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$25

weekly
or $220 for 18 classes
Class

Philosophical Puzzles and Paradoxes

New class
Ages 12-17
Live Group Course
This course introduces students to philosophy through thought-provoking puzzles.
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(12 reviews)

Live video meetings
2x per week, 9 weeks
2-8 learners per class
50 min

What's included

18 live meetings
15 in-class hours

Class Experience

US Grade 8 - 11
Beginner - Intermediate Level
This course delves into some of the most intriguing paradoxes and thought experiments in philosophy. From the Ship of Theseus to Meno's Paradox, we will explore questions that challenge our understanding of identity, knowledge, time, and responsibility. No prior knowledge of philosophy is required. The class will include a mix of lecture and discussion. Generally, the first class of the week will outline the problem, while the second class of each week will discuss solutions. The course is designed to be accessible to beginners while also offering depth for those more familiar with philosophical concepts.

Week 1: The Ship of Theseus: If you replace every part of a ship, is it still the same ship?
Week 2. The Sorites Paradox: If you remove one grain of sand from a heap, when does it stop being a heap?
Week 3:  Mary's Room: A thought experiment about a scientist who knows everything about the color red but has never seen it.
Week 4: Zeno's Paradoxes: A series of paradoxes dealing with motion and change.
Week 5: The Liar Paradox: The statement "This statement is false" creates a paradox because if it's true, then it must be false.
Week 6:  The Unexpected Hanging Paradox: A prisoner is told he will be hanged unexpectedly, leading to a paradox in predicting the day of the hanging.
Week 7: The Grandfather Paradox: What happens if you travel back in time and prevent your grandfather from meeting your grandmother?
Week 8: Collective Responsibility: Who is responsible when many people contribute to some harm?
Week 9: Meno's Paradox: If you know what you're looking for, then you don't need to look for it, as you already know it. If you don't know what you're looking for, then you won't be able to find it, as you don't know what it is.

Syllabus

18 Lessons
over 9 Weeks
Lesson 1:
The Ship of Theseus
 If you replace every part of a ship, is it still the same ship? 
50 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
The Sorites Paradox
 If you remove one grain of sand from a heap, when does it stop being a heap? 
50 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Mary's Room
 A thought experiment about a scientist who knows everything about the color red but has never seen it. 
50 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Zeno's Paradoxes
 A series of paradoxes dealing with motion and change. 
50 mins online live lesson

Other Details

External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Blackburn, Simon. "Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy." Oxford University Press, 1999. Nagel, Thomas. "What Does It All Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy." Oxford University Press, 1987. Sainsbury, R. M. "Paradoxes." Cambridge University Press, 2009. Dennett, Daniel. "Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking." W. W. Norton & Company, 2013. Jackson, Frank. "Epiphenomenal Qualia." Philosophical Quarterly, 1982. Lewis, David. "The Paradoxes of Time Travel." American Philosophical Quarterly, 1976. Chalmers, David. "The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory." Oxford University Press, 1996. Plato. "Meno." In "The Complete Works," edited by John M. Cooper. Hackett Publishing Company, 1997. Russell, Bertrand. "Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy." George Allen & Unwin, 1919. Parfit, Derek. "Reasons and Persons." Oxford University Press, 1984. Smullyan, Raymond. "This Book Needs No Title: A Budget of Living Paradoxes." Touchstone, 1986. Earman, John. "Bangs, Crunches, Whimpers, and Shrieks: Singularities and Acausalities in Relativistic Spacetimes." Oxford University Press, 1995. Held, Virginia. "The Ethics of War and Peace: An Introduction." Routledge, 2013. Priest, Graham. "In Contradiction: A Study of the Transconsistent." Oxford University Press, 2006. Popper, Karl. "The Logic of Scientific Discovery." Routledge, 1959. Tarski, Alfred. "The Concept of Truth in Formalized Languages." In "Logic, Semantics, Metamathematics," edited by J. Corcoran. Hackett Publishing Company, 1983.

Meet the teacher

4.9
12reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Doctoral Degree from University of California, San Diego
I have taught these topics in university courses on philosophy.

Reviews



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