printer friendly pagePHIL 1: Introduction to Philosophy
Is there one truth or many? Does science tell us everything there is to know? Can our minds be purely physical? Do we have free will? Is faith rational? Should we always be rational? What is the meaning of life? Are there moral truths? What are truth, reality, rationality, and knowledge? How can such questions be answered? Intensive introduction to theories and techniques in philosophy from various contemporary traditions. Students must enroll in lecture AND and one of the discussion sections listed.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, GER:DB-Hum
Instructors:
Hussain, N. (PI)
;
Lee, R. (PI)
;
Parmer, W. (PI)
;
Paterson, G. (PI)
;
Weigand, S. (PI)
PHIL 8N: Free Will and Responsibility
In what sense are we, or might we be free agents? Is our freedom compatible with our being fully a part of the same natural, causal order that includes other physical and biological systems? What assumptions about freedom do we make when we hold people accountable morally and/or legally? When we hold people accountable, and so responsible, can we also see them as part of the natural, causal order? Or is there a deep incompatibility between these two ways of understanding ourselves? What assumptions about our freedom do we make when we deliberate about what to do? Are these assumptions in conflict with seeing ourselves as part of the natural, causal order?nWe will explore these and related questions primarily by way of careful study of recent and contemporary philosophical research on these matters.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Bratman, M. (PI)
PHIL 23Z: Tutorial: Motivation, Obligation, and the Self
This tutorial will explore the relationship between one's desires, one's reasons for action, and one's self. Readings to include selections from Bernard Williams, Harry Frankfurt, Christine Korsgaard, and Julia Markovits.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 2
PHIL 71Q: Emerging Issues in Neuroethics
What is the mind? Today, most philosophers and neuroscientists believe it is, in one way or another, just the brain. Brain research is progressing at a staggering pace. Neuroimaging technology seems to be closing in on `thought identification¿, i.e. determining an individual¿s thought content merely by scanning the brain. Do we have a right to keep our thoughts private or is it permissible to use imaging technologies, perhaps in judicial settings, to identify someone¿s thoughts? What happens to our concepts of moral responsibility when a brain scan reveals abnormalities in the brain? Do these findings have bearing on our understanding of free will? Commonplace drugs can prevent the forming of memories of painful events. Should we take these drugs to shield ourselves from traumatic memories or is it good for us to remember unpleasant events in order to learn and grow from them? Neurotechnology and pharmacology that enhances cognition is advancing rapidly. Is manipulating our brains into smarter, more efficient ones ethical? These are some of the questions we will consider in this course on the ethics of neuroscience that will allow you to critically assess complicated, cutting edge issues.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER
Instructors:
Kreitmair, K. (PI)
PHIL 73: The Ethics and Politics of Collective Action (ETHICSOC 180M, POLISCI 131A, PUBLPOL 304A)
Collective action problems arise when actions that are individually rational give rise to results that are collectively irrational. Scholars have used such a framework to shed light on various political phenomena such as revolutions, civil disobedience, voting, climate change, and the funding of social services. We examine their findings and probe the theoretical foundations of their approach. What does this way of thinking about politics bring into focus, and what does it leave out? What role do institutions play in resolving collective action problems? And what if the required institutions are absent? Can we, as individuals, be required to cooperate even if we expect that others may not play their part? Readings drawn from philosophy, political science, economics, and sociology.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3-4
| UG Reqs: GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Zacka, B. (PI)
PHIL 76: Introduction to Global Justice (ETHICSOC 136R, INTNLREL 136R, POLISCI 136R, POLISCI 336)
This course provides an overview of core ethical problems in international politics, with special emphasis on the question of what demands justice imposes on institutions and agents acting in a global context. The course is divided into three sections. The first investigates the content of global justice, and comprises of readings from contemporary political theorists and philosophers who write within the liberal contractualist, utilitarian, cosmopolitan, and nationalist traditions. The second part of the course looks at the obligations which global justice generates in relation to five issues of international concern ¿ global poverty, climate change, immigration, warfare, and well-being of women. The final section of the course asks whether a democratic international order is necessary for global justice to be realized.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER, GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-EthicReas
Instructors:
Datta, P. (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. Prerequisite: one prior course in Philosophy or permission of instructor.
Terms: Aut, Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Darmalingum, M. (PI)
;
Donaldson, T. (PI)
;
Hussain, N. (PI)
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Instructors:
Darmalingum, M. (PI)
;
Donaldson, T. (PI)
;
Hussain, N. (PI)
;
Kim, H. (PI)
;
Kim, R. (PI)
;
Lee, T. (PI)
;
Parmer, W. (PI)
;
Paterson, G. (PI)
;
Simon, A. (PI)
;
Turman, J. (PI)
;
Darmalingum, M. (TA)
;
Kim, H. (TA)
;
Kim, R. (TA)
;
Lee, T. (TA)
;
Parmer, W. (TA)
;
Simon, A. (TA)
;
Turman, J. (TA)
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.
Terms: Win, Spr
| Units: 4
Instructors:
Wong-Taylor, G. (PI)
PHIL 102: Modern Philosophy, Descartes to Kant
Major figures in early modern philosophy in epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind. Writings by Descartes, Leibniz, Hume, and Kant.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 112: Causality in Ancient Greek Philosophy (PHIL 212)
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4
Instructors:
Code, A. (PI)
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