Carleton College

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,Winter—D. MacCallum

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. Narratives & Knowledge Literature can provide us with insight – some would even argue knowledge – about the world. Others deride this idea, claiming that nothing other than rigorous scientific method can produce such insights and knowledge. This course introduces philosophy through examinations of what it means for something to be knowledge and of the role that science and literature have to play in producing objective claims about the world. We will approach these questions by focusing on a body of literature that can loosely be labeled 'memoirs of mental illness'. Topics to be covered include: knowledge, objectivity, perspectivalism and qualia. 6 cr., HU, Spring—P. Ross

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,Spring—E. Wolf

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. World, Knowledge and Science This course is an introduction to philosophy. A basic assumption of much of philosophy is that the nature of thought is the same everywhere. Thus, one product of thought "knowledge" can be studied and treated as a singular kind of thing. Is this assumption justified? What are the ramifications for philosophy if it is not? One of the many cultural differences relevant to this issue is the striking contrast between Individualist and Collectivist thought. Topics to be covered include: the nature of the self; the relationship between our thoughts, our categories and the world; and the basis of logical reasoning.   6 cr., HU, Fall—P. Ross

PHIL 110. Evolution and Mind An introduction to questions in the philosophy of mind and language by considering the importance of evolution and evolutionary theory for issues relating to the nature of cognition and language. Central questions to be discussed include: the nature of Darwinian evolution; 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, Not offered in 2006-2007.

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 cr., HU, Not offered in 2006-2007.

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 cr., ND, Fall—D. MacCallum

PHIL 211. Metaphysics The aim of metaphysics has traditionally been to identify the nature and structure of reality. The topics of this course are the topology of time, identity of things and individuals, causality, free will, and the referents of general terms. We will read a variety of classic and contemporary texts, which are organized topically. Prerequisite: any section of Philosophy 110, 111, or 112. 6 cr., HU, Winter—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 cr., HU, Spring—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 cr., HU, Spring—E. Wolf

PHIL 220. Topics: Philosophy of Film What is film? Is it the representation of reality or is it artistic expression? Do movies have authors? How do films engage our emotions? Can movies be philosophical? Can films be socially critical? These are some of the questions we will consider as we investigate the nature of film and its relation to philosophy. Our investigation of these questions will be enriched and tested through required weekly viewing of films. 6 cr., HU, Fall—A. Curran

PHIL 220. Topics: Philosophy of Mind What is consciousness? What is the mind? Why, given knowledge that we have gained from contemporary neuroscience-where the absence of these concepts is conspicuous-do we continue to invoke them to explain and predict behavior? Philosophers and scientist have long grappled with limitations that arise when attempting to explain consciousness and the mind solely in terms of physical phenomena. This course is an historical examination of the tensions inherent in a science of the mind. Beginning with Descartes, and moving through history up to contemporary cognitive science, we will examine theories and explanations of mind and consciousness proposed by both philosophers and scientists. 6 cr., HU, Fall—P. Ross

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 cr., HU, Winter—A. Moltchanova

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 cr., HU, Not offered in 2006-2007.

PHIL 235. Feminist Philosophy Reason and objectivity are two of the most fundamental concepts of Western philosophy. Nevertheless, these concepts have undergone serious attack in the past half-century. Some of the strongest attacks have come from feminists' efforts to expose and eliminate sources of sexism and oppression.We begin with Descartes' Meditations and feminist criticisms of the "male dominated" reason which Descartes has come to represent. We then discuss whether there can be a feminist epistemology, and if so, how it differs from "non-feminist" epistemologies. Finally, in the absence of some universal notion of objectivity, we examine how to theorize about morality and science. 6 cr., HU, Not offered in 2006-2007.

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 cr., HU, Fall—E. Wolf

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 cr., HU, Spring—D. MacCallum

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 cr., HU, Not offered in 2006-2007.

PHIL 253. Philosophy of Cognitive Science A study of the central theories, methodological and philosophical issues and major competing paradigms regarding the nature of human cognition. Topics to be treated include: the nature of mental representations, intentionality, consciousness, the structure of language, nativism and externalism in the cognitive sciences, embodied cognition and the constitutive roles of culture and evolution in shaping cognitive processes. 6 cr., HU, Winter—R. Elveton

PHIL 270. Ancient Greek Philosophy The source of much of the Western way of thinking about the world can be located in the questions that intrigued ancient Greek philosophers: What is change? Can we really know anything at all about the world? How is the body related to the mind? How do we distinguish appearance and reality? And, what is the best life to live? Our principal readings will include works in translation from Heraclitus, Parmenides, the Skeptics, Stoics, and Epicureans, with particular attention paid to the philosophies of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. 6 cr., HU, Fall—A. Curran

PHIL 272. Modern Philosophy An examination of the development of Western philosophy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries through the writings of Descartes, Locke, Spinoza, Leibniz, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. We focus on the impact of modern scientific thought on the philosophical tradition's understanding of the place of the human being in the world. Topics include: Is it possible to have knowledge of the world? What is the nature of reality? What is the human mind? Are we free? 6 cr., HU, Spring—A. Curran

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, Spring—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 cr., HU, Not offered in 2006-2007.

PHIL 395. Freedom and the Self This course deals with a number of metaphysical, psychological and social aspects of personhood. We will consider how a self is constituted through its actions and relations with others, and how and whether persons can obtain self-knowledge and maintain their identity in the process. Some topics include responsibility and free will, the ethics of self-deception, practical reasoning and motivations of individual and collective agents. We will read a variety of texts in both analytic and continental traditions organized topically. 6 cr., HU, Spring—A. Moltchanova

PHIL 395. Ethics of Belief The fundamental questions of the ethics of belief are what ought I believe and whether belief is voluntary. Historically, the starting point is the 'evidentialist' claim that belief in God cannot be rational because it is not based on evidence. In critically discussing evidentialism, we inquire whether truth or knowledge is the aim of belief. We examine perversions of belief like fanaticism and the warrant for relying on sources of belief including the word of others and self-knowledge. Mainly our readings will be drawn from philosophy, especially epistemology, but we will also examine research in psychology on self-knowledge and reasoning. 6 cr., HU, Spring—J. Adler

PHIL 395. Weird Science This course examines the fringes of science in order to highlight the role of critical thinking in attaining knowledge. We will survey claims made on behalf of creationism, parapsychology, and UFOlogy, together with common, 'scientific', responses. The central questions we address concern the scientific status of paranormal claims, and what the fringes of science can teach us about the nature and boundaries of knowledge. Our tools in analyzing these claims will be drawn from both science and philosophy. We will see why it is that in thinking about knowledge, it is necessary to become adept at integrating scientific and philosophical thinking. 6 cr., HU, Winter—P. Ross

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 cr., ND, Fall,Winter—A. Curran

PHIL 400. Integrative Exercise A colloquium in which seniors defend their senior theses and discuss the senior theses of others. 3 cr., S/NC, ND, Fall,Spring—Staff