PHIL 273.01 (Epistemology)
Murat Baç
Fall 2009
 

           *  LECTURE NOTES (November 2009)

MARTHA: Mr. Hathorne, I am innocent to a witch, I know not what a witch is.

HATHORNE: (Playing to the AUDIENCE) If ye know not what a witch is, how do you know you are not one?

  Arthur Miller, from The Crucible

Course Description:  This course is intended to be a general introduction to theory of knowledge.  It will cover some historical material as well as readings from contemporary epistemology literature.  A significant portion of the course will be devoted to relatively recent accounts of epistemic justification.  In that context we will concentrate on the debate between foundationalists and coherentists, internalists and externalists.  Furthermore, we will discuss the controversies surrounding such issues as skepticism, perceptual knowledge, and a priori.  Consideration will (time permitting) be given also to the challenges and alternatives to contemporary epistemology as represented by feminism and anti-representationalism.  Some of the philosophers we will take a close look at are: Plato, R. Descartes, G. Berkeley, J. Locke, D. Hume, B. Russell, J. Searle, E. Gettier, A. Goldman, L. BonJour, R. Audi, J. Dancy, D. Annis, S. Haack, R. Rorty.

What is epistemology?:  If you want to get a rough idea about theory of knowledge, you can read the entry (in Turkish) I recently wrote for the Turkish Encyclopedia of Philosophy, which is available at  www.phil.boun.edu.tr/bac_episte.htm

Reading material:  A course package will be available at Hisar Copy Shop (Nispetiye Str., 23).  The reader contains the following:

1. (selections from) Pojman, L. P. (1999) The Theory of Knowledge: Classical and Contemporary Readings, 2^nd edition, London: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

2. Supplementary material.

Grading:  There are no homework papers in this course.  Students will write two examinations: (1) There will be one in-class, open-book mid-term exam in November (40% grade value).  In the exam paper, you will be required to give proper citations/references for your quotations and for the ideas that do not belong to you.  (2) The remaining part of your total grade will come from the (closed-book) final exam (60% grade value).

Reminder: Please read “About Plagiarism” given at the beginning of the course reader carefully.