21 - 30 of 317 results for: PHIL

Tutorial taught by grad student. Enrollment limited to 10. Being punished is good for you, and not being punished is bad for you. The Ancient Greek Philosopher Plato held these two claims through his entire philosophical career. Our task in this course is to explore the value of punishment through Plato's work. We'll be doing both history and philosophy. The historical question is why Plato believed such a thing and how we can motivate his view most plausibly. But the philosophical question is whether that view should persuade us and whether it has any advantages over contemporary justifications of punishment. Perhaps one might think that detentions benefit unruly students. But if you were to litter, do we think imposing a fine would make you better off? If you committed a more serious crime, how could incarcerating you help? And finally, if you were to commit a crime that merited the death penalty, how could we ever explain that it was for your benefit? But if punishments never benefit the offender, how much does the offender matter when we set up our systems of punishment and justice? We'll tackle all these questions through philosophy, politics and history and take Plato's highly counter-intuitive view as our starting point.

Do we have free will? Are we morally responsible for our conduct? In this course we will explore debates from roughly the past 50 years between philosophers who defend the common sense view that we do have free will and are sometimes morally responsible for our conduct and philosophers who argue that we do not have free will or are not morally responsible for our behavior. In turn, we will explore practical applications of these debates, such as reasons to change (or not) our social practices and ways of relating to one another, such as the kinds of angry blame that are commonplace in ordinary relationships, and the role of incarceration and punishment in our legal system.

Tutorial taught by grad student. Enrollment limited to 10. In this course, we will read the first volume of Marx's Capital, a cornerstone in Marx's critique of political economy and the central theoretical text in his oeuvre. Together, we will analyze Capital as a work of sociological, economic, and political theory, and consider debates concerning its interpretation and contemporary relevance. The course will be taught seminar-style, with brief presentations by the instructor followed by group discussion. The course assumes no particular background in the course topics or methodologies?all are welcome to join.

How do we know what others think, feel, or experience? And what does it even mean to "understand" another mind? This course explores the philosophical problem of other minds through a uniquely interdisciplinary lens, bringing together classic arguments, contemporary cognitive science, phenomenology of embodiment, and current debates in artificial intelligence. We will examine how we attribute mental states to others, how empathy and perception shape social understanding, how habits and biases influence interpretation, and whether advanced AI systems genuinely "understand" or merely simulate understanding. Along the way, students will learn to analyze arguments, connect philosophical texts with empirical research, and reflect critically on the nature of consciousness, agency, and interpersonal understanding

This course presents how the "seven sages," Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, and the ancient Skeptics believed we should make decisions and then evaluates those theories with an eye towards present day needs and uses for a decision theory. We will consider how ancient Greek philosophers formulated answers to questions like: What is the role of knowledge in decision making? How do urgent circumstances change how we make decisions? How should we factor in experts and mentors into our decision making? What is the relationship between morality and rationality? How much do we need to know about ourselves to make good decisions? No philosophical experience is presupposed.

What does it mean to think, to understand, or to act intelligently? Can a machine ever be said to know or to choose? This course introduces students to the central philosophical, ethical, and legal questions raised by artificial intelligence (AI). Part I traces the conceptual foundations of AI through debates about the nature of mind, computation, learning, consciousness, and agency. We will examine classical arguments - from Turing's imitation game to Searle's Chinese Room - as well as recent developments in cognitive science and machine learning that challenge traditional views of intelligence. Part II turns to the social and normative dimensions of AI: how algorithms shape fairness and accountability, how data and creative work should be governed, and what limits (technical, moral, and existential) define a humane future with intelligent machines. This course combines philosophical analysis with practical engagement. Students will participate in simulations, debates, and policy labs designed to connect abstract reasoning with contemporary problems in AI design and governance. All are welcome; no prerequisites required.

What's the difference between sex and gender? What's does it mean to be a man or woman, cis or trans, straight or gay?and everything in between and outside of the box? How are gender and sexuality related to race, class, ability, and other identities? What is the patriarchy and does it really benefit all men? What does it mean to be oppressed??And how can we change the world to be more gender just? In our class, we will draw on feminist theory to critically investigate these questions and discuss their relevance to our own lives. Together, we will work to build a collaborative learning environment where we can collectively reflect on how our personal experiences are illuminated by feminism. To do so, we will engage each other both intellectually and personally, going beyond the lecture based model of education to center our shared exploration of the course topics. Main ideas will include intersectionality, performativity, deconstruction, structural analysis, theories of injustice, social knowledge, and care ethics. Primary thinkers will include Simone de Beauvoir, Angels Davis, Judith Butler, Catherine MacKinnon, Audre Lorde, Donna Haraway, Robin Kimmerer, and Michel Foucault.

Deep disagreement pervades our democracy, from arguments over issues ranging from foreign policy, free speech, and reparations to college admissions policy and the professionalization of college athletics. Loud voices drown out discussion. Open-mindedness, humility, and critical thinking seem in short supply among politicians, citizens, and other residents alike. Yet constructive disagreement is an essential feature of a democratic society. This class explores and models respectful, civil disagreement. Each week features scholars who disagree - sometimes quite strongly - about major policy issues. Students will have the opportunity to probe those disagreements, understand why they persist, and improve their own understanding of the facts and values that underlie them. The course may be taken for one or two units. The basic, one-unit class is open to all Stanford students, with other members of the Stanford community welcome to audit individual classes. The requirements are to do readings in advance of each class, attend, and listen attentively and critically. Because the topics are different, students who took the course in 2023-24 may enroll this year as well. A limited number of undergraduates may take a second unit of credit. Students enrolled in the two unit course will participate in weekly small group discussion seminars about the topics discussed by guest presenters in the course that week. The discussion seminars will be led by peer facilitators, with the goals of developing critical thinking skills and discourse skills, such as active listening and curiosity. The peer facilitators are undergraduate students who have completed training in dialogue facilitation. Each discussion seminar will have a maximum of 10 students. If interest in discussion seminars exceeds the number offered, students will be chosen by lottery.

This class introduces students to political philosophy through the problems of justice, equality, and freedom. We will focus on contemporary political thought, engaging with debates about each of these concepts and identifying connections between them. What is justice? What is the relationship between ideal conditions of justice and current social conditions? What forms of injustice should the state try to remedy? What is the point of equality? How should we assess equality? Is there an obligation to mitigate 'natural' inequalities? How much personal freedom should be allowed in society? When is state authority legitimate? Do we have an obligation always to obey the law? Throughout the course we will evaluate answers to these questions, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different arguments and theoretical frameworks.