Philosophy (PHIL)
Chair: Associate Professor David MacCallum
Professor: Roy Elveton
Associate Professor: David MacCallum
Assistant Professors: Angela Curran, Jennifer Everett, Anna Moltchanova
Visiting Professors: Maria Lugones, Elizabeth Spelman
Visiting Assistant Professor: Eric Wolf
Prerequisites for Courses in Philosophy:
For courses numbered 100-210: none.
For courses numbered 211 through 299: six credits in philosophy (not including credits earned in first-year seminars) or permission of the instructor.
For courses numbered 300 through 400: twelve credits in philosophy (not including credits earned in first-year seminars) or permission of the instructor.
Requirements for a Major:
Sixty-nine credits in philosophy, including Philosophy 110, 111, or 112 (6 credits); 210, 211, 212, and 213 (24 credits); 270, 272, 274, or 276 (6 credits); twelve credits of 395's (advanced seminars), 399, and 400 (21 credits); and two other courses numbered 220 or above (12 credits).
Philosophy Courses
Philosophy 110 sections, Introduction to Philosophy: An introduction to philosophical thinking through intensive reading of primary philosophical sources and careful discussion and writing about them and the philosophical issues they raise. Each section 1) focuses on one fundamental area of philosophy while making connections with another such area, 2) involves the study of both historical and contemporary texts, and 3) pays some attention to issues of race and/or gender as they bear on the subject matter of the section. All sections follow a discussion format and require several brief papers. There are no prerequisites. The following sections will be offered in 2005-2006.
PHIL 110. Global Problems
An introduction to philosophy through the study of the ethical and political aspects of contemporary global issues. Possible topics include climate change, loss of biodiversity, economic inequality and development, and war and terrorism. We'll examine these issues and possible responses to them both at the level of abstract theorizing and at the level of policy and implementation. 6 cr., HU, Winter—E. Wolf
PHIL 110. Ethics and Economic Values A study of recent and historical philosophical works addressing some moral aspect of contemporary economic life. Such issues may include economic and political justice; the moral limits of the market; the nature of citizenship vs. consumership and community vs. marketplace; corporate social responsibility; obligations of affluence; the ethics of personal consumption; or relationships between wealth, happiness, and the good life. 6 cr., HU, Fall—J. Everett
PHIL 110. Personal Identity
This course is an introduction to philosophy through the topic of personal identity. What is a person? What is it that makes possible our continued existence through time? Is it a soul? Our bodies? Or is it a stream of memories connecting us to past events? We also examine the place of social roles in determining personal identity. Readings will be drawn from historical as well as contemporary sources. 6 cr., HU, Winter—A. Curran
PHIL 110. Arguing About Politics
This course introduces students to several classic texts in the history of political thought and provides them with an opportunity to interpret these texts critically by concentrating on argument analysis. Students will also learn to construct and effectively communicate their own arguments about foundational issues in politics. We will discuss justifications of democracy, the challenge of diverse citizenship, the role of deliberation in politics and related questions. We will read works by Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Rousseau, Locke, de Tocqueville, Mill as well as some contemporary political theorists. 6 cr., HU, Spring—A. Moltchanova
PHIL 110. Knowledge and Nebulae
How have we acquired our knowledge of nebulae and distant galaxies? This question has a presupposition that most of us accept: that we have such knowledge. But is this presupposition justified? How do we determine whether we know something? To answer these questions, we will investigate a number of prominent theories of knowledge and the development of some key features of stellar astronomy from the modern scientific revolution through the twentieth century. 6 cr., HU, Fall,Spring—D. MacCallum
PHIL 110. Evolution and Mind
An introduction to questions in the philosophy of mind and language by considering the importance of evolution theory for issues relating to the nature of cognition and language. Central questions to be discussed include: the nature of Darwinian evolutionary: the nature, structure and function of human language; the nature and role of consciousness; the possibility of innate structures of cognition and language; the university and diversity of human culture and categorization of experience. 6 cr., HU, Fall—R. Elveton
PHIL 111. Introduction to Western Philosophy I: Ancient and Medieval A study of the history of Western philosophy from its beginnings to the end of the Middle Ages. The course is a series of lectures on the historical/cultural contexts of major philosophical positions, the interrelations among the central questions on which these positions focus, and the positions' relationships to today's philosophical discussions. Philosophers such as Heraclitus, Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Anselm, and Aquinas will be considered, and extensive selections from their writings will be read. May be taken independently of Philosophy 112. No prerequisites. 6 cr., HU, Winter—R. Elveton
PHIL 112. Introduction to Western Philosophy II: Modern and Contemporary A study of the history of Western philosophy from the Renaissance to the present day. The course is a series of lectures on the historical/cultural contexts of modern philosophical positions, the interrelations among the central questions on which these positions focus, and the positions' relationships to today's philosophical discussions. Emphasis is given to the ways in which modern philosophy has sought to either extend, modify, or critique the philosophical tradition it inherits. Philosophers such as Descartes, Hume, Kant, Schopenhauer, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, James, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Rawls, and Habermas will be considered, and extensive selections from their writings will be read. May be taken independently of Philosophy 111. No prerequisites. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2005-2006.
PHIL 210. Logic A topical and issue-centered introduction to logic, considering both historical and contemporary developments. Topics will include propositional logic, predicate logic, the relation of logic to natural languages, arguments and their analysis, and informal reasoning. No prerequisites. 6 credits cr., ND, Fall—D. MacCallum
PHIL 211. Metaphysics A topical and issue-centered introduction to metaphysics, considering both historical and contemporary developments. Topics may include substance, essence, and accident; being and becoming; appearance and reality; universals and other abstract entitits; and the mental and the physical. Prerequisite: any section of Philosophy 110, 111, or 112. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—A. Moltchanova
PHIL 212. Epistemology A topical and issue-centered introduction to the theory of knowledge, considering both historical and contemporary developments. Topics may include foundationalism and skepticism, the a priori and the empirical, justification and reliability, naturalized epistemology, and normativity. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—D. MacCallum
PHIL 213. Ethics A topical and issue-centered introduction to ethics, considering both historical and contemporary developments. Topics may include utilitarianism, pragmatism, virtue theory, Kantianism, contractualism, subjectivism, intuitionism, emotivism, relativism, moral skepticism, moral justification, the objectivity of values, normative ethics, metaethics, and feminist approaches to moral theory. Prerequisite: any section of Philosophy 110, 111, or 112. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—J. Everett
Philosophy 220 sections, Topics: Selected topics from various areas of philosophy. In 2005-20065 the following section will be offered:
PHIL 220. Topics: Continental Philosophy: Time and History This course will discuss selected texts from Heidegger, Foucault and Sartre with a view to determining their views on the temporal and historical nature of human experience. Selections from Being and Time and several of Heidegger's late essays will be read, as well as Foucault's Discipline and Punish, The History of Sexuality and Sartre's Search for a Method. 6 cr., HU, Spring—R. Elveton
PHIL 220. Topics: Philosophy of Law This course provides students with an opportunity to engage actively in a discussion of theoretical questions about law. We will consider the nature of law as it is presented by natural law theory, legal positivism and legal realism. Then we will deal with responsibility and punishment, and challenges to the idea of the primacy of individual rights from legal paternalism and moralism. We will next inquire into the relations between individuals and legal systems, explanations of why individuals should obey the law, and conditions under which civil disobedience is justified. Finally, we will discuss issues raised by feminist legal theory and some theories of minority rights. 6 cr., HU, Fall—A. Moltchanova
PHIL 232. Social and Political Philosophy: Justice and Politics What distinguishes just states from unjust states? Are some states so unjust that we are not obliged to comply with their laws? We will examine answers to these and related questions proposed by liberal, socialist, libertarian, communitarian, feminist and post-modern theories of political and social justice. The following are some of the authors we will read: Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Marx, Berlin, Lyotard, Nozick, Rawls, Habermas, Sandel, Seyla Benhabib, Jean Hampton, Charles Taylor, and Amy Gutmann. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2005-2006.
PHIL 234. Aesthetics Various issues in aesthetics: the definition of art, the nature of the aesthetic, the description, interpretation, and evaluation of aesthetic objects. Readings will be drawn primarily from the works of philosophers and from case materials. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—A. Curran
PHIL 235. Feminist Philosophy Drawing on developments in feminist theory and philosophy, this course focuses on the ways in which feminism has affected our understanding and evaluation of basic philosophical problems, concepts, and theories. Special emphasis will be paid to the very idea of theory in feminist thought and the implications of feminist philosophy for institutionalized racism, sexism, and heterosexism. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—J. Everett
PHIL 242. Environmental Ethics What is our proper moral stance toward the natural environment? Toward individual non-human animals in that environment? Toward other species of living beings? Toward the biotic community as a whole? The class will aim not so much at definite solutions to particular environmental problems as at an increased philosophical sophistication in framing and supporting answers to these and related questions about our environment and our place in it. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—J. Everett
PHIL 250. Philosophy of Physics A study of how contemporary physics forces us to revise our common-sense understanding of the world, focusing on the conceptual revolutions brought about by special relativity and quantum mechanics. Topics include the relativity of simultaneity, the twins paradox, causality, nonlocality, hidden-variables theories and quantum information theory. Prerequisite: 6 credits in philosophy or physics, or permission of the instructor. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2005-2006.
PHIL 251. Philosophy of Biology A study of some important conceptual and foundational issues in evolutionary biology. Topics to be considered will include the role of fitness in evolutionary theory, functional and teleological explanations, the problem of the units of selection, the nature of a species, the reduction of genetics to molecular biology, and sociobiology. Prerequisite: 6 credits in philosophy or biology, or permission of the instructor. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—E. Wolf
PHIL 253. Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Through an examination of primary source materials, including, for example, works by Descartes, Kant and W. James-as well as a number of current writers-this course will explore ethe foundations of contemporary cognitive science. Topics to be treated include: mind/body dualism, consciousness, self-knowledge, rationality and the nature of psychological explanation. Prerequisite: 6 credits in philosophy or psychology, or permission of the instructor. 6 cr., HU, Not offered in 2005-2006.
PHIL 270. Ancient Philosophy
The focused study of an important concept, problem, theme, tradition of thought, theory, or some combination of these in the work of major Greek philosophers of the period between 640 BCE and 386 CE, including such philosophers as Heraclitus, Parmenides, Plato, and Aristotle.
6 cr., HU, Spring—A. Curran
PHIL 272. Modern Philosophy The sixteenth and seventeenth century saw one of the most radical shifts in the history of Western thought: the modern scientific revolution. In its shadow, a body of philosophical literature emerged, which set the pace for many Western philosophical debates up to the present: works by Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, and others. We will study this literature, focusing on three broad issues: 1) What is the nature of human knowledge? 2) How can psychological beings inhabit the fundamentally non-psychological natural world described by modern physics? 3) What are the fundamental objects and relations in the world?
6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2005-2006.
PHIL 274. Existentialism We will consider the emergence and development of major themes of existentialism in the works of Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, as well as "classical" existentialists such as Heidegger, Sartre and De Beauvoir. We will discuss key issues put forward by the existentialist movement, such as "the question of being" and human historicity, freedom and responsibility and look at how different authors analyzed the nature and ambitions of the Self and diverse aspects of subjectivity. 6 cr., HU, Fall—A. Moltchanova
PHIL 281. Advanced Logic Topics in logic presupposing familiarity with first order logic. Possible topics: metalogic (incompleteness and undecidability), non-classical logics (e.g., modal, intuitionistic and non-monotonic logics), applications to other disciplines, and philosophy of logic. Prerequisite: Philosophy 210, Mathematics 211, or permission of the instructor. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2005-2006.
PHIL 395. Global Justice In this course we will consider a number of issues related to the moral foundations of international law. We will discuss the meaning of global justice, and related issues of state sovereignty and human rights. Under what conditions is humanitarian intervention justified? Should human rights include a right to democracy? Do the world's wealthy have an obligation to ensure that the world's poor achieve an acceptable quality of life? Most world governments are considered legitimate world actors; do substate groups have a right of membership in the world community? Do "just war" justifications apply to terrorists trying to advance self-determination claims of their sub-state groups? We will read contemporary works in political philosophy and philosophy of international law to find answers to these questions. 6 cr., HU, Winter—A. Moltchanova
PHIL 395. Latin American Philosophy A seminar on the Latin American Philosophy and Liberation movement. We will begin with Salazar Body's question "Is there a Latin Philosophy?" to initiate a critique of the Latin American mimetic response to European and Anglo American philosophy. Mignolo's The Darker Side of the Renaissance and Dussel's The Invention of the Americas will deepen the critique of eurocentrism and the possibilities of a philosophy of liberation that begin to be adumbrated in that critique. Rodolfo Kusch's work will take us to the deep liminal currents in popular thought in the Americas. 3 cr., HU, Fall—M. Lugones
PHIL 395. Desire For many philosophical and religious thinkers, desire has been a source of some anxiety: depicted as being by their very nature powerful and insatiable, desires appear to weaken people's capacities to control themselves and at the same time to open up opportunities for other people to control them. Focusing especially on the importance of desire to a consumer society, we shall be examining questions such as: Is it possible to make a clear distinction between need and desire? Between necessity and luxury? What moral, political, and economic interest has there been in the creation or regulation of desire? 3 cr., HU, Fall—E. Spelman
PHIL 395. Android Epistemology Traditional epistemology has been devoted to understanding human knowledge. We will investigate recent work in philosophy, psychology and computer science that broadens the scope of epistemology to include human-engineered knowers. This broader scope will help us gain a new perspective on traditional epistemology as well as open up new areas of research. 6 cr., HU, Spring—D. MacCallum
PHIL 395. Film and the Emotions orror movies, thrillers, and melodramas. The evocation of emotions, of one kind or another, is central to our experience of watching films. This seminar looks at the variety of emotional responses to movies. Questions we examine include: How do we engage with characters in film? What is the relation of cognition and emotion in our response to film? Do films manipulate our emotions? Readings will be drawn from works in philosophy and film theory and criticism. Weekly film screenings are required in addition to the regular class meeting. 6 cr., HU, Spring—A. Curran
PHIL 399. Senior Thesis The planning, preparation, and completion of a philosophical paper under the direction of a member of the department and as part of a seminar group. 6 credits cr., ND, Winter—D. MacCallum
PHIL 400. Integrative Exercise A colloquium in which seniors defend their senior theses and discuss the senior theses of others. 3 credits cr., S/NC, ND, Spring—Staff