国際文化学部Faculty of Intercultural Communication

　People often think that “philosophy” is quite an old subject － and very difficult, unfortunately. It is true that philosophical questions have been discussed in rather complicated and often confusing manners since many years ago, for example, by Socrates and Aristotle in the ancient Greek period. But many philosophers did and do believe that these questions are closely related to our everyday life. That is, we are surrounded by many philosophical issues, although we may not always be aware of their philosophical significance. Philosophical issues are thus basically our everyday issues. But how are they related to our life?
　In this course, you will discuss various philosophical topics, their in-depth meanings, and their philosophical significance, attempting to find their very relevance to your life. I hope that under the new perspective gained in this course, you will be able to see your surroundings, your society, and the world in quite exciting and interesting manners. Out of many philosophical topics found in our daily life, we will pick and discuss 13 topics in class.

　　This course provides a broad introduction to philosophical ways of thinking. The course is open to students from any disciplines, who hope to:
　　(1) understand some of the most fundamental philosophical topics (for instance: freedom, truth, and moral rightness /wrongness),
　　(2) be able to explain the issues in very simple everyday terms, and
　　(3) apply philosophical ways of thinking (reasoning) on every-day issues.

国際文化学部のディプロマポリシーのうち、「DP1」「DP2」「DP3」「DP4」に関連。

英語 / English

Basic course requirements:
　＊No previous philosophy courses required.
　＊Intellectual curiosity: Keen eyes on everyday-life facts and issues.
　＊Respectful attitude of others’ opinions.
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On enrollment:
The student enrollment in this course is limited to 20, and you will be admitted on a first-come and first-served basis. So, if you wish to take this course, you need to take an immediate action and do the following:
　(1) You have to send me an e-mail (to the address below) in which you express your intention to enroll:
　　　　　yasushi.ishida.85@hosei.ac.jp
　(2) If you are accepted to the course, you will receive a note (e-mail) of confirmation. In case you are not accepted, you will be put on the waiting list in the order of application (i.e., sending the mail).
　(3) Those who have received my note of confirmation can go through a procedure of 本登録.
　(4)【Important】 Do not fail to notify me, in case you decide to cancel your enrollment.　授業を取らないと決めた場合は、必ず連絡をすること。そうしないと、ウェイティング・リストに載っている他の学生が登録できません。
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・Those who are put on the waiting list can register, ONLY IF we have some openings in the enrollment AND the registration is still possible (that is, it is still in the registration period).
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・You will be accepted on a first-come and first-served basis. Equally importantly, I urge you to attend the first and/or second meeting. In case you fail to attend both of them, that will affect your final grade (10%); if you have legitimate or good reason to miss the meetings, do not fail to contact me by e-mail.
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Organization of the class:
　▶ Each class will consist of (less than)100-minutes of lecture and discussion. The class will be conducted in English.
　▶ At this moment, I am planning to hold the first 2 meetings online (by using Zoom), and after that we will meet on campus (i.e., in-person meetings). In the event that COVID-19 or other infectious disease conditions worsen, we would not hesitate to switch to the Zoom class. Make sure you have the Zoom application ready in your computer along with necessary devices.

　▶ I appreciate interaction and exchange with you in class. So, please make best efforts to express your ideas, even if you find it very difficult to do so. I would NOT penalize you for making mistakes; you ARE entitled to make mistakes in class! Occasionally, we will have group discussion on given topics.

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◉ On the Zoom meetings:
　・ I will e-mail you the “Zoom Link,” “授業参加用ミーティングID” and “パスコード” on 学習支援システム by Wednesdays (the day before the class). You will have to sign in with your own Hosei University e-mail address and password.
　・ Your attendance will be recorded automatically, but I will take attendance.
　・ Note: In case someone comes in one of the online classes to do any disturbing acts (which is often called Zoom-Bombing), I will terminate the meeting immediately. And I will report to the University. I will then post in 学習支援システム what you will have to do.

あり / Yes

なし / No

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

1[オンライン/online]：Guidance

Explaining the course

2[オンライン/online]：Moral judgment

How do we judge?

3[対面/face to face]：Morality

What does it mean to be "morally right"?

4[対面/face to face]：Relativism

Is everything relative?

5[対面/face to face]：Lying

Is lying always wrong?

6[対面/face to face]：Result Theory (Utilitarianism)

Is your action “right,” if it brings about a good result?

7[対面/face to face]：Rule Theory

Is your action “right,” if it follows a good rule?

8[対面/face to face]：Culture vs. Nature (1)

How different are they?

9[対面/face to face]：Culture vs. Nature (2)

The idea of “enhancement”

10[対面/face to face]：Freedom

Are we completely free?

11[対面/face to face]：Environmental Ethics

What you do may affect complete strangers

12[対面/face to face]：Perception and Knowledge

Is Perception so accurate? What do we truly know?

13[対面/face to face]：Language and Meaning

Why is it so unique to human beings?

14[対面/face to face]：Concluding remarks

Wrap-up: The Meaning of Life

・I recommend that you review what you have learned in each meeting.
・You are normally expected to spend about two hours for the preparation and review for each class.

・There will be no specific textbooks assigned.
・Occasionally, reading materials may be assigned and handouts will be given in class.

No specific books assigned. But looking into any (large size) philosophy dictionaries will be of great help.

Basically, I will assess your grade based on the way you participate in the class discussions and on your final project.
Attitude/ Participation:　　 50% of course grade
Final exam (in-class exam):　50% of course grade

* Attitude/ Participation:
I appreciate your participation in class and would like to know your ideas and opinions. I will hence consider your participation as part of your grade.

* Final Exam:
I will explain the detail before the exam.
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Based on the grading criteria set by the instructor, students that successfully achieve 60% or more of course goals will be able to earn a passing grade for the course.

In previous semesters, I received several comments from students: for instance, "having discussions in class was very hard at the beginning, but it helped me improve my English speaking skills and express myself logically. Eventually, I found it quite exciting and stimulating."

<<Please Read; Very Important>>
　　Most of us already have a general or intuitive understanding of many basic philosophical issues. The key to understanding these issues is, however, being able to critically evaluate these issues from a number of different perspectives, and these are neither obvious nor easy to apply. In studying philosophy, often you have to “get out of” your own perspective. Philosophy is different from a philosophy. Philosophy is the discipline that comprises logic, metaphysics, ethics, epistemology, and so on; a philosophy is a system of beliefs, concepts, or attitude of an individual or group, or a view about a sphere of activity or thought. Everyone has a philosophy of some sort or other even if s/he has never read a book in philosophy. An individual’s philosophy or a group’s philosophy can be a subject for examination and discussion, and can be challenged within the discipline of philosophy. Studying philosophy may affect your own philosophy and thus may make you feel uneasy.
　　And since thinking philosophically is an acquired skill, like many other skills it has to be practiced regularly and well. It is thus important that you make adequate time each week to prepare for the class and write your "reaction paper" to the best of your ability.
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・Again, I urge you to attend the first and/or second meeting. In case you fail to attend both of them, that will affect your final grade (10%); if you have legitimate or good reason to miss the meetings, do not fail to contact me by e-mail.
・As I appreciate interaction and exchange with you in class, I would like to know what you think and have your feedback. So, I strongly advise that you attend all the classes and participate in the discussions.