PHIL 1:
Introduction to Philosophy
Is there one truth or many? Does science tell us everything there is to know? Can our minds be purely physical? Do we have free will? Is faith rational? Should we always be rational? What is the meaning of life? Are there moral truths? What are truth, reality, rationality, and knowledge? How can such questions be answered? Intensive introduction to theories and techniques in philosophy from various contemporary traditions. Once a week discussions will occur during scheduled meeting time (~50 minutes)
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 2:
Introduction to Moral Philosophy (ETHICSOC 20)
What should I do with my life? What kind of person should I be? How should we treat others? What makes actions right or wrong? What is good and what is bad? What should we value? How should we organize society? Is there any reason to be moral? Is morality relative or subjective? How, if at all, can such questions be answered? Intensive introduction to theories and techniques in contemporary moral philosophy.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
PHIL 3:
Democracy and Disagreement (COMM 3, CSRE 31, HISTORY 3C, POLISCI 31, PSYCH 31A, PUBLPOL 3, RELIGST 23X, SOC 13)
Each class will be focused on a different topic and have guest speakers. This class will be open to students, faculty and staff to attend and also be recorded. Deep disagreement pervades our democracy, from arguments over immigration, gun control, abortion, and the Middle East crisis, to the function of elite higher education and the value of free speech itself. Loud voices drown out discussion. Open-mindedness and humility seem in short supply among politicians and citizens alike. Yet constructive disagreement is an essential feature of a democratic society. This class explores and models respectful, civil disagreement. Each week features scholars who disagree - sometimes quite strongly - about major policy issues. Students will have the opportunity to probe those disagreements, understand why they persist, and to improve their own understanding of the facts and values that underlie them.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
4 times
(up to 4 units total)
PHIL 3N:
Randomness: Computational and Philosophical Approaches (CS 57N)
Is it ever reasonable to make a decision randomly? For example, would you ever let an important choice depend on the flip of a coin? Can randomness help us answer difficult questions more accurately or more efficiently? What is randomness anyway? Can an object be random? Are there genuinely random processes in the world, and if so, how can we tell? In this seminar, we will explore these questions through the lenses of philosophy and computation. By the end of the quarter students should have an appreciation of the many roles that randomness plays in both humanities and sciences, as well as a grasp of some of the key analytical tools used to study the concept. The course will be self-contained, and no prior experience with randomness/probability is necessary.
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 3
PHIL 4N:
Knowing Nothing
Our beliefs are subject to multiple sources of error: a traveler's perception of an oasis in the desert may turn out to be a mirage; the key witness in a trial criminal may turn out to be lying; or a fluke in the data may mislead a research team into believing a false hypothesis; or a miscalculating math student may end up with the wrong answer. Philosophers often characterize knowledge as belief that is safe from error--but is knowledge possible? This course uses the philosophical arguments and thought experiments to assess the question of how much we can hope to know.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 3
PHIL 7N:
Philosophy and Science Fiction
What if things had been otherwise? What if things are someday, somewhere, very different than they are here and now? Science fiction and other genre fiction gives us the opportunity to explore worlds that stretch our conceptions of reality, of what it is to have a mind, to be human, and to communicate with one another. This course examines central questions in philosophy through the lens of speculative fiction. Can there be freedom in a deterministic world? How could language and communication evolve? What is a mind, and what is the nature of experience? How can we know what the world is like? We¿ll read classical and contemporary papers in philosophy alongside short stories, novels, and movies that play the role of thought experiments in illuminating philosophical issues.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
PHIL 8N:
Free Will and Responsibility
In what sense are we, or might we be free agents? Is our freedom compatible with our being fully a part of the same natural, causal order that includes other physical and biological systems? What assumptions about freedom do we make when we hold people accountable morally and/or legally? When we hold people accountable, and so responsible, can we also see them as part of the natural, causal order? Or is there a deep incompatibility between these two ways of understanding ourselves? What assumptions about our freedom do we make when we deliberate about what to do? Are these assumptions in conflict with seeing ourselves as part of the natural, causal order?We will explore these and related questions primarily by way of careful study of recent and contemporary philosophical research on these matters.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
PHIL 11N:
Skepticism
Preference to freshmen. Historical and contemporary philosophical perspectives on the limits of human knowledge of a mind-independent world and causal laws of nature. The nature and possibility of a priori knowledge. Skepticism regarding religious beliefs..
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 13:
Humanities Core: Great Books, Big Ideas -- Europe, Modern (FRENCH 13, HISTORY 239C, HUMCORE 13)
What is a good life? How should society be organized? Who belongs? How should honor, love, sin, and similar abstractions govern our actions? What duty do we owe to the past and future? This course examines tcourse examines these questions in the modern period, from the rise of revolutionary ideas to the experiences of totalitarianism and decolonization in the twentieth century. Authors include Locke, Mary Shelley, Marx, Nietzsche, Primo Levi, and Frantz Fanon. This course is part of the Humanities Core, a collaborative set of global humanities seminars that brings all of its students and faculty into conversation. On Mondays you meet in your own course, and on Wednesdays all the HumCore seminars (in session that quarter) meet together: https://humanitiescore.stanford.edu/.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
PHIL 13N:
Justice across Borders
Most people are not your fellow citizens. (Over 95% of human beings, for example, are not Americans.) What do you owe to them as a matter of justice? What do they owe to you? Should you save a foreigner's life instead of buying luxuries for yourself? Should you boycott 'fast fashion' produced by exploited workers abroad? Should universities divest from fossil fuels? How can a country like the United States justify forcefully preventing anyone from crossing its borders? Is anything absolutely prohibited to win a war? When examining such issues, we need to start with facts¿facts about poverty, inequality, climate change, immigration, etc. After surveying the basic facts, we will use philosophical readings to focus and deepen our discussions of what justice requires across borders. Some of the topics we discuss will be chosen on the basis of students' interests.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
PHIL 20N:
Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
Is it really possible for an artificial system to achieve genuine intelligence: thoughts, consciousness, emotions? What would that mean? How could we know if it had been achieved? Is there a chance that we ourselves are artificial intelligences? Would artificial intelligences, under certain conditions, actually be persons? If so, how would that affect how they ought to be treated and what ought to be expected of them? Emerging technologies with impressive capacities already seem to function in ways we do not fully understand. What are the opportunities and dangers that this presents? How should the promises and hazards of these technologies be managed?Philosophers have studied questions much like these for millennia, in scholarly debates that have increased in fervor with advances in psychology, neuroscience, and computer science. The philosophy of mind provides tools to carefully address whether genuine artificial intelligence and artificial personhood are possible. Epistemology (the philosophy of knowledge) helps us ponder how we might be able to know. Ethics provides concepts and theories to explore how all of this might bear on what ought to be done. We will read philosophical writings in these areas as well as writings explicitly addressing the questions about artificial intelligence, hoping for a deep and clear understanding of the difficult philosophical challenges the topic presents.No background in any of this is presupposed, and you will emerge from the class having made a good start learning about computational technologies as well as a number of fields of philosophical thinking. It will also be a good opportunity to develop your skills in discussing and writing critically about complex issues.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
PHIL 22Q:
Being Reasonable
In everyday life, we ask each other to be reasonable, and we fault unreasonable behavior in ourselves and others. Moreover, the Anglo-American legal system makes extensive use of the "reasonable person standard" in everything from negligence to administrative law. What is it to be a reasonable person? What do we mean by "reasonable"? This course will look at applications of the concept and at attempts by philosophers and legal theorists to understand what reasonableness is. First preference to Sophomores; second preference to Freshman. No prior Philosophy courses needed.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
PHIL 24A:
Tutorial: Philosophy Through Sports
Tutorial taught by grad student. Limited to 10 students. In 1983 the Raiders won the Superbowl and Marcus Allen was the MVP. Marcus Allen no longer plays for the Raiders and neither do any of his teammates. The Raiders have since moved from LA to Oakland to Las Vegas and ownership has passed from Al Davis to Mark Davis. Despite this, they¿re still the Raiders and they¿re still, in some sense, the same team as the 1983 Superbowl champions. In a similar vein the Washington Commanders claim a 90 year history, despite having recently changed their name and jersey. In what sense can we say these teams are the same throughout their history? In this tutorial we will think about philosophy *through* sports: we will explore classic philosophical problems - like the one above - as they arise in sports such as baseball, soccer, basketball, and more. We will not be asking about the nature of sports or about the ethics of sports, rather we will see how everyday aspects of sports can give rise to puzzling abstract questions. If you see the world as larger version of your favorite sport, then this is the philosophy class for you. No background in philosophy needed to be successful in the course.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 2
PHIL 24B:
Grad Tutorial: Topics in Feminist Social Epistemology (FEMGEN 24B)
Tutorial taught by grad student. Enrollment limited to 10. Philosophical work in social epistemology recognizes that knowledge is usually dependent on a range of social institutions, practices, and relations, and considers how these social dimensions of knowledge should be theorized. Feminist social epistemology goes further, arguing that the oppression that characterizes social relations also shapes epistemic practices, norms, and institutions. A distinctive feature of feminist social epistemology is its combination of descriptive and normative elements. Feminist accounts typically begin by identifying features of actual epistemic systems that affect who counts as a knower and what counts as knowledge. This descriptive account is then used to guide the development of norms and recommendations for action. In this class we will begin with a brief history of feminist epistemology before critically examining contemporary work on testimony and ignorance.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 2
PHIL 24C:
Tutorial: Ethics for the Wild Robot Frontier
Tutorial taught by grad student. Enrollment limited to 10. Robots and artificial intelligence present a new sort of Wild West. AI programs drive cars without a license; robots offer sexual services in exchange for payment; autonomous weapons systems roam around, looking to kill with impunity. With this new frontier comes significant ethical issues. There are several clusters of questions for us to consider, including most pressing: which technologies are permissible to develop and implement? Second, under the heading of what philosophers sometimes call moral 'agenthood': what would make robots themselves count as agents, and to what standards are they responsible? Finally, under the heading of moral 'patienthood': in what ways can robots be benefited or harmed, and how does this impact humanity's ethical obligations? Each week, our discussion will be framed around a pair of assignments: a short story, TV episode, or video; and a philosophical text. As we move through the course, the questions above will be tackled in the context of specific emerging technologies, such as self-driving cars, autonomous weapons, sex robots, and more. This tutorial is graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. In order to receive credit, students must read all of the assigned readings, participate in all class meetings, and submit a short reading response for most weeks.
Last offered: Autumn 2022
| Units: 2
PHIL 24D:
Tutorial: Thinking Together: Deliberation, Collaboration, and Instagram?
Tutorial taught by grad student. Enrollment limited to 10. When is it appropriate to like a thirst trap on Instagram? How should agents reason together about important questions determining how we live together? At what should such reasoning aim? Can on-line communities/collaborations like various sub-reddits and Wikipedia provide a model for how we can reason/live together? How does collective reasoning go well and when can it close? Do debates on Twitter call for a different model of democratic deliberation?At first glance, some of the above questions are not like the others, only some are seen (according to traditional modes of philosophical inquiry) as meaningful objects of philosophical analysis. An aim of this course is challenge this orthodoxy and explore how the answers to these disparate questions might be connected and instructive. The central questions we will try to answer together concern when we should put our heads together to solve problems, how we can do so effectively, and what technological developments might offer by way of aid and impediment to responsible and effective collaboration.Our exploration of these questions will involve various discussions in social and political philosophy, epistemology, tech ethics, and the philosophy of action. We will be drawing on thinkers familiar to the Anglo-American canon, as well as perspectives and approaches drawn from African philosophy, feminist theory, communication studies, and Indigenous American philosophy.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 2
PHIL 24F:
Tutorial: Free Will
Tutorial taught by grad student. Enrollment limited to 10. Do we have free will? What, exactly, does 'free will' refer to? Does it refer to the ability to do otherwise, holding fixed the facts? That one is the source of one's behavior? Does it refer to something else? Why does it matter whether or not we have 'free will'? In turn, what kind or kinds of control over our conduct should we be interested in, and why? One reason questions about free will matter is that some sort of freedom or control seems to be required in order to fairly hold people responsible for how they have behaved -- for praise and blame, rewards and punishments, etc. In that case, is 'free will' simply whatever sort of control over our conduct would make sense of holding one another, and ourselves, responsible? Or, rather, do we have an independent conception of 'free will' that props up our practices of holding one another responsible, such that if it turns out that we don't have 'free will,' no one is ever really responsible for their behavior? In this tutorial we will explore these and related questions, focusing on developments in these debates in approximately the past 50 years.
Last offered: Autumn 2022
| Units: 2
PHIL 24L:
Tutorial: Theories of Consciousness in Early Modern Philosophy
Tutorial taught by grad student. Enrollment limited to 10. What is consciousness? Are all thoughts conscious? Is consciousness the same as reflection? What is the difference between conscious and unconscious mental states? In this class, we'll see how philosophers (Descartes, Locke, Leibniz, Kant) from the early modern period responded to these questions and revolutionized our conception of the mind. Readings will be drawn from both primary texts and secondary literature. Towards the end of the class, we'll connect the historical ideas with some of the most important issues in contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science. This class will be of interest to a wide range of students: philosophers, historians, psychologists, and cognitive scientists.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 2
PHIL 24M:
Grad Tutorial: Abstraction
Tutorial taught by grad student. From making scientific predictions and constructing mathematical proofs, to conceptualizing and communicating our own personal experience, we rely on abstraction. This course explores "abstraction" across different domains of philosophy including metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics, and political theory. In addition to surveying a variety of theories of abstraction we will pay attention to moments when it played a crucial role in history such as the dawn of human civilization, the invention of philosophy, the inauguration of the Scientific Revolution, and the scandalous innovations of modern art.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2
PHIL 24R:
Grad Tutorial: Plato on Punishment
Tutorial taught by grad student. Enrollment limited to 10. Being punished is good for you, and not being punished is bad for you. The Ancient Greek Philosopher Plato held these two claims through his entire philosophical career. Our task in this course is to explore the value of punishment through Plato's work. We'll be doing both history and philosophy. The historical question is why Plato believed such a thing and how we can motivate his view most plausibly. But the philosophical question is whether that view should persuade us and whether it has any advantages over contemporary justifications of punishment. Perhaps one might think that detentions benefit unruly students. But if you were to litter, do we think imposing a fine would make you better off? If you committed a more serious crime, how could incarcerating you help? And finally, if you were to commit a crime that merited the death penalty, how could we ever explain that it was for your benefit? But if punishments never benefit the offender, how much does the offender matter when we set up our systems of punishment and justice? We'll tackle all these questions through philosophy, politics and history and take Plato's highly counter-intuitive view as our starting point.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2
PHIL 24S:
Free Will & Moral Responsibility
Do we have free will? Are we morally responsible for our conduct? In this course we will explore debates from roughly the past 50 years between philosophers who defend the common sense view that we do have free will and are sometimes morally responsible for our conduct and philosophers who argue that we do not have free will or are not morally responsible for our behavior. In turn, we will explore practical applications of these debates, such as reasons to change (or not) our social practices and ways of relating to one another, such as the kinds of angry blame that are commonplace in ordinary relationships, and the role of incarceration and punishment in our legal system.
Last offered: Summer 2023
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
PHIL 24T:
Grad Tutorial: Reading Marx's "Capital"
Tutorial taught by grad student. Enrollment limited to 10. In this course, we will read the first volume of Marx's Capital, a cornerstone in Marx's critique of political economy and the central theoretical text in his oeuvre. Together, we will analyze Capital as a work of sociological, economic, and political theory, and consider debates concerning its interpretation and contemporary relevance. The course will be taught seminar-style, with brief presentations by the instructor followed by group discussion. The course assumes no particular background in the course topics or methodologies?all are welcome to join.
Terms: Win
| Units: 2
PHIL 25Q:
Digital Privacy and Ethics
Introductory Seminar. Preference to sophomores; first-year students admitted if space available. Advance sign-up process and deadlines at http://introsems.stanford.edu
Last offered: Autumn 2022
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
PHIL 26Q:
How to Build a World (in a Video Game)
Sophomore Seminar. First preference to Sophomores; second preference to Freshman. What makes a video game world feel like a real place? What is our relationship to the real world? Can we learn anything from video games about our relationship to the real world, and can we learn anything from philosophy that can help us create compelling video game worlds? In this course we will examine elements of video game design and development in the context of related philosophical topics including the nature of worlds, the nature of the mind, and the nature of action. For example, while some games are open-world, some consist of a set of sandboxes, and could the distinction between what philosophers call 'possible worlds' and 'situations' help us understand the difference? (Or vice versa?) Video game worlds are often sprinkled with 'pick-ups' -- do philosophical accounts of how agents perceive the real world help to explain why this is such an intuitive game mechanic? In this course we will play and tinker with video games while also reading philosophical texts, and see if each domain can stimulate our thinking about the other. There are no prerequisites for this course, but all students should come prepared to read challenging literature, to play some games, and to make some games!
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
PHIL 27S:
How to Make a Decision: Ancient Greek Philosophers on Practical Rationality
This course presents how the "seven sages," Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, and the ancient Skeptics believed we should make decisions and then evaluates those theories with an eye towards present day needs and uses for a decision theory. We will consider how ancient Greek philosophers formulated answers to questions like: What is the role of knowledge in decision making? How do urgent circumstances change how we make decisions? How should we factor in experts and mentors into our decision making? What is the relationship between morality and rationality? How much do we need to know about ourselves to make good decisions? No philosophical experience is presupposed.
Terms: Sum
| Units: 3
PHIL 28S:
Philosophical Issues in Artificial Intelligence
This course is an introduction to philosophical issues raised by the growing field of artificial intelligence. What does the rise of increasingly complex artificial intelligence models (OpenAI; ChatGPT, AlphaGo, text-to-image generators) tell us about the nature of mind, rationality, and human creativity? What are ethical issues raised by the increasingly sophisticated use of algorithms in our daily lives - whether it be spotting credit card fraud, targeted advertising, curating our social media content, or prison sentencing? How do notions such as 'moral agency', 'practical reason', and 'responsibility' pertain, if at all, to applications of artificial intelligence, e.g., automated cars and weapons? What does the future of human work look like in light of developments in artificial intelligence? No philosophical background is presupposed. The aim of this class will be to help students engage with the philosophical issues raised by emerging technologies. Individual and group assignments will enable students to develop their critical skills in both written and discussion¿based work.
Terms: Sum
| Units: 3
PHIL 29S:
Feminist Philosophy
What's the difference between sex and gender? What's does it mean to be a man or woman, cis or trans, straight or gay?and everything in between and outside of the box? How are gender and sexuality related to race, class, ability, and other identities? What is the patriarchy and does it really benefit all men? What does it mean to be oppressed??And how can we change the world to be more gender just? In our class, we will draw on feminist theory to critically investigate these questions and discuss their relevance to our own lives. Together, we will work to build a collaborative learning environment where we can collectively reflect on how our personal experiences are illuminated by feminism. To do so, we will engage each other both intellectually and personally, going beyond the lecture based model of education to center our shared exploration of the course topics. Main ideas will include intersectionality, performativity, deconstruction, structural analysis, theories of injustice, social knowledge, and care ethics. Primary thinkers will include Simone de Beauvoir, Angels Davis, Judith Butler, Catherine MacKinnon, Audre Lorde, Donna Haraway, Robin Kimmerer, and Michel Foucault.
Terms: Sum
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
PHIL 30:
Democracy Matters (ECON 4, POLISCI 42, PUBLPOL 4)
Should the U.S. close its border to immigrants? What are the ramifications of income inequality? How has COVID-19 changed life as we know it? Why are Americans so politically polarized? How can we address racial injustice? As the 2020 election approaches, faculty members from across Stanford will explore and examine some of the biggest challenges facing society today. Each week will be dedicated to a different topic, ranging from health care and the economy to racial injustice and challenges to democracy. Faculty with expertise in philosophy, economics, law, political science, psychology, medicine, history, and more will come together for lively conversations about the issues not only shaping this election season but also the nation and world at large. There will also be a Q&A following the initial discussion. Attendance and supplemental course readings are the only requirements for the course.
Last offered: Autumn 2020
| Units: 1
PHIL 30S:
Introduction to Political Philosophy
This class introduces students to political philosophy through the problems of justice, equality, and freedom. We will focus on contemporary political thought, engaging with debates about each of these concepts and identifying connections between them. What is justice? What is the relationship between ideal conditions of justice and current social conditions? What forms of injustice should the state try to remedy? What is the point of equality? How should we assess equality? Is there an obligation to mitigate 'natural' inequalities? How much personal freedom should be allowed in society? When is state authority legitimate? Do we have an obligation always to obey the law? Throughout the course we will evaluate answers to these questions, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different arguments and theoretical frameworks.
Terms: Sum
| Units: 3
PHIL 36:
Dangerous Ideas (ARTHIST 36, COMPLIT 36A, EALC 36, ENGLISH 71, ETHICSOC 36X, FRENCH 36, HISTORY 3D, MUSIC 36H, POLISCI 70, RELIGST 36X, SLAVIC 36, TAPS 36)
Ideas matter. Concepts such as progress, technology, and sex, have inspired social movements, shaped political systems, and dramatically influenced the lives of individuals. Others, like cultural relativism and historical memory, play an important role in contemporary debates in the United States. All of these ideas are contested, and they have a real power to change lives, for better and for worse. In this one-unit class we will examine these "dangerous" ideas. Each week, a faculty member from a different department in the humanities and arts will explore a concept that has shaped human experience across time and space.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
4 times
(up to 4 units total)
PHIL 49:
Survey of Formal Methods
Survey of important formal methods used in philosophy. The course covers the basics of propositional and elementary predicate logic, probability and decision theory, game theory, and statistics, highlighting philosophical issues and applications. Specific topics include the languages of propositional and predicate logic and their interpretations, rationality arguments for the probability axioms, Nash equilibrium and dominance reasoning, and the meaning of statistical significance tests. Assessment is through a combination of problems designed to solidify competence with the mathematical tools and short-answer questions designed to test conceptual understanding.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Math, WAY-FR
PHIL 50S:
Introduction to Formal Methods in Contemporary Philosophy
This course will serve as a first introduction to the formal tools and techniques of contemporary philosophy, including probability and formal logic. Traditionally, philosophy is an attempt to systematically tackle foundational problems related to value, inquiry, mind and reality. Contemporary philosophy continuesthis tradition of critical thinking with modern subject matter (often engaging with natural, social and mathematical science) and modern rigorous methods, including the methods of set theory, probability theory and formal logic. The aim of this course is to introduce such methods, along with various core philosophical distinctions and motivations. The focus will be on basic conceptual underpinnings and skills, not technical details. The material covered is also useful preparation for certain topics in mathematics, computer science, linguistics, economics and statistics. No previous philosophical or mathematical training is presupposed, though an appreciation of precise thinking is an advantage.
Last offered: Summer 2023
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-FR
PHIL 60:
Introduction to Philosophy of Science (HPS 60)
This course introduces students to tools for the philosophical analysis of science. We will cover issues in observation, experiment, and reasoning, questions about the aims of science, scientific change, and the relations between science and values.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 61:
Philosophy and the Scientific Revolution (HPS 61)
Galileo's defense of the Copernican world-system that initiated the scientific revolution of the 17th century, led to conflict between science and religion, and influenced the development of modern philosophy. Readings focus on Galileo and Descartes.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 71H:
Introduction to Aesthetics
Aesthetics encompasses a seemingly special and particularly rewarding way of perceiving the world. Appreciating the beauty of a sunset, feeling moved by a piece of music, becoming absorbed in the composition of an artwork: these are all aesthetic matters, and they are all matters that lie at the heart of this course. We will begin by exploring core debates on aesthetic experience, aesthetic properties, and aesthetic value. But we will also venture into considerations of aesthetics in our everyday lives, aesthetic taste and our personalities, aesthetics and grief, aesthetics and gender, and aesthetics and race. By the end of the quarter, you will have a strong foundation in understanding this rich aspect of life we call aesthetics.
Last offered: Winter 2021
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
PHIL 72:
Contemporary Moral Problems (ETHICSOC 185M, POLISCI 134P)
In this course, we will discuss the body as a site of moral and political conflict. Here are a few of the questions that will be explored: People are encouraged to become kidney donors, but we still don't have enough kidneys for everybody who needs one. Should you be allowed to sell a kidney? Suppose Robert is dying of a rare disease and the only thing that could save his life is a bone marrow transplant from his cousin David, but David doesn't want to donate. Should we force him to "donate"? Some people say a woman should be free to make abortion decisions on whatever grounds she wants, including prenatal genetic testing for conditions like Down syndrome; others condemn such selective abortion as an unacceptable form of eugenics. What genetic testing information, if any, should be allowed to influence a woman's decision about whether to terminate a pregnancy? In addition to these normative questions, we will also study related questions in constitutional law. When the Supreme Court decided that abortion was a constitutional right in Roe v. Wade, on what legal reasoning did they base their decision? When they decided to overturn Roe in the recent Dobbs v. Jackson, what legal reasoning did they use then? How will Dobbs affect other (current) constitutional rights?
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER
PHIL 76:
Introduction to Global Justice (ETHICSOC 136R, INTNLREL 136R, POLISCI 136R, POLISCI 336)
As we live in a globalized world, our lives are interconnected with many other people within and beyond the state borders. Currently, we face urgent problems of global justice, such as climate change, economic inequality, immigration, and health disparities, and how to address these issues is a crucial question for all of us. This course introduces students to normative inquiries into issues of global justice and offers an opportunity to integrate theories and practices by engaging with essential and timely questions. What normative demands does justice impose on individuals and institutions in a global world? Do people in affluent countries bear the responsibility for the suffering of those who live in other countries? Should relatively developed countries open their borders to those from developing countries? How should we allocate responsibilities for reducing global injustice, such as health disparities? How does injustice with historical roots, such as colonialism, further complicate the picture of normative demands? While there are no easy answers to these questions, throughout this course, students will be exposed to interdisciplinary approaches (including philosophy, political theory, gender studies, etc.), learn to critically analyze various theoretical approaches, and use them as frameworks to develop their views on issues of global justice. This class meets on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:30-11AM. Please note that in addition to the listed lecture time, students must sign up for a 45-min discussion session. The schedule of the discussion session will be arranged and announced during the first week of the quarter.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER
PHIL 80:
Mind, Matter, and Meaning
Intensive study of central topics in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language and mind in preparation for advanced courses in philosophy. Emphasis on development of analytical writing skills. This iteration of Philosophy 80 will focus on three important philosophical issues: personal identity; the metaphysics of mind; and the nature of belief and related attitudes. Readings will be drawn both from philosophy and from cognitive science more broadly. Prerequisite: at least one other philosophy course, not including SYMSYS 1 / PHIL 99.
Terms: Aut, Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
Instructors: ;
Briggs, R. (PI);
Peacocke, A. (PI);
Dowling, G. (TA);
Ha, J. (TA);
Hazel, A. (TA);
Irvin, P. (TA);
Kang, S. (TA);
Kemmann, B. (TA);
Kim, R. (TA);
McGuthry, M. (TA);
McKinnon, J. (TA);
Pistol, L. (TA)
PHIL 81:
Philosophy and Literature (CLASSICS 42, COMPLIT 181, ENGLISH 81, FRENCH 181, GERMAN 181, ILAC 181, ITALIAN 181, SLAVIC 181)
Can novels make us better people? Can movies challenge our assumptions? Can poems help us become who we are? We'll think about these and other questions with the help of writers like Toni Morrison, Marcel Proust, Jordan Peele, Charlie Kaufman, Rachel Cusk, William Shakespeare, and Samuel Beckett, plus thinkers like Nehamas, Nietzsche, Nussbaum, Plato, and Sartre. We'll also ask whether a disenchanted world can be re-enchanted; when, if ever, the truth stops being the most important thing; why we sometimes choose to read sad stories; whether we ever love someone for who they are; who could possibly want to live their same life over and over again; what it takes to make ourselves fully moral; whether it's ever good to be conflicted; how we can pull ourselves together; and how we can take ourselves apart. (This is the required gateway course for the Philosophy and Literature major tracks. Majors should register in their home department.)
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 82:
Ethics, Public Policy, and Technological Change (COMM 180, CS 182, ETHICSOC 182, POLISCI 182, PUBLPOL 182)
Examination of recent developments in computing technology and platforms through the lenses of philosophy, public policy, social science, and engineering. Course is organized around five main units: algorithmic decision-making and bias; data privacy and civil liberties; artificial intelligence and autonomous systems; the power of private computing platforms; and issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the technology sector. Each unit considers the promise, perils, rights, and responsibilities at play in technological developments. Prerequisite: CS106A.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
PHIL 99:
Minds and Machines (CS 24, LINGUIST 35, PSYCH 35, SYMSYS 1, SYMSYS 200)
(Formerly SYMSYS 100). An overview of the interdisciplinary study of cognition, information, communication, and language, with an emphasis on foundational issues: What are minds? What is computation? What are rationality and intelligence? Can we predict human behavior? Can computers be truly intelligent? How do people and technology interact, and how might they do so in the future? Lectures focus on how the methods of philosophy, mathematics, empirical research, and computational modeling are used to study minds and machines. Students must take this course before being approved to declare Symbolic Systems as a major. All students interested in studying Symbolic Systems are urged to take this course early in their student careers. The course material and presentation will be at an introductory level, without prerequisites. If you have any questions about the course, please email symsys1staff@gmail.com.
Terms: Aut, Win, Sum
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-FR
PHIL 100:
The History of Ancient Greek Philosophy (CLASSICS 40)
We shall cover the major developments in Greek philosophical thought, focusing on Plato, Aristotle, and the Hellenistic schools (the Epicureans, the Stoics, and the Skeptics). Topics include epistemology, metaphysics, psychology, ethics and political theory. No prereqs, not repeatable.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 102:
Modern Philosophy, Descartes to Kant
Major figures in early modern philosophy in epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind. Writings by Descartes, Leibniz, Hume, and Kant.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 104:
Normativity in Ancient Greek Metaethics (PHIL 204)
Grads enroll in 204. In this course, we shall examine some basic issues in metaethics in the context of Plato's and Aristotle's philosophy. First-order ethics asks questions such as 'What makes an action right?', 'What are virtues and vices?', 'Do I have, ceteris paribus, a duty to obey the laws?', and 'What is the best theory of social justice?'. Metaethics takes moral or ethical judgments as its subject matter and inquires into their nature. Basic metaethical questions include: 'What do moral or ethical judgments mean?'. When we say 'X is right', do we mean that X is objectively right?', 'Do moral judgments make claims about the world or about how we think about the world?' (These are questions about moral semantics.) Moral judgments, as we'll see, seem to involve the notion of evaluating actions, agents, social practices and so on. They are, in a bit of jargon, normative or evaluative. We'll try to get clearer on what such normativity involves by considering two other fundamental sort of metaethical questions. The first concerns the possibility of moral knowledge, includes questions such as 'Can we ever know if a moral claim is true and, if so, how can we know this?', 'In mathematics, chemistry, the history of India, and chess, for example, we think that there are experts who know more than we do and that we should, at least to some extent, defer to their judgments in their areas of expertise. Can there be moral experts to whom we should defer in the same way?' (These are questions about moral epistemology.) Yet other metaethical questions concern the place of morality in the world. Such questions include 'Are moral properties such rightness and wrongness "out there" in the world as we might think mass and electrical charge are (or being a neuron)?', 'Or are moral properties really just properties of our attitudes and beliefs?', 'Or do they simply not exist in the way that there is nothing that is phlogiston or Santa?' (Sorry). We'll start by reading some basic literature in contemporary metaethics and then turn to take up these questions in the context of Plato and Aristotle. By reading our ancient authors carefully, we'll try to work out the differences and similarities between their questions and answers and our own. I'm organizing the course so that both students who've done a good deal of work in metaethics and ancient philosophy and those who have done none at all will both be able to learn from the readings, the lectures, and what I hope will be lively classroom discussions.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 106:
Ancient Greek Skepticism (PHIL 206)
We will study ancient Greek skeptics and the views that for any claim there is no more reason to assert it than deny it, and that a suspension of belief is the best route to happiness. There will also be some consideration both of ancient opponents of skepticism and some relations between ancient and modern skepticism.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 107B:
Plato's Later Metaphysics and Epistemology (PHIL 207B)
A close reading of Plato's Theatetus and Parmenides, his two mature dialogues on the topics of knowledge and reality. We will consider various definitions of knowledge, metaphysical problems about the objects of knowledge, and a proposed method for examining and resolving such problems. Some background in ancient Greek philosophy and/or contemporary metaphysics and epistemology is preferred, but not required. Prerequisite: Phil 80.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 107C:
Plato's Timaeus (PHIL 207C)
In this course, we will explore the Timaeus, Plato's account of the nature and creation of the universe. This work, from Plato's late period, with its highly notable postulations of the Demiurge and the receptacle, received the place of prominence in the ancient reception of Plato and contains a number of challenges in interpretation for contemporary scholars of Plato. We will carefully examine the work and its contributions to Platonic metaphysics, physics, psychology, teleology, cosmology, and theology. In so doing, we will also consider questions of how we are to understand it as a likely story, its role within the Platonic corpus, and its engagement with pre-existing traditions of Greek natural philosophy.
Last offered: Autumn 2020
| Units: 4
PHIL 108:
Aristotle's Metaphysics Book Alpha (PHIL 208)
An introduction both to Aristotle's own metaphysics and to his treatment of his predecessors on causality, included the early Ionian cosmologists, atomism, Pythagoreans, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras and Plato. Prerequisite: one course in ancient Greek philosophy.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 108B:
Aristotle's Physics Book One (PHIL 208B)
A chapter by chapter analysis of Aristotle's introductory discussions of physical theory. Topics to be considered include Aristotle's treatment of Eleatic monism, the role of opposites in pre-Socratic physics, the role of matter in physics, and an analysis of the elements of changing objects into form, privation and a subject.
Last offered: Autumn 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 108C:
Topics in Aristotle: Aristotle on Potentiality (PHIL 208C)
tba
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 110:
Plato's Republic (PHIL 210)
We shall examine this complex and fascinating dialogue in detail, comparing it with other relevant Platonic texts, focusing on its ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, and political philosophy. We shall examine the connections that Plato sees between these different areas of philosophy, and consider some of the strengths and weaknesses of his overall argument.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 110C:
The Stoics on Freedom and Determinism (PHIL 210C)
We will investigate ancient Stoic conceptions of causality and freedom, their arguments for causal determinism, and ancient attaches on and defenses of compatibilism.
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 111:
Aristotle's Posterior Analytics (PHIL 211)
TBA
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 112:
Contemporary Virtue Ethics and its Critics (PHIL 212)
Graduate students enroll in 212. In this course, we shall examine contemporary virtue ethics beginning with G.E.M. Anscombe's famous 1958 paper 'Modern Moral Theory' (although Anscombe herself did not advocate a virtue ethics). In particular, we shall read some of the leading contemporary exponents of virtue ethics (Philippa Foot, Rosalind Hursthouse, Michal Slote, and Linda Zagzebski). We shall also read some of leading virtue ethics' leading critics, such as David Copp, Julia Driver, Robert Louden, and Jerome Schneewind. We shall consider questions including the following. Can Virtue Ethics give a plausible account of right action? Is Virtue Ethics action-guiding at all? What is the relation between virtue and happiness or flourishing? Is Virtue Ethics a form of ethical naturalism? Is Virtue Ethics compatible with modern biology? Does Virtue Ethics give us a way to avoid the 'ethical schizophrenia' of modern impartialist moral theories or does it produce its own form of ethical schizophrenia? Is Virtue Ethics self-effacing?
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 113:
Hellenistic Philosophy (PHIL 213)
Ancient philosophy did not end with Aristotle: the centuries after Aristotle's death saw considerable philosophical output from often-competing philosophical schools in the Greco-Roman world. In this course, we will study the major Hellenistic schools of philosophy - the Stoics, the Epicureans, and the sceptics - carefully examining the (often fragmentary) evidence on each and discussing the interpretation of their doctrines from this evidence, as well as how these doctrines fit into a background of Platonic and Aristotelean philosophy and the Hellenistic intra-school debates. Topics to be covered are especially epistemology, ethics, and physics, but will also include metaphysics, psychology, cosmology, ontology, and logic.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 113A:
Porphyry's Introduction to Logic (PHIL 213A)
The main text will be Porphyry's Isagoge. For more than a thousand years this book was every student's first text in philosophy. We will focus on five main topics: genera, species, differences, properties, accidents.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 114:
Normativity in Ancient Greek Metaethics (PHIL 214)
Aristotle's ethical theory is a primary source of later philosophical reflection on ethics, and on philosophy of mind and metaphysics in so far as they are related to ethics. For this reason it allows us to understand some of the motives and starting points of our own thought about ethics. Our main text will be the Nicomachean Ethics, supplemented by selections from other works of Aristotle. We will discuss some of the extensive philosophical literature on Aristotle's ethics, and on related topics in ethics.
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 117:
Descartes (PHIL 217)
(Formerly 121/221.) Descartes's philosophical writings on rules for the direction of the mind, method, innate ideas and ideas of the senses, mind, God, eternal truths, and the material world.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 125:
Kant's First Critique (PHIL 225)
(Graduate students register for 225.) The founding work of Kant's critical philosophy emphasizing his contributions to metaphysics and epistemology. His attempts to limit metaphysics to the objects of experience. Prerequisite: course dealing with systematic issues in metaphysics or epistemology, or with the history of modern philosophy.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 127:
Kant's Foundations of Morality, 2nd Critique (PHIL 227)
(Graduate students enroll in 227.) A study of Kant's ethical thought, focusing on The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, The Critique of Practical Reason, and The Metaphysics of Morals. Prerequisite: having taken or taking during the same quarter Kant's First Critique (Phil 125/225). Designed for undergraduate department majors and graduate students.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
PHIL 131:
Introduction to Phenomenology (PHIL 231)
(Graduate students register for 231.) Phenomenology is one of the dominant philosophical traditions to arise in the 20th century. Its purpose is to investigate and describe the structures of consciousness, without theoretical or empirical bias. The study of phenomenology is both a precondition for understanding Continental philosophy and, more recently, a valuable interlocutor to philosophy of mind and cognitive science. In this class, we will learn the concepts and methods unique to phenomenology, and we will read the works of its major thinkers, including Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. PREREQS: 2 courses in philosophy prior to enrollment OR one of the following: PHI 132, PHI 134, PHI 134A, PHI 134B. This course is not repeatable.
| Units: 4
PHIL 132:
Phenomenology: Merleau-Ponty (PHIL 232)
(Graduate students register for 232.) French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty wrote that we are neither angels nor machines but living beings. In contrast to both a first-person introspective analysis and the third-person scientific approach, Merleau-Ponty aimed to describe the basic invariant structures of human life by using the phenomenological method. The result was a new concept of experience that is essentially embodied. In this class, you will learn about the phenomenological method and read Merleau-Ponty's now classic text Phenomenology of Perception. PREREQS: 2 courses in philosophy prior to enrollment (recommended PHIL 80) OR PHIL 131/231, my intro to phenomenology course. This course is not repeatable.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 134:
Phenomenology: Husserl (PHIL 234)
(Graduate students register for 234.) Neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence, and other related fields face fundamental obstacles when they turn to the study of the mind. Can there be a rigorous science of us? German philosopher Edmund Husserl (1859-1938), founder of phenomenology, devised a method intended to disclose the basic structures of minds. In this class, we will read one of Husserl's major later works, Cartesian Meditations, as well as companion essays from both his time and ours. A guiding question for us will be how phenomenology is applied outside of philosophy, specifically, how has it influenced discussions of the mind in the sciences? Prerequisite: one prior course in philosophy, or permission of instructor.
Last offered: Spring 2020
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 134A:
Phenomenology: Animals (PHIL 234A)
Philosophers have wondered what it is like to be an animal (the question of animal consciousness) and what we owe animals (animal ethics). But how do we understand these nonhuman animals in the first place? How do they act, and interact with one another? What are their lived environments? How does our concept of the animal shape our concept of the human being? In this course, we will try to answer these questions by exploring the work of thinkers who have made major contributions to how we understand nonhuman animals including Aristotle, Darwin, Heidegger, Uexküll, Merleau-Ponty, Derrida, Deleuze and Guattari. This course is intended for students who have completed either 2 classes in philosophy or 1 class in philosophy at the 100+ level. Permission to enroll without meeting these requirements may be granted in certain circumstances.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 134B:
The Normal and the Pathological (PHIL 234B)
In this class we consider at the recent history and contemporary constructions the normal and the pathological in the sciences of the mind. We will investigate current best practices in neuropsychology, analyzing well-known human lesion studies, while addressing the moral issues of harm and exploitation that haunt this field. Readings from Kurt Goldstein, Georg Canguilhem, Timothy Shallice, Oliver Sacks, Suzanne Corkin, Michael Gazzaniga, Elizabeth Schechter, Rosemarie Garland-Thomson and others.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 135:
Existentialism
Focus is on the existentialist preoccupation with human freedom. What constitutes authentic individuality? What is one's relation to the divine? How can one live a meaningful life? What is the significance of death? A rethinking of the traditional problem of freedom and determinism in readings from Rousseau, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche, and the extension of these ideas by Sartre, Beauvoir, and Camus, including their social and political consequences in light of 20th-century fascism and feminism.
Last offered: Spring 2014
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-ER
PHIL 135X:
Citizenship (ETHICSOC 135, POLISCI 135)
This class begins from the core definition of citizenship as membership in a political community and explores the many debates about what that membership means. Who is (or ought to be) a citizen? Who gets to decide? What responsibilities come with citizenship? Is being a citizen analogous to being a friend, a family member, a business partner? How can citizenship be gained, and can it ever be lost? These debates figure in the earliest recorded political philosophy but also animate contemporary political debates. This class uses ancient, medieval, and modern texts to examine these questions and different answers given over time. We¿Äôll pay particular attention to understandings of democratic citizenship but look at non-democratic citizenship as well. Students will develop and defend their own views on these questions, using the class texts as foundations. No experience with political philosophy is required or expected, and students can expect to learn or hone the skills (writing / reading / analysis) of political philosophy.
Last offered: Summer 2021
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER, WAY-SI
PHIL 136:
History of Ethics. Central Questions in Ethical Theory: Sidgwick and Alternatives (PHIL 236)
Undergrads enroll in PHIL 136. The main ¿ but not exclusive - focus of this course will be one book: Henry Sidgwick¿s The Methods of Ethics, first published in 1874. This is one of the most careful, systematic, and influential defences of utilitarianism - the view that an action is morally right if and only if, and because, it produces the best consequences for all those affected by it. (This is a rough statement of utilitarianism; we will see how and why it needs to be refined as we go along.) For further details see the Canvas page.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 137:
Wittgenstein (PHIL 237)
(Graduate students register for 237.) An exploration of Wittgenstein's changing views about meaning, mind, knowledge, and the nature of philosophical perplexity and philosophical insight, focusing on the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 141F:
Frege (PHIL 241F)
(Graduate students register for 241F.)
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 150:
Mathematical Logic (PHIL 250)
An introduction to the concepts and techniques used in mathematical logic, focusing on propositional, modal, and predicate logic. Highlights connections with philosophy, mathematics, computer science, linguistics, and neighboring fields.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Math, WAY-FR
PHIL 151:
Metalogic (PHIL 251)
In this course we will go through some of the seminal ideas, constructions, and results from modern logic, focusing especially on classical first-order ("predicate") logic. After introducing general ideas of induction and recursion, we will study a bit of elementary (axiomatic) set theory before then covering basic definability theory, viz. assessing the theoretical limits of what can and cannot be expressed in a first-order language. The centerpiece result of the class is the completeness - and closely related compactness - of first-order logic, a result with a number of momentous consequences, some useful, some philosophically puzzling. We will then study a connection with game theory, whereby a certain type of game characterizes precisely the expressive power of first-order logic. Further topics may include: the 0-1 law in finite model theory, second-order logic, and the algebraic approach to logic. Prerequisite: 150 or consent of instructor.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Math, WAY-FR
PHIL 151D:
Measurement Theory (PHIL 251D)
Graduate students enroll in 251D.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 152:
Computability and Logic (PHIL 252)
Kurt G¿del's ground-breaking Incompleteness Theorems demonstrate fundamental limits on formal mathematical reasoning. In particular, the First Incompleteness Theorem says, roughly, that for any reasonable theory of the natural numbers there are statements in the language that are neither provable nor refutable in that theory. In this course, we will explore the expressive power of different axiomatizations of number theory, on our path to proving the Incompleteness Theorems. This study entails an exploration of models of computation, and the power and limitations of what is computable, leading to an introduction to elementary recursion theory. At the conclusion of the course, we will discuss technical and philosophical repercussions of these results. Prerequisite: 151/251.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Math
PHIL 154:
Modal Logic (PHIL 254)
(Graduate students register for 254.) Syntax and semantics of modal logic and its basic theory: including expressive power, axiomatic completeness, correspondence, and complexity. Applications to classical and recent topics in philosophy, computer science, mathematics, linguistics, and game theory. Prerequisite: 150 or preferably 151.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Math, WAY-FR
PHIL 155:
Topics in Mathematical Logic: Non-Classical Logic (PHIL 255)
This year's topic is Non-Classical Logic. May be repeated for credit.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| Repeatable
for credit
PHIL 157:
Decision Theory (PHIL 257)
How is it possible to make a rational decision when you don't know what the outcomes of your choices will be, and when you have to rely on others to cooperate? This course introduces some mathematical tools to answer this broad question (expected utility theory, choice theory, and voting theory) along with their philosophical motivations, uses, and limitations. Assessment will consist mainly of problem sets which include both math problems and short essays. Prerequisite: PHIL 150.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 160:
What are Laws of Nature? (PHIL 260)
Scientists, and philosophers, regularly speak of the laws of nature: Newton's laws of motion or Avogadro's law. But what is a law of nature? Is it just a generalization that allows for exceptions? Is it just a summary statement of a pattern in events we have observed so far? Is talk of laws an indirect way of talking about the powers that objects and properties have? Or are laws somehow separate entities that make objects behave the way they do? Do they show us how things have to be, not just how they happen to be? Given what laws are supposed to be, are there really any laws of nature? Prerequisites: PHIL 80, PHIL 150 (or equivalent, and PHIL 180 (or equivalent).
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 162:
Philosophy of Mathematics (PHIL 262)
Prerequisite: PHIL150 or consent of instructor. This is a general overview of the philosophy of mathematics, focusing on the nature of mathematical truth and knowledge, the metaphysics of mathematical objects, and issues arising from mathematical practice. Topics to be discussed will include logicism, intuitionism, formalism, Goedel's incompleteness theorem, platonism, nominalism, fictionalism, structuralism, the nature of mathematical rigor, the role of diagrams in mathematics, and mathematical beauty.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Math
PHIL 164:
Scientific Realism, Perspectivism, and Antirealism (PHIL 264)
Graduate students register for 264. Scientific realism is the view that we should think that the sciences basically get it right about the fundamental structure of reality: there really are electrons out there as part of objective reality. Various forms of antirealism question various dimensions of the realist position. Some of those who question strong forms of realism are uncomfortable with the label antirealism for their own positions. We will attempt to make sense of the various positions, arguments, and methodological and substantive issues supposedly at stake in these debates. Instructor Permission Required. Prerequisites: PHIL 60, PHIL 80, PHIL 150, and one course in contemporary theoretical philosophy (PHIL 180 to PHIL 189); or equivalent courses.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 165:
Philosophy of Physics: Philosophical Issues in Quantum Mechanics (PHIL 265)
Graduate students register for 265.PREREQUISITES: previous course in philosophy of science or natural science or CS or engineering. Topic for 2023-2024: Philosophical Issues in Quantum Mechanics.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-SMA
| Repeatable
for credit
PHIL 167D:
Philosophy of Neuroscience (PHIL 267D, SYMSYS 167D)
How can we explain the mind? With approaches ranging from computational models to cellular-level characterizations of neural responses to the characterization of behavior, neuroscience aims to explain how we see, think, decide, and even feel. While these approaches have been highly successful in answering some kinds of questions, they have resulted in surprisingly little progress in others. We'll look at the relationships between the neuroscientific enterprise, philosophical investigations of the nature of the mind, and our everyday experiences as creatures with minds. Prerequisite: PHIL 80. (Not open to freshmen.) By application; send instructor a paragraph about why you want to be in the class and your background to rosacao@stanford.edu including course number in email.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 170:
Ethical Theory (ETHICSOC 170, PHIL 270)
(Taylor's version) In this iteration of the course we will discuss ethical dimensions of personal identity, integrity, friendship, sex, love, commitment, trust, care, childhood, death, and the afterlife. Substantial background in moral philosophy will be assumed (students should have completed Philosophy 2 or its equivalent; if you have questions, please contact the instructor).
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
PHIL 170B:
Metaphor (PHIL 270B)
In metaphor we think and talk about two things at once: two different subject matters are mingled to rich and unpredictable effect. A close critical study of the main modern accounts of metaphor's nature and interest, drawing on the work of writers, linguists, philosophers, and literary critics. Attention to how understanding, appreciation, and pleasure connect with one another in the experience of metaphor. Consideration of the possibility that metaphor or something very like it occurs in nonverbal media: gesture, dance, painting, music.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 171:
Justice (ETHICSOC 171, POLISCI 103, POLISCI 336S, PUBLPOL 103C)
Justice, as we use the term in this class, is a question about social cooperation. People can produce much more cooperatively than the sum of what they could produce as individuals, and these gains from cooperation are what makes civilization possible. But on what terms should we cooperate? How should we divide, as the philosopher John Rawls puts it, "the benefits and burdens of social cooperation"? Working primarily within the Anglo-American philosophical tradition, we'll discuss different answers to this big question as a way to bring together some of the most prominent debates in modern political philosophy. We'll study theories including utilitarianism, libertarianism, classical liberalism, and egalitarian liberalism, and we'll take on complex current issues like reparations for racial injustice, the gender pay gap, and responses to climate change. This class is meant to be an accessible entry point to political philosophy. No experience with political science or philosophy is required or assumed, and we will spend time on the strategy of philosophy as well: understanding how our authors make their arguments to better respond to them and make our own.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER
PHIL 171P:
Liberalism and its Critics (ETHICSOC 130, POLISCI 130)
In this course, students will learn and engage with the core debates that have animated political theory in modern times. What is the proper relationship between the individual, the community, and the state? Are liberty and equality in conflict, and, if so, which should take priority? What does justice mean in a large and diverse modern society? The title of the course, borrowed from a book by Michael Sandel, is 'Liberalism and its Critics' because the questions we discuss in this class center on the meaning of, and alternatives to, the liberal ideas that the basic goal of society should be the protection of individual rights and that some form of an egalitarian democracy is the best way to achieve this goal. The course is structured around two historical phenomena: one the one hand, liberal answers to these key questions have at times seemed politically and socially triumphant, but on the other hand, this ascendency has always been challenged and contested. At least one prior class in political theory, such as Justice (PS 103), Citizenship in the 21st Century (College 102), or Democratic Theory (PS 234) is recommended but not required.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
PHIL 172:
History of Modern Moral Philosophy (ETHICSOC 172, PHIL 272)
A critical exploration of some main forms of systematic moral theorizing in Western philosophy from Hobbes onward and their roots in ancient, medieval, and earlier modern ethical thought. Prerequistes are some prior familiarity with utilitarianism and Kantian ethics and a demonstrated interest in philosophy. Grads enroll in 272.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
PHIL 173B:
Undergraduate Introduction to Metaethics
This is an intensive, undergraduate-only introduction to, and survey of, contemporary metaethics. Can moral and ethical values be justified or is it just a matter of opinion? Is there a difference between facts and values? Are there any moral truths? Does it matter if there are not? Focus is not on which things or actions are valuable or morally right, but what is value or rightness itself. Prerequisites: 80, 181 and one ethics course. Please contact instructor for permission number.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 175:
Philosophy of Law (ETHICSOC 175B, PHIL 275)
This course will explore foundational issues about the nature of law and its relation to morality, and about legal responsibility and criminal punishment. Toward the end we will turn to issues about the criminal culpability of children. Prerequisite: Philosophy 80
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
PHIL 175A:
Ethics and Politics of Public Service (CSRE 178, ETHICSOC 133, PHIL 275A, POLISCI 133, PUBLPOL 103D, URBANST 122)
Public service is private action for the public good, work done by individuals and groups that aims at some vision of helping society or the world. This course examines some of the many ethical and political questions that arise in doing public service work, whether volunteering, service learning, humanitarian endeavors overseas, or public service professions such as medicine, teaching, or even "ethical investing" and "ethical entrepreneurship." What motives do people have to engage in public service work? Are self-interested motives troublesome? What is the connection between service work and justice? Should the government or schools require citizens or students to perform service work? Is mandatory service an oxymoron?
Last offered: Spring 2018
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-ER
PHIL 175W:
Philosophy of Law: Protest, Punishment, and Racial Justice (CSRE 175W, ETHICSOC 175W, PHIL 275W, POLISCI 137, POLISCI 337)
In this course, we will examine some of the central questions in philosophy of law, including: What is law? How do we determine the content of laws? Do laws have moral content? What is authority? What gives law its authority? Must we obey the law? If so, why? How can we justify the law? How should we understand and respond to unjust laws? What is punishment? What is punishment for? What, if anything, justifies punishment by the state? What is enough punishment? What is too much punishment? What does justice require under nonideal conditions? Prerequisite: one prior course in Philosophy.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 176:
Political Philosophy: The Social Contract Tradition (ETHICSOC 176, PHIL 276, POLISCI 137A, POLISCI 337A)
(Graduate students register for 276.) What makes political institutions legitimate? What makes them just? When do citizens have a right to revolt against those who rule over them? Which of our fellow citizens must we tolerate?Surprisingly, the answers given by some of the most prominent modern philosophers turn on the idea of a social contract. We will focus on the work of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Rawls.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
PHIL 176A:
Classical Seminar: Origins of Political Thought (CLASSICS 181, CLASSICS 381, ETHICSOC 130A, PHIL 276A, POLISCI 230A, POLISCI 330A)
Political philosophy in classical antiquity, centered on reading canonical works of Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle against other texts and against the political and historical background. Topics include: interdependence, legitimacy, justice; political obligation, citizenship, and leadership; origins and development of democracy; law, civic strife, and constitutional change.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
PHIL 176J:
Democracy Ancient and Modern: From Politics to Political Theory (CLASSICS 149, CLASSICS 249, PHIL 276J, POLISCI 231A, POLISCI 331A)
Modern political theorists, from Hobbes and Rousseau, to Hannah Arendt and Leo Strauss, to Sheldon Wolin and Robert Dahl, have turned to the classical Greek theory and practice of politics, both for inspiration and as a critical target. The last 30 years has seen renewed interest in Athenian democracy among both historians and theorists, and closer interaction between empiricists concerned with 'what really happened, and why' and theorists concerned with the possibilities and limits of citizen self-government as a normatively favored approach to political organization. The course examines the current state of scholarship on the practice of politics in ancient city-states, including but not limited to democratic Athens; the relationship between practice and theory in antiquity (Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, and others); the uses to which ancient theory and practice have been and are being put by modern political theorists; and experiments in democratic practice (citizen assemblies, deliberative councils, lotteries) inspired by ancient precedents. Suggested Prerequisites: Origins of Political Thought OR The Greeks OR other coursework on ancient political theory or practice. (For undergraduate students: suggest but do not require that you have taken either Origins of Political Thought, or The Greeks, or some other course that gives you some introduction to Greek political history or thought. )
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER, WAY-SI
PHIL 176M:
Collective Responsibility and Social Change (PHIL 276M)
Grad students enroll in 276M. What is social change, and how does it work? What, if anything, is our responsibility to contribute to change? Are each of us, as individuals, responsible for contributing to the changes we would like to see (e.g., regarding climate change, inequality, oppression, etc.)? How can that be, if the problems are so huge and our individual contributions so tiny? Are groups (e.g., states, corporations, social classes, racial groups, etc.), as such, responsible for change? How can that be, if responsibility only attaches to agents? Can groups themselves be agents? That seems to require that groups themselves have beliefs and desires. How is that possible? Must groups be agents in order to be responsible for their (collective) behavior, or is group responsibility fundamentally different from individual, personal responsibility? If groups can be responsible (e.g., for climate change), what implications follow for the individuals that comprise the group? How, if at all, is responsibility for what a group does distributed to group members? Can individuals have a duty to create a group, where creating a group is what is required to bring about social change? In this class we will discuss these and related questions.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
PHIL 176P:
Democratic Theory (ETHICSOC 234, POLISCI 234)
Most people agree that democracy is a good thing, but do we agree on what democracy is? This course will examine the concept of democracy in political philosophy. We will address the following questions: What reason(s), if any, do we have for valuing democracy? What does it mean to treat people as political equals? When does a group of individuals constitute "a people," and how can a people make genuinely collective decisions? Can democracy really be compatible with social inequality? With an entrenched constitution? With representation?
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
PHIL 177R:
Philosophy of Social Science (PHIL 277R)
The philosophy of social science is both descriptive and prescriptive. It describes the philosophical assumptions that form the basis of the practice of social inquiry and criticizes them for securing their ability to explain and predict social phenomena. This course provides an extended overview of the central debates in the philosophy of social sciences. First, we will discuss whether there is an epistemological import difference between natural and social sciences. Second, we will discuss what is the method (or methods) in social sciences, what type of knowledge social inquiry produces, and discuss the ontology of social kinds. Finally, we will discuss whether research in the social sciences can be objective and value-free.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
PHIL 178:
Ethics in Society Honors Seminar (ETHICSOC 190)
For Ethics in Society honors students. Methods of research. Students present issues of public and personal morality; topics chosen with advice of instructor.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 178M:
Introduction to Environmental Ethics (EARTHSYS 178M, ETHICSOC 178M, ETHICSOC 278M, PHIL 278M, POLISCI 134L)
How should human beings interact with the natural world? Do we have moral obligations toward non-human animals and other parts of nature? And what do we owe to other human beings, including future generations, with respect to the environment? In this course, we will tackle ethical questions that confront us in our dealings with the natural world, looking at subjects such as: animal rights; conservation; economic approaches to the environment; access to and control over natural resources; environmental justice and pollution; climate change; technology and the environment; and environmental activism. We will frame our inquiry with leading ethical theories and divide our approach to these topics by ecosystem, dedicating time to each unique environment and its specific nuances: aquatic, desert/tundra, forest/grassland, and the increasingly recognized environment of Space.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER
PHIL 179R:
Feminist Philosophy (FEMGEN 179R, PHIL 279R)
Feminism denotes both a political movement and a set of philosophical concerns. In this course we will focus on the latter to move to the former. The goal is to obtain a philosophical background that will allow us to analyze and understand the philosophical foundations of different political feminist movements. First, we will read about what is the relationship between biological sex and gender; what is the relationship between gender and other forms of identity, e.g., race, class, sexual orientation, etc.; what issues arise when we consider our standard conceptions of knowledge, scientific inquiry, and rationality from the standpoint of oppression as women (any other gender identity). In the second part of the course, we will read about what constitutes oppression, how does it arise, and why women became oppressed; how our ethical and political theories should change to reflect feminist concerns about the status of women in modern society not limiting the latter to only feminist concerns and movements in affluent countries. We will read about feminist movements in Latina America, indigenous feminist movements, and India.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 179W:
Du Bois and Democracy (CSRE 179W, ETHICSOC 179W, PHIL 279W)
In this course, we will work together to develop a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the political philosophy of W. E. B. Du Bois, giving special attention to the development of his democratic theory. We will do so by reading a number of key texts by Du Bois as well as contemporary scholarship from philosophy and cognate fields.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 4
PHIL 180:
Metaphysics (PHIL 280)
Intensive introduction to core topics in contemporary metaphysics. What is the fundamental structure of reality? Is it objective? What's the difference between concrete and abstract entities? How can there be truths about what is possible or necessary, if only the actual exists? What is it for an event to be determined by its causes? Is the world purely physical? Does science answer all of these questions? If not, is there some other way to answer them? Prerequisites: PHIL 80, PHIL 150, and one course in contemporary theoretical philosophy (PHIL 181 to PHIL 189).
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 181:
Philosophy of Language (PHIL 281)
The study of conceptual questions about language as a focus of contemporary philosophy for its inherent interest and because philosophers see questions about language as behind perennial questions in other areas of philosophy including epistemology, philosophy of science, metaphysics, and ethics. Key concepts and debates about the notions of meaning, truth, reference, and language use, with relations to psycholinguistics and formal semantics. Readings from philosophers such as Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Grice, and Kripke. Prerequisites: 80 and background in logic.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 181B:
Topics in Philosophy of Language (PHIL 281B)
This course builds on the material of 181/281, focusing on debates and developments in the pragmatics of conversation, the semantics/pragmatics distinction, the contextuality of meaning, the nature of truth and its connection to meaning, and the workings of particular linguistic constructions of special philosophical relevance. Students who have not taken 181/281 should seek the instructor's advice as to whether they have sufficient background.
Last offered: Spring 2020
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 181E:
External World Skepticism (PHIL 281E)
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 182A:
Naturalizing Representation (PHIL 282A)
Notions of meaning and representation are ubiquitous in how we conceive of our mental lives. Intentionality is one of the marks of the mental -- but it's not clear how these semantic notions can fit into our understanding of the natural world. nIn this class we'll discuss attempts to naturalize semantic notions, for example by appeal to informational or functional concepts. We'll read works by Dretske, Millikan, Skyrms, and others in evaluating this project.nPrerequisite: PHIL 80 or consent of instructor.
Last offered: Autumn 2018
| Units: 4
PHIL 182B:
Naturalizing Content (PHIL 282B)
Meaning is mysterious. Right now you are looking at funny marks on a screen. Somehow, these marks are conveying to you information about a class that will be offered at Stanford during the winter quarter 2020. But how is this happening? These marks surely have no natural connection to the future class. They aren't like the footprints of a tiger, for example. Additionally, thousands of times a day, you manage to gain information about all manner of subjects by hearing strange sounds that have no natural connection to the subject matter. The sounds aren't like the bark of a dog, for example. You also manage to think about things that aren't in front of you, as when you think of a Hippo wearing a fedora. Yet activity in your brain has no natural connection to Hippos in fedoras (we presume). This class will investigate how it is that sounds, marks, and mental states manage to have semantic content. In other words, we will discuss attempts to solve the mystery of meaning, in all of its forms.nThe class is open to all graduate students in philosophy. Undergraduates who have not taken Phil 80 and at least one upper level philosophy class must receive permission to enroll.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 4
PHIL 182D:
Ethical Anti-theory (PHIL 282D)
Ethicists often attempt to refine, systematize, and explain ordinary ethical convictions by getting them to follow from a small number of less familiar, more fundamental philosophical principles. Some ethicists challenge this theory-based conception of the subject, suggesting other pictures of the role philosophical reflection might play in our ethical lives. This course is an effort to understand and assess the work of four recent critics of large scale ethical theory: Iris Murdoch, Bernard Williams, Stuart Hampshire, and Philippa Foot.
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 182H:
Truth (PHIL 282H)
Philosophical debates about the place in human lives and the value to human beings of truth and its pursuit. The nature and significance of truth-involving virtues such as accuracy, sincerity, and candor. Prerequisite Phil 80 or permission of the instructor.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
PHIL 182J:
Theories of Consciousness (SYMSYS 202)
Are fish conscious? Are fetuses? Could we build a conscious computer? Much of the philosophical work on consciousness has focused on whether consciousness is wholly physical, but that question is orthogonal to the more specific questions about consciousness that most of us really care about. To answer those questions, we need a theory of how consciousness works in our world. Philosophers and scientists have put forward a spectrum of different candidates, from very abstract, philosophical theories through theories more informed by cognitive psychology down to neural and even quantum theories. In this seminar, students will learn about the major theories of consciousness as well as conceptual issues that arise on different approaches. Particularly important will be the question of how we might gain empirical evidence for a theory of consciousness.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
PHIL 183:
Self-knowledge and Metacognition (PHIL 283)
The course will be divided into two parts. In the first, we will survey the dominant models of how we come to know our own mental states. Among the issues we will explore will be our ways of discovering and coming to terms with "implicit" attitudes (e.g. biases), and the role of expression (e.g. verbal expression) in coming to know such attitudes. In the second part of the course, we will investigate the broader set of capacities by which we monitor and regulate our own cognitive processes, while paying special attention to the role of feelings (e.g. of knowing, fluency, fit) in the exercise of these capacities.
Last offered: Spring 2019
| Units: 4
PHIL 184:
Epistemology (PHIL 284)
This is an advanced introduction to core topics in epistemology -- the philosophical study of knowledge. Questions covered will include: What is knowledge? Must all knowledge rest on secure foundations? What are the connections between knowledge and rationality? Can we answer skepticism and relativism? Should epistemology be primarily investigated from a naturalistic, normative, or social perspective? Prerequisite (for undergraduates): PHIL 80 and PHIL 150 or equivalent.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 184B:
Formal Epistemology (PHIL 284B)
Grads enroll in 284B. Prerequisite: PHIL 80.
Last offered: Spring 2021
| Units: 4
PHIL 184D:
Collective Epistemology and Shared Inquiry
This course addresses central questions in collective epistemology, with a special focus on inquiring together. Students will gain familiarity with foundational issues in epistemology and philosophy of action before turning to debates about institutional belief, group assertion, expert deference, joint evidence, and the interaction of the social and epistemic in inquiry. Prerequisite: PHIL 80. Limited to 12.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 185J:
The Philosophy and Science of Perception (SYMSYS 205)
Our senses tell us about our immediate environment, but what exactly do they tell us? Our color experiences tell us that the things around us have color properties, but what in the world are color properties? Do we visually represent absolute size as well as relative size? When we see an apple, do we literally see it as an apple, or do we infer that it's an apple based on its color and shape? Can what we expect to see affect what we actually see? In this seminar we will bring both philosophical and empirical perspectives to bear on these and other issues related to figuring out just how our perceptual experiences represent the world as being. Prerequisite: PHIL 80 or permission of the instructor.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
PHIL 186:
Philosophy of Mind (PHIL 286)
(Graduate students register for 286.) This is an advanced introduction to core topics in the philosophy of mind. Prerequisite: PHIL 80
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 187:
Philosophy of Action (PHIL 287)
This course will explore foundational issues about individual agency, explanation of action, reasons and causes, agency in the natural world, practical rationality, interpretation, teleological explanation, intention and intentional action, agency and time, intention and belief, knowledge of one's own actions, identification and hierarchy, and shared agency. Prerequisite: graduate student standing in philosophy or, for others, prior course work in philosophy that includes Philosophy 80.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 188A:
Explanation (PHIL 288A)
We talk about explanations all the time whether in everyday conversations or in physics, chemistry, medicine, engineering, or economics. But what is an explanation? What is needed in order to have an explanation of something? Are there fundamentally different kinds of explanation? Are there distinctive forms of explanation in mathematics or metaphysics? Does all explanation have to do with causation? Do all explanations need to be backed by laws? Do explanatory relations determine the fundamental structure of reality? Instructor Permission Required. Prerequisites: PHIL 60, PHIL 80, PHIL 150, and one course in contemporary theoretical philosophy (PHIL 180 to PHIL 189); or equivalent courses.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 193C:
Film & Philosophy (ENGLISH 154F, FRENCH 154, ITALIAN 154)
What makes you the individual you are? Should you plan your life, or make it up as you go along? Is it always good to remember your past? Is it always good to know the truth? When does a machine become a person? What do we owe to other people? Is there always a right way to act? How can we live in a highly imperfect world? And what can film do that other media can't? We'll think about all of these great questions with the help of films that are philosophically stimulating, stylistically intriguing, and, for the most part, gripping to watch: Do The Right Thing (Lee), The Dark Knight (Nolan), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Kaufman), Arrival (Villeneuve), My Dinner with Andr¿ (Malle), Blade Runner (Scott), La Jet¿e (Marker), Fight Club (Fincher), No Country for Old Men (Coen), The Seventh Seal (Bergman), and Memento (Nolan). Attendance at weekly screenings is mandatory; and fun. We will not be using the waitlist on Axess - if you would like to enroll and the course is full/closed please email us to get on the waitlist!
Last offered: Autumn 2022
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 193E:
Film & Philosophy CE (FRENCH 154E, ITALIAN 154E, PHIL 293E)
Issues of authenticity, morality, personal identity, and the value of truth explored through film; philosophical investigation of the filmic medium itself. Screenings to include Blade Runner (Scott), Do The Right Thing (Lee), The Seventh Seal (Bergman), Fight Club (Fincher), La Jetée (Marker), Memento (Nolan), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Kaufman). Taught in English. Satisfies the WAY CE.
Last offered: Winter 2019
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-CE
PHIL 194C:
Capstone Seminar: Consciousness and Acquaintance
Capstone Seminar for majors.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 194D:
Capstone Seminar: How Virtual is Reality, and Vice Versa
We will pursue questions of metaphysics and epistemology through a focus on the nature of virtual realities and their relationships to non-virtual realities. Readings will be chosen from historical and contemporary sources, including David Chalmers'n book "Reality+."
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 194F:
Capstone seminar: Beauty and Other Forms of Value
The nature and importance of beauty and our susceptibility to beauty, our capacity to discern it and enjoy it and prize it, as discussed by philosophers, artists, and critics from various traditions and historical periods. Relations between beauty and ethical values (such as moral goodness) and cognitive values (such as truth). Capstone seminar for undergrad majors.
Last offered: Spring 2020
| Units: 4
PHIL 194G:
Capstone Seminar: Visual Representation and Visual Narrative
Capstone seminar for senior Philosophy majors. This seminar examines the meaning of visual signs, through the lens of philosophy and cognitive science. In the first half, we'll focus on the meanings of pictures and maps, and their relationship to perception, geometry, knowledge, truth, and power. In the second half, we'll explore the ways that pictures are put together in comics and film to form visual narratives, with an emphasis on viewpoint, temporal order, character, and coherence.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 194H:
Capstone Seminar: What is Explanation?
Capstone seminar for the major. Prerequisites: Junior or Senior, PHIL 80, PHIL 150, and one course in contemporary theoretical philosophy numbered between PHIL 180 and PHIL 189.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
PHIL 194J:
Capstone Seminar: Other Minds
Capstone seminar for the major. There are (at least) two ways of thinking about the problem of other minds. The first I call "Cartesian," and it goes like this: "I believe that I have a mind, but the data and methods I use to arrive at this belief are not available to me when it comes to the minds of others. I cannot know others have minds in the same way I know I have a mind." The second I call "Kantian," and it goes like this: "I form my concept of mind out of my own experience, and I apply that concept to myself using criteria that also are based in my own experience. But when it comes to others, I can neither form a concept of mind out of their own experiences, nor apply my concept of mind to them, since the criteria I use in my own case cannot be met in the case of others." We will explore the problem of other minds, and its possible solutions and dissolutions, by reading selected works from both the analytic and continental traditions.
Last offered: Autumn 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 194K:
Capstone Seminar: The Metaphysics of Consciousness
Capstone seminar for the major. Much of the debate surrounding consciousness has been over physicalism and its prospects. In the first part of this course, we will discuss the best way to frame the thesis of physicalism. What do we mean by "physical"? And what relation has to hold between conscious experience and the physical in order for physicalism to be true? In the second part of this course, we will discuss the arguments for and against physicalism, most notably the causal exclusion argument for physicalism and the explanatory gap argument against physicalism. In the third and final part of this course, we will discuss the various responses to this dilemma that have been offered. We will cover a priori and a posteriori physicalism, various flavors of dualism, and alternatives such as panpsychism and eliminativism.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 194P:
Capstone Seminar: The Meaning of Life
What makes life meaningful? It's a question that pulls on many, if not most, people, particularly in light of our current global situation; and in this course, we will give this question rigorous consideration. We'll explore matters of identity, authenticity, accomplishment, social connection, love, attention, religion, and happiness. But first, we'll examine whether meaningfulness is a subjective or objective affair. Our readings will primarily be in philosophy. But writers of literature often explore the question of meaningfulness in life, and some philosophers argue that telling our own stories is key to living a meaningful life. So we will also examine literary texts and the practice of writing literature.
Last offered: Autumn 2021
| Units: 4
PHIL 194T:
Capstone Seminar: Practical Reason
Contemporary research on practical reason, practical rationality, and reasons for action. Enrollment limited to 10. Priority given to undergraduate Philosophy majors. Prerequisite: three courses in Philosophy including Philosophy 80.
Last offered: Spring 2021
| Units: 4
PHIL 194W:
Capstone Seminar: Imagination in Fiction and Philosophy
This course spans the disciplinary divide between philosophy and literature by examining a mental faculty they both use: the imagination. The importance of the imagination in philosophy is contested: can it really help us understand what is possible and what's not, and if so, how? The role of the imagination in literature is undeniable, but often surprising in its details: why do we have real emotions in response to fictional stories? why do we seek out the negative emotions associated with tragedy and horror stories? Through guided discussion, live debate, close reading (of both philosophy and literature), and extensive writing, we will gain some insight into the fundamental faculty of thought that is the imagination. This is a capstone seminar for undergraduate majors in philosophy. Prerequisites: three courses in philosophy, including Philosophy 80.
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
PHIL 194Y:
Capstone seminar: Metaphilosophy
Capstone seminar for Philosophy majors. What should we aim to do in doing philosophy, and how should we aim to do it? The idea that philosophy involves some sort of analysis has a long pedigree, with a continuing grip on us. In the first half of the term, we will explore different ideas about analysis, and criticisms of the so-called Linguistic and Conceptual Turns in 20th century Anglo-American philosophy. In the second half of the term, we will explore reformed conceptions of analytic philosophy, with special emphasis on Timothy Williamson?s view.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
PHIL 196:
Tutorial, Senior Year
(Staff)
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr
| Units: 5
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 15 units total)
Instructors: ;
Anderson, R. (PI);
Barker-Plummer, D. (PI);
Bidadanure, J. (PI);
Bobonich, C. (PI);
Bratman, M. (PI);
Briggs, R. (PI);
Cao, R. (PI);
Code, A. (PI);
Crimmins, M. (PI);
Dannenberg, J. (PI);
De Pierris, G. (PI);
Etchemendy, J. (PI);
Friedman, M. (PI);
Hills, D. (PI);
Hussain, N. (PI);
Icard, T. (PI);
Lawlor, K. (PI);
Longino, H. (PI);
Peacocke, A. (PI);
Perry, J. (PI);
Reich, R. (PI);
Ryckman, T. (PI);
Salkin, W. (PI);
Satz, D. (PI);
Skyrms, B. (PI);
Warren, J. (PI);
Wasow, T. (PI);
Wenar, L. (PI);
Wood, A. (PI);
Wood, R. (PI);
van Benthem, J. (PI)
PHIL 197:
Individual Work, Undergraduate
May be repeated for credit.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum
| Units: 1-15
| Repeatable
for credit
Instructors: ;
Anderson, R. (PI);
Barker-Plummer, D. (PI);
Bidadanure, J. (PI);
Bobonich, C. (PI);
Bratman, M. (PI);
Briggs, R. (PI);
Cao, R. (PI);
Code, A. (PI);
Crimmins, M. (PI);
Dannenberg, J. (PI);
De Pierris, G. (PI);
Etchemendy, J. (PI);
Follesdal, D. (PI);
Friedman, M. (PI);
Hills, D. (PI);
Hussain, N. (PI);
Icard, T. (PI);
Jackson, G. (PI);
Lawlor, K. (PI);
Longino, H. (PI);
Peacocke, A. (PI);
Perry, J. (PI);
Reich, R. (PI);
Ryckman, T. (PI);
Salkin, W. (PI);
Satz, D. (PI);
Skyrms, B. (PI);
Warren, J. (PI);
Wasow, T. (PI);
Wenar, L. (PI);
Wood, A. (PI);
Wood, R. (PI);
Zalta, E. (PI);
van Benthem, J. (PI)
PHIL 198:
The Dualist
The Dualist is the undergraduate organization for students interested in philosophy. It is the Department of Philosophy's undergraduate philosophy association. It brings together people who are passionate about exploring deep philosophical and life questions. We focus on building a philosophical community through book-club style conversations and various other events through the quarter. The undergraduate leaders of the Dualist will also be a primary source for peer advice on philosophy classes at Stanford and the Philosophy department's undergraduate degree program. Prerequisite: one prior course in the philosophy department.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
for credit
PHIL 199:
Seminar for Prospective Honors Students
Open to juniors intending to do honors in philosophy. Methods of research in philosophy. Topics and strategies for completing honors project. May be repeated for credit.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 6 units total)
PHIL 204:
Normativity in Ancient Greek Metaethics (PHIL 104)
Grads enroll in 204. In this course, we shall examine some basic issues in metaethics in the context of Plato's and Aristotle's philosophy. First-order ethics asks questions such as 'What makes an action right?', 'What are virtues and vices?', 'Do I have, ceteris paribus, a duty to obey the laws?', and 'What is the best theory of social justice?'. Metaethics takes moral or ethical judgments as its subject matter and inquires into their nature. Basic metaethical questions include: 'What do moral or ethical judgments mean?'. When we say 'X is right', do we mean that X is objectively right?', 'Do moral judgments make claims about the world or about how we think about the world?' (These are questions about moral semantics.) Moral judgments, as we'll see, seem to involve the notion of evaluating actions, agents, social practices and so on. They are, in a bit of jargon, normative or evaluative. We'll try to get clearer on what such normativity involves by considering two other fundamental sort of metaethical questions. The first concerns the possibility of moral knowledge, includes questions such as 'Can we ever know if a moral claim is true and, if so, how can we know this?', 'In mathematics, chemistry, the history of India, and chess, for example, we think that there are experts who know more than we do and that we should, at least to some extent, defer to their judgments in their areas of expertise. Can there be moral experts to whom we should defer in the same way?' (These are questions about moral epistemology.) Yet other metaethical questions concern the place of morality in the world. Such questions include 'Are moral properties such rightness and wrongness "out there" in the world as we might think mass and electrical charge are (or being a neuron)?', 'Or are moral properties really just properties of our attitudes and beliefs?', 'Or do they simply not exist in the way that there is nothing that is phlogiston or Santa?' (Sorry). We'll start by reading some basic literature in contemporary metaethics and then turn to take up these questions in the context of Plato and Aristotle. By reading our ancient authors carefully, we'll try to work out the differences and similarities between their questions and answers and our own. I'm organizing the course so that both students who've done a good deal of work in metaethics and ancient philosophy and those who have done none at all will both be able to learn from the readings, the lectures, and what I hope will be lively classroom discussions.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 206:
Ancient Greek Skepticism (PHIL 106)
We will study ancient Greek skeptics and the views that for any claim there is no more reason to assert it than deny it, and that a suspension of belief is the best route to happiness. There will also be some consideration both of ancient opponents of skepticism and some relations between ancient and modern skepticism.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 207B:
Plato's Later Metaphysics and Epistemology (PHIL 107B)
A close reading of Plato's Theatetus and Parmenides, his two mature dialogues on the topics of knowledge and reality. We will consider various definitions of knowledge, metaphysical problems about the objects of knowledge, and a proposed method for examining and resolving such problems. Some background in ancient Greek philosophy and/or contemporary metaphysics and epistemology is preferred, but not required. Prerequisite: Phil 80.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 207C:
Plato's Timaeus (PHIL 107C)
In this course, we will explore the Timaeus, Plato's account of the nature and creation of the universe. This work, from Plato's late period, with its highly notable postulations of the Demiurge and the receptacle, received the place of prominence in the ancient reception of Plato and contains a number of challenges in interpretation for contemporary scholars of Plato. We will carefully examine the work and its contributions to Platonic metaphysics, physics, psychology, teleology, cosmology, and theology. In so doing, we will also consider questions of how we are to understand it as a likely story, its role within the Platonic corpus, and its engagement with pre-existing traditions of Greek natural philosophy.
Last offered: Autumn 2020
| Units: 4
PHIL 208:
Aristotle's Metaphysics Book Alpha (PHIL 108)
An introduction both to Aristotle's own metaphysics and to his treatment of his predecessors on causality, included the early Ionian cosmologists, atomism, Pythagoreans, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras and Plato. Prerequisite: one course in ancient Greek philosophy.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 208B:
Aristotle's Physics Book One (PHIL 108B)
A chapter by chapter analysis of Aristotle's introductory discussions of physical theory. Topics to be considered include Aristotle's treatment of Eleatic monism, the role of opposites in pre-Socratic physics, the role of matter in physics, and an analysis of the elements of changing objects into form, privation and a subject.
Last offered: Autumn 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 208C:
Topics in Aristotle: Aristotle on Potentiality (PHIL 108C)
tba
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 210:
Plato's Republic (PHIL 110)
We shall examine this complex and fascinating dialogue in detail, comparing it with other relevant Platonic texts, focusing on its ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, and political philosophy. We shall examine the connections that Plato sees between these different areas of philosophy, and consider some of the strengths and weaknesses of his overall argument.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 4
PHIL 210C:
The Stoics on Freedom and Determinism (PHIL 110C)
We will investigate ancient Stoic conceptions of causality and freedom, their arguments for causal determinism, and ancient attaches on and defenses of compatibilism.
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 211:
Aristotle's Posterior Analytics (PHIL 111)
TBA
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 212:
Contemporary Virtue Ethics and its Critics (PHIL 112)
Graduate students enroll in 212. In this course, we shall examine contemporary virtue ethics beginning with G.E.M. Anscombe's famous 1958 paper 'Modern Moral Theory' (although Anscombe herself did not advocate a virtue ethics). In particular, we shall read some of the leading contemporary exponents of virtue ethics (Philippa Foot, Rosalind Hursthouse, Michal Slote, and Linda Zagzebski). We shall also read some of leading virtue ethics' leading critics, such as David Copp, Julia Driver, Robert Louden, and Jerome Schneewind. We shall consider questions including the following. Can Virtue Ethics give a plausible account of right action? Is Virtue Ethics action-guiding at all? What is the relation between virtue and happiness or flourishing? Is Virtue Ethics a form of ethical naturalism? Is Virtue Ethics compatible with modern biology? Does Virtue Ethics give us a way to avoid the 'ethical schizophrenia' of modern impartialist moral theories or does it produce its own form of ethical schizophrenia? Is Virtue Ethics self-effacing?
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 213:
Hellenistic Philosophy (PHIL 113)
Ancient philosophy did not end with Aristotle: the centuries after Aristotle's death saw considerable philosophical output from often-competing philosophical schools in the Greco-Roman world. In this course, we will study the major Hellenistic schools of philosophy - the Stoics, the Epicureans, and the sceptics - carefully examining the (often fragmentary) evidence on each and discussing the interpretation of their doctrines from this evidence, as well as how these doctrines fit into a background of Platonic and Aristotelean philosophy and the Hellenistic intra-school debates. Topics to be covered are especially epistemology, ethics, and physics, but will also include metaphysics, psychology, cosmology, ontology, and logic.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 213A:
Porphyry's Introduction to Logic (PHIL 113A)
The main text will be Porphyry's Isagoge. For more than a thousand years this book was every student's first text in philosophy. We will focus on five main topics: genera, species, differences, properties, accidents.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 214:
Normativity in Ancient Greek Metaethics (PHIL 114)
Aristotle's ethical theory is a primary source of later philosophical reflection on ethics, and on philosophy of mind and metaphysics in so far as they are related to ethics. For this reason it allows us to understand some of the motives and starting points of our own thought about ethics. Our main text will be the Nicomachean Ethics, supplemented by selections from other works of Aristotle. We will discuss some of the extensive philosophical literature on Aristotle's ethics, and on related topics in ethics.
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 217:
Descartes (PHIL 117)
(Formerly 121/221.) Descartes's philosophical writings on rules for the direction of the mind, method, innate ideas and ideas of the senses, mind, God, eternal truths, and the material world.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 225:
Kant's First Critique (PHIL 125)
(Graduate students register for 225.) The founding work of Kant's critical philosophy emphasizing his contributions to metaphysics and epistemology. His attempts to limit metaphysics to the objects of experience. Prerequisite: course dealing with systematic issues in metaphysics or epistemology, or with the history of modern philosophy.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 227:
Kant's Foundations of Morality, 2nd Critique (PHIL 127)
(Graduate students enroll in 227.) A study of Kant's ethical thought, focusing on The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, The Critique of Practical Reason, and The Metaphysics of Morals. Prerequisite: having taken or taking during the same quarter Kant's First Critique (Phil 125/225). Designed for undergraduate department majors and graduate students.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 231:
Introduction to Phenomenology (PHIL 131)
(Graduate students register for 231.) Phenomenology is one of the dominant philosophical traditions to arise in the 20th century. Its purpose is to investigate and describe the structures of consciousness, without theoretical or empirical bias. The study of phenomenology is both a precondition for understanding Continental philosophy and, more recently, a valuable interlocutor to philosophy of mind and cognitive science. In this class, we will learn the concepts and methods unique to phenomenology, and we will read the works of its major thinkers, including Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. PREREQS: 2 courses in philosophy prior to enrollment OR one of the following: PHI 132, PHI 134, PHI 134A, PHI 134B. This course is not repeatable.
| Units: 4
PHIL 232:
Phenomenology: Merleau-Ponty (PHIL 132)
(Graduate students register for 232.) French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty wrote that we are neither angels nor machines but living beings. In contrast to both a first-person introspective analysis and the third-person scientific approach, Merleau-Ponty aimed to describe the basic invariant structures of human life by using the phenomenological method. The result was a new concept of experience that is essentially embodied. In this class, you will learn about the phenomenological method and read Merleau-Ponty's now classic text Phenomenology of Perception. PREREQS: 2 courses in philosophy prior to enrollment (recommended PHIL 80) OR PHIL 131/231, my intro to phenomenology course. This course is not repeatable.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 234:
Phenomenology: Husserl (PHIL 134)
(Graduate students register for 234.) Neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence, and other related fields face fundamental obstacles when they turn to the study of the mind. Can there be a rigorous science of us? German philosopher Edmund Husserl (1859-1938), founder of phenomenology, devised a method intended to disclose the basic structures of minds. In this class, we will read one of Husserl's major later works, Cartesian Meditations, as well as companion essays from both his time and ours. A guiding question for us will be how phenomenology is applied outside of philosophy, specifically, how has it influenced discussions of the mind in the sciences? Prerequisite: one prior course in philosophy, or permission of instructor.
Last offered: Spring 2020
| Units: 4
PHIL 234A:
Phenomenology: Animals (PHIL 134A)
Philosophers have wondered what it is like to be an animal (the question of animal consciousness) and what we owe animals (animal ethics). But how do we understand these nonhuman animals in the first place? How do they act, and interact with one another? What are their lived environments? How does our concept of the animal shape our concept of the human being? In this course, we will try to answer these questions by exploring the work of thinkers who have made major contributions to how we understand nonhuman animals including Aristotle, Darwin, Heidegger, Uexküll, Merleau-Ponty, Derrida, Deleuze and Guattari. This course is intended for students who have completed either 2 classes in philosophy or 1 class in philosophy at the 100+ level. Permission to enroll without meeting these requirements may be granted in certain circumstances.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 234B:
The Normal and the Pathological (PHIL 134B)
In this class we consider at the recent history and contemporary constructions the normal and the pathological in the sciences of the mind. We will investigate current best practices in neuropsychology, analyzing well-known human lesion studies, while addressing the moral issues of harm and exploitation that haunt this field. Readings from Kurt Goldstein, Georg Canguilhem, Timothy Shallice, Oliver Sacks, Suzanne Corkin, Michael Gazzaniga, Elizabeth Schechter, Rosemarie Garland-Thomson and others.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 236:
History of Ethics. Central Questions in Ethical Theory: Sidgwick and Alternatives (PHIL 136)
Undergrads enroll in PHIL 136. The main ¿ but not exclusive - focus of this course will be one book: Henry Sidgwick¿s The Methods of Ethics, first published in 1874. This is one of the most careful, systematic, and influential defences of utilitarianism - the view that an action is morally right if and only if, and because, it produces the best consequences for all those affected by it. (This is a rough statement of utilitarianism; we will see how and why it needs to be refined as we go along.) For further details see the Canvas page.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 237:
Wittgenstein (PHIL 137)
(Graduate students register for 237.) An exploration of Wittgenstein's changing views about meaning, mind, knowledge, and the nature of philosophical perplexity and philosophical insight, focusing on the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
PHIL 239:
Teaching Methods in Philosophy
For Ph.D. students in their first or second year who are or are about to be teaching assistants for the department. May be repeated for credit.
Terms: Aut, Spr
| Units: 1-4
| Repeatable
for credit
PHIL 240:
Individual Work for Graduate Students
May be repeated for credit.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum
| Units: 1-15
| Repeatable
for credit
Instructors: ;
Anderson, R. (PI);
Barker-Plummer, D. (PI);
Bidadanure, J. (PI);
Bobonich, C. (PI);
Bratman, M. (PI);
Briggs, R. (PI);
Cao, R. (PI);
Code, A. (PI);
Crimmins, M. (PI);
Dannenberg, J. (PI);
De Pierris, G. (PI);
Etchemendy, J. (PI);
Follesdal, D. (PI);
Friedman, M. (PI);
Hills, D. (PI);
Hussain, N. (PI);
Icard, T. (PI);
Jackson, G. (PI);
Lawlor, K. (PI);
Longino, H. (PI);
ORourke, J. (PI);
Peacocke, A. (PI);
Perry, J. (PI);
Ryckman, T. (PI);
Salkin, W. (PI);
Satz, D. (PI);
Skyrms, B. (PI);
Walton, K. (PI);
Warren, J. (PI);
Wasow, T. (PI);
Weatherall, J. (PI);
Wenar, L. (PI);
Wood, A. (PI);
Wood, R. (PI);
van Benthem, J. (PI)
PHIL 241:
Second Year Paper Development Seminar
Required of second-year Philosophy Ph.D. students; restricted to Stanford Philosophy Ph.D. students. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. This seminar will focus on helping students complete their second year paper.
Terms: Sum
| Units: 1
PHIL 241F:
Frege (PHIL 141F)
(Graduate students register for 241F.)
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 250:
Mathematical Logic (PHIL 150)
An introduction to the concepts and techniques used in mathematical logic, focusing on propositional, modal, and predicate logic. Highlights connections with philosophy, mathematics, computer science, linguistics, and neighboring fields.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
PHIL 251:
Metalogic (PHIL 151)
In this course we will go through some of the seminal ideas, constructions, and results from modern logic, focusing especially on classical first-order ("predicate") logic. After introducing general ideas of induction and recursion, we will study a bit of elementary (axiomatic) set theory before then covering basic definability theory, viz. assessing the theoretical limits of what can and cannot be expressed in a first-order language. The centerpiece result of the class is the completeness - and closely related compactness - of first-order logic, a result with a number of momentous consequences, some useful, some philosophically puzzling. We will then study a connection with game theory, whereby a certain type of game characterizes precisely the expressive power of first-order logic. Further topics may include: the 0-1 law in finite model theory, second-order logic, and the algebraic approach to logic. Prerequisite: 150 or consent of instructor.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 251D:
Measurement Theory (PHIL 151D)
Graduate students enroll in 251D.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 252:
Computability and Logic (PHIL 152)
Kurt G¿del's ground-breaking Incompleteness Theorems demonstrate fundamental limits on formal mathematical reasoning. In particular, the First Incompleteness Theorem says, roughly, that for any reasonable theory of the natural numbers there are statements in the language that are neither provable nor refutable in that theory. In this course, we will explore the expressive power of different axiomatizations of number theory, on our path to proving the Incompleteness Theorems. This study entails an exploration of models of computation, and the power and limitations of what is computable, leading to an introduction to elementary recursion theory. At the conclusion of the course, we will discuss technical and philosophical repercussions of these results. Prerequisite: 151/251.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 254:
Modal Logic (PHIL 154)
(Graduate students register for 254.) Syntax and semantics of modal logic and its basic theory: including expressive power, axiomatic completeness, correspondence, and complexity. Applications to classical and recent topics in philosophy, computer science, mathematics, linguistics, and game theory. Prerequisite: 150 or preferably 151.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 255:
Topics in Mathematical Logic: Non-Classical Logic (PHIL 155)
This year's topic is Non-Classical Logic. May be repeated for credit.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| Repeatable
for credit
PHIL 257:
Decision Theory (PHIL 157)
How is it possible to make a rational decision when you don't know what the outcomes of your choices will be, and when you have to rely on others to cooperate? This course introduces some mathematical tools to answer this broad question (expected utility theory, choice theory, and voting theory) along with their philosophical motivations, uses, and limitations. Assessment will consist mainly of problem sets which include both math problems and short essays. Prerequisite: PHIL 150.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 260:
What are Laws of Nature? (PHIL 160)
Scientists, and philosophers, regularly speak of the laws of nature: Newton's laws of motion or Avogadro's law. But what is a law of nature? Is it just a generalization that allows for exceptions? Is it just a summary statement of a pattern in events we have observed so far? Is talk of laws an indirect way of talking about the powers that objects and properties have? Or are laws somehow separate entities that make objects behave the way they do? Do they show us how things have to be, not just how they happen to be? Given what laws are supposed to be, are there really any laws of nature? Prerequisites: PHIL 80, PHIL 150 (or equivalent, and PHIL 180 (or equivalent).
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 262:
Philosophy of Mathematics (PHIL 162)
Prerequisite: PHIL150 or consent of instructor. This is a general overview of the philosophy of mathematics, focusing on the nature of mathematical truth and knowledge, the metaphysics of mathematical objects, and issues arising from mathematical practice. Topics to be discussed will include logicism, intuitionism, formalism, Goedel's incompleteness theorem, platonism, nominalism, fictionalism, structuralism, the nature of mathematical rigor, the role of diagrams in mathematics, and mathematical beauty.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 264:
Scientific Realism, Perspectivism, and Antirealism (PHIL 164)
Graduate students register for 264. Scientific realism is the view that we should think that the sciences basically get it right about the fundamental structure of reality: there really are electrons out there as part of objective reality. Various forms of antirealism question various dimensions of the realist position. Some of those who question strong forms of realism are uncomfortable with the label antirealism for their own positions. We will attempt to make sense of the various positions, arguments, and methodological and substantive issues supposedly at stake in these debates. Instructor Permission Required. Prerequisites: PHIL 60, PHIL 80, PHIL 150, and one course in contemporary theoretical philosophy (PHIL 180 to PHIL 189); or equivalent courses.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 265:
Philosophy of Physics: Philosophical Issues in Quantum Mechanics (PHIL 165)
Graduate students register for 265.PREREQUISITES: previous course in philosophy of science or natural science or CS or engineering. Topic for 2023-2024: Philosophical Issues in Quantum Mechanics.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| Repeatable
for credit
PHIL 267D:
Philosophy of Neuroscience (PHIL 167D, SYMSYS 167D)
How can we explain the mind? With approaches ranging from computational models to cellular-level characterizations of neural responses to the characterization of behavior, neuroscience aims to explain how we see, think, decide, and even feel. While these approaches have been highly successful in answering some kinds of questions, they have resulted in surprisingly little progress in others. We'll look at the relationships between the neuroscientific enterprise, philosophical investigations of the nature of the mind, and our everyday experiences as creatures with minds. Prerequisite: PHIL 80. (Not open to freshmen.) By application; send instructor a paragraph about why you want to be in the class and your background to rosacao@stanford.edu including course number in email.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 270:
Ethical Theory (ETHICSOC 170, PHIL 170)
(Taylor's version) In this iteration of the course we will discuss ethical dimensions of personal identity, integrity, friendship, sex, love, commitment, trust, care, childhood, death, and the afterlife. Substantial background in moral philosophy will be assumed (students should have completed Philosophy 2 or its equivalent; if you have questions, please contact the instructor).
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 270B:
Metaphor (PHIL 170B)
In metaphor we think and talk about two things at once: two different subject matters are mingled to rich and unpredictable effect. A close critical study of the main modern accounts of metaphor's nature and interest, drawing on the work of writers, linguists, philosophers, and literary critics. Attention to how understanding, appreciation, and pleasure connect with one another in the experience of metaphor. Consideration of the possibility that metaphor or something very like it occurs in nonverbal media: gesture, dance, painting, music.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 271T:
History of Ethics: Central Questions in Modern Ethical Theory
Hobbes marks the beginning of a period of intensive discussion and debate among moral philosophers writing (mainly) in English. His successors argue about questions that are still among the primary questions in ethical theory: n1. The nature of moral judgments: metaphysical questions. nWhen we say, and sometimes claim to know, that an action is right, or a person is good, what sort of judgment is this? We often say they are true or false, but are we entitled to say so? If they are true, what sort of fact about the objective world makes them true? If no fact about the objective world makes them true, then what makes them true? n2. Moral knowledge: epistemological questions. nIf we sometimes know that a moral judgment is true or false, how do we know? Can we rely on anything analogous to perception (a moral sense)? What is the role of reason in moral judgments?n3. The practical function of moral judgments. nMoral judgments are practical, in so far as we make them with the intention of guiding our own action, when we try to make our mind up about the right thing to do, or of guiding other people's action, when we offer advice or criticism. Moreover, they engage our feelings, emotions, affections, and sentiments, not simply our rational capacities. What difference should this function of moral judgments make to our answers to the previous two questions? n4. The content of morality: normative questions. n(1) Can we derive the whole content of morality from enlightened self-interest? Are the principles underlying rational prudence the only ones we need if we are to understand morality? n(2) Can we derive morality from benevolence, understanding moral principles as simply the product of this sentiment? (3) Can we take moral principles to be various ways of promoting utility - the maximum happiness of all those affected by an action? n5. The justification of morality. nWhy should we care about morality? We might appeal to (1) self-interest; (2) sentiments, especially sympathy; (3) rational principles. nWe will discuss (1) The modification and elaboration of Hobbes's account of morality by Hume. n(2) The alternative to Hobbes that is developed by Butler, Price, and Reid. n(3) Kant's response to this debate among his predecessors.n(4) Sidgwick's attempt to reconcile elements of these different views.nThis course begins on January 28, and ends on March 13. May be repeated for credit. 2 unit option available only to PhD students beyond the second year. Undergraduates wishing to take this course must have taken a previous Philosophy course and have the permission of the instructor.
Last offered: Winter 2019
| Units: 2-3
| Repeatable
2 times
(up to 6 units total)
PHIL 272:
History of Modern Moral Philosophy (ETHICSOC 172, PHIL 172)
A critical exploration of some main forms of systematic moral theorizing in Western philosophy from Hobbes onward and their roots in ancient, medieval, and earlier modern ethical thought. Prerequistes are some prior familiarity with utilitarianism and Kantian ethics and a demonstrated interest in philosophy. Grads enroll in 272.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 273B:
Graduate Introduction to Metaethics
This is a graduate student only introduction to contemporary metaethics. Can moral and ethical values be justified or is it just a matter of opinion? Is there a difference between facts and values? Are there any moral truths? Does it matter if there are not? Focus is not on which things or actions are valuable or morally right, but what is value or rightness itself. Prerequisites: graduate standing and PHIL 281, and an ethics course. Please contact instructor for permission number.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 275:
Philosophy of Law (ETHICSOC 175B, PHIL 175)
This course will explore foundational issues about the nature of law and its relation to morality, and about legal responsibility and criminal punishment. Toward the end we will turn to issues about the criminal culpability of children. Prerequisite: Philosophy 80
Last offered: Spring 2020
| Units: 4
PHIL 275A:
Ethics and Politics of Public Service (CSRE 178, ETHICSOC 133, PHIL 175A, POLISCI 133, PUBLPOL 103D, URBANST 122)
Public service is private action for the public good, work done by individuals and groups that aims at some vision of helping society or the world. This course examines some of the many ethical and political questions that arise in doing public service work, whether volunteering, service learning, humanitarian endeavors overseas, or public service professions such as medicine, teaching, or even "ethical investing" and "ethical entrepreneurship." What motives do people have to engage in public service work? Are self-interested motives troublesome? What is the connection between service work and justice? Should the government or schools require citizens or students to perform service work? Is mandatory service an oxymoron?
Last offered: Spring 2018
| Units: 3-5
PHIL 275W:
Philosophy of Law: Protest, Punishment, and Racial Justice (CSRE 175W, ETHICSOC 175W, PHIL 175W, POLISCI 137, POLISCI 337)
In this course, we will examine some of the central questions in philosophy of law, including: What is law? How do we determine the content of laws? Do laws have moral content? What is authority? What gives law its authority? Must we obey the law? If so, why? How can we justify the law? How should we understand and respond to unjust laws? What is punishment? What is punishment for? What, if anything, justifies punishment by the state? What is enough punishment? What is too much punishment? What does justice require under nonideal conditions? Prerequisite: one prior course in Philosophy.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 276:
Political Philosophy: The Social Contract Tradition (ETHICSOC 176, PHIL 176, POLISCI 137A, POLISCI 337A)
(Graduate students register for 276.) What makes political institutions legitimate? What makes them just? When do citizens have a right to revolt against those who rule over them? Which of our fellow citizens must we tolerate?Surprisingly, the answers given by some of the most prominent modern philosophers turn on the idea of a social contract. We will focus on the work of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Rawls.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 276A:
Classical Seminar: Origins of Political Thought (CLASSICS 181, CLASSICS 381, ETHICSOC 130A, PHIL 176A, POLISCI 230A, POLISCI 330A)
Political philosophy in classical antiquity, centered on reading canonical works of Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle against other texts and against the political and historical background. Topics include: interdependence, legitimacy, justice; political obligation, citizenship, and leadership; origins and development of democracy; law, civic strife, and constitutional change.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
PHIL 276J:
Democracy Ancient and Modern: From Politics to Political Theory (CLASSICS 149, CLASSICS 249, PHIL 176J, POLISCI 231A, POLISCI 331A)
Modern political theorists, from Hobbes and Rousseau, to Hannah Arendt and Leo Strauss, to Sheldon Wolin and Robert Dahl, have turned to the classical Greek theory and practice of politics, both for inspiration and as a critical target. The last 30 years has seen renewed interest in Athenian democracy among both historians and theorists, and closer interaction between empiricists concerned with 'what really happened, and why' and theorists concerned with the possibilities and limits of citizen self-government as a normatively favored approach to political organization. The course examines the current state of scholarship on the practice of politics in ancient city-states, including but not limited to democratic Athens; the relationship between practice and theory in antiquity (Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, and others); the uses to which ancient theory and practice have been and are being put by modern political theorists; and experiments in democratic practice (citizen assemblies, deliberative councils, lotteries) inspired by ancient precedents. Suggested Prerequisites: Origins of Political Thought OR The Greeks OR other coursework on ancient political theory or practice. (For undergraduate students: suggest but do not require that you have taken either Origins of Political Thought, or The Greeks, or some other course that gives you some introduction to Greek political history or thought. )
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
PHIL 276M:
Collective Responsibility and Social Change (PHIL 176M)
Grad students enroll in 276M. What is social change, and how does it work? What, if anything, is our responsibility to contribute to change? Are each of us, as individuals, responsible for contributing to the changes we would like to see (e.g., regarding climate change, inequality, oppression, etc.)? How can that be, if the problems are so huge and our individual contributions so tiny? Are groups (e.g., states, corporations, social classes, racial groups, etc.), as such, responsible for change? How can that be, if responsibility only attaches to agents? Can groups themselves be agents? That seems to require that groups themselves have beliefs and desires. How is that possible? Must groups be agents in order to be responsible for their (collective) behavior, or is group responsibility fundamentally different from individual, personal responsibility? If groups can be responsible (e.g., for climate change), what implications follow for the individuals that comprise the group? How, if at all, is responsibility for what a group does distributed to group members? Can individuals have a duty to create a group, where creating a group is what is required to bring about social change? In this class we will discuss these and related questions.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
PHIL 277R:
Philosophy of Social Science (PHIL 177R)
The philosophy of social science is both descriptive and prescriptive. It describes the philosophical assumptions that form the basis of the practice of social inquiry and criticizes them for securing their ability to explain and predict social phenomena. This course provides an extended overview of the central debates in the philosophy of social sciences. First, we will discuss whether there is an epistemological import difference between natural and social sciences. Second, we will discuss what is the method (or methods) in social sciences, what type of knowledge social inquiry produces, and discuss the ontology of social kinds. Finally, we will discuss whether research in the social sciences can be objective and value-free.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
PHIL 278C:
Free Speech, Academic Freedom, and Democracy (EDUC 217, ETHICSOC 217X)
The course examines connected ideas of free speech, academic freedom, and democratic legitimacy that are still widely shared by many of us but have been subject to skeptical pressures both outside and inside the academy in recent years. The course explores the principled basis of these ideas, how well they might (or might not) be defended against skeptical challenge, and how they might be applied in particular controversies about the rights of students, instructors, and researchers.
Last offered: Spring 2020
| Units: 3
PHIL 278M:
Introduction to Environmental Ethics (EARTHSYS 178M, ETHICSOC 178M, ETHICSOC 278M, PHIL 178M, POLISCI 134L)
How should human beings interact with the natural world? Do we have moral obligations toward non-human animals and other parts of nature? And what do we owe to other human beings, including future generations, with respect to the environment? In this course, we will tackle ethical questions that confront us in our dealings with the natural world, looking at subjects such as: animal rights; conservation; economic approaches to the environment; access to and control over natural resources; environmental justice and pollution; climate change; technology and the environment; and environmental activism. We will frame our inquiry with leading ethical theories and divide our approach to these topics by ecosystem, dedicating time to each unique environment and its specific nuances: aquatic, desert/tundra, forest/grassland, and the increasingly recognized environment of Space.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4-5
PHIL 279R:
Feminist Philosophy (FEMGEN 179R, PHIL 179R)
Feminism denotes both a political movement and a set of philosophical concerns. In this course we will focus on the latter to move to the former. The goal is to obtain a philosophical background that will allow us to analyze and understand the philosophical foundations of different political feminist movements. First, we will read about what is the relationship between biological sex and gender; what is the relationship between gender and other forms of identity, e.g., race, class, sexual orientation, etc.; what issues arise when we consider our standard conceptions of knowledge, scientific inquiry, and rationality from the standpoint of oppression as women (any other gender identity). In the second part of the course, we will read about what constitutes oppression, how does it arise, and why women became oppressed; how our ethical and political theories should change to reflect feminist concerns about the status of women in modern society not limiting the latter to only feminist concerns and movements in affluent countries. We will read about feminist movements in Latina America, indigenous feminist movements, and India.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 279W:
Du Bois and Democracy (CSRE 179W, ETHICSOC 179W, PHIL 179W)
In this course, we will work together to develop a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the political philosophy of W. E. B. Du Bois, giving special attention to the development of his democratic theory. We will do so by reading a number of key texts by Du Bois as well as contemporary scholarship from philosophy and cognate fields.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 4
PHIL 280:
Metaphysics (PHIL 180)
Intensive introduction to core topics in contemporary metaphysics. What is the fundamental structure of reality? Is it objective? What's the difference between concrete and abstract entities? How can there be truths about what is possible or necessary, if only the actual exists? What is it for an event to be determined by its causes? Is the world purely physical? Does science answer all of these questions? If not, is there some other way to answer them? Prerequisites: PHIL 80, PHIL 150, and one course in contemporary theoretical philosophy (PHIL 181 to PHIL 189).
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
PHIL 281:
Philosophy of Language (PHIL 181)
The study of conceptual questions about language as a focus of contemporary philosophy for its inherent interest and because philosophers see questions about language as behind perennial questions in other areas of philosophy including epistemology, philosophy of science, metaphysics, and ethics. Key concepts and debates about the notions of meaning, truth, reference, and language use, with relations to psycholinguistics and formal semantics. Readings from philosophers such as Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Grice, and Kripke. Prerequisites: 80 and background in logic.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
PHIL 281B:
Topics in Philosophy of Language (PHIL 181B)
This course builds on the material of 181/281, focusing on debates and developments in the pragmatics of conversation, the semantics/pragmatics distinction, the contextuality of meaning, the nature of truth and its connection to meaning, and the workings of particular linguistic constructions of special philosophical relevance. Students who have not taken 181/281 should seek the instructor's advice as to whether they have sufficient background.
Last offered: Spring 2020
| Units: 4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 281E:
External World Skepticism (PHIL 181E)
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 282A:
Naturalizing Representation (PHIL 182A)
Notions of meaning and representation are ubiquitous in how we conceive of our mental lives. Intentionality is one of the marks of the mental -- but it's not clear how these semantic notions can fit into our understanding of the natural world. nIn this class we'll discuss attempts to naturalize semantic notions, for example by appeal to informational or functional concepts. We'll read works by Dretske, Millikan, Skyrms, and others in evaluating this project.nPrerequisite: PHIL 80 or consent of instructor.
Last offered: Autumn 2018
| Units: 4
PHIL 282B:
Naturalizing Content (PHIL 182B)
Meaning is mysterious. Right now you are looking at funny marks on a screen. Somehow, these marks are conveying to you information about a class that will be offered at Stanford during the winter quarter 2020. But how is this happening? These marks surely have no natural connection to the future class. They aren't like the footprints of a tiger, for example. Additionally, thousands of times a day, you manage to gain information about all manner of subjects by hearing strange sounds that have no natural connection to the subject matter. The sounds aren't like the bark of a dog, for example. You also manage to think about things that aren't in front of you, as when you think of a Hippo wearing a fedora. Yet activity in your brain has no natural connection to Hippos in fedoras (we presume). This class will investigate how it is that sounds, marks, and mental states manage to have semantic content. In other words, we will discuss attempts to solve the mystery of meaning, in all of its forms.nThe class is open to all graduate students in philosophy. Undergraduates who have not taken Phil 80 and at least one upper level philosophy class must receive permission to enroll.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 4
PHIL 282D:
Ethical Anti-theory (PHIL 182D)
Ethicists often attempt to refine, systematize, and explain ordinary ethical convictions by getting them to follow from a small number of less familiar, more fundamental philosophical principles. Some ethicists challenge this theory-based conception of the subject, suggesting other pictures of the role philosophical reflection might play in our ethical lives. This course is an effort to understand and assess the work of four recent critics of large scale ethical theory: Iris Murdoch, Bernard Williams, Stuart Hampshire, and Philippa Foot.
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 282H:
Truth (PHIL 182H)
Philosophical debates about the place in human lives and the value to human beings of truth and its pursuit. The nature and significance of truth-involving virtues such as accuracy, sincerity, and candor. Prerequisite Phil 80 or permission of the instructor.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 4
PHIL 283:
Self-knowledge and Metacognition (PHIL 183)
The course will be divided into two parts. In the first, we will survey the dominant models of how we come to know our own mental states. Among the issues we will explore will be our ways of discovering and coming to terms with "implicit" attitudes (e.g. biases), and the role of expression (e.g. verbal expression) in coming to know such attitudes. In the second part of the course, we will investigate the broader set of capacities by which we monitor and regulate our own cognitive processes, while paying special attention to the role of feelings (e.g. of knowing, fluency, fit) in the exercise of these capacities.
Last offered: Spring 2019
| Units: 4
PHIL 284:
Epistemology (PHIL 184)
This is an advanced introduction to core topics in epistemology -- the philosophical study of knowledge. Questions covered will include: What is knowledge? Must all knowledge rest on secure foundations? What are the connections between knowledge and rationality? Can we answer skepticism and relativism? Should epistemology be primarily investigated from a naturalistic, normative, or social perspective? Prerequisite (for undergraduates): PHIL 80 and PHIL 150 or equivalent.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 284B:
Formal Epistemology (PHIL 184B)
Grads enroll in 284B. Prerequisite: PHIL 80.
Last offered: Spring 2021
| Units: 4
PHIL 286:
Philosophy of Mind (PHIL 186)
(Graduate students register for 286.) This is an advanced introduction to core topics in the philosophy of mind. Prerequisite: PHIL 80
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 287:
Philosophy of Action (PHIL 187)
This course will explore foundational issues about individual agency, explanation of action, reasons and causes, agency in the natural world, practical rationality, interpretation, teleological explanation, intention and intentional action, agency and time, intention and belief, knowledge of one's own actions, identification and hierarchy, and shared agency. Prerequisite: graduate student standing in philosophy or, for others, prior course work in philosophy that includes Philosophy 80.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
PHIL 288A:
Explanation (PHIL 188A)
We talk about explanations all the time whether in everyday conversations or in physics, chemistry, medicine, engineering, or economics. But what is an explanation? What is needed in order to have an explanation of something? Are there fundamentally different kinds of explanation? Are there distinctive forms of explanation in mathematics or metaphysics? Does all explanation have to do with causation? Do all explanations need to be backed by laws? Do explanatory relations determine the fundamental structure of reality? Instructor Permission Required. Prerequisites: PHIL 60, PHIL 80, PHIL 150, and one course in contemporary theoretical philosophy (PHIL 180 to PHIL 189); or equivalent courses.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
PHIL 293E:
Film & Philosophy CE (FRENCH 154E, ITALIAN 154E, PHIL 193E)
Issues of authenticity, morality, personal identity, and the value of truth explored through film; philosophical investigation of the filmic medium itself. Screenings to include Blade Runner (Scott), Do The Right Thing (Lee), The Seventh Seal (Bergman), Fight Club (Fincher), La Jetée (Marker), Memento (Nolan), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Kaufman). Taught in English. Satisfies the WAY CE.
Last offered: Winter 2019
| Units: 3
PHIL 297C:
Curricular Practical Training
Students engage in internship work and integrate that work into their academic program. Following internship work, students complete a research report outlining work activity. Meets the requirements for curricular practical training for students on F-1 visas. Student is responsible for arranging own internship/employment and faculty sponsorship. Register under faculty sponsor's section number. Course may be repeated for credit.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
4 times
(up to 1 units total)
PHIL 298:
Research Methods
Research Methods will introduce incoming students to Stanford¿s many libraries and library resources. Throughout the quarter, students will have regular research tasks on campus, structured with the aim of familiarizing students with our libraries, librarians and resource specialists. For first year Philosophy PhDs only, department permission required.
Last offered: Autumn 2022
| Units: 1
PHIL 300:
Proseminar
Topically focused seminar. Required of all first year Philosophy PhD students. This seminar is limited to first-year Ph.D. students in Philosophy. We will focus on some major work over roughly the past 60 years on inter-related issues about practical reason, responsibility, agency, and sociality.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
PHIL 301:
Dissertation Development Proseminar
A required seminar for third year philosophy PhD students designed to help them transition to writing a dissertation.
Terms: Aut, Win
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 8 units total)
PHIL 302P:
Plato's Laws X
Grad seminar. Close reading and analysis of Book 10 of Plato's Laws. In this book, Plato's political thought intersects with his philosophic theology (and therein also with his physics and metaphysics) as he considers the appropriate handling of god(s) by the polis and argues against atheism, deism, and conventional propitiatory theism. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhDs beyond the second year.
Last offered: Spring 2020
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 312:
Aristotle's Psychology
Graduate seminar. 2 unit option only for Phil PhDs beyond the second year.
Last offered: Autumn 2021
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 313T:
Aristotle's Moral Theory
The aim of this seminar is philosophical; we want to discuss the basis, the structure, the merits, and the defects of Aristotle's moral theory. But we intend to draw on all of the three major ethical treatises in the Aristotelian Corpus: the Nicomachean Ethics, Eudemian Ethics, and Magna Moralia. We will also discuss parts of the Protrepticus. Topics include: the composition of the good; the argument from the human function to the human good; virtues of character and intellect; voluntary action and responsibility; pleasure and the good: friendship and the good of others; the place of contemplation in the ultimate good. This course begins on January 28, and ends on March 13. 2 unit option available only to PhD students beyond the second year. Undergraduates wishing to take this course must have taken Philosophy 100 or a more advanced Philosophy course in ancient philosophy and have the permission of the instructors.
Last offered: Winter 2019
| Units: 2-3
PHIL 313W:
Goodness Ancient and Modern
In this course, we shall examine conceptions of goodness both ancient and modern. Things can be good or bad for people, for dogs, for trees, and so on. This is relational goodness. (Can things be good or bad for artifacts, e.g., books and paintings?) There can be good teachers and bad teachers, good poets and bad poets, good and bad oak trees and cats. This is attributive goodness. But is there also a kind of goodness that's a simple and intrinsic property of things? This would be absolute goodness. We shall read, among others, Plato, Aristotle, Kant, G.E. Moore, and Judith Jarvis Thomson. We shall examine questions including the following. What basic kinds of goodness are there (e.g. relational, attributive, absolute) and what are the relations among them? Is moral or ethical goodness a distinct kind of goodness? Are any kinds of goodness objective? Do non-moral or non-ethical goods benefit the unvirtuous as Plato denies and Aristotle (at least sometimes) accepts? Is Kant right that the only thing good without qualification is a good will? Graduate seminar. 2 unit option only for Phil PhDs beyond the second year.
Terms: Win
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 314:
Aristotle and Later Developments
Grad seminar. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 316P:
Aristotle's On the Motion of Animals
A seminar based around a close reading and analysis of Aristotle's De Motu Animalium. This short text, on how animals bring about action (motion), is something of a treasure-trove of various interesting details and complications concerning Aristotle's philosophy of action, psychology, physics, and metaphysics. It is also heterogenous or interdisciplinary in its discussions, which will lead us to consider questions of method in Aristotle. We additionally have the treat of seeing what we make of a brand new (summer 2020) major edition from the Symposium Aristotelicum series.The 2 unit option is only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year; all others take for 4 units.
Last offered: Spring 2021
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 317:
Topics in Plato and Aristotle
The idea that humans have a special function (ergon) plays an important role in Plato's ethics and a fundamental role in Aristotle's ethics. In this seminar, we'll examine the content and role of the idea of function in both philosophers. Readings will include parts of Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Eudemian Ethics, Magna Moralia, Nicomachean Ethics, and Protrepticus. May be repeated for credit. 2 unit option only open to Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Autumn 2022
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
4 times
(up to 16 units total)
PHIL 318:
Aquinas and Aristotle's Ethics
Graduate seminar. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhDs beyond the second year.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 319:
Aristotle on Substance
Aristotle's views about substance and the nature and possibility of metaphysics. Focus is on 'Categories' and 'Metaphysics' Book Zeta. The 2 unit option is only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 320:
Aristotle on the problems of metaphysics
The main text will be Metaphysics Beta. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Autumn 2017
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 322:
Hume
Hume's theoretical philosophy emphasizing skepticism and naturalism, the theory of ideas and belief, space and time, causation and necessity, induction and laws of nature, miracles, a priori reasoning, the external world, and the identity of the self. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the relevant PhD distribution requirements. Prerequisites: Undergraduates wishing to take this course must have previously taken History of Modern Philosophy or the equivalent, and may only enroll with permission from the instructor.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 325:
Kant's Third Critique
2 unit option only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 327:
Scientific Philosophy: From Kant to Kuhn and Beyond
Examines the development of scientific philosophy from Kant, through the Naturphilosophie of Schelling and Hegel, to the neo-Kantian scientific tradition initiated by Hermann von Helmholtz and the neo-Kantian history and philosophy of science of Ernst Cassirer and Thomas Kuhn. Proposes a post-Kuhnian approach to the history and philosophy of science in light of these developments. Prerequisite: Phil 225 (Kant's First Critique) or equivalent. 2 unit option is only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 331:
Happiness and Value in Ancient Greek Philosophy
Grad seminar. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Winter 2021
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 331M:
Methodology in Ancient Greek Philosophy
Grad seminar. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Terms: Aut, Spr
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 333:
Philosophy, Literature, and the Arts Core Seminar (DLCL 333, ENGLISH 333, MUSIC 332)
This course serves as the Core Seminar for the PhD Minor in Philosophy, Literature, and the Arts. It introduces students to a wide range of topics at the intersection of philosophy with literary and arts criticism. The seminar is intended for graduate students. It is suitable for theoretically ambitious students of literature and the arts, philosophers with interests in value theory, aesthetics, and topics in language and mind, and other students with strong interest in the psychological importance of engagement with the arts. In this year's installment, we will focus on issues about the nature of fiction, about the experience of appreciation and what it does for us, about the ethical consequences of imaginative fictions, and about different conceptions of the importance of the arts in life more broadly. May be repeated for credit.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
5 times
(up to 20 units total)
PHIL 335:
Topics in Contemporary Aesthetics
This grad seminar will discuss a variety of topics in contemporary research into philosophical aesthetics, including but not limited to: aesthetic value; aesthetic normativity; aesthetic permissions and obligations; aesthetic particularism; and the nature of art. Assignments include an oral presentation and an original research paper (15-20 pages). Students who are not currently graduate students in philosophy may enroll only with instructor permission.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| Repeatable
4 times
(up to 16 units total)
PHIL 337:
Plato and Aristotle on the Human Function and the Human Good
Graduate seminar. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhDs beyond their second year.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 338R:
Ancient Greek Rationality, Public and Private (CLASSICS 395, POLISCI 238R, POLISCI 438R)
In this seminar, we'll consider ancient Greek views about and theories of practical rationality and compare and contrast them with some modern theories, especially theories of instrumental rationality. We'll consider both philosophic authors, especially Plato and Aristotle, but also Aeschylus, Herodotus, Solon, and Thucydides.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 3-5
PHIL 341:
Learning and Teaching in the Humanities: Pedagogy and Professional Development for Graduate Students (CTL 341)
This course introduces graduate students to research-based strategies for effective course design and instruction in the humanities. Topics include course design, creation of reading and writing assignments, rubrics for equitable assessment, discussion facilitation, and building inclusive courses in which all students can see themselves reflected in humanistic study. Class sessions will be highly interactive and provide students with opportunities to develop course materials and practice micro-teaching. The course is a pilot, designed to serve as an anchor course towards a graduate teaching certificate and promote professional development for humanities graduate students at Stanford. Students must have completed at least one quarter as a Teaching Assistant for a humanities course to be eligible to join the course. Those more advanced in their teaching careers and ready to start designing humanities courses of their own will benefit the most.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 3
PHIL 342B:
Normativity in Ancient Philosophy
This seminar will examine the notion of normativity in Plato and Aristotle. Advanced grad seminar. Open to Philosophy PhD students only.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 1
PHIL 347:
Aristotle's Logic (CLASSICS 197)
In this seminar we read through Aristotle's Prior Analytics, paying close attention to the relation between Aristotle's logic to Greek mathematics, and to its place within Aristotle's overall philosophy. Knowledge of Greek is not required. Open to advanced undergraduate students.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 3-5
PHIL 348:
Evolution of Signalling
Explores evolutionary (and learning) dynamics applied to nsimple models of signaling, emergence of information and inference. Classroom presentations and term papers.nText: Skyrms - SIGNALS: EVOLUTION,LEARNING and INFORMATIONnand selected articles.
Last offered: Spring 2019
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 350:
What makes a good explanation? Psychological and philosophical perspectives (PSYCH 293)
Explanation is a topic of longstanding interest in philosophy and psychology, and has recently attracted renewed attention due to novel challenges in interpreting and interacting with relatively opaque AI systems. In this graduate seminar, we will study the science and engineering of explanations, combining perspectives from philosophy, psychology, AI, and the legal sciences. We will ask questions like: When do we ask for explanations? What makes a good explanation? How can we build machines that can understand and explain? This interdisciplinary seminar is co-taught by Thomas Icard (Philosophy) and Tobias Gerstenberg (Psychology). We will meet twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:30am-11:50am) to discuss research articles from a range of disciplines. Students are expected to write responses based on their readings, lead the discussion on one of the papers, and actively participate in the discussion otherwise. As a final project, students will outline a novel study on explanation that makes an empirical, modeling, or theoretical contribution. Participation is restricted to a maximum of 12 graduate students (by application). The course website, with information about application, can be found here: phil350.stanford.edu
Last offered: Autumn 2020
| Units: 4
PHIL 351D:
Measurement Theory
What does it mean to assign numbers to beliefs (as Bayesian probability theorists do), desires (as economists and philosophers who discuss utilities do), or perceptions (as researchers in psychometrics often do)? What is the relationship between the numbers and the underlying reality they purport to measure? Measurement theory helps answer these questions using representation theorems, which link structural features of numerical scales (such as probabilities, utilities, or degrees of loudness) to structural features of relations (such as comparative belief, preference, or judgments that one sound is louder than another).nThis course will introduce students to measurement theory, and its applications in psychophysics and decision theory. n2 unit option only for Philosophy PhD students who are past their second year.nPrerequisites: Undergraduates wishing to take this course must have previously taken PHIL150, and may only enroll with permission from the instructor.
Last offered: Winter 2018
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 352:
Advanced Set Theory
The statement that the cardinality of the real numbers is the next infinite cardinality after the cardinality of the natural numbers, namely Cantor's Continuum Hypothesis (CH), was at the top of David Hilbert's 1900 list of the most significant open problems in mathematics. The work of Kurt Gödel (1940) and Paul Cohen (1963) demonstrate that CH is neither provable nor refutable from the standard axioms of set theory (ZFC). This independence result has significant implications in mathematics, logic, and philosophy. Following a nutshell overview of background material in logic and set theory (including Gödel's Completeness and Incompleteness Theorems, Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms, Axiom of Choice, ordinal and cardinal number systems), this course explores independence results in set theory in general, as well as some of the key methods for proving them. Topics include Gödel's model L for ZF with CH, and Cohen's method of forcing for a model of ZF with the negation of CH. Time permitting, additional topics may include independence results associated with large cardinal axioms, existence of measurable sets, and axioms of determinacy. 2 unit option is only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 353:
Seminar on Philosophy of Logic and Mathematics (Conventionalism)
This class will be a discussion of inferentialism and conventionalism in logic and mathematics. To structure discussion, we'll work through the manuscript of Shadows of Syntax, my forthcoming book on these topics, in addition to classic readings from Carnap, Quine, and other luminaries."
Last offered: Autumn 2018
| Units: 4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 357:
Research Seminar on Logic and Cognition
How might cognitive modeling and logical theory be of mutual benefit? What kinds of interesting logical questions arise from the study of cognition? And what kinds of tools from logic and theory of computation might be useful in modeling cognitive phenomena? Through student presentations of current research (original or from the contemporary literature) we will explore these questions. Precise topics will depend largely on student interest, but may include models of: causal reasoning, quantification, probabilistic computation and computable probability theory, erotetic theory of reasoning, moral cognition, and other topics at this intersection. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Autumn 2017
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 359:
Logic Spring Seminar
Topics in current research in logic, with an emphasis on information, computation, agency, and cognition. Guest presentations by Stanford faculty and advanced students, and colleagues from elsewhere. Course requirement: active participation plus paper.nPrerequisite: serious background in logic (at least 151 level). This course is repeatable.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
5 times
(up to 20 units total)
PHIL 360:
Grad Seminar: Explanatory Models in Neuroscience
Pre-reqs TBD. Repeatable for credit. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 361:
Philosophy of Social Science: Social Scientific Methodology
The philosophy of social science is both descriptive and prescriptive. It describes the philosophical assumptions that form the basis of social inquiry and its practices, and it criticizes them to secure their ability to explain and/or predict social phenomena. This seminar will focus, primarily, on social scientific methodology. The main goal of the seminar is to clarify our answers to the question: should social scientific methodology be different from the methodology employed in the ¿hard¿ sciences? To answer this question, first, we will focus on economic methodology. We will assess topics such as: the epistemic virtues of economic models, whether macroeconomic models need microfoundations, ceteris paribus clauses, randomized control trials, etc. For the second part of the seminar, we will focus on the epistemic value of ethnographic research methods in Anthropology, which is fundamentally different from any method used in the natural (hard) sciences. Although the use of ethnographies has become more popular in the last decades, philosophers of science have failed to focus on their epistemic import. Because of this, we will ponder on questions such as: what type of knowledge is produced by ethnographies? Is this knowledge scientific enough? If not, what is lacking? If yes, should ethnographies be used in other scientific domains?
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 4
PHIL 362:
The Aim and Structure of Cosmological Theory
Graduate Seminar. This course, based around a book manuscript with Chris Smeenk, will survey a range of philosophical issues connected to the four main pillars of the "Standard Model" of cosmology. The thread running through the term will be the following questions: How do background views about what science is, or should be, influence cosmologists' choices about what theoretical projects to pursue most vigorously, especially under conditions of limited empirical testing? And do we have reason to think that those background philosophical commitments are useful epistemic guides?
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 363A:
Seminar in History and Philosophy of Science: Democratic Science - of the Climate, Races, H2O
Is the Earth's climate real? Does it exist beyond experimental data, computer simulation, and scientists' writings? This seminar considers philosophical, historical, and anthropological perspectives on the reality of scientific entities. It asks how these metaphysical questions are connected to our democratic societies and our position as scholars. We will ask whether Homo sapiens is sub-divided into races and ethnicities in the manner of a census form. And how genetics should interact with our social understanding of human diversity. Further, can the answers to these questions stand alone as isolated academic questions, or must they be tied together with our political philosophy and social norms? If democratic pluralism leads to metaphysical pluralism, what becomes of long-discarded scientific entities, such as phlogiston? Some argue that pluralism upsets our most basic scientific facts, like: water is H2O. nnThis graduate seminar examines these scientific entities - the climate, races, phlogiston - from perspectives in Philosophy, Anthropology, and History of Science. The course topics illustrate recent trends toward metaphysics in the humanistic study of science. Students will develop their ability to compare positions and arguments between disciplines. Class time will emphasize inter-disciplinary discussion. The major writing assignment is an essay with multiple drafts. This is designed to prepare students for writing and revising dissertation chapters and peer-reviewed articles. Activities may include a film screening and visit to a scientific laboratory. Students from all programs are welcome. (Advanced undergraduates by permission.)
Last offered: Autumn 2017
| Units: 4
PHIL 364M:
Mathematics in Practice
What does "good" mathematics look like? Certainly, it should be correct, but mathematicians are often far more demanding. For example, they want their work to be deep, explanatory, fitting or even beautiful. This simple observation from mathematical practice raises philosophical questions: What do these terms mean? Why is work that exhibits these properties valuable? Are there design principles we can follow to help ensure our mathematics has these qualities? Throughout this course we will explore these questions by seeing what mathematicians and philosophers have had to say and by examining both modern and historical case studies.
Last offered: Spring 2018
| Units: 4
PHIL 365:
Seminar in Philosophy of Physics
2 unit option for PhD students only.
Terms: Win
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 366:
Levels of Analysis in Cognitive Science (PSYCH 296)
Graduate seminar. A perennial theme in cognitive science is the idea that the mind/brain can be studied at different levels of abstraction, leading to influential frameworks positing levels of analysis and of explanation. The aim of this seminar is to revisit this theme in light of new methods and tools, both theoretical and empirical. Topics will include formal and philosophical theories of (causal) abstraction, discussion of techniques for analyzing (deep) neural networks, and related ideas involving approximation, abstraction, emergence, criticality, and other themes. Note: Enrollment is limited and by application only. Please send an email to the instructors with a few words about your research areas and your interest in the seminar themes.
Last offered: Autumn 2021
| Units: 4
PHIL 367:
Naturalism, Physicalism, and Materialism
Both within academic philosophy, but also in the broader culture, philosophy is often criticized as being a pointless enterprise given the successes of modern science. Some philosophers respond, explicitly or implicitly, to such criticisms by arguing that philosophy can be, or at least their philosophical methodology and theories are, closely allied to the scientific method or to scientific results. They often call themselves naturalists, physicalists, or materialists. Their opponents argue, for at least some domains, that attempts to do philosophy in this vein fail. Such opponents are sometimes labelled non-naturalists. We will attempt to make sense of the various methodological and substantive issues supposedly at stake in these debates and consider the arguments for and against various competing approaches to these matters. This a graduate seminar open only to Philosophy PhD students. The 2 unit option is only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year. Maybe repeated for credit.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 368:
Philosophy of Biology: Learning and Evolution
Graduate seminar. 2 unit option for Philosophy PhDs beyond the second year only.
Last offered: Autumn 2019
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 368A:
Explanation in Neuroscience
2 unit option for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year. May be repeated for credit.
Last offered: Autumn 2021
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 369E:
Philosophy of Evolutionary Theory
Graduate seminar. Fitness, natural selection, and common ancestry are well-known and central topics in Darwin's theory of evolution and in the twentieth- and twenty-first-century theories that grew out of it, but many other important topics are addressed in evolutionary biology that raise interesting philosophical questions. In this seminar, we will also discuss altruism, intragenomic conflict, drift, the randomness of mutation, gradualism, taxonomy, race, phylogenetic inference, and optimality models. These biological topics will be brought into contact with numerous philosophical ideas - operationalism, reductionism, conventionalism, null hypotheses and default reasoning, instrumentalism versus realism, likelihoods versus probabilities, model selection, essentialism, falsifiability, parsimony, the principle of the common cause, comparisons of causal power, indeterminism, sensitivity to initial conditions, and the knowability of the past. The seminar will be built around my recently completed book, The Philosophy of Evolutionary Theory, which Cambridge University Press will publish in March 2024, along with other readings. The 2 unit option is only allowed for Philosophy PhD students who are beyond the second year.
Terms: Win
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 370:
Grad seminar: Contemporary Political Theory (POLISCI 431)
Graduate seminar.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 4
PHIL 370W:
Consequentialism
Grad seminar. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhDs beyond the second year.
Last offered: Spring 2021
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 371D:
Inequality: Economic and Philosophical Perspectives (ETHICSOC 371R, POLISCI 431L)
The nature of and problem of inequality is central to both economics and philosophy. Economists study the causes of inequality, design tools to measure it and track it over time, and examine its consequences. Philosophers are centrally concerned with the justification of inequality and the reasons why various types of inequality are or are not objectionable.nIn this class we bring both of these approaches together. Our class explores the different meanings of and measurements for understanding inequality, our best understandings of how much inequality there is, its causes, its consequences, and whether we ought to reduce it, and if so, how. nThis is an interdisciplinary graduate seminar. We propose some familiarity with basic ideas in economics and basic ideas in contemporary political philosophy; we will explain and learn about more complex ideas as we proceed. The class will be capped at 20 students.
Last offered: Spring 2020
| Units: 5
PHIL 371E:
New Themes in Democratic Theory
After a tradition of skepticism about democracy, and then a period mostly in the 20th century of virtually unquestioned approval of it, normative democratic theory recently is showing (collectively) more ambivalence. After an introduction to the period in which ¿deliberative democracy¿ was the most influential paradigm, we will look closely at developments beginning with the ¿epistemic¿ variant of that approach (Estlund, Landemore), an ensuing reaction on epistemic grounds against democracy (Brennan, Mulligan), and then two new approaches that are influential: the case for (and against) choosing ¿representatives¿ by lottery rather than voting (Guerrero, Saunders), and the idea that the model for democratic equality is nothing like majoritarianism or agents who act on behalf of constituents but the idea of a social and institutional world in which no class or category of citizens is generally above the others, increasingly called ¿relational equality¿ (Pettit, Anderson, Scheffler, Kolodny).
Last offered: Autumn 2019
| Units: 4
PHIL 371M:
Smith and Marx Seminar (POLISCI 331M)
Adam Smith and Karl Marx share a broad view of the role of markets in society. Rather than view markets narrowly as simply mechanisms for efficient distribution, both saw a role for markets in shaping culture, politics and political conflict, and society - and vice versa. However, Marx and Smith differ in their overall assessment of the value of the market as an institution for promoting liberty and equality. Indeed, their perspectives, while overlapping in some respects, are distinctive in ways that resonate with debates in contemporary philosophy and political economy over the characteristics of a just society, sources of development (political and economic), and theories of change. This course explores Smith's and Marx's views of markets, property, liberty and equality, in the context of major societal transformations that took place in the nineteenth century, such as the Industrial Revolution, the emergence of modern democracy, Dickensian England, the role of institutions, and the rise of monopoly power.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
PHIL 371W:
Representation: Race, Law, and Politics (CSRE 371)
Graduate seminar. In this course, we will work together to develop a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the concept(s) of political representation. We will do so by examining a number of historical and contemporary theories of political representation developed within philosophy and cognate fields. 2 unit option only for Phil PhDs beyond the second year.
Last offered: Winter 2021
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 372M:
Mini Course: Solidarity
Mini course runs from May 9th to June 3rd. In this course we will consider the hypothesis that solidarity is the most fundamental source of moral and political authority. Solidarity is a property of collaborations involving mutual concern and recognition. We will study four topics, corresponding to the four weeks of the course. First, contemporary views on solidarity, including work by Tommie Shelby, Mike Zhao, Avery Kolers, and Sally Scholz. Second, we will explore some continuities with work in collective action and group responsibility, in particular from Stephanie Collins and Garrett Cullity. Third, we will consider some continuities and contrasts with work on relational equality and economic democracy. Here we will likely read Samuel Scheffler, Elizabeth Anderson, and Carole Pateman. We may also enter into the debate between Axel Honneth and Nancy Fraser on recognition and distribution. Finally, we will consider some implications for the ethics of institutional design, engaging with some joint work of mine developing a new workforce model for pharmaceutical care in Scotland and some related work on 'industrial epistemology'.
Last offered: Spring 2022
| Units: 1
PHIL 373:
Graduate Seminar
Grad seminar on ethical topic. May be repeated for credit. 2 unit option for PhD students beyond the second year only.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 373M:
Ethical Foundations of Socialism
A number of important issues in the ethical foundations of socialism have been overlooked by mainstream ethical theory. This is doubly regrettable, since both socialist theory and mainstream ethical theory might be improved by their integration. In this seminar, we will attempt to pair works in contemporary ethical theory with works in post-Marxian theory in an attempt to make some substantive progress. Possible topics include: alienation, reification, and objectification for consequentialists, feminists, and market ethicists; social ontology and the values of community and solidarity; ideology and the individuation of options and reasons; exclusionary reasons, the right/wrong reasons distinction, 'role ethics,' and actions in market contexts; exchange, reciprocity, and the obligations of friendship. May be repeated for credit. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhD students who are beyond the second year.
Last offered: Autumn 2018
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 374F:
Science, Religion, and Democracy (ETHICSOC 374R, RELIGST 374F)
How should conflicts between citizens with science-based and religion-based beliefs be handled in modern liberal democracies? Are religion-based beliefs as suitable for discussion within the public sphere as science-based beliefs? Are there still important conflicts between science and religion, e.g., Darwinian evolution versus creationism or intelligent design? How have philosophy and recent theology been engaged with such conflicts and how should they be engaged now? What are the political ramifications? This is a graduate-level seminar; undergraduates must obtain permission of the instructors.
Last offered: Spring 2018
| Units: 3-5
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 375G:
Seminar on Emotion (PSYCH 160, PSYCH 260)
This undergraduate and graduate seminar will examine ancient Greek philosophical and contemporary psychological literatures relevant to emotion. Questions to be investigated include: What is the nature of emotions? What is the appropriate place in our lives for emotions? How should we manage our emotions? Do the emotions threaten the integrity of the agent? Meetings will be discussion oriented. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Last offered: Winter 2019
| Units: 3
| Repeatable
for credit
(up to 99 units total)
PHIL 375J:
Jurisprudence
This course examines the diverse ways in which the philosophy of law bears on the practice of law. Our subject is thus a set of philosophical concepts, particularly legal positivism and natural law, but the approach is not purely conceptual. Rather, we will examine both the philosophical concepts in the abstract and how those philosophical concepts are reflected or actualized in the craft of legal argumentation, in the intellectual history of law, and in contemporary questions of politics and government. Above all, we will ask which conception of law best contributes to legal justice. The course consists in three units. Unit I is about theories of the nature of law, focusing on legal positivism and natural law. Unit II is about theories of particular departments of law, focusing on tort law and criminal law. Unit III takes a philosophical perspective on being a lawyer, focusing on questions of what principles define lawyers' role in society and what ideals give the life of a lawyer meaning. Grading is based on class participation, two in-class moot court presentations, and, based on individual student preference, either a final exam (a one-day take-home essay with a word limit) or a final research paper. Cross-listed with the Law School (LAW 5806).
Last offered: Spring 2018
| Units: 3
PHIL 375K:
Criminal Procedure: Theoretical Foundations
This course examines the theoretical foundations of criminal procedure- political, historical, and, above all, philosophical. What are the ideas at work in the American system of criminal procedure? How, historically, did the system develop, and why does it presently function as it does? Is the system broken and, if so, what principles should orient us in fixing it? This theoretical inquiry has a practical point. Procedure plays a major role in the present crisis of American criminal justice. By examining criminal procedure's theoretical foundations, this course aims to develop competing "big picture," synthetic perspectives on the criminal justice crisis as a whole. Thus, for students interested in criminal justice reform, this course will equip you to take a philosophically richer view of the underlying policy issues. For students thinking about a career in criminal law, this course will equip you to engage in large-scale thinking about how criminal procedure should change, rather than just working within the doctrinal and institutional structures that exist at present. For students interested in legal academia, this course will develop your ability to read sophisticated theoretical material, to write in the same vein, and to relate theoretical ideas to policy prescriptions. Elements used in grading: Class participation and, based on individual student preference, either a final reflection paper (2 units) or a final research paper with instructor permission. Students electing the final research paper option can take the course for either 2 or 3 units, depending on paper length. Cross-listed with the Law School (LAW 2019).
Last offered: Spring 2018
| Units: 2-3
PHIL 375V:
Graduate Seminar: Voting
Graduate Seminar. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 376A:
Shared Agency and Organized Institutions
Our human lives involve remarkable forms of practical organization: diachronic organization of individual intentional activity; small-scale social organization of shared intentional action; and the organization of complex, organized institutions. A philosophically illuminating theory of human action should help us understand these multiple forms of human practical organization and their inter-relations. This graduate seminar primarily focuses on the role of shared intention and shared agency in organized institutions. The main focus will be a book manuscript on which I am working: Shared and Institutional Agency: Toward a Planning Theory of Human Practical Organization. In this book I seek to extend the foundational role of our capacity for planning agency first to shared agency and then thereby to human organized institutions. To do this I draw on the idea from H.L.A. Hart that our organized institutions are rule-governed, and that to understand this we need a theory of social rules. We will work through this manuscript, together with a wide range of related work by others, including work by H.L.A. Hart, Margaret Gilbert, Scott Shapiro, Philip Pettit, John Searle, Geoffrey Brennan, Cristina Bicchieri, Donald Davidson, and Harry Frankfurt.nnEnrollment limited to graduate students in Philosophy, others by permission of instructor. 2 unit option available only to Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Autumn 2020
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 376B:
Institutions and Practical Reason
We live our lives in a thicket of institutions: small-scale, such as friendships and marriages, large-scale, such as massive economic and political systems, and everything in between. These institutions yield standards by which individual conduct in pertinent contexts can be assessed; these standards can themselves be ethically evaluated. Individuals must organize their commitments to these standards and evaluations in some kind of ethically responsible way. These issues have been discussed on rather different terms in normative ethics, political theory, normative theory, action theory, and social metaphysics. Our goal will be to bring these different literatures to bear on a general inquiry into the ethics of institutional participation. Topics may include: recent work on reasoning; rule worship; exclusionary and silencing reasons; the putative distinctness of political normativity; incentives and the 'ethos of justice'; the ethics of exchange; social structures and practices; and institutionalised relational values. nnLimited to graduate students in Philosophy and to others by permission of the instructor. 2 unit option available only to PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 377A:
Planning, Time, and Rationality
Intentions seem subject to basic rationality norms, including norms of consistency, means-end coherence, and (perhaps) stability over time. Such norms seem central to the planning agency in which intentions are normally embedded. But what is the nature and status of such norms? Why are they if indeed they are norms of rationality? What is the big deal about such consistency, coherence, stability? Is appeal to such norms an unjustified myth? What is the relation between such norms and theoretical norms of consistency, coherence, and (perhaps) stability of belief? Are there defensible norms not only of rationality at a time but also of rationality over time? What is the relation between such norms and agency? What is the relation between such norms and self-governance at a time/self-governance over time? Readings from Bratman, Broome, Brunero, Ferrero, Gold, Holton, Kolodny, Korsgaard, Millgram, Nefsky, Paul, Raffman, Raz, Tenenbaum, Setiya, Velleman, Wallace. Repeatable for credit. Prerequisite: graduate standing in Philosophy or permission of instructor. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year; all others must enroll for 4 units.
Last offered: Spring 2018
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
4 times
(up to 16 units total)
PHIL 377B:
Normativity, Rationality, and Reasoning
This 4-week mini course in February 2020 will explore the nature and interconnections of normativity, rationality and reasoning. It particularly concentrates on practical rationality and practical reasoning. Broome's book "Rationality Through Reasoning" will be a guide to the course. First meeting is February 10, last meeting is March 2.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 1-2
PHIL 377W:
Values and Consequences
Previous coursework in philosophy is required. 2 unit option is only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year. A survey of classic and contemporary readings on Value Theory and on Consequentialism.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 378B:
Unequal Relationships (ETHICSOC 378B, POLISCI 338B)
Over the past three decades, a relational egalitarian conception of equality has emerged in political philosophy. Proponents of the view argue that the point of equality is to establish communities whose members are able to stand and relate as equals. This entails building societies free from a variety of modes of relating that are thought to be detrimental to our status as moral equals. The list of those inegalitarian relationships is long: oppression, domination, exploitation, marginalization, objectification, demonization, infantilization, stigmatization, etc. The graduate seminar will introduce students to the rich literature on equality in contemporary political philosophy, with a special focus on identifying and scrutinizing unequal relationships. Each week will be centered on a specific unequal relationship, trying to understand how it operates, what social function it serves, and what makes it specifically harmful or wrongful to groups and individuals. Advanced undergraduate students will be considered and should email the PI to communicate their interest. 2 unit option only for Phil PhDs beyond the second year.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 379:
Graduate Seminar in Metaethics
This is a graduate research seminar in metaethics. We will be investigating current issues in the metaethical literature. PHIL 273B, the graduate introduction to metaethics, (or an equivalent) is a required pre-requisite. The course can be retaken for credit.
Last offered: Winter 2019
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
for credit
PHIL 379W:
Du Bois and Democracy
In this course, we will work together to develop a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the political philosophy of W. E. B. Du Bois, giving special attention to the development of his democratic theory. We will also touch on other themes that run through Du Bois's work, including but not limited to the concept of race, white supremacy, representation, voting, women, abolitionism, and revolution. We will do so by reading a number of key texts by Du Bois as well as contemporary scholarship from philosophy and cognate fields. This is a graduate seminar open only to graduate students and those who have been granted special permission to enroll by the instructor. 2 unit option is only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 381:
PhD Seminar: Topics in the Philosophy of Language
This class is open to all philosophy graduate students, and to other students only with instructor permission. The 2 unit option is only allowed for Philosophy PhD students who are beyond the second year.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
4 times
(up to 16 units total)
PHIL 382A:
Practical knowledge
When you do something intentionally, you have a special kind of knowledge of what you are doing. Anscombe called this practical knowledge. She argued that it is non-observational and non-inferential, and that it plays a role in making your action intentional at all. Was Anscombe right? What kind of knowledge do you have of your action when you are acting intentionally? We will consider various interpretations of Anscombe's view on practical knowledge, and various competitors. This class is open to all philosophy graduate students, and to other students only with instructor permission. The 2 unit option is only allowed for Philosophy PhD students who are beyond the second year.
Last offered: Winter 2021
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 382P:
Grad seminar: Inference
What do you do when you reason with beliefs or suppositions? What sort of mental event or process constitutes an inference? How can that event or process make it the case that one belief is held on the basis of another? How does it ground any form of epistemic responsibility for that basing relationship? We will consider various recent answers to these questions, including those given by Boghossian, Broome, Frege, Harman, Neta, Pavese, Siegel, Stroud, and Wedgwood. This is a graduate seminar primarily for graduate students in philosophy. All others need permission to enroll. The 2 unit option is only allowed for Philosophy PhD students who are beyond the second year.
Last offered: Winter 2022
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 383:
Advanced Topics in Epistemology
May be repeated for credit. 2 unit option is only for Phil PhD students beyond the second year.
Terms: Win
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 384J:
Topics in Epistemology: Logical Probability and Inductive Logic
This class is open to graduate students in philosophy, all others need explicit permission. 2 unit option is for 3rd year Philosophy PhDs only.
Last offered: Autumn 2022
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 384P:
Mental Action and Its Pathologies
In this graduate seminar, we will examine the nature of mental action. What is mental action? What kinds of mental actions can we perform intentionally? Is there such a thing as paralysis of mental action? Are delusions of thought insertion pathologies of mental action? nnThis is a seminar mainly for graduate students in philosophy, but readings will include many sources from the cognitive sciences. Students taking the course for credit will be required to do a presentation and write a research paper. 2 unit option only for Philosophy PhDs beyond the second year.
Last offered: Spring 2020
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 384W:
The Liar Paradox
This is a graduate seminar on the liar and related paradoxes. We will go over recent approaches, starting with Kripke's 1975 approach. Work on the liar by Field, McGee, Priest, and others will be discussed. We will cover both technical and philosophical issues related to the liar. This class is open to graduate students in philosophy, all others need explicit permission. 2 unit option is for 3rd year Philosophy PhDs only.
Last offered: Spring 2020
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 385B:
Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology: Situations and Attitudes
2 unit option for PhD students only. May be repeated for credit.
Last offered: Winter 2020
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
for credit
PHIL 385D:
Advanced Topics in Philosophy of Language
Course may be repeat for credit. 2 unit option for PhD students only.
Last offered: Spring 2021
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
for credit
PHIL 385M:
Metaphysics and Semantics
2 unit option only for Phil PhDs beyond the second year.
Last offered: Spring 2019
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 385N:
Transfeminism (FEMGEN 385N)
This graduate seminar explores the metaphysics, ethics, and epistemology of transness, using sources from the 1970s to the present, primarily focused on the US, the UK, and Canada. Among the questions we'll investigate are: How can we theorize about gender in a way that acknowledges the breadth and diversity of embodied human experience? How should we understand trans femininity, trans masculinity, and genderqueerness? What is the relationship between a person's internal sense of their own gender, and the gendered expectations of the broader society where they live? 2 unit option only for Phil PhDs beyond the second year.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 2-4
PHIL 386:
Philosophy of Mind Seminar
This is a graduate seminar in philosophy of mind. 2 unit option for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year only. May be repeated for credit.
Last offered: Winter 2023
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 387:
Topics in Philosophy of Action. Time, Sociality, Institutions: The Core Capacity Conjecture
This year's topic is Time, Sociality, Institutions: The Core Capacity Conjecture. Our human agency involves multiple forms of mind-shaped practical organization. We act over time. We act together. We act within a social world shaped by social rules/social norms. We act within organized, rule-guided institutions with roles and offices. These multiple forms of mind-shaped practical organization should be a main target of philosophical theorizing about human agency. One conjecture is that our capacity for planning agency underlies our capacities for these inter-related forms of practical organization. This seminar will explore these themes.Enrollment is limited to graduate students in Philosophy and others by permission of instructor. 2-unit option is only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
9 times
PHIL 388:
Topics in Normativity: Foundations of Epistemic Normativity
Topics in Normativity. Foundations of epistemic normativity. May be repeated for credit. 2 unit option is only for Philosophy PhD students beyond the second year.
Last offered: Autumn 2022
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
for credit
PHIL 391:
Seminar on Logic & Formal Philosophy (CS 353)
Contemporary work. May be repeated a total of three times for credit.
Terms: Aut, Win
| Units: 2-4
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 12 units total)
PHIL 400:
How to be a Phil Pro: Professionalization in Academic Philosophy
For Philosophy PhDs. This course prepares graduate students in philosophy for various aspects of professional academic life. Topics covered include: publication strategies; how to engage in conferences; networking; pedagogy; and mental health.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum
| Units: 1-15
| Repeatable
for credit
Instructors: ;
Anderson, R. (PI);
Bidadanure, J. (PI);
Bobonich, C. (PI);
Bratman, M. (PI);
Briggs, R. (PI);
Cao, R. (PI);
Code, A. (PI);
Crimmins, M. (PI);
De Pierris, G. (PI);
Etchemendy, J. (PI);
Follesdal, D. (PI);
Friedman, M. (PI);
Hills, D. (PI);
Hussain, N. (PI);
Icard, T. (PI);
Jackson, G. (PI);
Lawlor, K. (PI);
Longino, H. (PI);
Peacocke, A. (PI);
Perry, J. (PI);
Ryckman, T. (PI);
Salkin, W. (PI);
Satz, D. (PI);
Skyrms, B. (PI);
Warren, J. (PI);
Wasow, T. (PI);
Wenar, L. (PI);
Wood, A. (PI);
Wood, R. (PI);
van Benthem, J. (PI)
PHIL 500:
Advanced Dissertation Seminar
Presentation of dissertation work in progress by seminar participants. May be repeated for credit.
Last offered: Spring 2023
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
for credit
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum
| Units: 0
| Repeatable
for credit
Instructors: ;
Anderson, R. (PI);
Bobonich, C. (PI);
Bratman, M. (PI);
Briggs, R. (PI);
Cao, R. (PI);
Code, A. (PI);
Crimmins, M. (PI);
De Pierris, G. (PI);
Etchemendy, J. (PI);
Friedman, M. (PI);
Hills, D. (PI);
Hussain, N. (PI);
Icard, T. (PI);
Lawlor, K. (PI);
Longino, H. (PI);
Peacocke, A. (PI);
Perry, J. (PI);
Reich, R. (PI);
Ryckman, T. (PI);
Salkin, W. (PI);
Satz, D. (PI);
Skyrms, B. (PI);
Warren, J. (PI);
Wasow, T. (PI);
Wenar, L. (PI);
Wood, A. (PI);
Wood, R. (PI);
van Benthem, J. (PI)
PHIL 802:
TGR Dissertation
(Staff)
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum
| Units: 0
| Repeatable
for credit
Instructors: ;
Anderson, R. (PI);
Bobonich, C. (PI);
Bratman, M. (PI);
Briggs, R. (PI);
Cao, R. (PI);
Code, A. (PI);
Crimmins, M. (PI);
Dannenberg, J. (PI);
De Pierris, G. (PI);
Etchemendy, J. (PI);
Follesdal, D. (PI);
Friedman, M. (PI);
Hills, D. (PI);
Hussain, N. (PI);
Icard, T. (PI);
Lawlor, K. (PI);
Longino, H. (PI);
Peacocke, A. (PI);
Perry, J. (PI);
Ryckman, T. (PI);
Salkin, W. (PI);
Satz, D. (PI);
Skyrms, B. (PI);
Warren, J. (PI);
Wasow, T. (PI);
Wenar, L. (PI);
Wood, A. (PI);
Wood, R. (PI);
van Benthem, J. (PI)
