Introduction
to Philosophy
and Philosophical Methodology - Standards,
Benchmarks, Indicators A.
List
examples of ways that the term philosophy is defined. B.
Distinguish
the difference between personal philosophy and the
academic study of philosophy. Benchmark
1.2: Student will
understand how philosophy attempts to answer
the underlying questions of human nature and experience. A.
Give
examples of some "big" philosophical questions
such as "What is justice", "What is truth", "What is
beauty", etc. B.
Explain
how philosophers focus on the universality of human
nature and experience in their answers to these questions. C.
Define
absolutism and relativism. Benchmark
1.3:
Students will
understand and demonstrate the process of making, analyzing, and
communicating
sound philosophical arguments. A.
Recognize
and explain the fallacies in classical faulty arguments
such as slippery slope, hasty generalization, equivocation, ad hominem,
etc. B.
Distinguish
between and explain the qualities of both deductive
and inductive arguments. C.
Explain
the meaning of such terms as logic, assumption,
proposition, premise, inference, conclusion, validity, truth (in
logic), etc. D.
Analyze
and evaluate the validity of an argument using logical
processes to distinguish between good arguments and poor ones. E.
Develop
sound arguments based on reasoning and correct use of
logic to demonstrate how the truth of one proposition is connected with
the
truth of another. F.
Demonstrate
good communication skills (both written and spoken)
in the process of presenting and defending a philosophical argument. G.
Analyze
a variety of philosophical arguments to provide sound,
insightful, critiques of those views. Benchmark
1.4: Student will
understand the practical value of
philosophy. A.
Explain
how the study of philosophy can be applied to other
fields of study such as natural science, religion, law, mathematics,
forensics,
etc. B.
Explain
how the study of philosophy can be applied to
occupational fields such as business, medicine, law, government, etc. C.
Describes
how the academic study of philosophy can deepen one’s
personal beliefs and values. D.
Demonstrate
how philosophical theories can add to discussions on
contemporary issues and events. |
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Philosophers
- Standards, Benchmarks, Indicators Standard
2- Students will understand and critically
evaluate the basic ideas of major western philosophers and recognize
how those
ideas are evident in contemporary issues and events. A.
Explain the transition from
understanding the
world through myth to understanding through philosophy. B.
Discuss the ideas and method
of Greek
pre-Socratic philosophers such as Thales, Pythagoras, Democritus,
Heraclitus,
Parmenides, and the Sophists C.
Discuss the philosophy and
major points of
view of Socrates/Plato and examine their basic differences with the
ideas of
the Sophists. D.
Explain the philosophy and
major points of
view of Aristotle and examine his basic differences with the ideas of
Socrates/Plato. E.
Discuss selected philosophical
themes such as
knowledge, ethics, political theory, metaphysics, religion, etc. in
terms of
the issues raised by these philosophers as applied to our lives in
today?s
world. Benchmark
2.2-
Students will understand and critically evaluate the major Hellenistic
philosophies. A.
Explain the distinctive
social, political,
cultural and intellectual aspects of the Hellenistic period that made
it
different from the Greek world. B.
Discuss the philosophy and
major aspects of
the Epicureanism. C.
Discuss the philosophy and
major aspects of
Stoicism. D.
Discuss the philosophy and
major aspects of
Skepticism. E.
Discuss the philosophy and
major aspects of
Neo-Platonism. F.
Discuss selected philosophical
themes such as
knowledge, ethics, political theory, metaphysics, religion, etc. in
terms of
the issues raised by these philosophies as applied to our lives in
today?s
world. Benchmark
2.3-
Students will understand and critically evaluate selected philosophers
of the
Middle Ages. A.
Explain the distinctive
social, political,
cultural and intellectual aspects of society in the Middle Ages that
made it
different from the ancient world. B.
Discuss the philosophy and
major points of
view of Augustine and examine how his thinking affected the Middle Ages. C.
Explain scholasticism in the
context of the
society of the Middle Ages. D.
Discuss the philosophy and
major points of
view of Thomas Aquinas and examine how his views on Aristotle and
science
impacted the Middle Ages. E.
Discuss selected philosophical
themes such as
knowledge, ethics, political theory, metaphysics, religion, etc. in
terms of
the issues raised by these philosophies as applied to our lives in
today?s
world. A.
Explain the distinctive
social, political,
cultural and intellectual aspects of the modern world from the
Renaissance and
Enlightenment through nineteenth century Romanticism that made it
different
from the Middle Ages. B.
Discuss the philosophy and
major points of
view of Rene Descartes and examine his justification and use of
rationalism. C.
Discuss the philosophy and
points of view of
David Hume and other Empiricist philosophers such as John Locke and
Bishop
George Berkeley and examine how their views differ from those of
Descartes. D.
Discuss the philosophy and
points of view of
Immanuel Kant and explain how his philosophy proved to be a synthesis
of
rationalism and empiricism. E.
Discuss the philosophy and
points of view of
Georg F.W. Hegel and examine how his views were affected by Romanticism. F.
Discuss the philosophy and
points of view of
Karl Marx and examine how his views rose from Hegel?s ideas and his
studies in
history and economics. G.
Discuss selected philosophical
themes such as
knowledge, ethics, political theory, metaphysics, religion, etc. in
terms of
the issues raised by these philosophies as applied to our lives in
today?s
world. Benchmark
2.5- Students
will understand and critically evaluate selected philosophers who
contributed
to the development of Existentialism. A.
Explain the basic principles
of Existentialism
defining such terms as existence over essence, anxiety, absurdity
nothingness
and alienation. B.
Explain the distinctive
social, political,
cultural and intellectual aspects of the late Nineteenth Century that
brought
about major changes in the way humans thought about themselves and
their place
in society. C.
Discuss the philosophy and
points of view of
Soren Kierkegaard and explain why he is considered to be a Christian
existentialist. D.
Discuss the philosophy and
points of view of
Friedrich Nietzsche and explain his opposition to both Hegel?s
philosophy and
Christianity and his position on the type of people we should become. E.
Discuss selected philosophical
themes such as
knowledge, ethics, political theory, metaphysics, religion, etc. in
terms of
the issues raised by these philosophies as applied to our lives in
today?s
world. |