Practicing Philosophical Methods

Prof. Eric Yang (Santa Clara University)

General Description

This course will have students learn and practice different philosophical methodologies as employed by historical philosophers, in particular Socrates, Thomas Aquinas, and Confucius. We’ll start with a close examination of Socrates’s use of the elenchus or the method of cross-examination, and we’ll practice the method by trying to answer certain questions: What is knowledge? What is bullshit? What is awesomeness? We will then study the method of disputatio in Aquinas, focusing on condensing arguments and accurately summarizing objections and opposing positions, and we will hold formal
debates (on contemporary issues) in class following the medieval format. Finally, we will practice the approach of Confucianism by reflecting on the sayings and actions of Confucius and the sages who are regarded as moral exemplars. We will then practice this method by closely observing moral exemplars and trying to imitate similar patterns of decision-making and action. We will conclude by assessing the strengths and limitations of the various approaches as well as attempt to devise other philosophical methods.

Readings

Plato, Apology, Laches & Charmides
Linda Zagzebski, “What is Knowledge?”
Nick Riggle, excerpts from On Being Awesome
Harry Frankfurt, excerpts from On Bullshit
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Q. 2, a. 3; Q. 75, a. 1, 4; Q. 76, a. 1
David DeGrazia, “The Case for Moderate Gun Control”
Timothy Hsiao, C’Zar Bernstein, “Against Moderate Gun Control”
David Miller, “Immigration: The Case for Limits”
Chandran Kukathas, “The Case for Open Immigration”
Confucius, The Essential Analects. Translated by Edward Slingerland.

Schedule

June 24: Socratic Cross-examination

Readings

Plato, Apology
Plato, Laches

After a brief introduction to philosophical methods, we will be discussing Plato’s
Apology and Laches. The former gives us a sense of Socrates’ mission and justification for employing the method of elenchus, which is the method of crossexamination. We will then study the method in action in the Laches, paying
careful attention to how it works as the interlocutors of that dialogue attempt to
answer the question, “what is courage?”

June 25: More on the Elenchus

Readings

Plato, Charmides

We will continue to examine the way in which the elenchus is put in action in the
Charmides, noticing the subtleties of Socrates’ employment of this philosophical
method. Possible guest lecture by Hamilton College professor Justin Clark on the
Socratic method.

June 26: Knowledge, Awesomeness, Bullshit

Readings

Linda Zagzebski, “What is Knowledge?”
Nick Riggle, excerpts from On Being Awesome
Harry Frankfurt, excerpts from On Bullshit

We will employ the elenchus on contemporary attempts to answer the following
questions:

What is knowledge?
What is awesomeness?
What is bullshit?

We will examine the ways that contemporary philosophers have tried to answer
these questions and see if they withstand Socratic cross-examination.

June 27: Passing the Test

No reading

Students will have been assigned to try and define certain terms (e.g., ‘religion,’
‘science,’ ‘chair,’ etc.), and we will be cross-examining each other in class,
learning how to employ the method as well as see if any of our analyses can pass
the Socratic test.

June 28: Disputatio

Readings

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Q. 2, a. 3; Q. 75, a. 1, 4; Q. 76, a. 1

We will begin studying the medieval method of disputatio in Aquinas’s Summa
Theologiae. The goal will be learning how to reconstruct concisely and fairly an
opponent’s arguments/objections, make subtle distinctions, advance one’s own
argument, and then respond to each of the opposing arguments/objections.

July 1: Debating Immigration and Gun Control

Readings

David DeGrazia, “The Case for Moderate Gun Control”
Timothy Hsiao, C’Zar Bernstein, “Against Moderate Gun Control”
David Miller, “Immigration: The Case for Limits”
Chandran Kukathas, “The Case for Open Immigration”

After reading articles on opposing sides on immigration and gun control, we will
work in class to construct a medieval article (in the disputatio format) that
accurately and concisely reconstructs an opponents arguments, appeals to an
authority (perhaps one of the authors), provides the group’s assessment, and
offers a response to each of the opposing arguments.

July 2: Formal Debate

No reading

We will be holding debates in class following the style of a disputatio, based on
the reconstructions from the previous day. When presenting the arguments of an
opponent, the presenter would not be allowed to proceed until the reconstruction
was acceptable to the interlocutor who endorses that argument. This will
hopefully help us to avoid the strawman fallacy and to cultivate open-mindedness.

July 3: Confucius

Readings

Confucius, The Essential Analects. Translated by Edward Slingerland.

We will be discussing the Analects, paying close attention to the sayings and
actions of Confucius, who is represented as an exemplar for the community.
Although we will discuss various unique virtues and practices in that culture (e.g.,
filial piety, ritual), the goal will be to see how ethical principles and practices can
be gleaned through observation of persons.

July 4: Narrative and Observation

No reading

Earlier in the week, students will have been asked to observe carefully someone in
the summer school, or to consider the life of someone they know (including
fictional characters). After considering their narratives and our close observations
of what they say and how they behave, we will see if ethical guidance can be
gleaned from such attention to potential exemplars.
 

July 5: Evaluating Philosophical Methods

No reading

We conclude the course examining the benefits and weaknesses of the Socratic
elenchus, the medieval disputatio, and narrative observation. We will then try to
construct novel methods and approaches to addressing philosophical issues and
questions, either inspired from these methods or from ideas learned during the
summer school.