Philosophy

Michael Boylan

"Boylan and Johnson return philosophy to its original home-the story. By blending narrative with other philosophical discourses, they create an approach that engages ambiguity in order to attain wisdom." -Marc Conner, Washington and Lee University "Philosophy: An Innovative Introduction is an exciting book that promises to invigorate courses in philosophy, ethics, and the humanities. Building on the categories of direct and indirect discourse, the authors offer a robust conception of 'fictive narrative philosophy'-one that treats seriously the power of fiction in philosophical discourse. The authors' innovative approach pairs the philosophies of major figures such as Plato, Kant, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with short stories that engage those figures in thought-provoking ways. The result is that the philosophical tradition is brought to life for students as abstract ideas become vivid and compelling." -Linda Furgerson Selzer, Penn State University "This unusual introduction to philosophy has broad appeal without sacrificing intellectual rigor." -Felicia Nimue Ackerman, Brown University "In the acknowledgements Charles Johnson quotes Camus, 'If you want to be a philosopher, write novels.' While an extravagant claim, Boylan and Johnson have conceived and brought to life an 'innovative' new introductory philosophy text that richly demonstrates what Camus calls for. The text's historical approach supplements the usual philosophers with multicultural, more inclusive works by Buddha, Arendt, Murdoch and M. L. King. It offers numerous helpful aids for the classroom, but most importantly it uniquely blends traditional philosophical argumentation with provocative fictive narratives (stories) that promise to engage students more fully, thus bringing philosophy alive in ways more traditional texts can only approximate." -Richard E. Hart, Bloomfield College

• CONTENTSPrefaceGlossary Part 1: Direct and Indirect Discourse in Philosophy * 1. Direct and Indirect Discourse in PhilosophyReading and Discussion Questions * 2. How Can I Respond to Claims Using Direct Logical Discourse?Reading and Discussion Questions * 3. How Can I Respond to Claims Using Indirect Fictive Narrative Discourse?Reading and Discussion Questions Part 2: Ancient and Medieval Philosophy * 4. PlatoShort Story: The Cynic, Charles JohnsonReading and Discussion QuestionsFictive-Narrative Philosophy FeedbackPrimary Text: Plato, The Myth of the Charioteer Reading and Discussion QuestionsClass ExercisesPrimary Text: Plato, CritoReading and Discussion QuestionsClass Exercises * 5. AristotleShort Story: Aristotle the Outsider, Michael BoylanReading and Discussion QuestionsFictive-Narrative Philosophy FeedbackPrimary Text: Aristotle, The Nature of Mind Reading and Discussion QuestionsClass Exercises * 6. BuddhaShort Story: Prince of the Ascetics, Charles JohnsonReading and Discussion QuestionsFictive-Narrative Philosophy FeedbackPrimary Text: From the Dhmmapada Reading and Discussion QuestionsClass Exercises * 7. AquinasShort Story: The Murder of Thomas Aquinas, Michael Boylan Reading and Discussion QuestionsFictive-Narrative Philosophy FeedbackPrimary Text: Thomas Aquinas, On the Natural Law Reading and Discussion QuestionsClass Exercises MIDTERM PROJECT Part 3: Modern and Contemporary Philosophy * 8. DescartesShort Story: The Queen and the Philosopher, Charles Johnson Reading and Discussion QuestionsFictive-Narrative Philosophy FeedbackPrimary Text: Ren Descartes, Finding a Foundation for Knowledge Reading and Discussion QuestionsClass Exercises * 9. Kant Short Story: Kant Awakened, Michael Boylan Reading and Discussion QuestionsFictive-Narrative Philosophy FeedbackPrimary Text: Gottfried Leibniz, On Geometrical Method and the Method of MetaphysicsReading and Discussion QuestionsClass ExercisesPrimary Text: Christian Wolff, Three Types of Human Knowledge Reading and Discussion QuestionsClass ExercisesPrimary Text: David Hume Of the Academical or Skeptical PhilosophyReading and Discussion QuestionsClass ExercisesPrimary Text: Immanuel Kant, The Possibility of Metaphysics Reading and Discussion QuestionsClass Exercises * 10. Marx Short Story: A Game of Chess in Paris, Michael Boylan Reading and Discussion QuestionsFictive-Narrative Philosophy FeedbackPrimary Text: G.W.F. Hegel, Preface Reading and Discussion QuestionsClass ExercisesPrimary Text: G.W.F. Hegel, Lordship and Bondage Reading and Discussion QuestionsClass ExercisesPrimary Text: G.W.F. Hegel, Morality and the Ethical CommunityReading and Discussion QuestionsClass ExercisesPrimary Text: Karl Marx, Alienated Labor Reading and Discussion QuestionsClass Exercises Primary Text: Karl Marx, Private Property and LaborReading and Discussion QuestionsClass Exercises * 11. Heidegger and ArendtShort Story: Eichmann and Heidegger in Jerusalem, Michael Boylan Reading and Discussion QuestionsFictive-Narrative Philosophy FeedbackPrimary Text: Martin Heidegger, The Exposition of the Question of the Meaning of BeingReading and Discussion Questions Class ExercisesPrimary Text: Hannah Arendt, An Expert on the Jewish QuestionReading and Discussion Questions Class Exercises * 12. MurdochShort Story: An Accidental Woman, Michael BoylanReading and Discussion QuestionsFictive-Narrative Philosophy FeedbackPrimary Text: Iris Murdoch, Ludwigs ConundrumReading and Discussion QuestionsClass Exercises * 13. KingShort Story: Dr. Kings Refrigerator, Charles JohnsonReading and Discussion QuestionsFictive-Narrative Philosophy FeedbackPrimary Text: Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from a Birmingham JailReading and Discussion QuestionsClass Exercises FINAL PROJECTAppendix: Some Philosophy GamesAbout the AuthorsCredits and AcknowledgmentsIndex