GEN1000 Perspectives on General Education
PPE1001 Introduction to Philosophy
Men from East and West have been asking and answering perennial questions, e.g., How do I know what is true? Does God exist? What ought I to do? Who am I? This module aims to provide students with a general understanding of philosophical responses to these questions from historical and cultural perspectives. Starting from discussion on practical issues, students are required to read the primary texts of great thinkers in the East and the West with guidance. Thus this module helps students appreciate the study of humanities and the way in which it is relevant to daily life.
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
a. describe the nature, methodology and scope of philosophy;
b. identify the key big questions and answers;
c. explain and critically evaluate various thoughts of great thinkers;
d. develop their own arguments and answers to the perennial questions;
e. engage in debate of the big questions argumentatively
1. What is philosophy?
1.1 Definition of Philosophy
1.2 Purpose of Philosophy: why do we need philosophy?
1.3 Philosophy and life: is thinking important to us?
1.4 Philosophy in everyday life
2. The meaning of life
2.1 Question of the meaning of life
2.2 Different approaches to the meaning of life
2.3 After life: is death the end of life?
3. God
3.1 Existence of God: does God exist?
3.2 Problem of the evil
3.3 Controversy over the relationship between religion and science
3.4 Religion and ethics: does religion cause violence?
4. Reality, truth and the problem of worldview
4.1 Metaphysics: why is there something rather than nothing?
4.2 Theory of knowledge: how do we know?
4.3 Problem of worldview: the self, the others and the world
5. Freedom and determinism: the destiny in life and history
5.1 Free will and determinism: is everything in my life already predestined?
5.2 Teleology of the world: where is the end of the world?
6. Justice and the good society
6.1 Definition of justice: what is justice?
6.2 Is a just society possible?
6.3 Liberty, equality and justice
6.4 Justice and utopia
7. Beauty
7.1 Aesthetic judgement: is beauty merely an irrational, subjective and personal judgement?
7.2 Beauty and ugliness: is there any objective distinction between beauty and ugliness?
8. Love, desire and reason
8.1 Emotion: are emotions irrational?
8.2 Desire: Am I really a slave to pleasure?
8.3 Nature of love
8.4 Weakness of the will
9. Technology: humans and machines
9.1 Human destiny: if A.I. take over the world in the future?
9.2 Technology and good life: can technology bring us a happy life?
10. Ecology: humans, animals and nature
10.1 Difference between humans and animals: can animals think like humans?
10.2 Anthropocene: are humans the master of nature?
1. Balaguer, M. (2014). Free will. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
2. Gaarder, Jostein (2007). Sophie’s World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy [1991]. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
3. Gould, J. A. & Mulvaney, R. J. (Eds.). (2007). Classic philosophical questions (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall.
4. Hopers, J. (1997). An introduction to philosophical analysis (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Publishing.
5. Nagel, T. (1987). What Does It all mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press.
6. Palmquist, S. (2000). The Tree of Philosophy. Hong Kong: Philopsychy Press.
7. *Solomon, R. C. & Higgins, K. M (2010). The Big Questions: A Short Introduction to Philosophy. 8th edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
8. 張卜天(譯)(2012)。《大問題:簡明哲學導論》(第 3 版)(原作者:R. C. Soloman)。桂林:廣西師範大學出版社。(原著出版年:2010)
9. 張智皓 (2013)。《今天學哲學了沒》。台北:商周出版。
10. 傅佩榮 (2003)。《哲學與人生》。台北:天下遠見。
11. 曾瑞明 (2018)。《香港人應該思考的 40 個哲學問題》。香港:商務印書館。
12. 彭孟堯 (2015)。《哲學入門:想想哲學 (第二版)》。台北:洪葉文化。
13. 黃惟郁(譯)(2010)。《哲學入門九堂課》(第 19 版) (原作者:T. Nagel)。台北:究竟出版社。(原著出版年:1987)
