1. ©Jason
Brents
2014
Honors
Philosophy
1
Honors philosophy
Teacher:
Mr.
Jason
Brents
Website:
jasonbrents.com
Course Text:
• Philosophical Questions: An Introductory Anthology by Purtill, MacDonald, and Kreeft
Supplemental Texts:
• Socratic Logic: A Logic Text using Socratic Method, Platonic Questions, and Aristotelian Principles,
Edition 3.1, by Peter Kreeft
• Other books by Peter Kreeft used throughout the course: Socrates Meets Descartes, Socrates
Meets Hume, Socrates Meets Kant, Socrates Meets Jesus, The Best Things in Life, The Philosophy
of Jesus, I Surf Therefore I Am
Course Outline
I. Introduction: Why Study Philosophy?
II. Logic
III. Can We Know Anything? The Problem of Skepticism
IV. What is Real? The Problem of Metaphysics
V. How Can We Know? The Problem of Epistemology
VI. Are We Free To Choose? The Problem of Free Will
VII. What Makes and Act Right? The Problem of Morality
VIII. How Should We Live? The Problem of the Good Life
IX. Is There A God? The Problem of God’s Existence
X. What Is the Meaning of Life? The Problem of Meaning
XI. Do We Survive Death? The Problem of Immortality
XII. Unity of Knowledge
INTRODUCTION: WHY STUDY PHILOSOPHY?
I. The Beginning
a. Plato: The Apology of Socrates
II. Logic
a. A Mini-course in Logic
PART ONE: WHAT CAN WE KNOW
I. Can We Know Anything? The Problem of Skepticism
a. A Classical Statement of Skepticism
i. Sextus Empiricus: The Outlines of Pyrrhanism
b. A Classical Answer to Skepticism
i. Aristotle: The Metaphysics
c. Hume’s Skepticism
i. David Hume: Treatise of Human Nature
d. Reid’s Answer to Hume
i. Thomas Reid: Essay on the Intellectual Powers of Man
II. What is Real? The Problem of Metaphysics
a. A Materialist View

2. ©Jason
Brents
2014
Honors
Philosophy
2
i. Lucretius: De Rerum Natura
b. Reality Is More than Appearance
i. Plato: Phaedo
c. Reality is Matter and Form
i. Aristotle: Metaphysics
III. How Can We Know? The Problem of Epistemology
a. Ancient Rationalism
i. Plato: The Republic
b. Realism
i. St. Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologiae
c. An Empiricist View
i. John Locke: An Essay on Human Understanding
d. Idealism
i. Immanuel Kant: Critique of Pure Reason
ii. Kant—Subjectivizer of Truth (Kreeft)
iii. Refuting Moral Relativism (Kreeft)
iv. Escape from Reason (Shaeffer)
e. Modern Rationalism
i. Rene Descartes: Discourse on Method
ii. Rene Descartes: Socrates Meets Descartes by Peter Kreeft
PART TWO: WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
I. Are We Free to Choose: The Problem of Free Will
a. Strict Determinism
i. Johann Gottlieb Fichte: The Vocation of Man
b. Compatibilism
i. David Hume: A Treatise of Human Nature
c. The Free Will View
i. John Lucas: The Freedom of the Will
d. An Argument for Free Will
i. James N. Jordan: “Determinism’s Dilemma”
e. Feodor Doestoevsky: “Notes from Underground”
II. What Makes an Act Right? The Problem of Morality
a. The Utilitarian View
i. John Stuart Mill: Utilitarianism
b. Against Conventional Morality
i. Friedrich Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil
c. A Situational View
i. Joseph Fletcher: Situational Ethics
d. A Religious View
i. C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity
III. How Should We Live? The Problem of the Good Life
a. A Hedonistic Answer
i. Soren Kierkegaard: Either/Or
b. An Ethical Answer
i. Plato: The Republic

3. ©Jason
Brents
2014
Honors
Philosophy
3
c. A Religious Answer
i. Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologiae
d. Another Religious Answer
i. St. Anselm: Proslogion
e. Comment
i. The Bible: Ecclesiastes
f. How Should We Then Live (video clips) Dr. Francis Schaeffer
g. The Best Things In Life by Peter Kreeft
PART THREE: WHAT CAN WE HOPE?
I. Is There a God? The Problem of God’s Existence
a. God Does Exist
i. St. Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologica
b. Comment on Aquinas
i. Edward Sillem: Ways of Thinking About God
c. God Does Not Exist
i. David Hume: Dialogues on Natural Religion (McDowell outline)
ii. Thomas Reid: Hume, Reid, and Signs of Intelligence
d. A Modern Defense of the Cosmological Argument
i. Bruce Reichenbach: The Cosmological Argument
e. Some Answers to the Problem of Evil
i. Richard L. Purtill: Thinking About Religion
ii. C.S. Lewis: The Problem of Pain
II. What is the Meaning of Life? The Problem of Meaning
a. People Give Life Meaning
i. The Humanist Manifesto
b. Life Must Have Meaning
i. Viktor Frankl: Man’s Search for Meaning
c. A Western Religious View
i. C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity
d. An Eastern Religious View
i. Siddhartha Gautama Buddha: Two Sermons
III. Do We Survive Death? The Problem of Immortality
a. The Question of Death
i. Blaise Pascal: “Against Indifference,” Pensees
b. A Denial of Immortality
i. Lucretius: De Rerum Natura
c. Another Denial of Immortality
i. Bertrand Russell: Mysticism and Logic
d. An Argument for Immortality
i. Peter Kreeft: Love is Stronger than Death
e. Another Argument for Immortality
i. Plato: The Republic
f. A Third Argument for Immortality
i. C.S. Lewis: The Problem of Pain and The Pilgrim’s Regress
g. Comment
i. Plato: “The Death of Socrates” from Phaedo

4. ©Jason
Brents
2014
Honors
Philosophy
4
IV. Unity of Knowledge
a. Unity in Theology, the Prince of Sciences
b. The Castle, by George MacDonald
c. I Corinthians by St. Paul
FINAL ESSAY EXPLANATION
1. This exam, like the others, is a fictional Socratic dialogue created by the student
between him/herself and any one or more of the philosophers studied during the
course.
2. The dialogue will be 5-6 pages (typed, double-space, 12 font, Times New Roman).
3. It will be typed in class, with a one-hour limit. There is no limit to the amount of
preparation for this exam, but outlines or any other materials will not be allowed.
(The names and spelling of the Philosophers we have read from will be available)
4. The dialogue should address at least four of the following eight major questions
studied during the year:
a) Metaphysics: what is real?
b) Epistemology: how we know?
c) Free Will: are we free to choose?
d) Morality: what makes an act right?
e) The Good Life: how should we live?
f) God’s Existence: is there a God?
g) Meaning: what is the meaning of life?
h) Immortality: do we survive death?