PHILOSOPHY
(AS) {PHIL}
Introductory Courses
L/R 001. Introduction to Philosophy.
(C) Humanities &
Social Science Sector. Class of 2010 & beyond. Detlefsen,
Schneider. Also fulfills General Requirement in History & Tradition
for Class of 2009 and prior. Freshman Seminar sections
offered.
An introduction to such topics as our knowledge of the material
world, the relation of mind and body, the existence of God,
the nature of morality. Readings from historical and contemporary
sources.
L/R 002. Ethics. (C) Society Sector. All classes. Meyer,
S., Tan, Martin.
An investigation of some of the central questions about the
nature of morality: Are moral judgments objective and justifiable? Can
moral disagreements be resolved rationally? How are
we to understand the idea of a good life, and what is the
relationship between a good life and morality? To what
extent can we be held responsible for our conduct? Readings
will be from both contemporary and historical sources, and
will concern both practical problems (e.g. abortion, euthanasia,
or resource conservation) and theoretical issues.
L/R 003. (CLST103) History of Ancient
Philosophy. (A) History & Tradition
Sector. All classes. Kahn, Meyer, S.
A survey of classical Greek approaches to questions about
knowledge, the nature of the world, the soul, ethics, and
politics. Will focus on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
L/R 004. History of Modern Philosophy.
(B) History & Tradition
Sector. All classes. Guyer, Hatfield, Detlefsen.
Theories of knowledge, mind, and reality in early modern philosophy
from Descartes through Kant or Hegel.
005. (LGIC010, PHIL505) Formal
Logic I. (C) Domotor,
Weinstein.
Introduction to truth-functional logic and quantificational
logic. Discussion of identity, descriptions, formalized
theories, completeness, and decidability.
006. (LGIC310, MATH570, PHIL506)
Formal Logic II. (B) Weinstein.
An introduction to the elements of first-order model theory
including the completeness, compactness, and Lowenheim-Skolem
theorems, with some discussion of the theory of effectively
computable functions.
007. Critical Thinking. (M) Staff.
This course will provide the student with informal techniques
for identifying and analyzing arguments found in natural
language. Special attention will be paid to developing the
ability to assess the strength of natural language arguments,
as well as statistical arguments.
L/R 008. (PPE 008) The Social Contract.
(B) Society
Sector. All classes. Freeman,Tan.
This course examines the role of social contract doctrine
in Western culture. Focus is on the works of Hobbes, Locke,
J. J. Rousseau, and John Rawls. Lectures will
be accompanied by discussions, led by faculty from other
departments, including Economics, Psychology, History and
Political Science.
015. Logic and Formal Reasoning.
(B) Domotor.
This course offers an introduciton to three major types of
formal reasoning: deductive, indective and practical (also
known as decision-making). First, and most centrally,
we will be focusing on the logical structure of deductive
arguments in the context of classical sentential and predicate
logics. Next, we turn to inductive argument forms within
the frameworks of elementary probability theory and statistiics. In
the third shortest module, we introduce some central ideas
of decision theory. This course is designed for students
with a minimal background in mathematics.
L/R 025. Philosophy of Science. (C) Natural Science & Mathematics
Sector. Class of 2010 and beyond. Weisberg.
An introductory course in the history and philosophy of science
focused on the development of the modern, scientific view
of the world. Starting with ancient Greek science,
the course surveys the history of biology, chemistry, and
physics examining the origin of concepts such as force, atom,
evolution, species, and law of nature. The course also
covers key issues in the philosophy of science including
the relationship between theory and evidence, the nature
of scientific explanation, and scientific realism.
Readings will be drawn from the writings of Aristotle, Ptolemy,
Copernicus, Descartes, Newton, Boyle, Dalton, Darwin, Mendeleev,
and Einstein, as well as secondary sources.
026. (STSC026) Relativity and the
Philosophy of Space and Time. (A) Natural Science & Mathematics Sector. Class of 2010 and
beyond. Domotor. Also fulfills General Requirement in Science
Studies for Class of 2009 and prior.
This course will present a detailed introduction to Einstein's
special and general theories of relativity and will examine
their historical development and philosophical significance. No
previous physics or philosophy will be presupposed, and only
high school mathematics will be used.
L/R 027. (CHEM027, PHIL527) Origin
and Meaning of Quantum Theory. (M) Natural Science & Mathematics Sector. Class of 2010 and
beyond. Hatfield, Fitts.
Quantum theory provides the fundamental underpinning of modern
physical science, yet its philosophical implications are
so shocking that Einstein could not accept them. By
following the historical development of 20th century quantum
science, the student should gain an appreciation of how a
scientific theory grows and develops, and of the strong interplay
between scientific observation and philosophical interpretation. Although
students will not be expected to carry out mathematical derivations,
they should gain an understanding of basic quantum findings.
SM 028. (COML028, GSOC028) Introduction
to Feminist Philosophy. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Meyer, M. Offered through the College of General
Studies.
Feminist theory grows out of women's experience. In
this course we will investigate how some contemporary feminist
thinkers' consideration of women's experience has caused
them to criticize society and philosophy. Traditional
philosophical areas addressed may include ethics, social
and political philosophy, aesthetics, philosophy of religion,
and epistemology.
SM 032. Topics in Contemporary Philosophy.
(M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Ross. Topics vary each semester. Course is
part of the Benjamin Franklin Scholars Program.
Topics may include skepticism, perception, truth, representation,
and ontology.
044. (CIS 140, COGS001, LING105,
PSYC107) Introduction to Cognitive Science. (A) Kearns, Liberman, Weinstein, Hatfield.
Formal Reasoning Course. All Classes.
Scope and limits of computer representation of knowledge,
belief and perception, and the nature of cognitive processes
from a computational prespective.
L/R 050. (RELS155, RELS455, SAST150)
Indian Philosophy: Themes, Methods, and Western Responses.
(M) History & Tradition Sector. All
classes. Staff.
An introductory survey of the fundamentals of Hindu and Buddhist
philosophy, the main patterns of Western response to it and
some basic questions on "comparative philosophy".
054. Contemporary Continental Philosophy.
(M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Staff.
An introduction to 20th century continental European philosophy,
focusing on the origins and development of phenomenology
and existentialism and their influence on contemporary thought. The
course will include an introduction to the phenomenology
of Edmund Husserl and examine the subsequent development
of modern philosophic existentialism by critics of Husserl,
such as Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre or Maurice Merleau-Ponty.
Finally, the important influence of phenomenology and existentialism
on contemporary trends in French, German, and American philosophy
will be explored, including hermeneutics, deconstruction, post-modernism,
and post-analytic philosophy. No previous study of philosophy
is required.
L/R 055. Existentialism. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.
A critical examination of existentialist views of the nature
of the moral life. Readings from both classical (Kierkegaard
and Nietzsche) and modern existentialism (Sartre). Readings
also include related literary works. Attention will be given
to the conceptions of the self; the visions of personal ideals;
and the treatment of the relation among different kinds of
practical ideals.
L/R 072. (HSOC101, PPE 072) Biomedical
Ethics. (M) Society
Sector. All classes. Staff.
A survey of moral problems in medicine and biomedical research. Problems
discussed include: genetic manipulation, informed consent,
infanticide, abortion, euthanasia, and the allocation of
medical resources.
Moral theory is presented with the aim of enabling students
to think critically and analytically about moral issues. The
need for setting biomedical issues in broader humanistic perspective
is stressed.
L/R 076. Political Philosophy. (M) May be counted as a General Requirement
Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Freeman.
An introduction to some central issues in social and political
philosophy: liberty, equality, property, authority, distributive
justice. Readings from Hobbes, Locke, Mill, Marx, Rawls,
Nozick.
L/R 077. Philosophy of Law. (M) Society Sector. All classes. Freeman,
Ross, Tan.
Introduction to the main philosophical views about the nature
of the philosophy of law, human rights, and the authority
of the state. Concentrating upon natural law theory in relationship
to our government, the due process of law, and equal protection
of law doctrine.
079. Environmental Ethics. (M) Staff.
The course offers a survey of ethical and policy issues relating
to the environment. Topics to be discussed include,
the moral standing of the non-human environment and its habitants,
environmentalist concerns about the adequacy of traditional
philosophical and economic conceptions of value and specific
environmental problems, such as population pressure and biodiversity.
L/R 080. Aesthetics. (M) Arts & Letters Sector. All Classes.
Guyer, Camp.
A discussion of some major issues in the philosophy of art
and beauty, paying special attention to ways our appreciation
of specific works of art can encourage us (even force us)
to ask philosophical questions.
155. Continental Philosophy. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.
In this course we read various texts in the Enlightment tradition
and more recent ones critical of modern distortions of this
tradition. We shall begin briefly with Kant and Marx,
two exemplars of this tradition, and then we shall study
in some detail the views of the Frankfurt School (especially
the writing of Horkheimer and Adorno), Foucault, and Derrida. Background
readings from Nietzsche and Saussure shall also be assigned
to place the material from Foucault and Derrida in its proper
context.
Intermediate Courses
SM 209. Introduction to Plato. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Kahn, Meyer, S.
This course will involve an intensive reading of a number
of Plato's dialogues. We will also pay attention to
the background from which Plato's views emerged and ask what
it is that makes Plato at least the first, if not also the
greatest, philosopher of the western world. We will
discuss the character of Socrates, through whom Plato usually
expresses his own view, and examine the relations between
Socrates and the Sophists with whom Plato constantly contrasts
him. We will concentrate on Socrates' views on virtue
and the good life, the possibility of teaching people to
be good, Plato's theory of Forms asan answer to Socrates'
questions and its relations to Parmenides and Plato's later
modifications of that theory.
L/R 211. (CLST211) Ancient Moral Philosophy.
(M) Society
Sector. All classes. Meyer, S. Also fulfills General Requirement
in History & Tradition for Class of 2009 and prior.
A survey of the ethical theories debated by philosophers in
Classical Greece and Rome. Plato, Aristotle, Stoics,
Epicureans and Pyrrhonist Sceptics offer competing answers
to the fundamental question raised by Socrates: How are we
to live? That is, what is the best life for a human
being? These philosophers generally agree that virtue
is an important part of the best human life, but disagree
about whether it is the greatest good (Epicurus, for example
claims that pleasure is the highest good), or whether there
are any other goods (for example, health, wealth, family). Much
attention is paid in their theories to accounts of the virtues
of character, and to the place of wisdom in the best sort
of human life.
SM 212. Greek Concepts of the Psyche.
(M) Kahn.
The origins of psychological theory and concepts of psyche
in Greek literature and philosophy. Readings will include
Homer and other poets, as well as Heraclitus, Plato, Aristotle
and Plotinus.
215. Probability and Statistical
Reasoning. (M) Domotor.
This course provides a conceptual and calculational approach
to scientific reasoning with special regards to hypothesis
formation, design and analysis of experiments for students
with little or no formal background in probability calculus
or statistics. Experimental inquiry is viewed in terms
of a series of models, each with different questions, stretching
from low-level representations of data and experiment to
higher level hypotheses and theories of interest.
SM 225. (COML224, STSC108) Introduction
to Philosophy of Science. (C) May be counted as a General Requirement Course in Science
studies. Class of 2009 & prior only. Domotor, Akhundov.
A discussion of some philosophical questions that naturally
arise in scientific research. Issues to be covered
include: The nature of scientific explanation, the relation
of theories to evidence, and the development of science (e.g.,
does science progress? Are earlier theories refuted
or refined?).
226. (PPE 225, STSC128) Philosophy
of Biology. (M) Natural Science & Mathematics Sector. Class of 2010 and beyond. Domotor,
Weisberg.
This course consists of a detailed examination of evolutionary
theory and its philosophical foundations. The course
begins with a consideration of Darwin's formulation of evolutionary
theory and the main influences on Darwin. We will then
consider two contemporary presentations of the theory Richard
Dawkins' and Richard Lewontin's. The remainder of the
course will deal with a number of foundational issues and
may include discussions of adaptation, what constitutes a
species, whether there is evolutionary progress, and the
concept of fitness. We will also discuss the units
of selection, the alleged reduction of classical genetics
to molecular genetics, and the possibility of grounding ethics
in evolutionary theory.
SM 227. Conceptions of the Self. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class
of 2009 & prior only. Staff.
Investigation of such topics as the unity of consciousness
and personal identity. Some attention will be given to the
relations between conceptions of the self and conceptions
of morality.
SM 231. Introduction to Theory of
Knowledge. (M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Staff.
An examination of basic issues concerning empirical knowledge
with special attention to philosophical accounts of perception.
SM 234. (RELS204) Philosophy of Religion.
(M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Ross.
Systematic examinations of the nature of religious experiences;
proofs of the existence of God; the problem of evil; the
relationships of faith and reason; and the possibility of
religious knowledge.
SM 242. Freedom of the Will. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class
of 2009 & prior only. Martin.
A discussion of (philosophical) threats to human freedom arising
from reflections of the nature of causality, the domain of
science, or the nature of the future tense and time.
SM 243. Topics In Metaphysics. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Domotor, Gross.
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 001 or PHIL 003 or PHIL 004, or permission
of instructor.
Topics will vary from year to year.
L/R 244. (PPE 244, VLST244) Introduction
to Philosophy of Mind. (C) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009
& prior only. Domotor, Camp.
This course deals with several problems that lie at the interface
among philosophy, logic, linguistics, psychology, and computer
science.
249. (EDUC576, GSOC249) Philosophy
of Education. (M) Detlefsen.
This course covers a variety of philosophical questions surrounding
education. These may include questions in epistemology, human
nature, philosophy of psychology, ethics, and social-political
philosophy.
SM 255. Topics in Continental Philosophy.
(M) Staff.
Topics will vary.
SM 267. Kant and the 19th Century.
(M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Staff. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 004.
After an orientation to Kant's philosophy, we will examine
Hegel, Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche.
L/R 277. Justice, Law and Morality.
(M) Distribution
Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Allen.
In this course we will explore what it means to say that a
government is just. In the course of our inquiries, we will
work through seven major theories of justice: libertarianism,
socialism, utilitarian liberalism, contractarian liberalism,
communitarianism, perfection-ism, and feminism.
There are no prerequisites.
278. (LAW 614) Comparative Law.
(M) Ewald.
The course will be a basic introduction to the legal systems
of continental Europe, with an emphasis on the historical
and philosophical developments that have shaped the modern
civil law.
299. Independent Study. (C) Staff.
Student arranges with a faculty member to pursue a program
of reading and writing on a suitable topic.
301. Directed Honors Research.
(C)
Open only to senior majors in philosophy. Student arranges
with a faculty member to do an honors thesis on a suitable
topic.
SM 325. Topics in Philosophy of Science.
(C) Weisberg.
Department Majors Only.
Topics will vary.
SM 330. Philosophy of Perception.
(M) Hatfield.
Department Majors Only.
A philosophical study of historical and contemporary theories
of perception, using material drawn from both the philosophical
and psychological literatures.
SM 331. Epistemology. (M) Schneider. Department Majors Only.
Foundations of knowledge, belief, perception, memory, and
truth. Justification, evidence, certainty, incorrigibility,
acceptance, and coherence. Knowledge of one's own and other
people's state of mind. Inference about seeing and knowing.
Empirical and mathematical knowledge.
SM 334. Philosophy of Religion. (M) Ross. Department Majors Only.
Systematic examinations of the nature of religious experiences;
proofs of the existence of God; the problem of evil; the
relationship of faith and reason; and the possibility of
religious knowledge.
SM 342. Topics in Metaphysics. (M) Weisberg. Department Majors Only.
Topics to be discussed involve such broad philosophical concerns
as ontology, causation, necessity, knowledge, truth, and
self.
SM 344. Wittgenstein: Mind and Language.
(C) Staff.
Department Majors Only.
A close study of central portions of part one of Philosophical
Investigations with readings from other of Wittgenstein's
later writings, from secondary literature on Wittgenstein,
and from recent philosophy of mind.
SM 361. Ancient Philosophical Figures.
(M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Kahn, S.Meyer. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 003. Department
Majors Only.
A study of selected topics, texts, and figures from classical
Greek philosophy.
SM 362. Modern Philosophical Figures.
(M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Hatfield, Guyer, Detlefsen. Department Majors Only.
A study of selected topics, texts, and figures from l7th and
l8th century philosophy.
SM 367. Kant and Hegel. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Guyer. Department
Majors Only.
We will examine the main theses of Kant's theoretical and
practical philosophy and the role of Hegel's criticisms in
them in the development of the latter's system of philosophy. Subjects
will include Kant's theory of space, time, substance, and
causation; his transcendental idealism; and his analysis
of the fundamental principles of morality and his defense
of freedom of the will. We will then examine Hegel's
attempt to overcome the dichotomies of Kant's theoretical
philosophy in his objective idealism and his criticism of
the formalism of Kant's practical philosophy.
SM 368. Topics in German Idealism.
(M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Horstmann. Department Majors Only.
The course will start with a brief review of some features
of Kant's philosophy, will focus on Fichte and Schelling,
and will end with a discussion of the reaction to Idealism
by Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.
SM 372. Topics in Ethics. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class
of 2009 & prior only. Freeman. Prerequisite(s): PHIL
002 (or consent of the instructor). Department Majors Only.
Fundamental issues in moral philosophy: for example, the objectivity
of morality, the structure of moral theories, conflicts of
values, personal and social ideals.
SM 376. Justice. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class
of 2009 & prior only. Freeman. Department Majors Only.
How are the claims of liberty to be reconciled with the claims
of equality? What basic rights do individuals have? What
are the requirements of economic justice? What is the
common good? These are the basic questions of the democratic
tradition in political philosophy. In this course we
shall consider the differing responses given to these questions
by several philosophical views, including Utilitarianism,
Social Contract doctrines, Libertarianism, and Marxist conceptions
of justice.
SM 377. (PPE 377) Philosophy and the
Constitution. (C) Distribution
Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Freeman.
For Philosophy and Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Majors (PPE) Only.
The aim of this course is to investigate the philosophical
background of our constitutional democracy. What is
the appropriate role and limits of majority legislative rule? How
are we to understand First Amendment protections of freedom
of religion, speech, and assembly? What is the conception
of equality that underlies the l4th Amendment's Equal Protection
Clause? Is there a right of privacy implicit in the
Constitution? Do rights of property deserve the same
degree of protection as other constitutional rights? To
investigate these and other constitutional issues, we will
read from both Supreme Court opinions and relevant philosophical
texts.
SM 379. Topics in Political Philosophy.
(M) Distribution
Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Freeman,
Kahn. Department Majors Only.
A study and appraisal of the major schools of thought which
govern contemporary debate in political philosophy: utilitarian,
contractarian, libertarian and marxist views. We will
focus on the different interpretations offered by these views
of the democratic values of freedom and equality.
SM 380. Topics in Aesthetics. (M) Distribution Course in Arts &
Letters. Class of 2009 & prior only. Guyer. Department
Majors Only.
This course will study particular periods in the history of
aesthetics and the philosophy of art or particular current
problems in the field. Examples of the former would
be ancient, eighteenth-century, nineteenth-century, or twentieth-century
aesthetics; examples of the latter would be the definition
of art, the nature of representation and/or expression in
the arts, and art and morality.
Advanced Courses
403. (GREK409) PreSocratic Philosophers.
(M) Kahn.
Close study of fragments and doxography for the earliest Greek
philosophers in the original texts, including fragments of
Heraclitus, Parmenides, Philolaus and Empedocles.
SM 405. Philosophy of Language. (M) Staff. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 005/505
or permission of instructor.
A survey of topics, including meaning, reference, grammar
and translation. Readings will be drawn from contemporary
sources.
SM 406. (GREK409) Aristotle's Politics.
(M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Kahn.
A close reading in Greek of selected texts from Aristotle's
POLITICS, especially from Books I-III and VII-VIII, together
with general discussions of Aristotle's political theory. Students
wil be expected to read the whole of the POLITICS in English,
as well as the CONSTITUTION OF ATHENS and relevant sections
of the ETHICS. Attention will be paid both to mastery
of Aristotle's Greek and to understanding of his political
philosophy.
SM 407. Aristotle. (M) Meyer, S.
A survey of some of Aristotle's major writings on language,
ontology, epistemology, metaphysics, natural philosophy and
psychology.
Readings will include Categories, De Interpretatione, Posterior
Analytics, Physics, Parts of Animals, On Generation and Corruption,
Metaphysics, and On the Soul.
SM 409. (GREK409) Plato's Selected
Dialogues. (M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Kahn.
The course will consist of a close reading of selected passages
in Greek from Plato's Protagoras, Phaedo, and Repubic, together
with a complete reading of these dialogues in English translation. The
primary goal of the course will be the understanding of the
greek text and the appreciation of Plato's artistry in these
three literary masterpieces. The secondary goal will
be an initiation into Plato's philosophy, focusing on epistemology
and metaphysics.
411. (CIS 571) Recursion Theory.
(M) Weinstein.
This course will deal with basic concepts and results in the
theory of recursive functions and effective computability.
Topics will include Turing machines, recursively unsolvable
problems, degrees of unsolvability, inductive definability,
hierarchies, and complexity of computation, as time permits.
SM 412. (CIS 518, LGIC320, MATH571,
MATH670, MATH671) Topics in Logic. (M) Weinstein.
The course will examine the expressive power of various logical
languages over the class of finite structures. A main
theme of the course will be connections between the logical
complexity and computational complexity of collections of
finite structures.
SM 413. (CIS 572) Set Theory. (M) Weinstein.
Topics will include ZF set theory, cardinal and ordinal numbers,
constructible sets, inner model consistency proofs, independence
results, large cardinal axioms, and philosophical problems
concerning set theoretical foundations of mathematics.
SM 414. Philosophy of Mathematics.
(M) Weinstein,
Ewald.
Topics will include formalism, intuitionism, and the foundations
of set theory.
SM 416. (LGIC320, MATH670, PHIL516)
Model Theory. (M) Weinstein.
The course will cover the basic results and techniques of
the model theory of first-order logic. Additional topics
will include extensions of first-order logic and finite model
theory.
SM 417. (PPE 417) Game Theory. (M) Bicchieri.
The course will introduce students to non-cooperative game
theory and experimental games. The first part of the
course will focus on the basic elements of non-cooperative
game theory. The second part will cover the experimental
literature on social dilemmas, trust and untimatum games. The
format will consist of lectures, student presentations, and
discussions.
SM 423. (VLST223) Philosophy and Visual
Perception. (C) Hatfield.
The course will begin with a systematic overview of theories
of visual perception and their relation to philosophy, from
Ptolemy to Marr.
It will then address selected philosophical themes, including
the interaction between seeing and knowing (or believing),
the metaphysics of seeing, and the role of imagery in thought.
SM 425. (STSC425) Philosophy of Science.
(C) Domotor.
Prerequisite(s): Background in elementary logic and some
rudiments of science.
A semiformal treatment of key concepts and techniques in philosophy
of science, including causality, counterfactuals, deterministic
and probabilistic theories, measurement and testing, models
and scientific laws.
Simple examples from natural and social sciences will be used.
SM 426. (STSC426) Philosophy of Psychology.
(M) Hatfield.
Is there a science of psychology distinct from physiology?
If there is, what is its subject matter? What is the
relationship between scientific psychology and traditional
philosophical investigation of the mental? Examination
of these questions is followed by analysis of some concepts
employed in cognitive psychology and cognitive science, particularly
in the fields of perception and cognition.
SM 427. Moral Psychology. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class
of 2009 & prior only. Staff.
A discussion of some topics in the philosophy of mind that
have shaped questions in ethics. Among the issues discussed
will be those surrounding the concepts of character, the
self, integrity, responsibility, and freedom.
SM 428. Philosophy of Social Science.
(M) Distribution
Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.
An examination of fundamental philosophical issues concerning
forms of social organization. Consideration of philosophical
critiques of society.
SM 429. (RELS437) Medieval Philosophy.
(M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Ross.
Critical and historical examination of writings of Augustine,
Anselm, Aquinas, Scotus, Ockham, and others.
SM 430. Philosophy of Mind. (M) Staff.
An examination of central topics in philosophy of minding,
including intentionality, consciousness, qualia, and the
mind-body problem.
SM 431. Theory of Knowledge. (M) Domotor.
This seminar surveys the basic theories of empirical knowledge
and belief, with special regards to their foundations and
justification. We will begin with classical epistemic
attitudes, including common and joint knowledge, formulated
within the framework of elementary modal logic. Also,
we will examine the major inadequacies of this popular apporach.
We will then deal in depth with broader questions of revision
of knowledge and belief in face of new information, perceptual
knowledge, representation of knowledge, skeptical arguments,
epistemic paradoxes and naturalized epistemology. Some
acquaintance with traditional logic will be helpful.
SM 434. (RELS401) Philosophy of Religion.
(M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Ross.
Systematic examinations of the nature of religious experiences;
proofs of the existence of God; the problem of evil; the
relationships of faith and reason; and the possibility of
religious knowledge.
436. (CLST436) Hellenistic Philosophy.
(M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Meyer, S. Prerequisite(s): This course will be most
suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students
in Philosophy or Classics; others need instructor's permission.
Philosophy in the Hellenistic period (323-331 B.C.) is dominated
by the debate between the Stoics and their various sceptical
opponents. We will focus on how the Stoics try to construct
their system (with special emphasis on their epistemology,
physics and ethics), and on how the Academic and Pyrrhonean
Sceptics argue against them. Readings will primarily
be from Cicero, Diogenes, Laertius, Plutarch and Sextus Empiricus
(all works to be read in translation!).
SM 442. Origins of Analytic Philosophy.
(M) Distribution
Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Staff. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 005 and one other philosophy
course, or permission of instructor.
A study of the writings of Frege, Russell, and early Wittgenstein
with special attention to their views on mathematics, metaphysics,
language, and their relationships.
SM 443. Logical Positivism. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff. Prerequisite(s):
PHIL 005.
A study of the sources, development, and criticism of Logical
Postivism. Extensive treatment will be given to Rudolf Carnap
and W.V. Quine.
SM 444. Wittgenstein. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.
A study of the later philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein.
SM 445. Modal Logic. (M) Domotor. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 005.
Semi-formal examination of basic modalities and conditionals,
including the varieties of necessity, possibility, counterfactuals,
and causality. Special emphasis on applications to ontological
proofs, deontic paradoxes, beliefs, and laws. Critical analysis
of possible world and belief state semantics.
SM 448. 19th Century Philosophy. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Horstmann.
After an orientation to Kant's philosophy, we will examine
Hegel, Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche.
SM 460. Continental Rationalism. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Hatfield, Detlefsen.
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 004 or permission of instructor.
A study of metaphysics and epistemology in the writing of
Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz.
SM 463. British Philosophy I. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Guyer. Prerequisite(s):
PHIL 004 or permission of instructor.
A study of epistemology and metaphysics in classical British
philosophy. Authors studied included Bacon, Hobbes, Locke,
Berkeley, Hume, Reid, and Mill.
SM 464. British Philosophy II. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class
of 2009 & prior only. Guyer. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 002
or PHIL 004 or permission of instructor.
A study of moral philosophy, political philosophy, and aesthetics
in classical British philosophy. Authors studied include
Hobbes, Locke, Hutcheson, Hume, Kames, Adam Smith, and Reid.
SM 465. (GRMN551) Kant I. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Guyer, Hatfield.
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 004, one advanced Philosophy course,
or permission of instructor.
A study of Kant's epistemology, criticism of metaphysics,
and theory of science. A close reading of the CRITIQUE
OF PURE REASON and associated texts.
SM 466. (GRMN552) Kant II. (M) Distribution Course in Society. Class
of 2009 & prior only. Guyer. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 002,
PHIL 004, or permission of instructor.
A study of Kant's moral philosophy, political philosophy,
and aesthetics, focusing on his GROUNDWORK FOR THE METAPHYSICS
OF MORALS, CRITIQUE OF PRACTICAL REASON, METAPHYSICS OF MORALS,
and CRITIQUE OF JUDGEMENT.
L/R 467. Topics in History of Philosophy:
Science and Metaphysics in 17th Century. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Hatfield, Detlefsen.
Prerequisite(s): Previous course in Philosophy or History
and Sociology of Science.
An examination of the interplay between the rise of modern
natural science and the genesis of a new philosophy in the
seventeenth century. Readings will be drawn from the
works of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Bacon, Boyle,
Locke, and Newton. Philosophical issues include the
justification for a mathematical approach to nature, differing
grounds for drawing a distinction between primary and secondary
qualities, and contrasting conceptions of scientific method
and of the role of sensory experience in attaining knowledge
of nature.
SM 468. Hegel. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.
A survey of Hegel's philosophy, including both his theory
of knowledge and his political philosophy, with special attention
to Hegel`s relationship to Kant.
SM 471. Action Theory. (M) Finkelstein.
This course introduces students to the basic problems of the
theory of action: What is an action? What makes actions
different from (mere) events? How is the notion of
action related to what people do intentionally?
To what they intend to do? In addressing these questions,
we will devote particular attention to the influential writings
of Elizabeth Anscombe and Donald Davidson. In this connection
we will consider the relation of these questions to the classic
dabate about whether reasons can be causes. As we shall
see, Davidson transformed the theory of action with his suggestion
that an event is an action just in case there is a true description
of it under which it was someone's doing something for a reason.
SM 472. Survey of Ethical Theory.
(M) Staff.
A detailed discussion of selected topics in current moral
theory. Some possible topics include: the aims and
nature of moral theory, questions concerning the authority
of morality, reasons for action and value realism, "internalism" and "externalism" in
the theory of practical reasoning, epistemic moral skepticism,
the contemporary debate between moral "realist" and "anti-realist" and
its relationship to earlier debates between subjectivists
and their critics.
Readings will be draw from both contemporary and historical
sources. The aim of the course is to provide students
an opportunity to develop a reasonably sophisticated understanding
of selected topics of contemporary interest. Some familiarity
with moral philosophy and its history will be presupposed.
SM 473. Topics in Ethics. (C) Staff.
In this course we will examine different contemporary positions
in theoretical ethics, focussing on topics such as relativism,
objectivity in ethics, practical reason, and rational motivation. Authors
include B.Williams, G. Harman, T.Scanlon, C.Korsgaard, J.McDowell,
C.Wright.
SM 475. (PPE 475) Political Philosophy.
(M) Freeman.
An examination of basic theoretical problems of political
science divided into three parts. First, specific features
of social sciences will be examined and three most important
general orientations of social sciences (analytical, interpretative
and critical) will be compared and analyzed. Second, basic
concepts of social and political sciences will be studied:
social determination, rationality, social change, politics,
power, state, democracy. Third, the problem of value judgments
will be considered: Is there a rational, objective method
for the resolution of conflicts in value judgments? Is morality
compatible with politics?
SM 478. (PSCI390) Ancient Political
Philosophy. (M) Distribution
Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Kahn.
The history of ancient political theory from early Greece
to late antiquity. Primary focus will be on the political
philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, but attention will also
be given to the fifth-century sophists and to Roman and Hellenistic
theories.
SM 479. Modern Political Philosophy.
(M) Distribution
Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Freeman.
Considers the treatment of such issues as sovereignty, legitimacy,
obligation, property and the limits of state power in natural
rights theory, social-contract theory and utilitarianism.
Authors to be studied may include Grotius, Hobbes, Locke,
Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, J.S. Mill, T.M. Green and F.H.
Bradley.
SM 480. (COML582, GRMN580) Aesthetics.
(M) Distribution
Course in Arts & Letters. Class of 2009 & prior
only. Guyer.
A study of fundamental issues in aesthetics including the
nature of taste, art,and interpretation. Readings may
be historical or contemporary.
SM 485. (GSOC425) Topics in Gender
Theory. (M) Distribution
Course in Society. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.
Topics will vary.
SM 488. The Idea of Nationalism. (M) Steinberg.
The course will explore--from a philosophical perspective--the
nature of national and group identity, the alleged right
of every group to national self-determination, and the contemporary
moral and ethnopolitical conflicts that these ideas shape. We
will examine the beliefs of a variety of nationalist movements,
both contemporary and historical, such as American, German,
Jewish, Palestinian, Irish, and a variety of Third World
nationalisms, to get a clearer idea of what the idea of nationalism
is and why it so often gives rise to seemingly irresolvable
conflicts.
Graduate Courses
505. (PHIL005) Formal Logic. (C) Domotor, Weinstein. Undergraduates
Need Permission.
Introduction to truth-functional logic and quantificational
logic. Discussion of identity, descriptions, formalized
theories, completeness, and decidability.
506. (MATH570, PHIL006) Formal
Logic II. (B) Weinstein.
Undergraduates Need Permission.
An introduction to the elements of first-order model theory
including the completeness, compactness, and Lowenheim-Skolem
theorems; and exposition of Godel's theorems, with some discussion
of the theory of effectively computable functions.
SM 507. (CLST507) Presocratic Philosophy.
(M) Kahn.
Undergraduates Need Permission.
A reading of greek of the fragments of the Presocratic philosophers,
together with an introduction to the modern scholarship on
the Presocratics. The course will begin with the mythopoetic
worldview presented by Hesiod's Theogony, and follow its
transformation above all in Heraclitus, Parmenides and Empedocies.
SM 508. Early Plato. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Kahn. Undergraduates
Need Permission.
A close study of selected dialogues from Plato's early period,
against the background of what we know about Socratic dialogues
composed by other authors. Questions of the historicity and
literary status of Plato's account of Socrates will be discussed,
but emphasis will be on Plato's use of the dialogue form
for the expression and development of his own philosophical
ideas.
SM 509. Middle Plato. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Kahn. Undergraduates
Need Permission.
An examination of the metaphysics and epistemology of Plato's
middle dialogues, particularly the theory of Forms, the distinction
between knowledge and belief, and Plato's account of properties
and predicates. We will discuss how Plato's views develop
out of Socrates' dialectical concerns, and whether these
views support Socrates' interests. We will read the MENO,
the PHAEDO, the REPUBLIC and parts of the PARMENIDES.
SM 510. Late Plato. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Kahn. Undergraduates
Need Permission.
An examination of the metaphysics, epistemology, and dialectical
practice of Plato's late dialogues. We will begin with
PARMENIDES and with its criticisms of the theory of forms. We
will discuss parts of the PHAEDRUS, in which the method of
collection and division is introduced, and proceed to the
THEAETEUS, the SOPHIST, the PHILEBUS, and the TIMAEUS. We
will consider whether Plato abandons or modifies the theory
of forms he presents in his middle works. We will also
ask if the new dialectical practice we can find in the late
works is connected with Plato's possible disaffection with
his middle metaphysics.
SM 511. Aristotle's Metaphysics. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Kahn, Meyer. Undergraduates
Need Permission.
A study of the CATEGORIES, central books of METAPHYSICS and
relevant portions of PHYSICS and DE ANIMA.
SM 512. Aristotle's Ethics. (M) Distribution Course in Hist &
Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Kahn, Meyer, S.
Undergraduates Need Permission.
A detailed study of major topics in the Aristotelian ethics,
including the theory of happiness, virtue, the voluntary,
practical reason, pleasure, and friendship, with some background
in the POLITICS.
SM 513. Plotinus. (M) Kahn. Undergraduates Need Permission.
An introduction to the thought of the major philosopher of
late antiquity, founder of Neo-Platonism. Readings
will include generous selections from the Enneads.
SM 516. (MATH670, PHIL416) Model Theory.
