Kant Seminar:
Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Ethics
Phil 190k, sect. 1
Dr. Matt McCormick

Office Hours: Tues. and Thurs, 1:30-2:30, Wed., 2-3,  and by appointment
Office:  Mendocino 3020     Office phone:  278-7372
Email:  mccormick@csus.edu Webpage:  www.csus.edu/indiv/m/mccormickm
Philosophy Department Office:  Mendocino 3032, 278-6424
Catalog Description:  PHIL190. Seminar: Major Philosopher. Intensive study of a single philosopher. Prerequisite: 6 units in philosophy or instructor permission. 3 units.

Required Texts:
Kant, Immanuel.  The Critique of Pure Reason.  trans. Werner Pluhar.  Indianapolis:  Hackett Publishing,    1999.
Kant, Immanuel.  Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals.  New York:  Prentice Hall, 1990.  ISBN: 0-02-307825-1
Wood, Allen.   Kant.  Allen Wood. Maldern, MA:  Blackwell Publishing, 2005.
 

The Course:  Very few philosophers have devised theories that have revolutionized or made a lasting impact on any single topic in philosophy.   Late in his career and in a short span of years, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) published works that had such an impact on almost all of the subdisciplines of philosophy: metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, logic, and political theory.  And while there are may philosophers who disagree with Kant, very few have been able to avoid his influence altogether.

His impact has been felt most dramatically in metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics.  And this course, which is designed to familiarize students with the most important aspects of Kant's work will focus on these three topics.  In the first half of the semester we will study Kant's work on the metaphysics and epistemology.  In 1784 and then again in 1787, Immanuel Kant published the first and second editions of The Critique of Pure Reason which contains the most extensive explanations of the character and structure of objects in the empirical world and what sort of knowledge of them (and non-empirical objects) is possible.  Previously two camps of philosophers, the Empiricists and the Rationalists, seemed to have reached an impasse in their analyses of the relationship between the mind, knowledge, and the external world.  Both groups claimed to have presented methods for acquiring physical and in some cases, metaphysical knowledge, but empiricism and rationalism had both run into difficulties.  Kant instigated a shift in philosophical perspective that he compared to what Copernicus had done for astronomy.  Kant synthesized some of the elements of rationalism and empiricism, recognizing that much of what we know is the result of the activity of our own minds (Rationalism) but also conceding that ultimately our knowledge is based on our reception of sensations from the external world (Empiricism.)

In last third of the course we will study Kant's moral theory in The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785).  Kant argues that an act can only be moral if it is done out of a recognition of duty; it cannot be moral by accident, or from selfish or ulterior motives.  The possession of reason enables humans to determine what moral duty is.  Humans are also uniquely endowed with will, or the capacity to act according to principles or rules.  With reason, we can discover our moral duty and with will we can act according to that principle.  Kant calls the ultimate statement of moral duty, the Categorical Imperative.  Two of the versions of the Categorical Imperative that Kant presents and argues for are:
1)  Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.  And,
2)  Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only.
This moral theory has become recognized as the central work in deontological, or duty based, ethics and its influence is still felt widely today.  The goal of the second half of this course is to develop students' understanding of Kant's moral theory, the argument behind it, its problems, and potential solutions.

Student Outcome Goals:  It is important for students in any major to get a real sense for how professional work is done in their discipline.  Kant is also a profoundly important philosopher in the history of philosophy.  And it is important for majors at the senior level to get an opportunity to do rigorous, focused work on a single topic or philosopher.  So the student outcome goals are:
1)  Learn about Kant's important contributions to the history of philosophy in metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. 
2)  Develop research and writing skills that are appropriate for a 190 level course. 
3)  To familiarize students with the major issues and controversies that surround Kant's work.
4)  To develop students' writing skills, textual analysis skills, and oral discussion skills. 

Short Papers and Argument Reconstructions:  Each student will be required to write 6 short papers or argument reconstruction on some portion of the text.  Detailed instructions will be provided in class.  Each of these papers/reconstructions will be worth 10% of the course grade.

Research Paper:  Students will be required to write a 10-15 page research paper on some topic in Kant's critical philosophy.  The first version of this paper will be due half way through the semester.  I will read these, make comments on them, and return them.  The final revised version will be due at the end of the course.  The paper is worth 15%

Research Paper Topic:  There are countless controversial and interesting issues to explore in Kant.  One way to choose and develop a topic is to present a broader analysis of the short reconstructions we will do in class.  Some of the possibilities include Kant's arguments concerning space, time, the Transcendental Deduction, the Analogies (one of), one of the versions of the Categorical Imperatives, Kant's analysis of the good will, and so on.  A research paper could include a close reconstruction of the argument and consider some secondary critical sources and their reconstructions of the same argument.  A list of useful secondary sources is given below.  I will provide more guidance to narrow the topic, interpret the arguments, and help students find additional relevant secondary sources.

Exams:  There will be a final comprehensive exam for the course.  It will be a combination of essay questions and terms.  A full list of questions and terms will be made available near the end of the course.  The final will be taken from those.  The final will be worth 15% of the course grade.

Attendance:  Class attendance is mandatory.  Anyone with 4 or more unexcused absences will receive a 0 for class attendance and participation.  Everyone is expected to come to class prepared, having read the assigned materials, and ready to participate in the class discussions.  Everyone who meets these requirements will receive a full 10% for their class participation grade.  Failure to meet these requirements will result in a proportional reduction of that grade.  
    If there are emergencies that force you to miss class, they may be excused in some rare cases.  You must notify me that you will be missing class before it occurs.  And I will require evidence in order to excuse the absence(s).  

Late Assignments:  Each student may take one extension on a due paper/reconstruction until the next class period.  This is the only extension you will have, so use it wisely.  You do not need to inform me when you choose to take your extension.  You may not use the extension on the final exam or on the due date for the final version of the research paper.  .  
All other late assignments will be penalized one letter grade a day.

Being Tardy:  I take roll at the beginning of class; students who are late will be counted absent and will miss assignments, important information, and as a result, will do poorly in the course. 3 tardies  counts as an absence.  

Missed Assignments:  Be forewarned:  A missed assignment will be entered as a 0 in the grade spreadsheet, and that has a substantial negative impact on your course grade.  Even an F (55 points) has a less damaging effect on your grade.
There will be no extra credit or make up assignments for any missed work.
Do not submit assignments by email.

Grading Guidelines:  A detailed explanation of the standards employed in this course to grade assignments and the requirements for different grades can be found at:  http://www.csus.edu/phil/req/grading.htm

Cheating:  No cheating of any sort will be tolerated in this course. All sources in papers must be cited and given appropriate credit.  The author of any information from the Internet must be given credit; using such information without indicating the source is stealing someone else's hard work and is immoral.  Students are allowed to discuss lectures and even assignments with each other, but they must do their own work.  Be cautious of sharing your notes and ideas with someone who did not attend class and did not take notes;  that person has much more to gain than you do.

Here is the university policy on academic honesty:
The attempt by a student to cheat on an exam or other academic assignment or to engage in plagiarism is a violation of a fundamental principle of academic honesty and integrity and will not be tolerated in the University. Formal procedures exist for dealing with these cases and penalties will be imposed on students who are found guilty of academic dishonesty. In the event of expulsion, suspension or probation, a notation is made on the student’s transcript. Suspension and probation notations remain on the transcript for the life of the suspension/probation.
 

All students will be responsible for reading and following the university honesty, plagiarism, and cheating policies.  They are posted on the web at:  http://www.csus.edu/admbus/umanual/UMA00150.htm
 

Intellectual Property Right Policy.  The development of websites and businesses that buy students' notes and papers and resell them to other students willing to cheat has made this policy necessary:
I do not give my permission for any materials presented in my course, including but not limited to lectures, lecture notes, assignments, tests, and handouts, to be sold without my explicit written permission.  Those materials also may not be given, or otherwise transferred by anyone who is not currently enrolled in my course to anyone who is currently enrolled in my course.  Nor can they be given or otherwise transferred to anyone who is currently enrolled in my course to anyone who is not.  They may not be used for any commercial purposes without my explicit written permission.  Their use is to be educational and confined to use in my class.  Anyone who violates these policies is in conflict with university intellectual copyright policy and will be subject to legal action.

Grade Breakdown:
Short papers/reconstructions:  6 @ 10% each
Final Exam  15%
Class Attendance and Participation     10%
Research Paper  15%

Course Schedule:
Week 1: Introduction; Empiricism, Rationalism, the Critical Method.
    Reading:  Critique of Pure Reason, Kitcher's introduction, Kant's Introductions and Prefaces, pgs. xxv-lix, 5-68
    Wood:  Chapter 1:  Life and Works, pgs. 1-24.
 Week 2:  continued.
    Reading:  Wood, chapter 2, pgs. 24-45.
Week 3:   Space and Time:  Kant's Transcendental Aesthetic and synthetic a priori knowledge
    Reading:  Critique of Pure Reason, pp. 69-104.
Week 4:   How are we able to form judgmetns?  Concepts. 
    Reading:  Critique of Pure Reason, Transcendental Logic, pgs. 105-140.
Week 5:   The Self and the World:  the Transcendental Deduction. 
    Reading:  Critique of Pure Reason,  pp. 141-203
    Wood:  Chapter 3 and 4, 46-83.
Week 6:   Transcendental Deduction continued
Week 7:   Analogies of Experience and the Refutation of Material Idealism.
    Reading:  Critique of Pure Reason,  pp. 247-282.
Week 8:   continued.
Week 9:  Phenomena and Noumena, pp. 303-322.
Week 10:  The Transcendental Dialectic
    Reading:  Critique of Pure Reason, pgs. 442-496, 496-559.
    Wood:  Chapter 5, pgs. 84-109.
Week 11:   Kant's Moral Theory:  the good will.
    Reading:  Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Section I, pp. 43-60
    Wood, Chapter 7, pgs. 129-150.
Week 12: Duty and the Categorical Imperatives.
    Reading:  Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Section II, pp. 44-93.
    Wood, Chapter 8, 151-170.
Week 13: Freedom.
    Reading:  Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Section III, pp. 94-108. 
    Wood, Chapter 9, 171-187.
Week 14:  continued, Wrap up. 
 

Other Helpful Secondary works on Kant's Critique of Pure Reason:
The Cambridge Companion to Kant.  eds. Paul Guyer and Allen Wood.
Allison, Henry.  Kant's Transcendental Idealism.
Brittan, Gordon.  Kant's Theory of Science
Brook, Andrew.  Kant's Philosophy of Mind.
Guyer, Paul.  The Cambridge Companion to Kant
Kitcher, Patricia.  Kant's Transcendental Psychology.
Smith, Norman Kemp.  A Commentary to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.

Secondary works on Kant's moral theory:
Guyer, Paul.  Kant's Ethical Thought
Korsgaard, Christina.  Creating a Kingdom of Ends
Herman, Barbara.  The Practice of Moral Judgment
O'neill, Onora.  Constructions of Reason
The Cambridge Companion to Kant, ed. Paul Guyer and Allen Wood

Online resources: