DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY & RELIGIOUS STUDIES

CPP 101: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY

Course Instructor: Dr. Jacinta Mwende

Course description

This course introduces students to the subject matter of Philosophy (Love of wisdom)
through interactive discussions of some of the basic philosophical problems and the
various approaches to their solutions such as the problem of the existence of God, how
human beings attain happiness, whether human beings act out of free will, whether things
change or remain the same, how we come to know, faith and reason among others. The
course provides an introduction to the general traditional branches of philosophy: logic,
epistemology, metaphysics, ethics and Aesthetics. Students will also be introduced to the
applied branches of philosophy such as philosophy of law, political philosophy, philosophy
of education and philosophy of science among others in an attempt to illustrate the
relationship between philosophy and other disciplines. The thoughts of the fathers of
Western philosophy such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle will be explored as well as those
of pioneer prominent African philosophers such as Odera Oruka (Kenyan), Kwasi Wiredu
(Ghana), Paulin J. Hountondji (Ghana), Kwame Appiah (half Ghanaian/half British).

Course objective
This course aims to open up the learners’ minds to new perspectives on the world, life,
themselves and to provide powerful tools for clear thinking on a wide range of issues. It
encourages open mindedness in the pursuit of WISDOM which is the main subject matter of
Philosophy as a discipline. The course aims to impart the students with critical thinking skills,
analytical skills and evaluative skills necessary in making wise life choices.

Course Assessment (CAT)

There will be one Take away assignment (30%) and a final exam at the end of the semester
(70%)
Take away assignment: 1. Write short notes on the meaning of Philosophy and the value of
philosophy in our daily life (maximum two pages, typed)
2. Write short notes on the following philosophers: Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Odera Oruka
and Kwasi Wiredu and highlight two philosophical issues that each talked about
(Minimum 5 pages typed)

COURSE OUTLINE

Definition and Branches of Philosophy

● Etymological definition- Philosophy as Love of wisdom
 ● Main/ Traditional branches of philosophy

● Applied branches of philosophy

● Relationship between Philosophy and other disciplines

● Value and uses of philosophy

Ethics
● Why we ought to be moral

● Free will and determinism

● The good life (Aristotelian ethics)

The Problem of Truth (Epistemology)

● Theories Knowledge: Empiricism and Rationalism

● Theories of truth

The Existence of God

● The problem of the nature of God

● Philosophical proofs for the God's existence: Anselm's and St. Aquinas Arguments

● Faith and Reason

Change and Permanence

Do things change or do they remain the same?

Some selected African Philosophers

Odera Oruka
Kwasi Wiredu
Paulin Hountondji

Readings

Velasquez Manuel and Barry, V. (1988): Philosophy: A text with Readings, 3rded. Wadsworth
Publishing Company, Belmont.

UNESCO, (2007): Teaching Philosophy and Learning to Philosophize: Status and Prospects.
Paris.

Lear, Jonathan. Aristotle: the desire to understand. (Cambridge University Press,

1988)
Guthrie A history of Greek philosophy

J.L. Ackrill. 1981. Aristotle the Philosopher (OPUS).

Copleston, Frederick, 1970, History of Philosophy, New York, Paulist Press

Odera-Oruka, H, 1991, Ethics: A Basic Course for Undergraduate Students, Nairobi. Nairobi
University Press

Pojman, Louis, 1993, Philosophy: The Pursuit of Wisdom, Belmont, Wadsworth Publishing
Company
Skirbekk, G and Nils, Gilje, 2001, A History of Western Thought, London, Routledge
Wolf, Robert Paul, 2000, About Philosophy, New Jersey, Prentice Hall