Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

March

April

May

June

Textbook Chapters

Does the Center Hold? : An Introduction to Western Philosophy

Chap. 1: Is Philosophy Possible?

Chap. 2: Rationalist Epistemology

Chap. 2: Rationalist Epistemology

Chap. 3: Empirical Epistemology

Chap. 4: Ontology

Chap. 4: Ontology

Chap. 5: Philosophy of Religion

Chap. 5: Philosophy of Religion

Chap. 6: Philosophies of Freedom

Chap. 7: Ethics

Chap.8: Critique of Ethical Theories

Chap. 9: Political & Social Philosophy

Chap. 10: Philosophy of Art

Themes/

essential

questions

What is philosophy?

Truth

Piety

Justice

What is knowledge and is it possible?

What is the difference between knowledge and opinion?

What is knowledge and is it possible?

What is the difference between knowledge and opinion?

Are the senses or experience a reliable source of knowledge?

What is real and what is appearance?

Are there any good reasons for believing in the existence or nonexistence of God?

What kind of God exists or does not exist?

What are the implications of God’s existence or nonexistence?

How is freedom defined?

Does freedom exist?

What is the Good?

What is the good life?

How can we distinguish between right & wrong?

What is a legitimate government?

How do we establish justice?

What is the nature of beauty?

The carefully examined life

Topics

Socratic Dialogues

Origins and contemporary branches of Philosophy

The rationalist thinking of Plato and Rene Descartes

The empiricism of John Locke; Logical Positivism

Immanuel Kant’s rational-empirical compromise

Dualism; Materialistic Monism; Pluralism

Theism:

The Ontological, Cosmological & Teleological proofs

Atheism &

Volitional belief

Determinism

Indeterminism

Libertarianism

Existentialism

Utilitarianism; Duty-oriented morality; The State of Nature; Social Contracts; Communism; Liberalism

Critiques of art by

Plato

Sigmund Freud

Aristotle

Karl Marx

Herbert Marcuse

Who Am I? (Essay)

Other

Books

The Trial and Death of Socrates

By Plato

The Republic

By Plato

What the “Bleep” Do We Know

By William Arntz

What the “Bleep” Do We Know

The World’s Religions by Huston Smith

The World’s Religions

Being and Nothingness

By Jean Paul Sartre

Political Philosophy: The Search for Humanity & Order By John Hallowell

Art and Illusion

By E.H Gombrich

Synthesizing and evaluating what we have learned

 Coached Projects

Writing and performing and original final act to The Trial and Death of Socrates

Connecting themes paper & presentation

Debate: Should Intelligent Design be taught in science class?

Ethical simulation: Was this killing morally justified?

Design your own Polis

Interdisciplinary Notebook of Learning

Interdisciplinary Notebook of Learning

Interdisciplinary Notebook of Learning

Seminars 

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: Robert Pirsig

(Does excellence matter?)

The Allegory of the Cave: Plato

(Is the unexamined life worth living?)

Meditations on First Philosophy:

Rene Descartes

(I Think, Therefore I Am?)

The Preamble of the U.S. Constitution & The Bill of Rights: (Is it a physical thing, a mental thing, or something else?)

Einstein’s Grand Quest for a Unified Theory: Tim Folger

(Can we ever read “the mind of God”?)

Joyous Wisdom (God is Dead):

Friedrich Nietzsche

(Who killed God?

How/why did they do it?)

The Bhagavad-Gita:

(Are we free to choose?)

Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes

(Why would we choose to limit our own freedom?)

Eros and Civilization

Herbert Marcuse

(What is the purpose of art?)

The Allegory of the Cave: Plato

(Is the unexamined life really worth living, or not?)

Major Skills

Philosophy is a culminating social studies course where students will practice and refine all of the critical thinking, writing and research skills that they have practiced throughout their academic careers at Classical. Specifically, this course expects students to work at the upper end of Bloom’s taxonomy, focusing upon analysis, synthesis & evaluation of the ideas and values presented in the curriculum. Students will practice: writing properly formatted college style essays; conducting primary and secondary source research for research papers; and, proper MLA & APA source citation. In addition, students will participate in weekly or biweekly Paideia seminars as well as in daily class discussions that utilize the Socratic method of questioning and response.