PHIL 101
101 Introduction to Philosophy, 3. What is the role of reason in our lives? What ought to be the role of reason? Are human beings essentially creatures of emotion? What bearing do these questions have on our basic moral determinations of good and bad? How are all these questions related to concerns about personal identity? How do issues of gender affect our answers to these questions? These are just a few questions we will be discussing during the semester. Using sources from different eras and schools of philosophic thought, we will become clearer on some of the intricacies of thinking clearly about these issues. Requirements 4 short papers, a group presentation, and short exercises.
PHIL 201
201 Introduction to Logic, 3. This course will investigate the nature of deductive reasoning in general. The specific aim is to analyze and to evaluate English language arguments and informal mathematical proof by representing them in a formal symbolic system. Attention will also be paid to the scopes and limits of logic. The course covers prepositional and predicate logic. Three in-class exams plus the regularly scheduled final. Text: Bergmann, Moor, and Nelson,The Logic Book
PHIL 203,
203 Natural Philosophy I, 3. This Course will consist of an historical and philosophical examination of the evolution and modern character of science. Beyond acquainting the student with some important factual material regarding the history and philosophy of science, the underlying purpose will be to explore fundamental elements of the conceptual foundations and methodology of the field.
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PHIL 204
204 Natural Philosophy II, 3. In 1900 classical physics was incredibly successful, the most firmly established scientific theory ever. And science was contributing to practical technology and daily life far more than it had been able to in the past. By 1925, classical physics had shown itself to be fundamentally wrong. It was overthrown; the classical notions of space, time, and causality were rejected to give rise to two theories (relativity and quantum mechanics) widely considered incomprehensible. Yet its practical importance continued to grow faster than ever. Thus, natural science, which had split off from philosophy in the 18th century, became the leading concern of philosophers in the 20th. Clearly, science does not give absolute truths. Does it ever aim at truth, or only at pragmatically useful theories? If the latter, how do we decide what is useful? Now that science is inseparable from government and business, how is it controlled? If science has replaced tradition as our pragmatic source of truth but does not deal with moral questions, what can be left of morality? We will study leading philosophical responses to the ferment in science: Wittgenstein, the logical positivists, Kuhn, and Putnam. We will take episodes in relativity theory and quantum mechanics, genetics, and the recent claims for chaos theories as case studies. Texts: Gleik Chaos Keller A Feeling for the OrganismKuhn Structure of Scientific Revolutions
PHIL 205
205 Contemporary Moral Problems, 3. Examination of selected contemporary moral problems and contemporary faces of perennial moral problems such as: when, if ever, lying is justified; the value of honesty and of confidentiality; under what circumstances, if any, various types of killing (suicide, execution, in war, euthanasia, killing of lower animals or ecosystems) are justified. Additional moral problems raised by new knowledge (such as genetic information) or new technology (such as rights to digital information, or the ability to), and responsible uses of these and other sources of power. Clarification of the concepts of value, ethical evaluation and justification, ethical argument, moral relevance, and the notion of a moral problem itself. Readings will draw on classical and contemporary sources in philosophy.
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PHIL 221
221 Indian Philosophy, 3.(Xlist: HSTY 207)A survey of the origins of Indian philosophical thought, with an emphasis on the Vedas, the Upanisads, and early Hindu and Jain literature. Our concern will be the methods, presuppositions, arguments, and goals of these schools and trajectories of thought. What were their theories on the nature of the person, the nature of reality, and the nature and process of knowing? What were the debates between the schools and the major points of controversy?
PHIL 225
225 Evolution, 3. Multidisciplinary study of the course and broad understanding of the evolution of structural and functional diversity, the relationships among groups of organisms and their environments, and the phylogenetic relationships among major groups of organisms. Topics include the genetic basis of micro-and macro-evolutionary change, the concept of adaptation, natural selection, population dynamics, theories of species formation, principles of phylogenetic inference, biogeography, evolutionary rates, evolutionary convergence, homology, Darwinian medicine, and conceptual and philosophic issues in evolutionary theory.
PHIL 270
270 Introduction to Gender Studies, 3. (Xlist: WMST 201) This course introduces women and men students to the methods and concepts of gender studies, women's studies, and feminist theory. An interdisciplinary course, it covers approaches used in literary criticism, history, philosophy, political science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, film studies and art history. It is the required introductory course for students taking the women's studies major.
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PHIL 301
301 Ancient Philosophy, 3. (Xlist: CLSC 301) Modern Philosophy examines representative philosophers of the 17th and 18th centuries, Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Leibniz, Hume and Kant. It will focus on the epistemological controversy between the rationalists and the empiricists and Kant's attempt to bring rationalism and empiricism to a synthesis and the diverse theories of the world that the philosophers built; dualism, monism, subjective idealism, monadism, phenomenalism and transcendental idealism. The connection between epistemology and metaphysics will receive critical attention. Influences of 17th and 18th century philosophy upon contemporary philosophy will be noted. Prerequisite: 101 or consent of instructor.
PHIL 302
302 Modern Philosophy, 3. After the Renaissance, Western philosophy gradually liberated itself from theology controlled by the Church, and its liberation became fairly complete in the 17th and 18th centuries. With its newly achieved autonomy from external authority, philosophy appealed to the authority of reason or sense experience, giving rise to opposed theories of thought, Rationalism and Empiricism. This course will examine the epistemological dispute between the two schools and the metaphysical constructions that incorporated the different epistemological views. The course will conclude with an examination of the way Immanuel Kant attempted to bring rationalism and empiricism to a synthesis. In appropriate contexts the continuity of today's philosophy to 17th and 18th century philosophy will be explained. Works of Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant will be read. There will be two examinations, mid term and final, and one substantial paper. Prerequisite: Phil 101 or consent of instructor.
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PHIL 303/403
315 Selected Topics: Evolution, Creation, and Science, 3 . In-depth study of selected topics in general philosophy of science or philosophy of physical, biological, or social science. Topics may include: theories of explanation, prediction, and confirmation; semantics of scientific language; reductionism; space, time and relativity; philosophical issues about quantum mechanics; philosophical issues about life sciences (e.g. evolutionism, teleology); explanation and understanding in social sciences; value in social science.
PHIL 304/404
304/404 Science and Engineering Ethics, 3. This course prepares students to recognize ethical problems that commonly arise in the engineering and scientific workplace, and to find, evaluate, use, and strengthen institutional supports for acting on ethical concerns. The course examines issues and practices in industry and at universities and other research facilities. The course will address questions such as: What are the criteria of fairness in crediting contributions to research? How safe is safe enough? What is a profession? What are professional responsibilities, and how do they change over time? What is negligence in science and engineering practice and research? What is research misconduct? When is ignorance culpable? What is intellectual property and what protections does it deserve? When is biological testing of workers justified? What are responsible ways of raising concerns, and what supports to good organizations give for raising concerns? What treatment counts as harassment or as an expression of prejudice. What are good means for controlling them? What responsibilities for environmental protection do engineers and scientists have? What is a "conflict of interest" and how is it controlled? What protections for human research subjects are warranted? What use of animals in research is justified? Prerequisite: Phil 101, 102 or 205 or junior/senior status.
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PHIL 305/405
305/405 Ethics, 3. Ethical theory can be understood as dividing up into three general categories: metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. Metaethics, generally construed, is understood as the area of ethical investigation which concerns the meaning and nature of ethical concepts, and whether we can have any secure knowledge about ethical concerns. Normative Ethics is the area of ethics which is concerned to spell out principles by which human beings can conduct their actions and lives. Applied Ethics relates to specific issues of concern to human beings, such as abortion, the environment. Prerequisite: Phil 101, 102 or 205
PHIL 306/406
306/406 Mathematical Logic and Model Theory, 3. Propositional calculus and quantification theory; consistency and completeness theorems; goedal incompleteness results and their philosophical significance; introduction to basic concepts of model theory; problems of formulation of arguments in philosophy and the sciences. Prerequisite: Phil 201
PHIL 313/413
313/413 Philosophy of Mathematics, 3. Logical paradoxes and their effects on foundations of mathematics. Status of mathematical entities and nature of mathematical truths. Formalist, logicist, and intuitionist positions. Prerequisite: Phil 101 or 201
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PHIL 314/414
314/414 Animal Consciousness and Cognition,3.
This course examines the notions of intelligence, cognition, reasoning, consciousness, and mental content as they appear in the philosophical views and empirical studies of animals in individual and social contexts. Some philosophers have argued that animals have no mental lives (Descartes, Dennett) or that they are non-rational and thereby not of moral concern (Kant). Others (Montaigne, Griffin) have suggested that animals have rich mental lives, rudimentary rationality, and even linguistic ability. Bentham and Singer (among others) have suggested that moral status is not contingent upon rationality or intelligence. Cognitive ethology strives to scientifically measure the extent and limits of the mental lives of animals. We will review scientific findings that suggest striking likenesses and intriguing differences in the (apparent) thought processes of humans and animals, and ask whether the research techniques that brought us these results are fully adequate to measuring such unobservable entities as conscious experience and thought. Techniques of measurement range from naturalistic observation, to the processing of vocalizations, to memory and problem solving tasks, and the imaging of brain processes through fMRI scans, etc. Students will face the challenges and rewards of practicing these techniques and reworking philosophical theories in the service component of the course. Students will participate in veterinary or shelter work to provide needed animal care while studying animal behavior using cognitive ethological methods.
PHIL 315/415
315 Special Topics in Philosophy, 3. Prerequisite: Phil 101 or 201
PHIL 320/430
320/420 The Phenomenological Tradition 3. The background of phenomenology: Descartes, Kant and Brentano. The epistemological rationale of Hursserl's phenomenology and its ontological implications; the powers and limits of the phenomenological methods. Heidegger's transformation of phenomenology to interpretive ontology of human existence. The development of interpretation theory as the foundation of all human sciences in Gadamer and Ricoeur. Prerequisite: Phil 101 or consent (for undergraduates) Graduate standing or consent for Phil 420.
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PHIL 325/425
325/425 Philosophy of Feminism, 3. What is feminism? What is gender? Are sex and gender different? Is gender a social construction? How might the answers to these questions affect traditional philosophic approaches and solutions to problems of personal identity, knowledge, morality, politics, and the emphasis of the role of logical reasoning in our lives? In our exploration of these issues we will be looking at source material from the whole spectrum of feminist thought, from significant works in the history of the feminist movement, liberal feminist writings, radical separatist writings, to lesbian non-separatist writings. Prerequisite: Phil 101 or consent of instructor.
PHIL 330/430
330/430 Topics in Ethics, 3 . Examination of views in ethics of a major philosopher or philosophical school, a significant philosophical topic in ethics, or a topic that relates ethics to philosophy and another discipline. Prerequisite: Phil 101, 102, 205 or consent of instructor.
PHIL 333/433
333/433 Philosophy of Religion, 3. We shall first address the question as to what characterizes the philosophical approach to religion, what differentiates it from a non-philosophical approach, and what sort of understanding of religion is expected to generate. Second, we shall discuss selected topics in the Judeo-Christian tradition: arguments for God's existence; divine foreknowledge and freedom; problem of evil and theodicy, among others. Third, we shall broaden the scope of inquiry and address such topics as: varieties of religious metaphysics such as those of Hinduism, Buddhism, and monism, and their relative strengths. In so doing, we shall inquire how some of the problems germane to the Judeo-Christian philosophy of religion either disappear, get re-interpreted, or get replaced by other problems, in other traditions. Finally, we shall address selected critical questions about religion in general, such as: the nature and significance of religious experience; mysticism; knowledge, belief, and faith; ethics and religion; and the nature of religious language and discourse. The authors of works to be read include: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Spinoza, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietsche, Otto, Bultmann, Tillich, Ricoeur., as well as selected contemporary philosophers and philosophical theologians. The course will stress class discussions. At least two papers and an examination will be required. Prerequisite: Phil 101 or consent of instructor.
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PHIL 334/434
334/434 Political and Social Philosophy, 3. (Xlist:POSC 354) Justification of social institutions, primarily political ones. Such distinctions as that between de facto and legitimate authority; analysis of criteria for evaluation, such as social justice and equality; inquiry into theories of justification of the state; theory of democratic government and its alternatives. Readings from classical and contemporary sources. Prerequisite: Phil 101.
PHIL 335/435
335/435 Philosophy of Law, 3.(Xlist: LAWS 353) This course is designed to introduce a student to the general nature of law, the broad concerns of jurisprudence, the study of comparative law and many of the issues raised in the literature of legal philosophy. Students will examine the principles of legal positivism, mitigated natural law, and rights theory. To illustrate these theories, students are assigned selected readings and cases. In addition, the legal theories studied are examined in the context of rule selection by a new government in new or revolutionary societies. The course also looks at the general nature of legal systems, particularly how politics, morality, and individual views of justice and right affect the and development of law generally and particular court cases. Specific topics covered include: abortion; obscenity and sin; civil disobedience; affirmative action; surrogatehood; and the death penalty. This course is open to and attended by both law students and students of the colleges. Students of the colleges are graded on a separate system than the law students. Prerequisite: Phil 101 or consent of instructor.
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PHIL 340/440 345/445 Epistemology and Metaphysics, 3. Traditional problems of epistemology, such as definition of knowledge, justification of belief, nature of evidence and foundationalism, skepticism, the a priori, and the role of sense perception in knowledge. Metaphysical presuppositions and implications of epistemological views. Forms of realism and anti-realism. Prerequisite: Phil 101.
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PHIL 355/455
355/455 19th/Early 20th Century Philosophy, 3. 19th century philosophy is full of drama. Before the turn of the century, Kant had pronounced transcendent metaphysics impossible yet various attempts were made in the new century to revive speculation around or against Kant's critical considerations. Schopenhauer built a metaphysical system incorporating Kant's view that space and time are the forms of phenomena and interpreting Kant's thing-in-itself as the Will that manifests itself through them. Hegel built the most comprehensive and complex metaphysical system that human history had seen or would see. He constructed his system of Absolute Idealism with a critique of Kant's critique of reason. But a number of philosophers made special efforts to dismantle Hegel's system. Kierkegaard attacked it from an existential and religious perspective. Rudolph Feuerbach reinterpreted Hegel on a materialist basis. Marx appropriated Hegel's idea of dialectic and combined it with materialism to produce a theory of society and history that he made serve a revolutionary cause. Nietzsche's significance consists not so much in his critique of his predecessors as in his forecast of the shape of future thought. His thought has only recently begun to be understood in depth and appreciated. Radical ideas he expressed ahead of their time, such as civilization as defense of self-deception, perspectival relativity of human belief and value, eternal recurrence as postulate required for human authenticity, and the need for human transcendence of belief in the transcendent and acceptance of the immanence of the ground of being, are live topics in today's philosophical discourse. Prerequisite: 101 or consent of instructor for 355, consent of instructor for 455.
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PHIL 356/456
356/456 Comparative Philosophy, 3. This course is a rubric for comparative studies of selected Western and non-Western philosophical texts. The comparative studies to be conducted at this offering of the course includes: Confucian Analects, Doctrine of the Mean, and Great Learning,with excerpts from Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Ethics and Politics, and Kant's works; Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, compared with Fragments of Heraclitus, excerpts from Spinoza's Ethics, excerpts from Schopenhauer, and excerpts from Bergson. Excerpts from Zen Literature compared with excerpts from Husserl, Heidegger, and Sartre. We Shall attempt to discover and interpret East-West affinities and differences-doctrinal, methodological, and stylistic. We shall reflect on our comparative inquiry itself, addressing such questions as: What presuppositions do we bring to our interpreations of these texts, especially the Eastern ones? How do the presuppositions make our interpreations possible and limit it at the same time? Can we interpret the Western Texts from an Eastern point of view? Are there transcultural criterions of truth and a transculturally valid method of inquiry? The course requirements consist of two substantial papers and a final examination. Prerequisite: Phil 101 or consent of instructor.
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PHIL 363/463
363/463 Philosophy and Social Neuroscience, 3 . (Xlist: COGS363) A philosophical examination of recent research in human cognition and emotion at the intersection of the social sciences and neurological sciences. The course provides the student with background knowledge of brain processes underlying such social and cultural phenomena as bonding, aggression, imitation, mind-attribution, language, sexual behavior, moral action, and creativity. The approach of this course is at once scientific (comparing methods, findings and questions as they arise in clinical and experimental neuropsychology, brain imaging, neurolinguistics, and behavioral neuroscience) and humanistic, asking critical questions about the nature and methods of a science of cognition, and surveying moral responses from a neurologic and philosophic perspective.
PHIL 365/465
365/465 Philosophy of Mind, 3. Traditional problems such as the relation of mind and body, knowledge of other minds, free will and determination, and nature of psychological explanation. Analysis of chief theories of mind. Analysis of mental concepts such as intention, action, decision, emotion, and will. Prerequisite: Phil 101.
PHIL 375/475
375/475 Issues in Aesthetics, 3. This course will seek to offer insight into the nature of artistic expression, the role of criticism in the arts, and the place of the arts in society. The term “arts” will be construed broadly to include painting, photography, theater, film, music, dance, poetry, etc. The following are examples of questions we will discuss. What does the term “beautiful” mean? Are there other measures of aesthetic value besides beauty? Do the arts, like the sciences, offer us knowledge of the world?
What value do the arts have for society? Can aesthetic value conflict with moral value? Do artists have a responsibility to society? Should art ever be censored? What is the relationship between art and entertainment? Is the meaning and value of an artistic work a matter of individual opinion? What is the purpose of art critics? How are interpretations and evaluations of art influenced by race, gender, class, etc.? What is creativity in the arts? Does it differ from creativity in the sciences? How important is originality in art?
PHIL 385/485
385/485 Philosophy of Language, 3. Nature of language; problems of meaning, reference, and truth. Prerequisite: Phil 101
PHIL 394/494
394/494 Seminar in Evolutionary Biology, 3. (Xlist: ANTH 394) Prerequisite: Phil 101, or 201 or 203.
PHIL 369/496
369/496 Research in Evolutionary Biology, 3. (Xlist: ANTH 396) Prerequisite: Phil 101, or 201 or 203.
PHIL 399
PHIL 399 Directed Study. Open to students in either of the major programs, and to minors.
PHIL 600
Phil 600, Tutorial, 1-36
PHIL 651, Thesis M.A., 1-6.
Phil 651
PHIL 700, Advanced Tutorial and Dissertation, 1-36.
Phil 700For Ph.D. candidates in fields related to philosophy.
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