printer friendly pagePHIL 90B: The Ethics of War
Issues both in contemporary just war theory and political philosophy. Relevant questions include: Can conscription ever be justified? If not, is there anything wrong with targeting poor people as part of efforts to recruit a 'volunteer' military? If, during war itself, combatants act in ways prohibited by the moral requirements governing war's conduct, then does it make any moral difference whether they were acting as ordered? And how do we identify these moral requirements in the first place? For example, what distinguishes a legitimate target from an illegitimate one? What determines whether military action is disproportionate? What, if anything, is morally distinctive about terrorism? Explores the complexities behind these questions and others, with a view to evaluating the potential answers to them.
Last offered: Winter 2011
PHIL 90C: Predicting the Future: Puzzles of Induction
Can we know that the future is likely to resemble the past? Do we have reason to believe that the Sun is even remotely likely to rise again tomorrow? Are we rationally justified in accepting the confident predictions of science and commonsense, based on well-observed regularities? Consider several paradoxes of induction (that is, extrapolation from observed to unobserved), including those raised by Hume, Hempel, and Goodman, the Doomsday and Sleeping Beauty paradoxes, as well as some attempts to solve or cope with them.
Last offered: Spring 2011
PHIL 90D: What do Philosophers do?
PHIL 90E: Ethics in Real Life: How Philosophy Can Make Us Better People (ETHICSOC 203R)
Socrates thought that philosophy was supposed to be practical, but most of the philosophy we do today is anything but. This course will convince you that philosophy actually is useful outside of the classroom--and can have a real impact on your everyday decisions and how to live your life. We'll grapple with tough practical questions such as: 'Is it selfish if I choose to have biological children instead of adopting kids who need homes?' 'Am I behaving badly if I don't wear a helmet when I ride my bike?' 'Should I major in a subject that will help me make a lot of money so I can then donate most of it to overseas aid instead of choosing a major that will make me happy?' Throughout the course, we will discuss philosophical questions about blame, impartiality, the force of different 'shoulds,' and whether there are such things as universal moral rules that apply to everyone.
Last offered: Winter 2014
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
PHIL 90G: Native American Philosophy
Examine traditional philosophical questions like "How do we know?" "What exists?" "What is a person?" and "What is the good life?" from the perspectives of classical and contemporary Native American thinkers. We will look at Native American beliefs about respect for persons and places; reactions to colonial doctrines of conversion, treaties, and removal; and the importance of the themes of circularity and performance in classical and contemporary Native philosophical thought.nnAlso of importance will be to contrast some Native American approaches to philosophical questions against Western attempts to answer these same questions. How are the approaches the same? How are they different? What assumptions about the natures of reality or humanity account for the similarities or differences?
Last offered: Spring 2012
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.
Last offered: Spring 2014
PHIL 90K: REALISM
The purpose of this course is to explore questions concerning Scientific and Mathematical Realism. We ask, do entities to which scientific theories refer REALLY exist? For instance, do electrons or genes exist? How about mathematical entities? Do numbers or vectors exist? And if so, do they exist independent of our minds?
Last offered: Winter 2016
PHIL 90L: Probability and the Law
What does it mean to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt? Can we interpret legal standards of proof probabilistically? What is the role of probability and statistics in the courtroom? How are quantitative methods changing legal proceedings? Courtroom movies, criminal and civil cases, and academic scholarship will help us address these and related questions. No statistical or legal background is expected.
Last offered: Winter 2014
PHIL 90N: The Nature of Morality
We make moral claims. We say things like "Kicking dogs for fun is wrong." But what is the function of such claims? To describe the world? To prescribe ways of acting? To express our feelings? Moreover, can such claims ever be true? If they cannot, would this be a problem? If they can, what makes them true? God's will? Evolution? Human conventions? Rationality? What, in the end, is the nature of this practice that we all engage in and that we call morality? We will explore some of the most influential answers to these questions. The course should serve as a good introduction to contemporary metaethics (with a slight focus on expressivist theories).
Last offered: Autumn 2015
PHIL 90P: Is logic a source of metaphysical knowledge?
The most characteristic feature of analytic metaphysics is the prominent role that it assigns to logic, and analytic philosophy owes its existence to the revolutionary logical developments that occurred in the late 19th century. But what, exactly, is the relationship between logic and metaphysics? How did developments in the study of inference bring about radical changes in philosophers¿ approach and answers to questions about the nature of existence? Can one infer metaphysical truths directly from truths of logic, or does logic merely provide philosophers with a helpful tool for analyzing metaphysical issues? This course will begin with a brief study of Kant¿s conception of the relationship between logic and metaphysics, and then explore this relationship in the work of early analytic philosophers, particularly Gottlob Frege. In the final two weeks of the course, we will read several contemporary metaphysical papers on a subject selected by the students. Our discussion of those papers will focus on the role that logic plays and how that role may have changed since the early analytic period.
Last offered: Spring 2016
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