printer friendly pagePHIL 176: Political Philosophy: The Social Contract Tradition (PHIL 276)
(Graduate students register for 276.) Why and under what conditions do human beings need political institutions? What makes them legitimate or illegitimate? What is the nature, source, and extent of the obligation to obey the legitimate ones, and how should people alter or overthrow the others? Study of the answers given to such questions by major political theorists of the early modern period: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Kant.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, GER:DB-Hum, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Hills, D. (PI)
PHIL 176A: Classical Seminar: Origins of Political Thought (CLASSHIS 133, CLASSHIS 333, PHIL 276A, POLISCI 330A)
Political philosophy in classical antiquity, focusing on canonical works of Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero. Historical background. Topics include: political obligation, citizenship, and leadership; origins and development of democracy; and law, civic strife, and constitutional change.
Last offered: Winter 2013
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
PHIL 180: Metaphysics (PHIL 280)
The course will be devoted to an exploration of the mereological structure of material objects, and the related notions of 'part', 'whole' and 'constitution'. For instance, an ordinary physical object is susceptible to an analysis in terms of material parts and a structure such that the material constitute that object in virtue of having a certain structure. Among other things, we will consider questions of identity, both at a time and through time, of material objects from this perspective. We will consider both the antecedents for this kind of analysis in Plato and Aristotle and contemporary developments in the mereological analysis of objects. Prerequisite: Philosophy 80 (or consent of instructor).
Last offered: Winter 2013
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 181B: Philosophy of Language: Contemporary Debates (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.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Crimmins, M. (PI)
PHIL 182: Truth (PHIL 282)
Focus on the nature of truth; specifically, ongoing debates between so-called correspondence theorists and deflationists. The former generally think truth amounts to some kind of structural isomorphism between the world and our representations of it (like the relationship between a subway map and the subway route itself). Deflationists think the nature of truth is exhausted by something as trifling as the equivalence between affirming something and affirming that it's true: e.g., it's true that Modest Mouse is God's gift to indie rock if and only if Modest Mouse IS God's gift to indie rock. Related issues include the possibility of truth-value "gaps" (claims that are neither true nor false), degrees of truth, relativism and realism about arbitrary subject matters, the semantic paradoxes (like the Liar), the role of truth in the theory of meaning, and the value of true belief. Most readings were written after 1980. Previous courses in philosophy of language and/or metaphysics very strongly encouraged.
Phil 80 a must.
Last offered: Autumn 2012
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
PHIL 184: Theory of Knowledge (PHIL 284)
What is knowledge? How are beliefs justified? Contemporary theories evaluated against central problems: the regress argument, Gettier problem, and skeptical paradox.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 185: Memory
Structure, content, functional role, and epistemic authority of human memories. Sources include philosophical and psychological literature from different schools and historical periods.
Last offered: Autumn 2010
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 186: Philosophy of Mind (PHIL 286)
(Graduate students register for 286.) Debates concerning the nature of mental states, their relation to physical states of the human body, how they acquire their content, how people come to know about them in themselves and others, and the roles they play in the explanation of human conduct.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, GER:DB-Hum
Instructors:
Ettel, J. (PI)
;
Taylor, K. (PI)
PHIL 193C: Film & Philosophy (COMPLIT 154A, FRENCH 154, ITALIAN 154, PHIL 293C)
Issues of freedom, morality, faith, knowledge, personal identity, and the value of truth explored through film; philosophical investigation of the filmic medium itself. Screenings to include Twelve Monkeys (Gilliam), Ordet (Dreyer), The Dark Knight (Nolan), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Allen), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Kaufman). Taught in English.
Last offered: Spring 2013
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
PHIL 194E: Beauty and Other Forms of Value
The nature and importance of beauty and of our capacity to discern it and respond to it, as discussed by philosophers and artists from various traditions and historical periods. Attempts to think out the relations between beauty and ethical values (such as goodness) on the one hand and cognitive values (such as truth) on the other. Fulfills capstone seminar requirement for the Philosophy and Literature tracks.
Last offered: Winter 2011
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
Filter Results: