161-010 Scepticism and Reason

At least one single-semester first-year philosophy subject, or permission from the Head of School or the subject coordinator.

This subject deals with two major topics in the contemporary theory of knowledge and rational belief. Firstly, scepticism: Are most of my ordinary commonsense beliefs about the world around me beliefs which I am justified in holding? Do I have good reasons for their truth? Secondly, a priori knowledge: Are there logically necessary truths? Is there a priori knowledge? If so, how are we to understand the capacity of human beings to possess a priori knowledge? Students should gain a sound general comprehension of the major recent advances in our philosophical understanding of the nature and structure of knowledge and the roles of experience and reasoning in contributing to this structure.

• be able to understand both the heart of a philosophical issue and its broader implications;

• have learnt to form a critical understanding of philosophical texts;

• have developed their skills to construct rigorous philosophical arguments.

A written assignment of 2000 words 50% (due mid-semester), a 2-hour closed-book written examination 45% (held at the end of semester) and tutorial participation 5%.

A subject reader will be available.