Introduction to Philosophy (Spring 2008)

Those who were interested in the discussion of feminist ethics may also be interested in the following resources:

* Feminist Ethics at the SEP

* Feminist Bioethics at the SEP

* Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s science fiction classic Herland

* The Feminist Philosophers blog

* Mary Wollstonecraft’s 18th-century classic A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

* John Stuart Mill’s The Subjection of Women

* Adrienne Rich’s Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence

* Connell and Messerschmidt, Hegemonic Masculinity (PDF)

The fourth reflection paper assignment is up on the Reflection Paper Assignments page.

Here is a sample of resources in feminist epistemology.

* Feminist Epistemology and Philosophy of Science at the SEP

* Feminist Social Epistemology at the SEP

* Feminist Epistemology at the IEP 

* Sharon Crasnow’s paper, Feminist Philosophy of Science: ‘Standpoint’ and Knowledge (PDF)

* Laura Aline Ward’s thesis, Objectivity in Feminist Philosophy of Science (PDF) 

* The Knowledge and Experience blog 

*  Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, The Yellow Wallpaper and her short essay Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper

Those who are interested in learning more about Pierre Duhem might want to read Ariew’s excellent article on him at the SEP.

There is a very nice podcast at philosophy bites, interviewing Peter Millican (an excellent Hume scholar) on the philosophical significance of David Hume. If you found our discussion of Hume’s argument on miracles interesting, I recommend you listen to it; the miracles argument makes a showing.

"Men would never be superstitious, if they could govern all their circumstances by set rules, or if they were always favoured by fortune: but being frequently driven into straits where rules are useless, and being often kept fluctuating pitiably between hope and fear by the uncertainty of fortune’s greedily coveted favours, they are consequently, for the most part, very prone to credulity. The human mind is readily swayed this way or that in times of doubt, especially when hope and fear are struggling for the mastery, though usually it is boastful, over - confident, and vain."

Spinoza, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, Preface. You can read more about Spinoza (1632-1677), one of the major Cartesians, at the SEP and at the IEP.

"The sceptic asks me, Why do you believe the existence of the external object which you perceive? This belief, sir, is none of my manufacture; it came from the mint of Nature; it bears her image and superscription; and, if it is not right, the fault is not mine: I even took it upon trust, and without suspicion. Reason, says the sceptic, is the only judge of truth, and you ought to throw off every opinion and every belief that is not grounded on reason. Why, sir, should I believe the faculty of reason more than that of perception? — they came both out of the same shop, and were made by the same artist; and if he puts one piece of false ware into my hands, what should hinder him from putting another?"

Thomas Reid, An Inquiry into the Human Mind, ch. 6, section 20. Thomas Reid was a leading representative of Scottish Common Sense Philosophy. You can read more about Reid at the SEP (and about his context here).

After we finish Descartes we will do a short section on David Hume and Lady Mary Shepherd. Those of you who prefer to get a headstart may want to start the readings. They are:

 David Hume, Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X (’Of Miracles’). This is relatively easy to find, both in libraries and online. Some places you can find it online (any one of these will do):

I - II - III - IV - V - VI

Lady Mary Shepherd, Essays on the Perception of an External Universe, Essay VIII (’That human testimony is of sufficient force to establish the credibility of miracles’). This is harder to find, so I’ll be handing out a hardcopy in class. To read it online, go to page 325 at this Google Book page.