Truth matters. When confronted with claims that morality is relative, individual, or changing, how will you respond?

How to get the most out of How to Battle Relativism, Nihilism, and Other Errors with Sam Nicholson, Ph.D.:

• Check Caravel frequently to get information on the progress of the course, updates, links to readings, and additional materials.

• Read assignments before class meetings, and take notes. Prepare questions prior to attending class. Re-read after class if necessary.

• Attend class and be sure to take notes, paying careful attention to the material from the reading we emphasize in class.

• Watch that week’s recording if you need to revisit information from our live session, and access the slides on Caravel.

• Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that week.

• Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

 Total classes: 10

Duration: 55 minutes

Prerequisite: None

Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade

Suggested credit: ¾ semester Philosophy

 Instructor: Sam Nicholson, Ph.D.

Instructor email: scn8v@virginia.edu

Course Description: In this introductory course, we will examine some of the most common and persistent philosophical errors in the Western tradition. We will discover that many of these errors (subjectivism, relativism, nihilism, hedonism) are neither new nor peculiar to the Modern era. We will see how they have been proposed and defended, and how they have been addressed and dealt with by luminaries such as Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and others. Students who complete this course will be equipped with the tools necessary to diagnose and correct some of the most intractable errors that presently dominate our culture.

Course Outline:

Course Schedule:

 Introduction, background, begin reading Plato's "Theatetus"

 Subjectivism, read Plato's "Theatetus"

Cultural Relativism, read Herodotus "Histories"

Skepticism, read Sextus Empiricus "Outlines of Pyrrhonism"

Skepticism, continue Sextus Empiricius "Outlines of Pyrrhonism"

Refutation of Skepticism, read St. Augustine "Contra Academicos"

Rationalism: read Rene Descartes "Meditations I-III"

Dualism: continue Rene Descartes "Meditations IV -VI"

Naturalism: read David Hume "On Miracles"

Naturalism: read David Hume "Enquiry on Human Understanding"

Course materials: All texts for this class will be posted online from open-source translations or online archives. There is no purchase required.

Homework: Homework consists of daily readings. Plus, there will be three quizzes, a mid-term examination, and a final. Expect to devote one to two hours per day on reading and testing.

If you have any questions please contact us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2020 Homeschool Connections and Sam Nicholson, Ph.D. All rights reserved. This course is designed by Sam Nicholson, Ph.D.

• This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.

• You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.