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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. Prerequisite Phil 80 or consent of the instructor.

Terms: Spr | Units: 4 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II

Instructors: Hills, D. (PI)

PHIL 184V: The Epistemology of Disagreement

What should you do when you learn that equally informed and equally competent reasoners disagree with you? Should you give up your beliefs, or should you stick to your views? In this course, we'll look at the recent debate in epistemology about disagreement. We will investigate the effects of disagreement on the justification of our beliefs, and explore the implications for the justification of our religious, moral, and philosophical views.

Terms: Spr | Units: 4

Instructors: van Wietmarschen, H. (PI)

PHIL 184C: Epistemology of Testimony (PHIL 284C)

Many of our beliefs come from others, and not from direct experience. Is testimony a source of fundamental reasons¿reasons that do not have to be supported or validated by other sources like perception or inference? What sort of responsibility does one have to one¿s hearers, when one gives testimony?

| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum

PHIL 184F: Feminist Theories of Knowledge (FEMST 166, PHIL 284F)

Feminist critique of traditional approaches in epistemology and alternative feminist approaches to such topics as reason and rationality, objectivity, experience, truth, the knowing subject, knowledge and values, knowledge and power.

| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-Gender

PHIL 184P: Probability and Epistemology

Confirmation theory and various ways of trying to understand the concept of evidence. Discuss a series of issues in epistemology including probabilism (the view that you should assign degrees of belief to various propositions), conditionalization, confirmational holism, reliabilism and justification, and disagreement.