printer friendly pagePHIL 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..
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
Instructors:
De Pierris, G. (PI)
PHIL 23R: What's in an essay?
This course is about two questions:The first question: what is an essay? In other words, what is it that we mean when we talk about an essay instead of a précis, a paper, a report, a chronicle, a scientific paper, an opinion piece, fiction or simply other kinds of academic writing. Call this first question, the demarcation question about the essay. Essays are particularly hard to pin down, to demarcate its boundaries is almost impossible. The essay represents a distinct challenge for both theory and criticism. Unlike other literary and academic genres, at least since their modern inception in Montaigne¿s hands, essays challenge notions and assumptions that in other genres are transparent or can be more easily set aside. n The second question is: what does essaying "the embarking upon the kind of things essayists claim to be doing" have to do with the cultivation of one's self, the examination of one's actions and deeds in ordinary contexts and the project of shaping it in self-reflective ways. Call this second question, the Socratic aspiration of the essay. To answer this question, we won¿t start from any pre-establish theory or framework, but rather work our way out directly from the readings of a sample of essays drawn from various sources. nBy the end of the course, the student will be in a better position to confront questions such as: why are the humanities part and parcel of our educational efforts, more generally, and how could they become part of my education, more particularly? What are the difficulties and advantages, the very point of, writing one's opinions in an attempt to address others? How is self-understanding connected to philosophical endeavors? What role, if any, could finding one's voice have for the purposes of reflective and critical thinking about one's self in relation to others?
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2
Instructors:
Jimenez, P. (PI)
PHIL 50: Introductory Logic
Propositional and predicate logic; emphasis is on translating English sentences into logical symbols and constructing derivations of valid arguments.
Terms: Aut, Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Math, WAY-FR
Instructors:
Di Bello, M. (PI)
;
Duarte, S. (PI)
;
Di Bello, M. (TA)
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Instructors:
Di Bello, M. (PI)
;
Duarte, S. (PI)
;
Di Bello, M. (TA)
;
Lee, P. (TA)
;
Mao, B. (TA)
;
Simon, A. (TA)
PHIL 72: Contemporary Moral Problems (ETHICSOC 185M, POLISCI 134P)
As individuals and as members of societies, we make choices that can be assessed from the moral point of view. What choices should we make, and how should we make them? Topics will include: Is it ok to buy iThings when others lack basic nutrition? Does a preference for the taste of meat justify killing and eating animals? Under what circumstances, if any, is abortion morally permissible? Should employers and schools be allowed to favor minority candidates? Is a ban on trans fat morally impermissible paternalism? Readings for these and other topics will be drawn from contemporary philosophers such as Frances Kamm, Jeff McMahan, Robert Nozick, Debra Satz, Tommie Shelby, Peter Singer, and Judith Jarvis Thomson.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Olson, K. (PI)
PHIL 73: Collective Action: Ethics and Policy (ETHICSOC 180M, PUBLPOL 304A)
Individually rational actions can give rise to results that are collectively irrational. For example, the collective result of our consumption decisions is to warm the planet, destroy the world's fisheries, and increase reliance on factory farming; at the same time, the decisions of a single individual seem to have no tangible effect on such things. In light of this, what (if anything) are you as an individual required to do in these and other collective action situations, especially when others are not doing their part to prevent things from getting out of control? For example, are you required to reduce your carbon footprint and avoid products that are produced in ethically objectionable ways? Do you have a duty to vote? Is free-riding always ethically objectionable? Can you be required to 'cooperate' in a situation where you know that most others will 'defect'? Finally, from a real-world policy perspective, how can we bring about the best solutions to these and other collective action problems? Is the best policy response always a straightforward function of the variable features of each case? Interdisciplinary readings from authors in philosophy, politics, economics, and law such as Elinor Ostrom, Peter Singer, and Cass Sunstein. No background will be assumed and no mathematical work will be required. The course will include a module led by an award-winning designer in which students will design table top games that can be used to teach the dynamics of collective action to high school students.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Budolfson, M. (PI)
PHIL 76: Introduction to Global Justice (ETHICSOC 136R, INTNLREL 136R, POLISCI 136R, POLISCI 336)
Recent work in political theory on global justice. Topics include global poverty, human rights, fair trade, immigration, climate change. Do developed countries have a duty to aid developing countries? Do rich countries have the right to close their borders to economic immigrants? When is humanitarian intervention justified? Readings include Charles Beitz, Thomas Pogge, John Rawls.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER, GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-EthicReas
Instructors:
Levitov, A. (PI)
;
Smith, P. (PI)
PHIL 80: Mind, Matter, and Meaning
Central topics in philosophy emphasizing development of analytical writing skills. Are human beings free? How do human minds and bodies interact? Prerequisite: introductory philosophy course.
Terms: Aut, Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Crimmins, M. (PI)
;
Lawlor, K. (PI)
;
Asarnow, S. (TA)
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Instructors:
Crimmins, M. (PI)
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Lawlor, K. (PI)
;
Asarnow, S. (TA)
;
King, D. (TA)
;
Lee, P. (TA)
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Shanbhag, P. (TA)
;
Williams, J. (TA)
;
Yang, K. (TA)
PHIL 90J: Is it Always Good to "Be Yourself?" - Issues at the Intersection of Ethics and Moral Psychology
It may seem obvious that it is always good to 'be yourself,' to be who you 'really' are, or to do what you 'really' want to do - but is it? Some philosophers believe that we are our 'true,' or 'real,' selves when we act on our values, or what we care most about. But if that is true, then is it still good to be yourself when what you value and care most about involves a commitment to acts of terrorism, torturing others, or a life of pain and boredom? We will look at contemporary philosophical attempts to make sense of the idea of 'being yourself,' and potential reasons in favor of its supposed value. Authors include Bratman, Frankfurt, Korsgaard, Millgram and Williams.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
Instructors:
Beals, W. (PI)
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: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 102M: Fichte (PHIL 202M)
This three-day intensive mini-course will introduce the moral and political thought of Johann Gottlieb Fichte, the founder of the German idealist movement. The topics to be discussed are: Fichte's theory of subjectivity and transcendental idealism; Fichte's defense of radical freedom of the will; Fichte's transcendental deduction of other selves; the relation of right between rational beings and the foundations of political philosophy; Fichte's deduction of the moral law from the absolute freedom of the rational being; the application of the moral law through conscience. No previous acquaintance with Fichte's philosophy will be presupposed.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1-2
Instructors:
Wood, A. (PI)
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