This course will be an introduction to philosophy in two senses. First, we will address a fairly wide variety of questions in philosophy that provide an idea of what philosophy is about. Some examples: Can we prove the existence of God? What is knowledge? What is science? What ought to be the role of reason in our decision making processes? From what sources can knowledge be derived? What does it mean to behave morally? What rights ought we have in our society?
Second, as we cover this variety of subjects, we will also focus in on a more narrow topic area so that we will be able to apply the methods of philosophical analysis in a more sustained and (hopefully) deep way. This semester we will focus our attention on Intelligent Design. Although there are many approaches one can take when examining this topic (e.g., from within science, from a particular theological viewpoint, as a study in contemporary culture, as political science, as a matter of constitutional law), our approach will be philosophical: we will use the methods of philosophy to analyze the logic and foundations of, for example, the original philosophical arguments for the existence of God from apparent design in nature, proposals that the design argument can be made scientific, and questions about freedom of religion and "teaching the controversy". The papers in the class will all be focused on this topic area.