Online Study Guide for Philosophy 1
Introduction to Philosophy - written by Department Chair Sandy Lafave

Instructor: Barbara Upton
West Valley College


This is the online study guide for Philosophy 1.


STUDENTS IN ONLINE SECTIONS PLEASE NOTE: All the hyperlinked readings below are available within ANGEL. This online Study Guide is a backup for you. You don't need to use this online Study Guide unless ANGEL is unavailable.


The required text by Donald Palmer is NOT available online. However, all the required primary-source texts (classic works) are available online. They are

The online translations of Plato and Descartes are public domain, i.e., old. You are welcome to use them if you like, but they are not exactly the same as the more modern Hackett translations in the bookstore.

In addition to the primary source texts above, the following essays comprise the online study guide and are required reading for Dr. LaFave's sections of Philosophy 1 (Introduction to Philosophy).

Who wrote this online study guide? Unless otherwise indicated, The West Valley College Philosphy Department Chair, Sandra LaFave, wrote everything listed here. So it would be really dumb to plagiarize from these notes, right? If you plagiarize from these notes, remember that your philosophy teacher can find these pages as easily as you did.

You can also purchase a set of most of the essays in hard-copy (paper) format from the WVC Bookstore for about $3.00.


WVC Philosophy Home Page | WVC Home Page
Questions or comments about the WVC Philosophy Department? [email protected]