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Department of Philosophy |
PHIL 100: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY Lect 12:30-1:20 TR/Disc 11:00 or 12:00 F/Sinkler This course will provide a general introduction to some of the central problems in philosophy: What do we know and how do we know it? Does a supremely perfect being exist? Do we have free will? What is the nature of morality? Readings will be from classic and contemporary sources. Required texts: Philosophy and Contemporary Issues , J. Burr and M. Goldinger, eds.
PHIL 100: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY Lect 9:30am-10:20am TR/Disc 9:00 or 10:00 F/Hilbert An introduction to some fundamental questions of philosophy. The focus will be on questions concerning God and questions concerning human knowledge. Some well-known philosophical paradoxes will also be covered. PHIL 102: INTRODUCTORY LOGIC Lect 11:00 TR/Disc 10:00 or 11:00 F/Sutherland Logic is practical, important and interesting. It brings clarity to one’s thinking and it helps one understand and evaluate the reasons people give to do or believe something. Logic helps with just about every intellectual endeavor, whether it be writing a paper for English class, evaluating the arguments of political candidates, or persuading someone that it’s only fair that they pay for pizza. Besides being useful, it is philosophically important. Formal logic can be viewed as the structure of thought and reasoning. It is also like a language because it can be articulated in a few simple rules that can generate an infinite number of sentences that validly follow from each other. The connections between language, logic and thought are rich in philosophical interest. Logic concerns the form of any reasoning at all. The simple example of a valid argument is: “All humans are mortal. Socrates is a human. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.” Any argument that has the same form will be valid. Valid logical forms can be much more complicated than this and can be strung together into extended logical proofs. Formal logic is the study of identifying, understanding and applying these forms. In this course we will learn to use a computer-based formal logical system. We will learn how to express sentences in this system, and then how to carry out valid proofs from a set of sentences taken as premises to a sentence taken as a conclusion. We will also uncover when a given proof is invalid and how to show that it is invalid. The ultimate aim is to enable you to identify and analyze the logical form of arguments and to become better thinkers. Required text: Language, Proof and Logic . Barwise and Etchemendy PHIL 102: INTRODUCTORY LOGIC Lect 12:00 MW/Disc 10:00 or11:00 or 12:00/Jarrett In this course we will begin with a careful study of the principles governing valid deductive reasoning in sentential (“truth-functional”) logic. In other words, we will investigate the logical relationships that hold among sentences constructed in English using such words as not , and , or , if ..., then ... , and if and only if . Among the important logical relationships of this sort is that of logical implication : we will see what it means for a collection of sentences (e.g., the “premises” of an argument) to logically imply another sentence (the “conclusion” of that argument), thereby rendering the argument valid . Our examination of sentential logic will include the development of a system of proof for this language. We will then move on to take a preliminary look at the language of first-order predicate logic (“quantification theory”). This is the logically richer language that results from the augmentation of sentential logic by incorporating into our logical formalism the means to express structure of two additional sorts: (i) that associated with quantity (as is accomplished, e.g., with such English locutions as at least one, every , some , all , at most three , none , etc.); and (ii) that associated with predicates and relations (as is done, e.g., in ascribing particular properties to things or in asserting that one thing is larger than another). If time permits, we will take a brief glimpse at one or two more advanced topics. Logic requires the development of a range of skills. Some of these skills are similar to those employed in learning a foreign language. Logic employs a distinctive formal language with a characteristic vocabulary and rules of syntax and semantics. Much of logic involves learning how to “translate” back and forth between natural language (English, in this case) and this abstract formal language that (for purposes of logic) is considerably more perspicuous. Other necessary skills are very much akin to those employed in mathematics. This is so, in particular, when it comes to mastering the techniques for evaluating the logical “links” that hold among a given set of sentences in the formal language. Required text: Understanding Symbolic Logic , Virginia Klenk. PHIL 102: INTRODUCTORY LOGIC Lect 5:30-7:00 T/Disc 7:00-8:00 T/ to be announced. Lect 5:30-7:00 W/Disc 7:00-8:00 W/ to be announced. Catalog description: Sentential logic: representation of English using truth-functional connectives, truth table methods, natural deduction techniques. Introduction to predicate logic: representation of English using quantifiers. Decision methods of monadic predicate logic. Required texts: to be announced. PHIL 103: INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS Lect 9:30-10:20 TR/Disc 10:00 or 11:00/Laden Almost everyone agrees that it is wrong to act in a racist or sexist manner. People disagree about the limits of what counts as a racist or sexist action, however. In this course, we will read a variety of authors who argue that many more of our actions than is usually thought are racist or sexist. In particular, we will look at arguments that claim that race and gender are socially created systems of inequality, and that all actions that help to perpetuate these systems should count as racist and/or sexist. In so doing, students will encounter various ideas and concepts that play a role in moral philosophy beyond questions of race and gender. They will also learn to appreciate and understand complicated arguments in support of unfamiliar positions and think critically about their place in the world: the hallmarks of philosophy. Required texts: All readings are from contemporary sources and will be collected in a course packet on sale at the bookstore. PHIL 104: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL/POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Lect 12:00 MW/Disc 12:00 or 11:00/Sedgwick What is a just society? When are laws legitimate? How do we determine the proper realm of rights? In this course, we will examine answers to questions such as these by some of the central figures of modern western political theory: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, J. J. Rousseau, J. S. Mill, and the twentieth century American philosopher John Rawls. Most of our time will be devoted to surveying the views of these philosophers, but during the final few weeks of the course we will turn our attention to contemporary treatments of particular political/social issues. Topics to be considered may include: determining the just distribution of property, the limits of free speech, the legal status of pornography, the political responsibility of the individual citizen. PHIL 115: DEATH Lect 12:00 MW/Disc 11:00 or 12:00/Grossman We will examine several philosophical issues pertaining to death and dying, with particular emphasis on the question of survival of the person after death. Some of the questions we shall discuss are: Is there evidence for survival? How do our beliefs about survival affect our attitude towards death and dying? How do our attitudes about death affect how we live our lives? Required texts: The Death of Ivan Ilyich , Tolstoy; Death and Personal Survival , Almeder; Final Gifts , Callanan and Kelley; Tuesdays with Morrie , Album; Lessons From the Light , Ring. PHIL 202: PHILOSOPHY OF PSYCHOLOGY Lect 9:30-10:14 TR/Disc 10:15-10:45 TR/Roth The first part of the course will focus on the mind-body problem. We will explore a number of views about how psychological or mental states are related to states of the body or brain. We will also consider a number of topics related to issues raised by the mind-body problem, including consciousness, intentionality, externalism, self-knowledge, perception, and action. Required texts: to be announced. Prerequisites: one course in philosophy; or junior or senior standing in the physical, biological, or social sciences; or consent of the instructor. PHIL 210: SYMBOLIC LOGIC Lect-D 11:00-12:15 TR/Jarrett This course provides a review of truth-functional logic (the main focus of Philosophy 102, which is a prerequisite for this course) and a thorough treatment of the principles of first-order predicate logic (“quantification theory”). Our study will include a system of natural deduction for predicate logic. We will examine a handful of more advanced topics as time permits. Requirements for the course include a few problem sets, quizzes, a midterm exam, and a final exam. Grades will be computed by assigning to these three components the following approximate weights: problem sets, quizzes, & class participation, 35%; midterm exam, 25%; and final exam, 40%. Required texts: Understanding Symbolic Logic , Virginia Klenk. Prerequisites: Phil 102. Recommended background: grade of B or better in Phil 102. PHIL 220: ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY I: PLATO AND HIS PREDECESSORS Lect 11:00 MW/Disc 11:00 F/Meinwald Designed to acquaint the student with Plato’s contribution to philosophy through a study of his early and middle dialogues. Discussion concerning the relations between being successful, being (morally) good, and having knowledge in light of the claim that the world accessible to the senses is not the real world. Required text: Plato Complete Works , ed. John M. Cooper. Prerequisites: one course in philosophy or consent of the instructor. It is recommended that Phil 220 and 221 be taken as a sequence in successive terms. PHIL 223: HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY I: DESCARTES AND HIS SUCCESORS Lect 1:00 MW/Disc 1:00 F/Downing Descartes attempted to develop a novel physics, metaphysics, and epistemology. In doing so, he fundamentally affected the history of western philosophy by framing problems that his successors continued (and continue) to grapple with. This course will examine the varying solutions posed by Descartes, Malebranche, Leibniz, and Berkeley to a range of problems including the nature of matter/body, self-knowledge, the relation between the human mind and the human body, causation and the laws of nature, the existence of God and God's role in the world, and free will. Required texts: to be announced. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy or consent of the instructor. It is recommended that Phil 223 and Phil 224 be taken as a sequence in successive terms. PHIL 230: TOPICS IN ETHICS AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Lect 9:30-10:14 TR/Disc 10:15-10:45 TR/Martin This course will explore a few explanations of moral prescriptions with the goal of considering how these prescriptions would direct our behavior in certain cases of social injustice. In addition to a few historic understandings of morality, we will take up some recent work in the area of an Ethics of Care, a body of work which proposes to “…locate the very wellspring of ethical behavior in human affective behavior.” We might wonder just how possible it is to ground morality in the fact of human caring. Can such a moral system direct our attitudes and actions toward all persons? In addition to these questions, the course will more generally be asking how we can understand the possibility and authority of morality. Our texts for this course will be Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes; Treatise on Human Nature, David Hume; Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant; and readings in the Ethics of Care. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy or consent of the instructor. Recommended background: Phil 103 or Phil 104 or Phil 112 or Phil 116. PHIL 241: PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION Lect 10:00 MW/Disc 10:00 F/Grossman This course will focus on the nature and varieties of religious and spiritual experience, and on some of the philosophical concepts that are typically used in discussing, explaining, and evaluating such experience. The requirements for the course will include weekly informal "reaction-to-the-readings" papers (1 page per week), one short paper (about 3 pages) and one longer paper (7 or 8 pages). Required texts: A Confession and Other Religious Writings , Leo Tolstoy; The Varieties of Religious Experience , William James; Lessons From the Light , Ken Ring; The Gnostic Gospels , Elaine Pagels; The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying , Sogyal Rinpoche. Prerequisites: one course in philosophy or consent of the instructor. PHIL 401: THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE Lect-D 12:30-1:45 TR/Roth
Two sets of concerns drive much theorizing in epistemology. First, philosophers want to explain what knowledge is. Knowledge is not merely a matter of believing; it seems that my beliefs need to be justified as well. Is this enough? And how are we to understand justification? Second, epistemology is concerned with the possibility of knowledge. Are there compelling skeptical arguments that show that knowledge cannot be attained? These sets of concerns are related. We might formulate an account of knowledge in such a way as to avoid skepticism. And skeptical arguments might turn out to presuppose mistaken views about what is necessary for knowledge. We will explore various conceptions of knowledge and justification, and articulate and address skeptical arguments - in particular, the skeptical claim that we do not or cannot know that there is an external world or reality more or less as our beliefs depict it. Since this course presupposes some familiarity with epistemology, part of our time will be devoted to special topics, such as self-knowledge, testimony, the nature of epistemic norms, and whether knowledge is a mental state. Required texts: to be announced. Prerequisites: Phil 201 or consent of the instructor. PHIL 403: METAPHYSICS Lect-D 2:00-3:15 TR/Edelberg This will be an advanced survey of five foundational topics in metaphysics: universals, particulars, possible worlds, time, and persistence through time. Required texts: Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction , second edition, Michael J. Loux; Metaphysics: Contemporary Readings , Michael J. Loux, ed. Prerequisites: PHIL 203 or PHIL 226 or PHIL 426 or consent of the instructor. Strongly Recommended: PHIL 210. PHIL 416: METALOGIC I Lect-D 9:30-10:45 TR/Hart We will review the syntax and semantics of quantification theory with and without identity. The main focus of the course will be a proof of the completeness of these theories, and related results like the Löwenheim-Skolem theorem. Required text: Introduction to Mathematical Logic , Elliott Mendelson. Prerequisite : Phil 210 or consent of the instructor. PHIL 422: MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY Lect-D 9:30-10:45 TR/Sinkler The course will follow the development of philosophy in the Latin-speaking West from the beginning of the Christian era through the 15 th Century. The emphasis will be on metaphysics, including philosophical theology, in the work of authors such as Augustine, Anselm, and Aquinas. Required texts: Medieval Philosophy , W. Kaufmann and F. Baird, eds.; History of Medieval Philosophy , F. Copleston. Prerequisites: Phil 220 or Phil 221 or Phil 420 or Phil 421 or consent of the instructor. PHIL 423: STUDIES IN EARLY MODERN PHILOSOPHY Lect-D 11:00 MWF/Downing An exploration of some important instances of the deep connections between natural philosophy (i.e. science) and philosophy in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Topics will include Descartes' physics, Boyle's corpuscularianism and his influence on Locke, and Newton and some of his philosophical critics (Leibniz and Berkeley). Required texts: to be announced. Prerequisites: Phil 223 or Phil 224 or 3 courses in philosophy or consent of the instructor. PHIL 424: KANT Lect-D 10:00 MWF/SEDGWICK The focus of this course is Kant’s metaphysics and theory of knowledge. We will prepare the way for our study of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason with a brief review of David Hume’s skeptical arguments about human knowledge. We will then try to understand how the Critique of Pure Reason is Kant’s effort to provide an alternative to “save” metaphysics from Hume’s skeptical arguments. We will consider Kant’s treatment of the nature of space and time, his account of the pure concepts of understanding (the “categories”), his argument in defense of the view that we have some material knowledge that is necessary. In the final weeks of the course, we will consider his claim that his theory of knowledge also provides a foundation for a theory of human freedom. Required texts: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding , David Hume; Critique of Pure Reason , Immanuel Kant. Prerequisites: Phil 223 or Phil 224 or 3 courses in philosophy or consent of the instructor. PHIL 431: SOCIAL/POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Lect-D 11:00-12:15 TR/Laden John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice is arguably the most important work of political philosophy published in the last 50 years. It continues to play a central role in current debates in political philosophy. We will spend the entire semester working through Rawls’s theory, which he describes as “the most appropriate moral basis for a democratic society.” Required texts: A Theory of Justice , John Rawls; Justice as Fairness: A Restatement , John Rawls. Prerequisite: One 200-level course in philosophy or consent of the instructor. Recommended background: Credit in a course in moral, social, or political philosophy. PHIL 500: WRITING IN PHILOSOPHY Disc: 1:30-4:00 F/Meinwald We will practice writing philosophy. Required texts: The Elements of Style , Strunk and White. PHIL 505: SEMINAR IN MODERN PHILOSOPHY Lect-D 3:00-5:30 R/Sutherland What sort of things are numbers? How do we know mathematical truths such as “5+7=12,” or the Pythagorean Theorem? There is still no consensus on the answers to such questions, and, despite tremendous advances in mathematics and mathematical logic during the last few centuries, Kant’s deep influence on these debates is still felt. For example, three main schools of thought in recent philosophy of mathematics – Logicism, Formalism, and Intuitionism – developed in explicit reaction against or in explicit sympathy with Kant’s philosophy of mathematics. Kant’s views played a similar role for the logical positivists, Wittgenstein, Quine and others. Kant’s philosophy of mathematics is also a route to a deeper understanding of his philosophy as a whole. Just as Kant’s more deeply held philosophical views influenced his account of how we know the purported a priori truths of mathematics, his understanding of mathematics influenced his account of human knowledge. There are nevertheless important aspects of Kant’s philosophy of mathematics that have not been properly understood. In this seminar, we will study Kant’s philosophy of mathematics in historical context. We will read the work of Charles Parsons, portions of Michael Friedman’s Kant and the Exact Sciences , as well as some of the most current literature on the topic. Required texts: Critique of Pure Reason , Immanuel Kant; Kant and the Exact Sciences , Michael Friedman. PHIL 528: SOCIAL/POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Lect-D 1:00-3:30 M/Mills Topic: Contractarianism and Its Critics John Rawls’s classic 1971 book, A Theory of Justice , is widely credited with reviving not merely social contract theory in particular but postwar Anglo-American political philosophy in general. Today political philosophy is thriving in large measure because of the debates stimulated by the response to Rawls’s work. In this course we will look both at Rawls’s version of contractarianism and some of the critical responses to it. Required texts: to be announced.
PHIL 532: METAPHYSICS The philosophical discussion of personal identity is in many ways an offshoot of a broader investigation of the metaphysics of identity, raising many of the same themes and posing many of the same challenges. In the case of personal identity, however, there are unique and additional puzzles. Psychological and subjective factors seem central to personal persistence, and these cannot be treated in the same way that objective factors are. Moreover, metaphysical facts about personal identity seem to have implications for ethical issues in a way that facts about the identity of objects do not. In the past several years, especially with the 1999 publication of Eric Olson’s The Human Animal: Personal Identity without Psychology, strictly metaphysical issues in the question of personal identity have once again come to the fore. In particular, the debate about whether persons are identical to human animals (Olson’s position) or constituted by human animals (but distinct from them) has gained new vigor. In the seminar we will consider this debate in context. We will begin with a brief history of the philosophical discussion of personal identity from Locke to the present day. Then we will undertake a detailed reading of Olson’s book and of Lynne Rudder Baker’s 2000 Persons and Bodies: A Constitution View, which provides the opposing viewpoint. We will also read selected supporting papers. The seminar will conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of this debate (if any) for practical issues concerning personal identity. Required texts: Persons and Bodies: A Constitution View, Lynne Rudder Baker; The Human Animal: Personal Identity Without Psychology, Eric Olson.
PHIL 536: EPISTEMOLOGY A survey of approaches to philosophy of perception with an emphasis on epistemological issues. Literature from the mid-20th century through the present will be examined. Required texts: TBA
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