2007-08 - Pitzer College

134 HISTORY OF IDEAS
HISTORY OF IDEAS
Pitzer College does not offer a program or major in History of Ideas. History of Ideas
courses that are not cross listed in Philosophy cannot be used to satisfy requirements for
the Philosophy major or minor.
1. Introduction to the History of Ideas. An exploration of the shift in Western attitudes
toward human life in the second half of the 19th century. Readings include Wells’ Invisible
Man, Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde, Stoker’s Dracula, and Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes.
Spring, R. Rubin.
3. Argument and Reasoning. A course aimed at the development of skill in recognizing,
hearing, reading, writing, and criticizing attempts to persuade. Examples for study will
be drawn from various sources, including TV ads and newspaper editorials. R. Rubin.
[not offered 2007-08]
5. History of Philosophy: Ancient—600BC-1600AD. A survey of the history of European
philosophical thought from the time of the ancient Greeks to the 17th century. Readings
include selections from the works of Plato, Aristotle, Boethius, Augustine, Anselm,
Aquinas, and others. Appropriate for all students. R. Rubin. [not offered 2007-08]
8. Explanation. What is it to explain? How do explanations differ from utterances of
other sorts? What distinguishes good explanations from bad ones? In this course, we will
address these questions from philosophical, historical, and linguistic viewpoints.
[not offered 2007-08]
9. History of Philosophy: Modern—1600 AD-Present. (formerly HSID 6) A survey of the
history of European philosophical thought from Shakespeare’s time to the present.
Readings include selections from the works of Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Ayer,
and Quni. Appropriate for all students. History of Ideas 5, though recommended, is not a
prerequisite. Spring, R. Rubin.
100. Introduction to Formal Logic. A course whose aim is the development of skill in
noticing, evaluating, and presenting reasoning. The class will spend about a third of its
time looking at a simple system of formal logic (the sentential calculus), about a third of
its time looking at arguments in English, and about a third of its time wondering how the
system and English are related. (This class satisfies the Formal Reasoning Requirement.)
R. Rubin. [not offered 2007-08]
120. Descartes and His Times. A close look at the relation of Descartes’ Meditations, an
extremely influential philosophical treatise published in 1640, to the social, scientific, and
religious revolutions with which the 17th century began. Staff. [not offered 20007-08]
HISTORY OF IDEAS
122. Occult and Magical Philosophy: Origins. A study of the relation of two “mystical”
movements-Gnosticism and Hermeticism-in relation to mainline Christianity. Readings
will be drawn from the Old and New Testaments, from the recently discovered Nag
Hammadi library, from Plotinus’s Enneads, and from the literature of alchemy. R. Rubin.
[not offered 2007-08]
123. Occult and Magical Philosophy: Modern. A look at the practice and theory of the
modern occult movement, with emphasis on “The Golden Dawn.” Appropriate for all
students. History of Ideas 122, though recommended, is not a prerequisite. R. Rubin.
[not offered 2007-08]
127. Aikido and the Harmony of Nature. An examination of the Japanese spiritual
discipline and martial art of Aikido. Readings will include some descriptions of Samurai
culture, a biography of Aikido’s founder, and analyses of Aikido’s underlying (somewhat
mystical) philosophy. No previous experience in the martial arts is necessary, but
simultaneous enrollment in the Pomona/Pitzer Aikido class is required. R. Rubin.
[not offered 2007-08]
136. The Emotions. A philosophical look at the nature of emotion in general and at the natures
of the particular emotions of guilt, shame, embarrassment, anger, jealousy, and envy. R. Rubin.
[not offered 2007-08]
Crea193/HSID 193. Magicians and Moderns. This course explores the magical
renaissance of the lat 19th century and its influence on Yeats, Shaw, and Eliot. Spring,
R. Rubin/A. Wachtel.
135