151 - 160 of 317 results for: PHIL

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.

Capstone seminar for the major. We are born into, and live in a world that includes other minds, minds both similar to our own (a best friend), and minds completely unlike our own (an octopus). We seem to enjoy intersubjectivity, empathy, and certainty in Others. We experience this in the form of a cultural world. There are traces of human consciousness everywhere we go, like in our basic linguistic practices and cooperative interactions, in our tools, in our aesthetic experience. We gain a world through Others - initially from those closest to us, who raise us, and then in our most personal spheres life. We participate in communal traditions, holidays and rites of passage. But we also experience Others in a more direct way. When we have a conversation with a sibling, or see a stranger on the street, we experience them as having a mind - a nest of thoughts, feelings, emotions. Even if we are not sure exactly what they are experiencing, we are assured that they are experiencing something. And yet, in philosophy, the classic problem of other minds won't go away. 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 others. 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 these criteria cannot be met, and thus not applied, to others. In this seminar, 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, including (possibly) writings by Descartes, Locke, Reid, Husserl, Stein, Scheler, Sartre, Fanon, Levinas, Austin, Ayer, Wittgenstein, Kripke, Cavell, Nagel, Godfrey-Smith, Avramides, Gallgher and Zahavi.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Honors Tutorial, Senior Year.

May be repeated for credit.