the basic issues and classic writers in the Western philosophical tradition. Areas such as ethics, metaphysics, theory of knowledge and logic will be surveyed by examining the writings of philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes and Hume, as well as more modern writers. Course credit exclusion: GL/PHIL 1410 3.00 (prior to Winter 2014), GL/PHIL 1420 3.00 (prior to Fall 2013), GL/PHIL 1690 6.00.
Course Start Up
Course Websites hosted on York's "eClass" are accessible to students during the first week of the term. It takes two business days from the time of your enrolment to access your course website. Course materials begin to be released on the course website during the first week. To log in to your eClass course visit the York U eClass Portal and login with your Student Passport York Account. If you are creating and participating in Zoom meetings you may also go directly to the York U Zoom Portal.
For further course Start Up details, review the Getting Started webpage.
For IT support, students may contact University Information Technology Client Services via askit@yorku.ca or (416) 736-5800. Please also visit UIT Student Services or the Getting Help - UIT webpages.
Dr. Patrick Phillips
PJJP@yorku.ca
Office Hours: By Appointment
Thomas Nagel (the author of one of the textbooks for this course) asks: should the questions that Philosophy engages with matter to those outside of philosophy? in the Fall term we will proceed to answer this question by looking at a set of related problems: Is knowledge possible? How can we know other minds? Do we possess free will? Can it be proven that a God exists? Do we survive the death of our bodies? Having gained some experience in argumentation and engagement, in the Winter Term we will re-engage with Nagel’s by examining the work various philosophers including (but not limited to) Plato, Rene Descartes, Immanuel Kant, J.S. Mill, Judith Jarvis Thomson, Lorraine Code and A.J. Ayer.
Technical requirements for taking the course:
Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays: 10.30 – 11.30 am Room 135 Vanier College
Students who are not willing or comfortable discussing their ideas, listening to the arguments of others and engaging in a rational, critical process are not encouraged to enrol.
Attendance for lectures and tutorials is of paramount importance (many of the assessment requirements will take place in Tutorials).
Be sure to acquire the course texts (listed below) which are available from the York University book store located in York Lanes Mall.
All meetings, both lecture and tutorials will be held in person I.E. synchronously
Here are some useful links for student computing information, resources and help:
Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide
The Broadview Introduction to Philosophy
Andrew Bailey
Publisher : Broadview Press
Publication date : May 21 2019
Language : English
Print length : 1056 pages
ISBN-10 : 1554813824
ISBN-13 : 978-1554813827
&
What Does it All Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy
Thomas Nagel
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Publication date : Feb. 1 1989
Edition : First Edition
Language : English
Print length : 112 pages
ISBN-10 : 0195052927
ISBN-13 : 978-0195052923
One Essay: APA Style: 25%
One Essay APA Style: 30%
Four in tutorial quizzes (best two results count) 15 each = 30%
Attendance and participation exercise in tutorial = 15%
TBA
The student who applies and engages with the course material and the discussions and debates in held in lectures and tutorials may expect to improve their vocabulary, their eloquence and their ability to argue and respond in real time, even when under intellectual pressure. In addition, the student will gain an understanding of the history of ideas as it pertains to the subject of Philosophy as well as the opportunity to develop and/or clarify their own philosophical ideas and arguments.
Course policies
[Insert your course policies on grading, assignment submission, tests and makeup tests, lateness penalties, etc. For language on these policies, please review the basic course outline provided by the Academic Standards, Curriculum & Pedagogy Committee.
If you will be including audio-visual recordings of your live sessions on Moodle, you may wish to include a course policy on how those recordings should be used by students. Please review the guidelines for the taking and use of photographs, video and audio recordings by York employees. Please note in your policy that 1) the recordings should be used for educational purposes only and as a means for enhancing accessibility; 2) students do not have permission to duplicate, copy and/or distribute the recordings outside of the class (these acts can violate not only copyright laws but also FIPPA); and 3) all recordings will be destroyed after the end of classes.
For some common language about academic integrity, and the online tools used to promote it, please see the text in blue font below. Please note that students should be able to opt out of Turnitin and remote proctoring, if they so choose. For the few students who opt out, they will need to inform you. For these students, please make alternative arrangements for assignment submission and/or assessment. Students who opt out should not be penalized in any way.]
- Academic Honesty
- Student Rights and Responsibilities
- Religious Observance
- Grading Scheme and Feedback
- 20% Rule
No examinations or tests collectively worth more than 20% of the final grade in a course will be given during the final 14 calendar days of classes in a term. The exceptions to the rule are classes which regularly meet Friday evenings or on Saturday and/or Sunday at any time, and courses offered in the compressed summer terms. - Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
