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1 - 10 of 52 results for: PHIL ; Currently searching spring courses. You can expand your search to include all quarters

PHIL 2: Introduction to Moral Philosophy (ETHICSOC 20)

In this course we will examine the main theories in the Western tradition that purport to explain what sorts of behavior are right and wrong, and why, as well as certain kinds of skepticism about morality. We will consider, among other things, whether or not there are moral truths, and if so whether those truths are absolute or relative, objective or subjective, and where such truths come from -- be it divine commands, our own agency, the need to live in society with others, simple brute facts, etc.
Terms: Aut, Spr | Units: 5 | UG Reqs: WAY-ER, GER:EC-EthicReas, GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II

PHIL 11N: Skepticism

Preference to freshmen. The universe is exceedingly complex and learning about it requires great cleverness and effort. Through reasoning, we humans can arrive at impressive and deep knowledge of our universe. But reason can also lead us into paradox and skeptical puzzles. We will look at a variety of skeptical arguments - Cartesian, Humean, Pyrrhonian, among others - and consider what sorts of challenges they raise for our use of reasoning to learn about our world.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
Instructors: Lawlor, K. (PI)

PHIL 14N: Why Games Matter: The Philosophy of Play

Preference to frosh. Are games genuinely valuable uses of our limited time on this mortal coil? Are they, as Bernard Suits suggests, the only intrinsically valuable pursuit? Or are they merely ways to temporarily escape a harsher reality? Are they training exercises for success in real life? And if they don't matter, why are we so drawn to them? According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15-24-year-olds spend an average of 90 mins/day playing video games. That's a lot of time! We want to give this important class of human activities the philosophical attention it deserves. We'll examine some central questions in the philosophy of games such as: Why play games? What even is a game? Is there anything that all games have in common? Wittgenstein famously claimed that this is a question with no good answer - we'll see if we can do better! In addition, we'll look at some broader philosophical issues that can be illuminated by thinking about games. These include: What makes something valuable? What are the origins of communication? How do our ethical frameworks translate to virtual worlds?
Terms: Spr | Units: 3

PHIL 15N: Thinking About Death

Do dead people exist? If not, what do we refer to and think about when talking and thinking "about them?" Am I going to die? Am I just my body, or could I somehow survive its destruction, perhaps as a soul or an uploaded computational system? That I have not always been alive does not trouble me like the fact that I will die; is that rational of me? Is mortality a drawback to a life, a positive thing, or what? Is suicide ever a reasonable choice? Can death be bad for the dead person, given that they no longer exist, and are not here to suffer? Do the wishes that dead people had when they were alive matter? Should the expectation of death structure how I live? We will discuss these questions, and in the process participants will be introduced to central issues in metaphysics, the philosophy of mind, and ethics. Preference to Freshmen.
Terms: Aut, Spr | Units: 3
Instructors: Crimmins, M. (PI)

PHIL 24K: GRAD TUTORIAL: Principle of Sufficient Reason

Tutorial taught by grad student. Limited to 10 students. The Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) stands as one of the controversial yet intriguing metaphysical principles in the history of philosophy, asserting that everything must have a reason, ground, cause, or explanation.Throughout this course, we will delve into the various versions of PSR, spanning from pre-modern philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle to modern philosophers like Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Du Châtelet, Kant, and Jacobi. We'll explore how they received their predecessors' views on PSR and linked the principle to important philosophical notions such as truth, substance, God, and reason. Towards the end of the class, we will also discuss the contemporary reception of the principle. Readings will primarily be drawn from primary texts, supplemented occasionally by secondary literature.
Terms: Spr | Units: 2
Instructors: Kang, S. (PI)

PHIL 24Y: Grad Tutorial: Philosophical Skepticism 

Tutorial taught by grad student. Limited to 10 students. Is knowing anything with unqualified certainty possible? This question, in the right mood, is a potentially disturbing one. In this course we will explore why through a close study of some main modern forms of philosophical skepticism. Authors we read may include Hume, Nietzsche, G.E. Moore, Wittgenstein, J.L. Austin, Rogers Albritton, and Barry Stroud, among others.
Terms: Spr | Units: 2
Instructors: Al-Amin, Y. (PI)

PHIL 49: Survey of Formal Methods

Survey of important formal methods used in philosophy. The course covers the basics of propositional and elementary predicate logic, probability and decision theory, game theory, and statistics, highlighting philosophical issues and applications. Specific topics include the languages of propositional and predicate logic and their interpretations, rationality arguments for the probability axioms, Nash equilibrium and dominance reasoning, and the meaning of statistical significance tests. Assessment is through a combination of problems designed to solidify competence with the mathematical tools and short-answer questions designed to test conceptual understanding.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4 | UG Reqs: WAY-FR, GER:DB-Math
Instructors: Bassett, R. (PI)

PHIL 72: Contemporary Moral Problems (ETHICSOC 185M, POLISCI 134P)

In this course, we will discuss the body as a site of moral and political conflict. Here are a few of the questions we¿ll explore: Despite campaigns to encourage kidney donation, we still don¿t have enough kidneys for everybody on the transplant waiting list. Given this shortage, should a person be allowed to sell one of her kidneys? Should a prisoner be allowed to trade one in exchange for a reduced sentence? While many people are comfortable with the idea of altruistic surrogacy, commercial surrogacy is far more controversial. Should a woman be allowed to sell her services as a surrogate? Is there a morally significant difference between gestational surrogacy and genetic surrogacy? What is disability? To what extent is it medical matter, and to what extent is it a matter of oppression or social exclusion? What can we do, morally speaking, for the sake of preventing suicide? When (if ever) are coercive interventions like involuntary commitment and forced drugging morally appropriate? more »
In this course, we will discuss the body as a site of moral and political conflict. Here are a few of the questions we¿ll explore: Despite campaigns to encourage kidney donation, we still don¿t have enough kidneys for everybody on the transplant waiting list. Given this shortage, should a person be allowed to sell one of her kidneys? Should a prisoner be allowed to trade one in exchange for a reduced sentence? While many people are comfortable with the idea of altruistic surrogacy, commercial surrogacy is far more controversial. Should a woman be allowed to sell her services as a surrogate? Is there a morally significant difference between gestational surrogacy and genetic surrogacy? What is disability? To what extent is it medical matter, and to what extent is it a matter of oppression or social exclusion? What can we do, morally speaking, for the sake of preventing suicide? When (if ever) are coercive interventions like involuntary commitment and forced drugging morally appropriate? What (if anything) do we owe to non-human animals? What (if anything) do we owe to human fetuses and embryos? What kinds of entities are entitled to moral consideration and why? Some people say that a woman should be allowed to make reproductive decisions on whatever grounds she chooses, including prenatal testing for conditions like Down syndrome; others condemn selective abortion as an unacceptable form of eugenics. What genetic information (if any) should be allowed to influence choices about whether to terminate a pregnancy? When the Supreme Court decided that abortion was a constitutional right in Roe v. Wade, on what legal reasoning did they base their decision? When they overturned Roe in the recent Dobbs v. Jackson, what legal reasoning did they use then? How might the Dobbs decision affect other (current) legal rights?
Terms: Spr | Units: 4-5 | UG Reqs: GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER
Instructors: Mapps, M. (PI)

PHIL 80: Mind, Matter, and Meaning

Intensive study of central topics in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language and mind in preparation for advanced courses in philosophy. Emphasis on development of analytical writing skills. This iteration of Philosophy 80 will focus on three important philosophical issues: personal identity; the metaphysics of mind; and the nature of belief and related attitudes. Readings will be drawn both from philosophy and from cognitive science more broadly. Prerequisite: at least one other philosophy course, not including SYMSYS 1 / PHIL 99.
Terms: Aut, Spr | Units: 5 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II

PHIL 81: Philosophy and Literature (CLASSICS 42, COMPLIT 181, ENGLISH 81, FRENCH 181, GERMAN 181, ILAC 181, ITALIAN 181, SLAVIC 181)

Can novels make us better people? Can movies challenge our assumptions? Can poems help us become who we are? We'll think about these and other questions with the help of writers like Toni Morrison, Marcel Proust, Jordan Peele, Charlie Kaufman, Rachel Cusk, William Shakespeare, and Samuel Beckett, plus thinkers like Nehamas, Nietzsche, Nussbaum, Plato, and Sartre. We'll also ask whether a disenchanted world can be re-enchanted; when, if ever, the truth stops being the most important thing; why we sometimes choose to read sad stories; whether we ever love someone for who they are; who could possibly want to live their same life over and over again; what it takes to make ourselves fully moral; whether it's ever good to be conflicted; how we can pull ourselves together; and how we can take ourselves apart. (This is the required gateway course for the Philosophy and Literature major tracks. Majors should register in their home department.)
Terms: Spr | Units: 3-5 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
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