printer friendly pagePHIL 2: Introduction to Moral Philosophy (ETHICSOC 20)
What should I do with my life? What kind of person should I be? How should we treat others? What makes actions right or wrong? What is good and what is bad? What should we value? How should we organize society? Is there any reason to be moral? Is morality relative or subjective? How, if at all, can such questions be answered? Intensive introduction to theories and techniques in contemporary moral philosophy.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-ER, GER:EC-EthicReas, GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Madigan, T. (PI)
;
Cooper, E. (TA)
;
Erhardt, R. (TA)
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PHIL 22Q: Being Reasonable
In everyday life, we ask each other to be reasonable, and we fault unreasonable behavior in ourselves and others. Moreover, the Anglo-American legal system makes extensive use of the "reasonable person standard" in everything from negligence to administrative law. What is it to be a reasonable person? What do we mean by "reasonable"? This course will look at applications of the concept and at attempts by philosophers and legal theorists to understand what reasonableness is. First preference to Sophomores; second preference to Freshman. No prior Philosophy courses needed.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Lawlor, K. (PI)
PHIL 26Q: How to Build a World (in a Video Game)
Sophomore Seminar. First preference to Sophomores; second preference to Freshman. What makes a video game world feel like a real place? What is our relationship to the real world? Can we learn anything from video games about our relationship to the real world, and can we learn anything from philosophy that can help us create compelling video game worlds? In this course we will examine elements of video game design and development in the context of related philosophical topics including the nature of worlds, the nature of the mind, and the nature of action. For example, while some games are open-world, some consist of a set of sandboxes, and could the distinction between what philosophers call 'possible worlds' and 'situations' help us understand the difference? (Or vice versa?) Video game worlds are often sprinkled with 'pick-ups' -- do philosophical accounts of how agents perceive the real world help to explain why this is such an intuitive game mechanic? In this course we will play and tinker with video games while also reading philosophical texts, and see if each domain can stimulate our thinking about the other. There are no prerequisites for this course, but all students should come prepared to read challenging literature, to play some games, and to make some games!
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Turman, J. (PI)
PHIL 60: Introduction to Philosophy of Science (HPS 60)
This course introduces students to tools for the philosophical analysis of science. We will cover issues in observation, experiment, and reasoning, questions about the aims of science, scientific change, and the relations between science and values.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 80: Mind, Matter, and Meaning
We'll cover three central topics in philosophy: personal identity; the metaphysics of mind; and the nature of belief. Readings will be drawn both from philosophy and from cognitive science more broadly. This is an intensive writing course that satisfies the writing in the major requirement for both Philosophy and Symbolic Systems. Students will submit five papers over the course of the quarter, and receive constructive feedback on each. 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
Instructors:
Briggs, R. (PI)
;
Peacocke, A. (PI)
;
Ha, J. (TA)
;
Kang, S. (TA)
;
Kemmann, B. (TA)
;
McKinnon, J. (TA)
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: Aut
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Landy, J. (PI)
;
Peacocke, A. (PI)
;
Dowling, G. (TA)
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Instructors:
Landy, J. (PI)
;
Peacocke, A. (PI)
;
Dowling, G. (TA)
;
Dule, G. (TA)
;
Machado de Oliveira, M. (TA)
;
McGuthry, M. (TA)
PHIL 99: Minds and Machines (CS 24, LINGUIST 35, PSYCH 35, SYMSYS 1, SYMSYS 200)
(Formerly
SYMSYS 100). An overview of the interdisciplinary study of cognition, information, communication, and language, with an emphasis on foundational issues: What are minds? What is computation? What are rationality and intelligence? Can we predict human behavior? Can computers be truly intelligent? How do people and technology interact, and how might they do so in the future? Lectures focus on how the methods of philosophy, mathematics, empirical research, and computational modeling are used to study minds and machines. Students must take this course before being approved to declare Symbolic Systems as a major. All students interested in studying Symbolic Systems are urged to take this course early in their student careers. The course material and presentation will be at an introductory level, without prerequisites. If you have any questions about the course, please email symsys1staff@gmail.com.
Terms: Aut, Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-FR, GER:DB-SocSci
Instructors:
Goodman, N. (PI)
;
Krejci, B. (PI)
;
Wu, J. (PI)
;
Chappelle, M. (TA)
;
Gupta, S. (TA)
;
Ta, R. (TA)
PHIL 100: The History of Ancient Greek Philosophy (CLASSICS 40)
We shall cover the major developments in Greek philosophical thought, focusing on Plato, Aristotle, and the Hellenistic schools (the Epicureans, the Stoics, and the Skeptics). Topics include epistemology, metaphysics, psychology, ethics and political theory. No prereqs, not repeatable.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, GER:DB-Hum
PHIL 137: Wittgenstein (PHIL 237)
(Graduate students register for 237.) An exploration of Wittgenstein's changing views about meaning, mind, knowledge, and the nature of philosophical perplexity and philosophical insight, focusing on the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, GER:DB-Hum
Instructors:
Hills, D. (PI)
PHIL 150: Mathematical Logic (PHIL 250)
An introduction to the concepts and techniques used in mathematical logic, focusing on propositional, modal, and predicate logic. Highlights connections with philosophy, mathematics, computer science, linguistics, and neighboring fields.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Math, WAY-FR
Instructors:
Icard, T. (PI)
;
Apsel, L. (TA)
;
Bassett, R. (TA)
;
Lawrence, P. (TA)
;
Thobani, I. (TA)
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