Course Outline for Philosophy 65
Introduction to Philosophy: Theory of Knowledge

Effective: Fall 2025
SLO Rev:

Catalog Description:

PHIL 65 - Introduction to Philosophy: Theory of Knowledge

3.00 Units

This class explores and critically analyzes fundamental questions about knowledge. Key questions include: What is knowledge? How is knowledge acquired? How do I know that I am not living in a computer simulation? Theories about knowledge, truth, and justification will be explored, including: rationalism, empiricism, pragmatism, and skepticism. This class traces the history of epistemological ideas from Plato, Aristotle, and the Buddha, to Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, and Gettier.
Strongly Recommended: ENGL C1000 (Formerly ENGL 1)
CB03: TOP Code 1509.00 - Philosophy
CIP Code 38.0101 - Philosophy.
Course Grading: Letter Grade Only
Type Units Inside of Class Hours Outside of Class Hours Total Student Learning Hours
Lecture 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00
Total 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00

Measurable Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. employ the methods of philosophical inquiry, especially the principles of logic and critical thinking to reason clearly, consistently, and carefully about ethics;
  2. employ the methods of philosophical inquiry to unmask and question assumptions and highlight distinctions;
  3. employ the methods of philosophical inquiry to hone the portable language skills of speaking and writing clearly and effectively, as well as listening and reading carefully and critically;
  4. employ the methods of philosophical inquiry to cultivate philosophical virtues of being open-minded, curious, free-thinking, imaginative, truth-seeking, appropriately skeptical, and intellectually humble and charitable;
  5. explicate and analyze Plato’s theory of knowledge as justified, true belief;
  6. explicate and analyze Gettier’s problem with knowledge as justified, true belief;
  7. explicate and analyze responses to the Gettier problem;
  8. explicate and analyze the correspondence theory of truth;
  9. explicate and analyze the coherence or pragmatic theory of truth;
  10. explicate and analyze at least two of the following theories of justification: foundationalism, coherentism, infinitism, reliabilism, internalism, externalism, fallibilism, and infallibilism;
  11. explicate and analyze Hume’s problem of induction;
  12. convey understanding of the problem of skepticism revealed in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave in The Republic;
  13. convey understanding of Descartes’ response to the skeptic contained in the Meditations on First Philosophy, including an understanding of his dream and evil demon hypotheses;
  14. convey understanding of the skepticism depicted in film and television, e.g., depicted in The Matrix, Inception, Vanilla Sky, West World, and Black Mirror;
  15. convey understanding of the responses to skepticism, e.g., from Russell, Moore, and Putnam;
  16. convey understanding of the problem of other minds;
  17. convey understanding of the rationalist’s view of knowledge, including that of Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz;
  18. convey understanding of the empiricist’s view of knowledge, including that of Locke, Berkeley, and Hume;
  19. convey understanding of Kant’s transcendental idealism;
  20. convey understanding of the epistemological views, arguments, and concepts expressed by at least two of the following: Plato, Aristotle, and the Buddha;
  21. convey understanding of the epistemological views, arguments, and concepts expressed by Descartes and Locke;
  22. convey understanding of the epistemological views, arguments, and concepts expressed by Hume and Kant;
  23. convey understanding of the epistemological views, arguments, and concepts expressed by at least two of the following: Hypathia, James, Dewey, and Pierce;
  24. convey understanding of the epistemological views, arguments, and concepts expressed by Popper and Kuhn.

Course Content:

  1. Philosophical Inquiry & Methodology (at least 4 of the following)
    1. Arguments
    2. Logical consistency 
    3. Questioning assumptions
    4. Thought experiments and counterexamples
    5. Philosophical discussion and dialog
    6. Clear and effective writing and speaking about epistemology
    7. Critical and careful reading and listening about epistemology, especially primary source material
    8. Practicing philosophical virtues: open-mindedness, curiosity, free-thinking, imagination, truth-seeking, appropriate skepticism, and intellectual humility and charity
  2. Theories of Knowledge
    1. Plato’s justified, true belief
    2. The Gettier problem
    3. Responses to the Gettier problem 
  3. Theories of Truth 
    1. Russell’s correspondence theory
    2. Coherence or pragmatism 
  4. Theories of Justification (at least 2 of the following)
    1. Foundationalism
    2. Coherentism
    3. Infinitism
    4. Reliabilism 
    5. Internalism and externalism
    6. Fallibilism and infallibilism 
  5. The Problem of Skepticism
    1. Plato’s Cave
    2. Descartes’ dream and evil demon hypotheses
    3. Skepticism depicted in film and television: The Matrix, Inception, Vanilla Sky, West World, and Black Mirror 
    4. Responses to skepticism, e.g., from Russell, Moore, and Putnam
    5. The problem of other minds
  6. Historical Schools of Thought
    1. The Rationalists: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz
    2. The Empiricists: Locke, Berkeley, Hume
    3. Kant’s transcendental idealism
  7. Hume’s Problem of Induction
    1. Reactions to the problem of induction
  8. Science and Knowledge
    1. The demarcation problem
    2. Popper’s falsification
    3. Kuhn’s paradigm shifts
    4. Objectivity and neutrality

Additional Topics May Include

  1. Contemporary theories of knowledge 
    1. Social constructionism
    2. Virtue epistemology
    3. Contextualism
    4. Minimalist and deflationary theories of truth
    5. Bostrom’s simulation argument
  2. Hindu and Buddhist theories of knowledge
    1. Jnana, Prajna, & Vidya
  3. Threats to knowledge
    1. Cognitive bias
    2. Confirmation bias
    3. Motivated reasoning

Methods of Instruction:

  1. Assigned reading
  2. Lecture/Discussion
  3. Distance Education
  4. Problem Solving
  5. Case Study
  6. Group Activities
  7. Lectures
  8. Textbook reading assignments
  9. Class and group discussions
  10. Research project
  11. Oral and Written Analysis
  12. Review
  13. Written assignments
  14. Lecture/Discussion

Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:

1. Typical Assignments
  1. Written midterm exam: five 200 to 400-word essays questions, e.g., Explicate and analyze Plato’s Allegory of the Cave; What conclusions did Descartes draw from his dream and evil demon hypotheses?; Why did Putnam claim that we are not brains-in-vats?; How is skepticism exemplified in the film Inception?
  2. Collaborative: Split class into two groups, and discuss and debate the strengths and weaknesses of the rationalist and empiricist views on knowledge.
  3. 1500 word essay analyzing Kant’s transcendental idealism.
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
  1. Exams/Tests
  2. Quizzes
  3. Class Participation
  4. written essays
  5. Essay Exams
  6. Final Class Performance
  7. Papers
3. Student Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. employ the methods of philosophical inquiry, especially the principles of logic and critical thinking;
  2. explicate and analyze theories of knowledge, truth, and justification, including: knowledge as justified, true belief; the Gettier Problem; the correspondence and pragmatic theories of truth; and Hume’s problem of induction;
  3. explain the historically important epistemological schools of thought including: skepticism, rationalism, empiricism, and Kant’s transcendental idealism;
  4. explain the epistemological views, arguments, and concepts expressed by: Plato, Aristotle, Buddha, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, James, Popper, Kuhn, and Gettier.

Textbooks (Typical):

  1. Plato (1900). The Republic Wikisource https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Republic_of_Plato.
  2. Descartes, René (1901). Meditations on First Philosophy Wikisource https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Meditations_on_First_Philosophy.
  1. Plato (375). The Republic Project Gutenberg.
  2. Descartes, René (1641). Meditations on First Philosophy Project Gutenberg.
  3. Hetherington, Stephen (2012). Epistemology: The Key Thinkers (1st). Continuum.
  4. Lemos, Noah (2020). An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge (2nd). Cambridge University Press.
  5. McCain, Kevin (2021). Epistemology: 50 Puzzles, Paradoxes, and Thought Experiments (1st). Rutledge.
  6. Audi, Robert (2010). Epistemology: A Contemporary Introduction to the theory of Knowledge (3). Routledge.

Abbreviated Class Schedule Description:

This class explores and critically analyzes fundamental questions about knowledge. Key questions include: What is knowledge? How is knowledge acquired? How do I know that I am not living in a computer simulation? Theories about knowledge, truth, and justification will be explored. This class traces the history of epistemological ideas from Plato, the Buddha, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Gettier.
Strongly Recommended: ENGL C1000 (Formerly ENGL 1)

Discipline:
Philosophy*