This is a 4-tutorial reading list for the Oxford first year “general philosophy” paper. Students may wish to also consult the philosophy faculty’s reading list available through WebLearn.
Particularly significant readings are starred (*).
Before writing your first essay, you would be well advised to look at Jim Prior’s excellent guidelines on writing a philosophy essay.
1. Knowledge
- (*) Descartes, “First meditation”, in Descartes, R. (2008). Meditations on First Philosophy: With Selections from the Objections and Replies. (M. Moriarty, Ed.). Oxford University Press (many other editions available)
- (*) Gettier, E. L. (1963). Is Justified True Belief Knowledge? Analysis, 23(6), 121–123 http://www.jstor.org/stable/3326922 (reprinted in B&D)
- (*) Nozick, “Knowledge and Skepticism”, pp. 167–185 in Nozick, R. (1981). Philosophical explanations. Oxford: Clarendon Press (reprinted in B&D)
- Armstrong, “The Thermometer Model of Knowledge”, pp. 162-183 in Armstrong, D. M. (. M. (1973). Belief, truth and knowledge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (reprinted in B&D)
Many of the readings above are found in (B&D) Bernecker, S., & Dretske, F. I. (2000). Knowledge: readings in contemporary epistemology. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Essay question: Does Descartes’ “evil demon” thought experiment show that we cannot know anything about the external world? OR What is the “justified true belief” analysis of knowledge? Is it correct?
2. Mind and body
- (*) Descartes, “Second meditation” and “Sixth meditation”, in Descartes, R. (2008). Meditations on First Philosophy: With Selections from the Objections and Replies. (M. Moriarty, Ed.). Oxford University Press (many other editions available)
- (*) Smart, J. J. (1959). Sensations and brain processes. The Philosophical Review, 68(2), 141–156
- (*) Jackson, F. (1982). Epiphenomenal qualia. The Philosophical Quarterly, 32(127), 127–136
- (*) Lewis, D. (1999). What experience teaches. In Papers in Metaphysics and Epistemology: (pp. 262–290). Cambridge University Press
Essay question: What are “qualia”? Does the existence of qualia show that some aspect of the mind are non-physical?
3. Personal identity
- (*) Locke, J. (2008). An essay concerning human understanding. (P. Phemister, Ed.). New York ; Oxford: Oxford University Press (many other editions available) book II, ch. XXVII
- (*) Shoemaker, S. S. (1959). Personal identity and memory. The Journal of Philosophy, 56(22), 868–882
- (*) Williams, B. (1970). The self and the future. The Philosophical Review, 79(2), 161–180
- (*) Parfit, D. (1971). Personal Identity. The Philosophical Review, 80(1), 3–27 http://www.jstor.org/stable/2184309
- Lewis, “Survival and identity” in Lewis, D. K. (1983). Philosophical Papers. Oxford University Press, USA
Essay question: What is Locke’s memory theory of personal identity? Is it correct? OR What does the possibility of fission show about personal identity?
4. Free will
- (*) David Hume (1999). An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Oxford University Press on Demand, ch. 8 (many other editions available)
- (*) van Inwagen, P. (2003). An argument for incompatibilism. In G. Watson (Ed.), Free will (2nd ed.., pp. 38–57). Oxford: Oxford University Press
- (*) Frankfurt, H. G. (1969). Alternate possibilities and moral responsibility. The Journal of Philosophy, 66(23), 829–839 (reprinted in Watson).
- Other readings in (Watson) Watson, G. (2003). Free will (2nd ed..). Oxford: Oxford University Press
Essay question: Is it possible for your actions to be both free and determined by the laws of nature?
Updated: 13 Mar 2015 12:12
