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Skepticism and Knowledge
What is knowledge? What is the extent and basis of one's knowledge about physical objects, other people, oneself, the future, morality, and religion?
- Primary Instructor
- Ackerman
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Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy
This course will introduce students to Buddhist philosophy through the lens of contemporary philosophical themes. We will look at questions of personal identity, ethics, metaphysics, and free will, among others. There will be two related focuses: one historical and one critical. We will first get clear on the various accounts, and then will evaluate the arguments offered. No prior knowledge of either philosophy or Buddhism is required; both will be introduced in tandem, so that students will leave the course with an introductory understanding of both Buddhist philosophy and the philosophical themes discussed.
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Language, Race, and Gender
We will explore slurs, pejoratives, epithets and normative generics. Topics include: How do these expression express contempt? How can they be used to derogate social groups? Is the derogatory element and the contempt they express part of the meaning or is it implied when they are used in certain contexts? Is it a feature of semantics or pragmatics? Do they refer? What are their semantic values? Do they have an expressive content? This course will serve as an introduction to philosophy of language. The nature of linguistic meaning, how language represents the world, the interface between semantics/pragmatics will be discussed.
- Primary Instructor
- Bjurman Pautz
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Philosophy of Death
This course is about death: what it is, why it’s bad (and good?), and how we should approach our death, and others’. The course will be divided into three parts. In part one, we will consider questions regarding the nature of death. In part two, we will look at questions regarding the value of death and immortality. In part three, we will look at questions regarding the ethics of death.
- Primary Instructor
- Brinkerhoff
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Introduction to Islamic Philosophy
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the major thinkers, schools, themes and concepts of Islamic philosophy. We will begin with the translation movement from Greek into Arabic and the influence of the Koran, then look at texts by and about al-Kindi, Farabi, Avicenna, Averroes, Suhrawardi, and Mulla Sadra, among others. Students are required to read the assigned texts, to submit weekly reading response, and to write three 4-page papers or one 12-page paper on a chosen topic. While all assigned texts are in English, interested students can attend meetings devoted to reading sources in Arabic.
- Primary Instructor
- Gocheva
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Understanding Arguments
In this course you’ll learn how to analyze arguments philosophically, extracting their essential elements and mapping their structure in order to determine how they work, what assumptions they’re relying on, and whether they’re any good. You’ll develop your critical faculties by examining arguments from both mass media and the philosophical literature, on topics ranging from voting rights and prison sentencing to free will and the existence of God. You’ll also learn to direct these faculties inward, clarifying your own thinking so that you can produce rigorous and effective argumentative writing of your own.
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Ancient Philosophy
This course will introduce students to the major concerns of Greek philosophy, and how they are addressed by the Presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics. We will have two related ends: historical and critical. On the one hand, we will get clear so far as we are able what it is that these thinkers thought; on the other, it is important to evaluate their arguments. This course will emphasize the identification of the problems and the solutions to them that seemed pressing to these thinkers, especially if such problems seem alien to us.
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Marxism
In the first part of the course, we will examine Marx's economic, political, and philosophical writings, focusing on his analysis of capitalism, his critique of liberal democracy, and his theory of history. Then in the second part, we will look at some recent attempts to renew and extend the Marxist tradition.
- Primary Instructor
- Larmore
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Logic
An introduction to perhaps the most fundamental tool of rational thought: deductive logic. Course begins with basic sentential logic, then moves on to deduction, quantification, and predication. Argumentation and reasoning may also be addressed at times. No previous experience with logic or philosophy is required.
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Free Speech
Freedom of speech is a challenging and controversial ideal. Legal questions are central, but the issues range into moral and political philosophy as well. We will study John Stuart Mill’s influential 19th century treatment of the idea, and then concentrate mostly on discussions within the last fifty years, including much that is on the cutting edge of current thinking about freedom of speech. Topics will vary, including such things as: political speech, art and offense, pornography, hate speech, protest, copyright, internet and new media, and campaign finance laws.
- Primary Instructor
- Estlund
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Political Philosophy
An analytic investigation of some central problems and topics in political philosophy, including political obligation and civil disobedience, liberty, rights, equality, and democracy. Readings are drawn from recent work in the field, along with a few classics.
- Primary Instructor
- Estlund
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Perception
Begins with a reading of some classic works, and then moves on to contemporary work. Topics include: naive realist versus representational theories of sensory experience, the possibility that sensory experience is massively illusory (so that we already occupy a kind of “virtual reality”), the role of the brain in shaping sensory experience, and the alleged foundational role of sensory experience in knowledge. The focus will be on vision but we will also discuss other sense-modalities. Suggested prerequisite: at least one course in philosophy (2 or more preferred).
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Current Questions About Rational Belief
We'll study some "hot topics" in epistemology. Some possible questions: (1) What's the relationship between rational belief and logic? (2) Is belief best thought as all-or-nothing, as coming in gradations, or both? (3) Can the same evidence support divergent belief-states? (4) Is rational belief completely determined by evidence, or also by values or practical interests? (5) Are graded beliefs best seen as coming in precise degrees, or as more "spread-out"? (6) Can I have rational beliefs I know are denied by others just as intelligent, unbiased, well-informed, etc., as I am? Enrollment limited to 20 juniors and seniors.
- Primary Instructor
- Christensen
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Identity and Authenticity
Identity and authenticity are typically thought to be closely allied in that being oneself (authenticity) presupposes and depends on a conception of what one is (identity). However, close scrutiny of the ideal of authenticity and of the nature and development of identity exposes significant tensions between the two concepts. Drawing on sources from philosophy, psychoanalytic psychiatry, and sociology, the course will examine these concepts and the tensions that arise between them.
- Primary Instructor
- Reginster
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Heidegger
This course focuses on Heidegger's masterpiece, Being and Time. Attention will also be given to the background in Husserl as well as to some of Heidegger's lecture courses in the 1920s. Prerequisite: Two courses in philosophy.
- Primary Instructor
- Larmore
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Kant's Moral Philosophy
An introduction to the central themes of Kant's moral philosophy, including autonomy, freedom, happiness, obligation, and virtue. Kant's position in the history of moral philosophy will also be considered. Readings to include all of Kant's major writings in this field, thus Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Critique of Practical Reason, Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason, and Metaphysics of Morals, as well as several essays and lectures. Work will include two short papers and one term paper.
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Ethics in the Novel
Consideration of novels in terms of their treatment of such philosophical themes as death, courage, faith, betrayal, responsibility to others, and mercy. Focuses on themes in moral philosophy rather than themes in social and political philosophy. The course deals with contemporary American novels and also with Malory. No pre-requisites.
- Primary Instructor
- Ackerman
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Consciousness
Topics will include: (i) the different features of various types of consciousness; (ii) dualist, physicalist, and representationalist theories of experience; (iii) the nature of pain and other bodily sensations; (iv) the nature of conscious thought; (v) the qualitative dimension of perception; (vi) introspection; (vii) the roles of attention and working memory in perceptual consciousness; (viii) blindsight, inattentional blindness, hemineglect, and related phenomena; (ix) the unconscious; and (x) what it is for a state of consciousness to be unified.
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The Nature of Morality
Investigates major theories and issues concerning the nature of moral value. Readings from 20th-century authors. Issues include naturalism, supervenience, moral motivation, subjectivity/objectivity of value, skepticism, moral relativism, and moral realism.
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Moral Theories
A systematic examination of the main alternative normative moral theories: consequentialism; moral rights; moral duties; moral virtues. Focuses on the principal issues in the formulation of the different theories, on the main points of conflict between them, and on the critical evaluation of each. Readings are drawn mainly from contemporary work in moral philosophy.
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Metaphysics
A survey of some major topics in metaphysics, with a particular focus on radical metaphysical arguments – arguments that call into question our most basic beliefs about the world. Topics covered may include: What is personal identity? Does personal identity matter? Do personal identity and consciousness matter? Is there right and wrong and objective value? Is there free will? Are there any good arguments for God? Prerequisite: at least one course in philosophy (2 or more preferred).
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Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Others
A detailed study, both historical and critical, of central issues in Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. Topics include a selection from: innate ideas; substance; personal identity; abstract ideas; theory of language; perception, materialism, and idealism; induction and causation; and skepticism. Also includes some discussion of later critics of classical empiricism.
- Primary Instructor
- Broackes
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Epistemology
We’ll concentrate on several issues involving knowledge and rational belief: What is knowledge, and how does it relate to rational or justified belief? Does a person’s knowing something depend on non-evidential factors such as the practical importance of the person’s being correct? Does the justification of a person’s belief depend just on facts internal to the person—or might it depend on her environment? And what can we learn from thinking about the skeptical position which claims that we’re not justified in believing even the most ordinary things about the world around us? Pre-req: Must have taken one course in Philosophy.
- Primary Instructor
- Christensen
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Theories of Truth
Philosophers have been worrying about truth for just about as long as there've been philosophers. They've worried about what truth is; about what kinds of things are true; about what it is for one of these things to be true; about how its being true is related to our knowing or thinking that it is true; and so on. We'll discuss these issues and also the so-called Liar Paradox, which threatens to show that there's an inconsistency lurking in the very notion of truth.
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Independent Studies
An elective for students with at least six previous courses in philosophy. Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
- Primary Instructor
- Ackerman
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Hill
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Gill
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Heck
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Schechter
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Reginster
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Broackes
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Dreier
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Christensen
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Estlund
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Pautz
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Larmore
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Arpaly
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
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- I: Independent Study/Research
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Guyer
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
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Senior Thesis
An elective for students writing a thesis. Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
- Primary Instructor
- Ackerman
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Arpaly
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Broackes
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Christensen
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Dreier
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Estlund
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Gill
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Guyer
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Heck
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Hill
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Larmore
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Pautz
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Reginster
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Schechter
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
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Moral Psychology
This seminar will examine in depth some problems associated with morality, rationality, and the human psyche. Possible topics: acting for reasons, moral responsibility, practical reasoning, moral character, love, modesty, being too good, moral luck, desire, weakness of will. Undergraduates require instructor permission to enroll.
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Descartes, Boyle and Locke: Body, Mind, Essence and Quality
What is the nature of matter and of mind--or indeed or of gold or lead, or trees or dogs? More fundamentally, what are natures? How can we hope to discover them? Descartes thought he had a good method (a meditation to clarify our ideas). Locke had a different view: we are completely ignorant of essences, and classify things according to groups of salient qualities that they have. We will study the ways that philosophers retained, rejected, reworked, or reinvented the Aristotelian notion of essence; and how the natural philosophy and medicine of the time offered, or seemed to offer, new possibilities.
- Primary Instructor
- Broackes
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Inquiry
Epistemologists have typically focused attention on the products of inquiry (e.g., knowledge and justified belief) more than on inquiry itself. In this seminar, we will discuss recent work on the nature and proper conduct of inquiry. Readings will largely be drawn from epistemology, but there will also be readings from related areas, such as psychology and the philosophy of science.
- Primary Instructor
- Schechter
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Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality
The objective of the seminar is to formulate a comprehensive interpretation of the distinctive form of philosophical critique of the modern moral outlook Nietzsche develops in On the Genealogy of Morality. Drawing on a detailed review and assessment of recent pertinent scholarly literature, we will attempt to circumscribe the nature of this critique and examine Nietzsche’s execution of it in the book’s three essays.
- Primary Instructor
- Reginster
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Graduate Proseminar
Will cover classics of philosophy from the end of the 19th century to the end of the 20th; including ethics as well as metaphysics, epistemology and philosophy of language.
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Dissertation Workshop
No description available. Course for graduate students during their 4th year or above.
- Primary Instructor
- Schechter
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Thesis Preparation
For graduate students who have met the tuition requirement and are paying the registration fee to continue active enrollment while preparing for a preliminary examination.
- Schedule Code
- E: Grad Enrollment Fee/Dist Prep
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Research in Philosophy
Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
- Primary Instructor
- Ackerman
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Hill
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Gill
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Heck
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Schechter
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Reginster
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Broackes
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Dreier
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Christensen
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Estlund
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Pautz
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Larmore
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Arpaly
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
- Primary Instructor
- Guyer
- Schedule Code
- I: Independent Study/Research
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Thesis Preparation
For graduate students who have met the residency requirement and are continuing research on a full time basis.
- Schedule Code
- E: Grad Enrollment Fee/Dist Prep
