24.260 Topics in Philosophy: David Lewis
Spring 2008
Instructor and Guest Instructors: Agustin Rayo, Susanna Margaret Rinard, Christopher Robichaud
Lecture:
MW11-12.30
(56-167)
Office Hours: T2:30-3:30
(32-D932)
Information:
Course Description
The class will be devoted to the work of David Lewis, one of the most exciting and influential philosophers of the late twentieth century. We will have seminar-style discussions about his work on counterfactuals, time, causation, probability and decision-theory.
You probably shouldn't take this class unless you've had some prior exposure to analytic philosophy. Some of the papers we will be discussing are difficult, and will require hard work.
Readings:
Most of the readings will come from the following book:
David Lewis, Philosophical Papers volume II, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Please make sure you have access to a copy throughout the
class.
Course Requirements: Grades will be calculated as follows:
-
45% Final Essay
-
20% Classroom Participation
-
20% Homeworks
-
15% In-class Presentation
Final Essay
(due May 14 by 11:05 AM)
A 15-20 page essay developing an idea related to the material discussed in class. For guidelines on writing a philosophy paper (and information about how you'll be graded), please see this document, by Jim Pryor. All work on the the final essay must be the student's own. Any suspicion of plagiarism or academic dishonesty will be aggressively pursued.
Classroom Participation
This is a seminar-style class, so classroom participation is crucial. In order to get full credit for this component of the final grade you must regularly participate in classroom discussions and in the process of doing so demonstrate that you have read (and worked through) the required readings.
Homeworks
You must submit a 200-300 word précis of each of the required readings (see calendar). The précis are due by 11:05 AM on the day of the first session in which the relevant reading is discussed. (Please include word-count.) Précis will be given a grade of acceptable or unacceptable, and your final grade for this component of the class will correspond to the percentage of acceptable marks you receive. With the exception of extraordinary circumstances - typically involving a medical problem - late assignments will not be accepted. Instead, each person will be given a freebie: an assignment that doesn't get taken into account. Assignments may be handed in before class or submitted via email to arayo@mit.edu. Hand-written assignments are not acceptable. Email submissions must be in either plain-text or pdf format. (If you are unable to produce such formats, print out your assignment and hand in a hard-copy before class. ) It is okay to discuss readings with other students taking the class, and to consult published materials. But each student must write the précis on his or her own.
In-Class Presentation
Each student must deliver a 15-20 minute presentation on one of the required readings. The presentation can either summarize the reading for the rest of the class, or to discuss an issue raised by the text. This component of your final grade will be determined on the basis of whether your presentation reveals that you have seriously engaged with the relevant reading.
Email:
Class announcements may be sent to students' MIT email accounts. It is your responsibility to check your MIT account for any email about the class.
Announcements
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