Reason & Truth

Professor: Andrew Y. Lee

Course: PHLA10 \ University of Toronto, Scarborough \ Winter 2025
Time: TUESDAYS + THURSDAYS \ 11am–12pm
Location: Arrow Group Innovation Hall (IA B1050)
Email: [email protected]

DESCRIPTION

This course is an introduction to analytic philosophy. We will examine a variety of

philosophical questions concerning knowledge, rationality, reality, consciousness, the
self, and free will.

Learning Outcomes
You’ll have a basic introduction to analytic philosophy. You’ll also have practice mapping
arguments, writing a philosophy paper, and grappling with various philosophical terms,
concepts, arguments, and ideas.

MATERIALS

Norton Introduction to Philosophy (2nd edition)

What Does It All Mean? (Nagel 1987)
iClicker device (purchasable through the UTSC Bookstore)

GRADING

Attendance (Lecture) 5%
Participation (Tutorial) 10%
Argument Maps 25%
Outline 5%
Paper 20%
Exam 35%
ASSIGNMENTS

Attendance—5%
You’re required to attend lecture. To record your attendance, you’ll sign in each class with
iClicker. This will require you to enable Location Services on your phone or computer,
which means you’ll need to physically attend lecture (hence, you cannot simply record
your attendance virtually from a remote location). Attendance will start from the second
class of the semester.

You may miss up to three lectures throughout the semester with no grade penalty (though
you should aim to come to every lecture). After four absences, you’ll lose .25% of your
grade for each missed class. In exceptional circumstances, if you have a justified excuse
for missing more than four lectures (such as illness or a family emergency), then you may
email your TA with evidence and an explanation for why you had to miss the additional
lectures. They’ll decide whether or not to take points off for participation.

Participation—10%
You’re expected to show up to both lecture and tutorial. In tutorial, you’re expected to
actively listen, and on occasion ask a question or make a comment. Your TA will
determine your participation grade at the end of the semester.

Argument Maps—25%
You’ll make three argument maps for the course. The information and the software can
be found at https://maps.simoncullen.org/home. You should read both “Getting Started”
and “Handy Hints for Making Arguments” before you make your first argument map.

Each map should be on a philosophical argument drawn from the course readings. You
may choose any reading (so long as it’s been covered up to that point in class) for any
map. Each map must contain a minimum of 5 nodes and a maximum of 10 nodes. The maps
will be graded on both structure and content. Each map will receive a score from 0–10.

Remember that each node expresses a claim, and that each edge expresses a relation
(either justification or objection) between claims. To ensure that your argument map
makes sense, you should read aloud the green edges as saying, “We should accept this
claim because…” and the red edges as saying “We should reject this claim because…”
Each Argument Map is worth 10 points. Each point contributes to 1% of your grade. If
you score 25 points or above, then you’ll receive full credit for this assignment (but no
extra credit). If you score below 25 points, then your score will be your percentage for this
assignment. For example, if you score 21 points, then you’ll receive 21% (out of a
maximum of 25%) for the Argument Maps assignment.

Outline—5%
You’ll make an outline for your final paper. Your outline should state: (1) what your thesis
will be (1 sentence), (2) your argument for the thesis (1-3 sentences), and (3) the objection
you’ll consider (1 sentence). It’s okay if your actual paper deviates from your outline; the
outline assignment is designed to help you start thinking about the structure of your
paper, and to give you a bit of feedback in advance.

Paper—20%
You’ll write a paper. The paper may be on any topic covered by the class. Your paper
must do the following: (1) argue for a thesis, (2) present an argument in premise-
conclusion form (this may be either an argument for your thesis, or an argument that
you’ll criticize), and (3) present an objection to the argument. The paper should be
approximately 1000 words. You aren’t permitted to use any form of AI assistance. Before
you write your paper, make sure you first read “Some Guidelines for Writing Philosophy
Papers” from the Norton Introduction.

Exam—35%
There will be a final exam during the exam period. The exam will consist of vocabulary,
fill in the blanks, multiple choice, short responses, and a mini-essay (a few paragraphs,
from a choice of prompts).

Due Dates

Each assignment is due by 11:59pm. The due dates are as follows:

1st Argument Map: January 30

2 Argument Map:
nd February 13
3rd Argument Map: March 6
Outline: March 20
Paper: April 3
CLASS POLICIES

Content
The course readings are mixture of primary analytic philosophy articles, editorial
introductions in the Norton Introduction, and introductory chapters from What Does It All
Mean? The readings have been carefully chosen, and aim to collectively strike a balance
between relevance, accessibility, influence, and interest. The order in which the readings
are listed is the order in which I recommend reading them.

For articles in the Norton Introduction to Philosophy, there are sometimes sections titled ‘Test
Your Understanding’, ‘Reader’s Guide’, and ‘Analyzing the Arguments’. These are
mandatory readings. Some of the final exam questions may come from the content in these
sections. Other sections, such as ‘Notes and Arguments’, are optional.

Contact
Nearly all questions (about the course content, assignments, grading, course policies, etc.)
should first be directed to your TA. Please direct your questions to them first (either
through email or office hours). If you have an administrative question about the course,
then it should be directed to the course email.

Late Penalty
You have seven days of extensions to be used throughout the course (on any assignment).
If you use up your entire seven days of extensions, then you’ll incur a penalty of 1% of
your course grade for each day that each of your assignments is late (with a maximum
penalty of a 0% on the assignment). In special circumstances, you may be able to appeal
to your TA for a longer extension (without penalty) on an assignment.

Accommodations
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. If you have a
health consideration that requires accommodations, check out relevant information here.
You can also arrange for support at [email protected] or 416-978-8060.

Academic Integrity
I expect all the work you submit in this course will be your original work. If you have any
questions or concerns in connection with academic integrity, please reach out to me. Key
university resources on academic integrity are available here.
AI Policy
You aren’t permitted to use any form of AI assistance for any of your assignments. While
AI can be a useful tool for academic work, it’s important to first learn the basics of
philosophical writing and analysis. And if you do use AI assistance, then you will be
penalized, possibly even with death.

Plagiarism
You’ll be required to submit your papers to the university’s plagiarism detection tool for
a review of textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, you’ll
allow your paper to be included as a source document in the tool’s reference database,
where it will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply
to the university’s use of this tool are described on the Centre for Teaching Support &
Innovation website.

Resources
Here’s a guide on advice for contacting and talking to your professors.

Association for Philosophy Students

The Association of Philosophy Students (APS) is a student-organized association
partnered with the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
The purpose is to advocate on behalf of philosophy students on matters pertaining to the
quality of their academic experience. The APS has curated a workshop specifically
targeted for PHLA10—"Reason and Truth” in order to facilitate your success on course
assessments. To create a sense of community among philosophy students, the APS has
planned events for students to meet, network, and gain insight into the opportunities
available to those with a passion for philosophy.
The APS will be hosting one event specifically for PHLA10—"Reason and Truth,”
where APS members will work with you to give you a better understanding of the
assignment and of how to avoid common mistakes. They will also host a general
workshop where we will be going over how to read and write philosophy at a university
level. For more information, you can reach out to the APS team
([email protected]) or visit their website at https://utscaps.wordpress.com/.
READINGS

* Note that there are only 22 sessions listed, even though there are 24 teaching days over the
semester. This is to add flexibility to the course schedule. If we cover all the material before the
last day of class, then the last day will be spent on review.

* Readings marked ‘optional’ are optional

* Readings in red are accessible through Quercus
* Readings in black are in either the Norton Introduction to Philosophy or What Does It All Mean?

SESSION 1 Introduction
Syllabus Lee

SESSION 2 Philosophical Tools

Introduction What Does It All Mean?
A Brief Guide to Logic and Argumentation Norton Introduction
Philosophy Toolkit Hajek

SESSION 3 Skepticism
How Do We Know Anything? What Does It All Mean?
How Can We Know About the External World? Norton Introduction

SESSION 4 Knowledge
What is Knowledge? Norton Introduction
Is Justified True Belief Knowledge? Gettier

SESSION 5 Rationality
Is it Reasonable to Believe without Evidence? Norton Introduction
When is Faith Rational? Buchak

SESSION 6 Pascal’s Wager

Pascal’s Ultimate Gamble Hajek
Pascal’s Mugging (optional) Bostrom

SESSION 7 Other Minds

Other Minds What Does It All Mean?
How Can You Know Your Own Mind or the Mind of Another? Norton Introduction
SESSION 8 Introspection
The Unreliability of Naïve Introspection Schwitzgebel

SESSION 9 The Chinese Room

Can Computers Think? Searle
They’re Made of Meat! (optional) Bisson

SESSION 10 The Simulation Argument

Are We Living in a Computer Simulation? Bostrom

SESSION 11 Phenomenal Consciousness

The Mind-Body Problem What Does It All Mean?
What is it like to be a bat? Nagel

SESSION 12 The Hard Problem

What is Consciousness? Norton Introduction
The Hard Problem of Consciousness Chalmers

SESSION 13 The Knowledge Argument

Is Mind Material? Norton Introduction
Epiphenomenal Qualia (you can skip §4) Jackson

SESSION 14 Materialism
Are Mental States Irreducible to Brain States? Churchland

SESSION 15 Dual-Aspect Monism

Is Matter Conscious? Mørch

SESSION 16 Subjectivity vs. Phenomenal Character

The Light & the Room Lee
How to Think about Consciousness (optional) Kind

SESSION 17 Hard Determinism

Free Will What Does It All Mean?
Free Will Strawson
SESSION 18 Compatibilism
Do We Possess Free Will? Norton Introduction
Freedom and Necessity Ayer

SESSION 19 Free Will vs. Free Action

Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person Frankfurt

SESSION 20 Time Travel

The Paradoxes of Time Travel Lewis
The Merchant at the Alchemist’s Gate (optional) Chiang

SESSION 21 Personal Identity

What is Personal Identity? Norton Introduction
Personal Identity Parfit

SESSION 22 Personal Identity

The Self and the Future Williams
CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have a general question about the course (either administrative or academic), then
it should be directed to the PHLA10 course email. If you have a question about specific
assignments or your tutorial, then it should be directed to your TA.

Course Email
Reason & Truth [email protected]

Teaching Assistants
Syed Faateh Ali Head TA | Tutorials 5, 7 [email protected]
Musab Aras Tutorials 3, 8 [email protected]
Andrew Lavigne Tutorials 9, 12, 13 [email protected]
Esther Levine Tutorials 1, 6 [email protected]
Finn Loewen Tutorials 2, 4 [email protected]
Fei Zhou Tutorials 10, 14 [email protected]
Munema Moiz Grader [email protected]