Fall 2025 Course Descriptions
PHIL 1000 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. MacKenzie – ICM5H Monday & Wednesday 10:00-10:50+ disc sec Clark 107
This course will examine topics from five key areas of philosophy: epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, political philosophy, and aesthetics. Questions may include: does God exist? What makes for a meaningful life? Should we be afraid of death? What are the limits of state authority? Does free will exist? What makes a joke funny? Should we get off social media? What, if anything, can we know?
PHIL 1410 FORMS OF REASONING [3]
Prof. Boone – ASX7FH Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15 Clark 108
This course covers the basics of logic and argumentation. Any time someone wants to rationally convince you of something, they must give you an argument. And every argument has a logical structure. Some of these structures are strong, while others are weak. In this class, you’ll learn not only how to recognize the difference but further how to prove it. No background in any formal discipline is required, and the course does not cover symbolic logic in detail (for this take PHIL 2420). The course provides the general skills necessary to precisely identify, reconstruct, and evaluate arguments, with emphasis on applying these skills to everyday life.
Prof. McCready-Flora – ICM5H Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-4:20+disc sec Clark 107
Are there things all human beings share besides obvious biological similarities? For instance: 1) are humans rational animals? What is reason and how does it relate to other human traits? 2) Is it human nature to recognize moral obligations and love the good, or is morality in some sense contrary to human nature? 3) Relatedly, are we really social animals? Is it natural for us to live under political institutions, or are such arrangements (including those here and now) contrary to our nature? Readings will include luminaries of the past (Plato, Mencius, the Nyaya school) and those working at the state of the art.
PHIL 1740 ISSUES OF LIFE AND DEATH [3]
Prof. Stangl – RLS5EF Monday & Wednesday 1:00-1:50+ disc sec Minor 125
This course is an exploration, from the point of view of philosophical theory, of a number of ethical problems at the beginning and end of life. Questions to be addressed will include: What is the significance of death and the value of life? Under what conditions, if any, are abortion and euthanasia morally permissible? At what point ought we to discontinue medical treatment of the terminally ill, and who should be empowered to make this decision? Are we under any moral obligation to prevent the death of those threatened by hunger and easily treatable disease?
PHIL 2060 PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEMS IN LAW [3]
Prof. Adams – NA9FW Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-11:50+disc sec Minor 125
Do we have a duty to obey the law? The law thinks so, and breaking the law is often severely punished. But as citizens we often also think law is bad, mistaken, unjust, and that we should disobey the law or even overthrow the government. More specific questions also arise when we accept the rule of law. What sorts of actions should be criminalized and what sorts of punishments are justified? Why do our mental states matter to the law? What is an attempt, and how can we regulate failures? What processes should we use when making legal judgments? What is the relation between law and morality? Law and politics? In this course, we will look at these and similar philosophical problems for life under law.
PHIL 2110 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL [3]
This course satisfies History area requirements.
Prof. Secada – JES2F Monday & Wednesday 9:00-9:50+ disc sec Warner 104
This course is an introduction to the history of philosophy from its beginnings in the Greek colonies of Asia Minor to the Renaissance and the end of the Middle Ages. The lectures do not aim to offer a comprehensive summary; you will find that in any of several histories of philosophy, one of which is required reading for the course. In the lectures we will instead discuss a few selected major philosophers and we will concentrate on some of their doctrines and arguments. We will, however, look at cultural developments which took place during this period and we will study philosophical works in their more general social and historical setting. The course seeks to provide historical as much as philosophical knowledge and understanding. Requirements include several short quizzes and a term paper.
PHIL 2420 INTRODUCTION TO SYMBOLIC LOGIC [3]
This course satisfies Logic area requirements.
Prof. Cameron – RPC4D Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-9:15 Clark 108
A basic introduction to the concepts and techniques of modern formal logic. The aim of this course is to give the student a working knowledge of both sentential and quantifier logic. Students will learn how to translate claims and arguments from English into a formal system, and to test arguments for validity.
PHIL 2500-300 LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP [3]
Prof. Brewer-TMB2N Monday & Wednesday 12:00-12:50+ disc sec Warner 104
Human beings are inexorably drawn into intimacy with each other, forming bonds of love and friendship. But what exactly are love and friendship? How and why do they arise? What forms can they take? What place do they have in our lives? In this course we will explore these questions through close readings of relevant works in the history of Western philosophy, beginning with the writings of the Ancient Greeks and working our way forward to relevant works of contemporary philosophers.
PHIL 2660 PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION [3]
Prerequisites: Instructor Permission - First and Second Years only.
Prof. Merricks – TDB8N Monday & Wednesday 11:00-11:50+ disc sec Gibson 211
This course will examine a number of different topics that have been of perennial interest to philosophers of religion and philosophical theologians. These topics include arguments for and against God's existence, the problem of evil, the relationship between human freedom and divine foreknowledge, and how to think about personal immortality and the nature of the human person.
PHIL 2820 PHILOSOPHY OF HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE [3]
Prof. Barnes- EJB5R Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-8:50+ disc sec Clark 107
In this class, we’ll first discuss the question ‘what is health?’ How do we define what it means to be healthy? Is there a difference between physical and mental health? Is there a difference between health and overall well-being? Is health a biological concept or is it something normative? Then we’ll look at specific puzzles that arise in health care related to how we understand health and disease. For example, how do we measure health outcomes? How do we deal with the inherent subjectivity of some aspects of health, such as pain? What is the relationship between what we consider ‘healthy’ and what our culture values or stigmatizes?
PHIL 3110 PLATO [3]
This course satisfies the History requirement for those who have or will take PHIL 2120 – Modern
Prof. McCready-Flora – ICM5H Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45 Cocke 115
This course introduces students to the dialogues of Plato, with an emphasis on those of particular argumentative and philosophical interest. Expect treatments of the divine and our relation to it; love; the nature and possibility of human knowledge; what makes anything one; why the world exists at all, and in particular why it takes the form it does; humanity’s place in the cosmic order; and the nature of the soul. Our aim will be to engage Plato as a fellow philosopher through close reading and subtle reasoning. This means understanding his assumptions, scrutinizing his argumentation and proposing alternatives to his conclusions. No knowledge of Greek required, but some prior coursework in Philosophy very much encouraged.
PHIL 3150 17th CENTURY PHILOSOPHY [3]
This course satisfies History area requirements for those who have or will take PHIL 2110 – Ancient
This course satisfies the Second Writing Requirement.
Prof. Secada – JES2F Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15 Nau 141
This course examines the various philosophical systems of the 17th century. This year, we’ll read Hobbes, Descartes, Cavendish, and Spinoza
PHIL 3330 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND [3]
This course satisfies the M&E requirement
This Course satisfies the Second Writing Requirement
Prof. Boone – ASX7FH Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45 Cocke 115
Prof. Irving – ZCI7C Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15 Cocke 115
We focus on the place of consciousness in nature. Part 1 surveys models of consciousness in cognitive science. Part 2 turns to ``hard problems'' of consciousness: is consciousness experience compatible with a scientific worldview? Part 3 turns to experiences that most theories of consciousness neglect–– dreaming, mind-wandering, and dreamless sleep––drawing lessons about methods in consciousness research and the conscious self.
PHIL 3640 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. Adams – NA9FW Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15 Cabell 332
How should we live together? This question is at the core of political philosophy and is the main focus of the course. This question has various components, including: Who counts as one of us? How should we make decisions? Who should be in charge? How should we use our power? How should we treat others? How can we flourish? And who gets a say in how to answer these questions? The course focuses on contemporary democratic answers and considers to what extent our ideals have been realized in our shared life.
PHIL 3710 ETHICS [3]
Prof. Brewer – TMB2N Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15 Warner 110
In this course, we will engage in an in-depth study of the ethical thought of Plato, Aristotle, Hume and Kant—four figures who continue to have an extremely powerful influence on contemporary philosophical discussions of ethics. The main themes of the course will include: the nature of practical thinking, the place of particular and general judgments in practical deliberation, the nature and value of the virtues of character, and the source and content of the idea of right action.
PHIL 3830 PHILOSOPHY OF MENTAL HEALTH [3]
Prof. Barnes – EJB5R Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15 Cocke 115
This class explores philosophical issues in the nature of mental health and mental illness. Topics may include: What is the difference between a mental illness and a physical illness? How do we understand the difference between mental difference and mental dysfunction? Does our current approach to understanding mental health overly pathologize or medicalize people? What is a social contagion? What does it mean to be mentally
PHIL 4020 SEMINAR FOR MAJORS: NORMS OF ATTENTION IN THE AGE OF DISTRACTION[3]
Prof. Irving – ZCI7C Monday & Wednesday 5:00-6:15 Cocke 101
”How do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible?… God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains” – Sean Parker, Founder of Napster
Creatures like us face a problem of attention. Every moment, we have a vast amount of information at our disposal; yet our attention is small. How we attend therefore matters for our ethical, epistemic, and practical success. This is true now, more than ever, as we struggle against technologies designed to place historically unprecedented demands on attention. Although philosophers dismissed the norms of attention until recently, the field has grown exponentially over the past two years. Our course will survey this emerging literature, discussing both abstract and applied accounts of the norms of attention. Some of the abstract accounts concern the value of salience structures (Jessie Munton; Sebastian Watzl), spontaneity (Zac Irving; Virginia Woolf; Jonathan Gingerich), full attention (Dorothea Debus; Iris Murdoch; Simone Weil), virtuous attention (Ellen Fridland; Georgi Gardiner), and vigilance (Sam Murray). Other accouts focus on applied social questions: how attention constitutes ideological (Ege Yumuşak), journalistic, and democratic (Susanna Siegel) perspectives, and how we can harm people by giving too much attention to their identity categories (Ella Whitley). We’ll aim to apply the philosophical lessons from these theories to a practical question: how (if at all) do digital distractions harm us? Do these technologies simply make us more distracted (Cal Newport; James Williams)? Cause the wrong kind of distraction (Zac Irving)? Manipulate our attention (Kaisa Kärki; Sebastian Watzl; Zac Irving)? Fix our attention on echo chambers, moral outrage, or thin values (C Thi Nguyen; Molly Crocket)? In terms of content, this course will expose you to a rapidly changing interdisciplinary field, teaching you how to tackle real-world problems from a philosophical point of view. In terms of skills, this course will teach you how to engage with contemporary research in a seminar-style, discussion-based course that culminates in writing a research paper of your own.
GRADUATE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
PHIL 5590 PHILOSOPHY OF MATHEMATICS AND LOGIC [3]
Prof. Cameron – RPC4D Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15 Pavilion V 109
This class is about some of the fascinating and mind-bending issues that arise in the intersection of philosophy, mathematics, and logic. Some of the issues we will discuss are: the nature of infinity; non-well-founded set theories; whether math is all about structure and what that might mean; the limits of computability and mathematical proof; Godel’s incompleteness theorems; paradoxes and the nature of logic and truth.
No particular prior mathematical training is required, but students should have taken either some intermediate level math or some formal logic at university level before this class; we will be going through some mathematical proofs so a lack of aversion to numbers and symbols is necessary. While this class is a 5000 level class, it is appropriate for upper level undergraduate student.
Required for all first year Philosophy graduate students.
Prof. MacKenzie – ICM5H Monday 1:00-3:30 Cocke Hall 108
In addition to introducing students to a contemporary philosophical literature, this course will also serve as an introduction to the philosophy PhD program at UVA, and to the field of philosophy more generally. This means that, in addition to our core philosophical subject matter, we will discuss topics related to completing a PhD at UVA, as well as elements of professional engagement. The assignments in this course are designed to give students a good amount practice reading, writing, presenting, and discussing philosophy at the graduate level.
Prof. Ott – WO5N Thursday 1:00-3:30 Cocke Hall 108
What mental states (if any) do we share with non-human animals? What can the minds of animals teach us about our own? We will spend roughly half the semester on the moderns and half on the contemporary debate. Throughout, our work will be informed by empirical evidence.
PHIL 8570 PERSONAL IDENTITY [3]
This course counts towards the Metaphysics area requirement
Prof. Merricks – TDM8N Wednesday 1:00-3:30 Cocke Hall 108
This graduate seminar focuses on both the metaphysics of personal identity and the ethical question of “what matters in survival.” The two main texts for this class are *The Human Animal: Personal identity without psychology* by Eric Olson, and *Self and Identity* by Trenton Merricks. Both of these books push, in different ways, against the idea that psychological continuity and connectedness are central to personal identity.
Fall 2024 Course Listing
PHIL 1000 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. McCready-Flora – ICM5H
Monday & Wednesday 9:00-9:50+ disc sec Minor 125
This course introduces students to Philosophy via one of its crown jewels (Plato’s Republic), which sets out and discusses enduring philosophical issues with wondrous finesse and compelling strangeness. Supplementary readings complement and contest Plato, teaching students the rudiments of a new field through a series of highly rewarding intellectual encounters.
We will consider, in part: the nature and value of justice and other virtues; propaganda and the ethics of its use; the nature of mind; the good life; the good society; goodness itself; what exists and how we know; the social preconditions of science and art; the place of emotion in human life; the ethics of censorship; death and the afterlife; democracy and other social orders; and philosophical tools such as counterexamples, thought experiments, deduction, analogy and narrative.
Provided you give it your all, this course prepares you to: discern the form and structure of arguments, weigh evidence for and again a claim and apply generous but exacting scrutiny to your own and others’ reasoning; hold lively, productive conversations on matters of intellectual import; acquire and sharpen the fine art of argumentative prose; and (last but not least) continue your philosophical education as a Major or Minor in UVA’s world-class Corcoran Department of Philosophy.
PHIL 1410 FORMS OF REASONING [3]
Prof. Boone –
Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45 Minor 125
A philosophy course with a practical aim: to develop the student's ability to recognize and evaluate arguments. The course will not cover symbolic logic in any detail (for this take PHIL 2420), but will concentrate on actual arguments given in ordinary language. Some time will be spent studying those fallacies, or errors in reasoning, which occur most frequently in discussion and argument. The goal of this course is to give the student a working knowledge of logic which has an application to daily life.
Prof. Langsam – HLL6Y
Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-4:20+disc sec Wilson 301
This course is concerned with the question of whether there are characteristics that all human beings have in common other than obvious biological similarities. In particular, we shall address issues such as the following: 1) is rationality a part of human nature, and, if so, what is the nature of human rationality, and how does the rational part of human beings relate to their other characteristics? 2) what is the relation of human nature to morality: is it in the nature of human beings to act morally and/or to recognize moral obligations, or, on the contrary, are moral requirements in some sense contrary to our nature? 3) are human beings social animals: is it natural for human beings to live with others in societies and be governed by political institutions, or are such living arrangements contrary to our nature? Readings will include contemporary and historical writers.
PHIL 1740 ISSUES OF LIFE AND DEATH [3]
Prof. Stangl – RLS5EF
Monday & Wednesday 2:00-2:50+ disc sec Warner 209
This course is an exploration, from the point of view of philosophical theory, of a number of ethical problems at the beginning and end of life. Questions to be addressed will include: What is the significance of death and the value of life? Under what conditions, if any, are abortion and euthanasia morally permissible? At what point ought we to discontinue medical treatment of the terminally ill, and who should be empowered to make this decision? Are we under any moral obligation to prevent the death of those threatened by hunger and easily treatable disease?
PHIL 2060 PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEMS IN LAW [3]
Prof. Adams – NA9FW
Monday & Wednesday 8:00-8:50+ disc sec Minor 125
Do we have a duty to obey the law? The law thinks so, and breaking the law is often severely punished. But as citizens we often also think law is bad, mistaken, unjust, and that we should disobey the law or even overthrow the government. More specific questions also arise when we accept the rule of law. What sorts of actions should be criminalized and what sorts of punishments are justified? Why do our mental states matter to the law? What is an attempt, and how can we regulate failures? What processes should we use when making legal judgments? What is the relation between law and morality? Law and politics? In this course, we will look at these and similar philosophical problems for life under law.
PHIL 2110 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL [3]
This course satisfies History area requirements.
Prof. Secada – JES2F
Monday & Wednesday 11:00-11:50+ disc sec Monroe 130
This course is an introduction to the history of philosophy from its beginnings in the Greek colonies of Asia Minor to the Renaissance and the end of the Middle Ages. The lectures do not aim to offer a comprehensive summary; you will find that in any of several histories of philosophy, one of which is required reading for the course. In the lectures we will instead discuss a few selected major philosophers and we will concentrate on some of their doctrines and arguments. We will, however, look at cultural developments which took place during this period and we will study philosophical works in their more general social and historical setting. The course seeks to provide historical as much as philosophical knowledge and understanding. Requirements include several short quizzes and a term paper.
PHIL 2420 INTRODUCTION TO SYMBOLIC LOGIC [3]
This course satisfies Logic area requirements.
Prof. Cameron – RPC4D
Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-9:15 Wilson 301
A basic introduction to the concepts and techniques of modern formal logic. The aim of this course is to give the student a working knowledge of both sentential and quantifier logic. Students will learn how to translate claims and arguments from English into a formal system, and to test arguments for validity.
PHIL 2660 PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION [3]
Prerequisites: Instructor Permission - First and Second Years only.
Prof. Merricks – TDB8N
Monday & Wednesday 11:00-11:50 Dell 1 105
This course will examine a number of different topics that have been of perennial interest to philosophers of religion and philosophical theologians. These topics include arguments for and against God's existence, the problem of evil, the relationship between human freedom and divine foreknowledge, and how to think about personal immortality and the nature of the human person.
PHIL 2820 PHILOSOPHY OF HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE [3]
Prof. Barnes- EJB5R
Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-8:50+ disc sec Clark 107
In this class, we’ll first discuss the question ‘what is health?’ How do we define what it means to be healthy? Is there a difference between physical and mental health? Is there a difference between health and overall well-being? Is health a biological concept or is it something normative? Then we’ll look at specific puzzles that arise in health care related to how we understand health and disease. For example, how do we measure health outcomes? How do we deal with the inherent subjectivity of some aspects of health, such as pain? What is the relationship between what we consider ‘healthy’ and what our culture values or stigmatizes?
PHIL 3010 DARWIN AND PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. Eaker – ELE3A
Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-4:45 Monroe 118
This course explores the history and the philosophical implications of Darwin’s revolutionary idea—that the unguided process of natural selection could explain the magnificent variety and adaptedness of living things and their descent from a common ancestor. We will look at Darwin’s historical, scientific and cultural context, and the evidence and arguments by which Darwin supported his theory. Philosophical topics will include: How are scientific theories supported by evidence? What makes evolutionary theory an accepted scientific theory? What are its moral implications? What does it tell us about human nature, how we should treat one another, and how we should relate to the environment upon which we depend?
PHIL 3110 PLATO [3]
This course satisfies the History requirement for those who have or will take PHIL 2120 – Modern
Prof. McCready-Flora – ICM5H
Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15 Warner 113
This course introduces students to the dialogues of Plato, with an emphasis on those of particular argumentative and philosophical interest. Expect treatments of the divine and our relation to it; love; the nature and possibility of human knowledge; what makes anything one; why the world exists at all, and in particular why it takes the form it does; humanity’s place in the cosmic order; and the nature of the soul. Our aim will be to engage Plato as a fellow philosopher through close reading and subtle reasoning. This means understanding his assumptions, scrutinizing his argumentation and proposing alternatives to his conclusions. No knowledge of Greek required, but some prior coursework in Philosophy very much encouraged.
PHIL 3150 17th CENTURY PHILOSOPHY [3]
This course satisfies History area requirements for those who have or will take PHIL 2110 – Ancient
Prof. Lolordo– AL4H
Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-4:45 Cabell 058
In this course, we’ll look at how a group of 17th century philosophers answered three sets of questions, and how their answers fit together. First, what is the nature of the mind? Of God? Of the material world? In particular, is there an immaterial soul – or is the mind just another part of the material world? Second, what does all this imply about human nature? Are human beings special in some way, perhaps in virtue of our unique rationality, or are we just another species of animals? Are human beings the only moral agents? If so, why? And where do moral obligations derive from? Third, how did all this impact their political views? At the abstract level, how did views of human nature and the foundations of morality impact views on the purpose, legitimacy, or origin of state power? More concretely, how did views of human nature and the foundations of morality feed into arguments against slavery and arguments in favor of the rights of women? We’ll look at a fairly wide range of philosophers in this class. Some are probably familiar, at least in name (e.g. Descartes), others probably not (e.g. Amo). This will help us see the extremely wide range of questions up for philosophical debate at the time. It will also help us see that there is a wider range of people doing philosophy in early modern Europe and elsewhere than has traditionally been thought, and that they had very different, even opposed, social and political goals in doing so.
PHIL 3330 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND [3]
Instructor Consent Required
This Course satisfies the Second Writing Requirement
Prof. Langsam – HLL6Y
Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45 Cocke 115
What is the nature of the mind and why do we find its nature so puzzling? We shall critically examine various theories about the nature of the mind; we shall also discuss the nature of particular kinds of mental states and events, such beliefs, desires, feelings, sensory experiences, and others. We shall be especially concerned with the relationships between the mind and body, and, more generally, between the mental and the physical. Most of the readings will be contemporary philosophers. (This course satisfies the major concentration requirements in Metaphysics and Epistemology.
PHIL 3620 SCIENCE FICTION AND PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. Cameron – RPC4D
Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45 Cabell 489
Science fiction is a distinctively philosophical genre. Science fiction stories can cause us to question the bounds of what is possible, explore ethical questions that arise in alien circumstances, explore the nature of the self and the very nature of reality, and so on. This course has two main goals: (1)We will use science fiction literature to explore philosophical issues, thereby pursuing philosophical inquiry from an unusual perspective; (2)We will use philosophy to explore the nature of science fiction as a genre, and thereby to gain insight into the nature of art.
PHIL 3640-001 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. Motchoulski – AAM5JM
Tuesday & Thursday 5:00-6:15 Cocke 115
PHIL 3640-002 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. Adams – NA9FW
Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15 Cabell 338
How should we live together? This question is at the core of political philosophy and is the main focus of the course. This question has various components, including: Who counts as one of us? How should we make decisions? Who should be in charge? How should we use our power? How should we treat others? How can we flourish? And who gets a say in how to answer these questions? The course focuses on contemporary democratic answers and considers to what extent our ideals have been realized in our shared life.
PHIL 3720 CONTEMPORARY ETHICS [3]
Prof. MacKenzie
Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-4:45 Cabell 389
In this course, we will consider some of the liveliest topics of debate in contemporary ethical theory. Among the questions that may be considered are: Are there moral facts, and if so what sorts of facts are they, how do we come to know them, and how do we explain their authority? What would it mean to say that a life “has meaning” and what might entitle us to say such a thing? Can we make sense of prohibitions to perform certain kinds of actions even when doing so would reduce the overall incidence of that very kind of action? Do contemporary conceptions of our moral obligations leave us sufficient space to be true to our own ideals and loves? Are we responsible for bad outcomes that we knowingly choose not to prevent others from bringing about? Can we be held responsible for unchosen elements of our own character? Are there “morally tragic” cases in which we will do wrong no matter what we choose to do?
PHIL 3810 SEX, SEXUALITY, AND GENDER [3]
Prof. Payton – MRT4RJ
Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-9:15 Cocke 115
In this class, we'll be talking about philosophical issues at the intersection of sexuality, sexual experience, and gender experience. What is sexual consent? What is the relationship between sexual consent and sexual morality? What is sexual orientation, and what is its relationship to sex and gender? Is there such a thing as biological sex? Is there a difference between sex and gender?
PHIL 3820 PHILOSOPHY OF MENTAL HEALTH [3]
Prof. Barnes – EJB5R
Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15 Cocke 115
This class explores philosophical issues in the nature of mental health and mental illness. Topics may include: What is the difference between a mental illness and a physical illness? How do we understand the difference between mental difference and mental dysfunction? Does our current approach to understanding mental health overly pathologize or medicalize people? What is a social contagion? What does it mean to be mentally healthy? What is the relationship between mental health and agency, or mental health and moral responsibility?
GRADUATE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
PHIL 5530 THE MEDITATIONS: [3]
Prof. Secada – WO5N
Monday 1:00-3:30 Cocke Hall 108
This is a seminar on Descartes’ Meditations. By closely reading the text of the Meditations, this seminar will study the metaphysics and epistemology of Rene Descartes (1596-1650). Topics that will be covered include skepticism and the Cartesian circle; the cogito; the reflection on a piece of wax; ideas and their material falsity; the proofs of the existence of God; causation; the individuation, essence and existence of substances; the distinction and relation between a mind and a body. Descartes’ thought will be examined in its Late Scholastic historical context, particularly the philosophies of Francisco Suarez (1548-1617) and Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), but we will also place the Meditations in the context of earlier meditative treatises, uncovering its relation to such works as St. Francis of Sales’ Treatise on the Love of God (1616), St Bonaventure’s Road of the Mind to God, and St Therese of Avila’s Inner Castle, and using it to address issues regarding the nature of philosophy and philosophical understanding. Some consideration will also be given to Descartes’ influence on subsequent philosophers, such as Spinoza, Malebranche, Leibniz or Berkeley. Requirements will include a term paper, seminar presentations, and short written summaries and discussions.
PHIL 7500 1st YEAR SEMINAR: Metaphysical Survey
Required for all first year Philosophy graduate students.
Prof. Payton – MRT4RJ
Thursday 1:00-3:30 Cocke Hall 108
This seminar is also designed to introduce first-year PhD students to graduate school in philosophy. This means that, in addition to our core philosophical subject matter, we will discuss topics related to completing a PhD at UVA, as well as elements of professional engagement. The assignments in this course are designed to give students a good amount practice reading, writing, presenting, and discussing philosophy at the graduate level.
PHIL 7570 REDUCTION AND EMERGENCE [3]
Prof. Boone – TBD
Tuesday 1:00-3:30 Cocke Hall 108
This seminar will examine central issues related to reduction and emergence in philosophy of science. What is the relationship between higher and lower levels of organization in nature? How does and should mereology figure into scientific explanation? We will examine these and other foundational questions while drawing on examples from many scientific disciplines. We will cover classical work, though contemporary debate will be our primary focus.
PHIL 8570 METAPHYSICS OF MATERIAL OBJECTS [3]
This course satisfies M&E area requirements
Prof. Merricks – TDM8N
Wednesday 1:00-3:30 Cocke Hall 108
This is a course on the ontology of material objects. Our primary texts will be Objects and Persons by Trenton Merricks, Ordinary Objects by Amie Thomasson, and Objects: Nothing out of the Ordinary by Daniel Z. Korman.
Spring 2026 Course Descriptions
PHIL 1410 FORMS OF REASONING [3]
Prof. Harrell – Monday & Wednesday 9:00-9:50+ disc sec Gibson 211
This course covers the basics of logic and argumentation. Any time someone wants to rationally convince you of something, they must give you an argument. And every argument has a logical structure. Some of these structures are strong, while others are weak. In this class, you’ll learn not only how to recognize the difference but further how to prove it. No background in any formal discipline is required, and the course does not cover symbolic logic in detail (for this take PHIL 2420). The course provides the general skills necessary to precisely identify, reconstruct, and evaluate arguments, with emphasis on applying these skills to everyday life.
PHIL 1510-001 THE POLITICS OF HOME [3]
Inst. Kietzerow – FEM5HY Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-9:15 Cabell 338
PHIL 1510-002 THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS [3]
Inst. Yucheng – YNJ3AV Tuesday & Thursday 5:00-6:15 Cabell 332
This course surveys classic thought experiments in contemporary philosophy, including the trolley problem, brain in a vat, Mary’s room, the teletransport paradox, and the doomsday argument. Engaging with these thought experiments will help us explore questions such as: Can we kill one person to save many? How can we tell if the world around us is real? Do others besides me have minds? Could we survive death by uploading our consciousness to a computer? Is it possible to prove that the end of the world is near?
PHIL 1730 INTRODUCTION TO MORAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. MacKenzie – DFS8ZY Tuesday & Thursday 8:30-9:20+ disc sec Monroe 110
In this course we apply the tools of philosophy to problems of human life, flourishing, and community. We will see how philosophy helps us ask the biggest questions about existence but also illuminates mundane aspects of everyday life. We will look at issues that humanity has encountered for millennia as well as issues faced only in our modern moment—from what it means to act well to how social media is affecting us. Our focus is on contemporary philosophy rather than a historical overview.
PHIL 2060 PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEMS IN LAW [3]
Prof. Adams – NA9FW Monday & Wednesday 9:00-9:50+ disc sec Clark 108
Do we have a duty to obey the law? The law thinks so, and breaking the law is often severely punished. But as citizens we often also think law is bad, mistaken, unjust, and that we should disobey the law or even overthrow the government. More specific questions also arise when we accept the rule of law. What sorts of actions should be criminalized and what sorts of punishments are justified? Why do our mental states matter to the law? What is an attempt, and how can we regulate failures? What processes should we use when making legal judgments? What is the relation between law and morality? Law and politics? In this course, we will look at these and similar philosophical problems for life under law.
PHIL 2120 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: MODERN [3]
This course satisfies the requirement for History of Philosophy: Modern
Prof. Secada – JES2F Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-2:50+ disc sec Gibson 211
This course is a survey of the history of philosophy in the Renaissance and the early modern period. We will pay close attention to some of the metaphysical and epistemological issues arising in the central writings of Suárez, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant, though some other figures including some XIXth-Century philosophers, such as Hegel, will also be discussed in the lectures. Throughout the term, we will read closely the first five of Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy and Leibniz's "First Truths". Students will be required to write a term paper, to submit an earlier draft of it, and to take several quizzes during the term.
PHIL 2350 MINDS, MACHINES, AND PERSON [3]
Prof. Irving – ZCI7C Monday & Wednesday 2:00-2:50+ disc sec Wilson 301
This course surveys foundational issues in the philosophy of cognitive science and mind. Part 1 asks the fundamental question, what is a mind? Are minds brains? Computers? Organisms? Do minds extend into the body and environment? We'll approach these questions by considering what it would take to make a machine with a mind (that is, to make genuine artificial intelligence). Part 2 turns to the problem of personal identity over time. Once you were a kid, now you are an adult, and one day you'll grow old. What (if anything) makes you the same person throughout these stages of your life? The course is suitable for both philosophers and cognitive science majors and does not presume any previous background in either discipline. It’s therefore an ideal introduction to cognitive science for philosophy majors, and to philosophy for cognitive science majors.
PHIL 2500-100 CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE [3]
Prof. Adams – NA9FW Monday & Wednesday 2:00-2:50+ disc sec Clark 108
Sometimes people publicly break the law in order to object to the law or ruling regime and ultimately to change them. This social practice of civil disobedience raises a variety of philosophical questions that we will investigate. What is the practice and how is it distinct from other practices like legal protest or crime? When can breaking the law be justified? What new forms is it taking? And how can we understand it as part of democracy?
PHIL 2500-200 JUSTICE AND HEALTHCARE [3]
Prof. Bernstein – Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:20+ disc sec Gibson 211
This course explores foundational questions at the intersection of economics, bioethics, and political philosophy. Such questions include (but are not limited to): Should healthcare be treated like any other market commodity, or does it have a special moral status that justifies different treatment? What do competing theories of justice—such as liberal egalitarianism or libertarianism—imply about the government’s responsibilities in organizing and financing healthcare? What is the just way to allocate scarce medical resources—such as livers or ventilators? When is it permissible for the state to restrict individual liberty in order to protect public health?
PHIL 2510 TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN VALUES [3]
Prof. Harrell – Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-9:15 Cabell 383
Philosophy can be characterized as a discipline of questions, and many of the most important questions are probably some of the same questions you have asked yourself: What do I value? How should I live? In this course, we will be concerned with these questions, particularly about technology.
One might ask many different questions about a given piece of technology: Will it be effective? Can it be put into practice? What effects will it have? Stepping back, though, more basic questions remain that are often not adequately addressed: Is this good? Who or what is it good for? How do we decide whether one way of doing something is better than another or better than doing nothing at all?
You will learn what many talented and well-respected philosophers say about these questions, but the class is designed to get you doing philosophy, not just learning about it. The course will develop some knowledge of the history and methods of philosophy, but the real point is to get you asking important questions, reasoning clearly and capably, and sharpening your critical thinking skills—developing abilities, in other words, that will make a difference in your life long after specific content details have faded from memory.
PHIL 2660 PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION [3]
Prerequisites: Instructor Permission - First and Second Years only.
Prof. Merricks – TDB8N Monday & Wednesday 10:00-10:50+ disc sec Gibson 211
This course will examine a number of different topics that have been of perennial interest to philosophers of religion and philosophical theologians. These topics include arguments for and against God's existence, the problem of evil, the relationship between human freedom and divine foreknowledge, and how to think about personal immortality and the nature of the human person.
PHIL 3160 18th CENTURY PHILOSOPHY [3]
This course satisfies History area requirements.
Prof. Secada – JES2F Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-9:15 Cabell 058
The over-arching theme of the course is reason, the great preoccupation of 18th century philosophers. What is reason? How powerful is it? For instance, can reason guide our beliefs? Can reason show us how to achieve happiness? Does reason ground our worth as human beings? And who has reason? All human beings? Human beings and other animals? Or just some human beings?
More specific questions include: Am I essentially a rational being, or something else as well? Is there an immaterial mind, or is the mind just the body? What happens after we die? What does human freedom consist in? What does happiness consist in? Can we be happy without being free, or without being rational, or without being virtuous?
How should we structure our society to ensure happiness, freedom, and/or virtue? How should we educate our children to create happy, free, rational, and/or virtuous adults? And again, whose happiness, etc. are we talking about?
In this course, we’ll look at a wide range of philosophers. Some names will probably be familiar to most of you: for instance, John Locke and David Hume. Some are less familiar: for instance, Ottobah Cugoano and Mary Shepherd. This will help us see that there is a wider range of people doing philosophy in early modern Europe than
Instructor Permission Required
This Course satisfies the Second Writing Requirement
Prof. Merricks – TDM8N Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15 Cabell 383
This survey course will examine a variety of issues central to contemporary analytic metaphysics. We shall consider, among other things, possibility and necessity, identity over time, and personal identity. This course is meant for third and fourth year philosophy majors only.
PHIL 3330 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND [3]
This Course satisfies the Second Writing Requirement
Prof. Irving – ZCI7C Monday & Wednesday 5:00-6:15 Cocke 115
PHIL 3500 SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. Payton – MRT4RJ Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15 Drama 217
This course surveys central questions and debates in Social Philosophy. What is it for something to be social, rather than natural or biological? What is it for something to be socially constructed, and are socially constructed things “real”? And do these issues matter to larger questions about how we treat each other, and the ways we organize ourselves in society? This course will address these questions through specific topics including (but not limited to) arguments regarding the nature of sex, sexuality, gender, and race.
PHIL 3520 JUSTICE, LAW, AND MORALITY [3]
Prof. Brewer – TMB2N Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45 Monroe 116
In this course, we will look at contemporary liberal conceptions of justice and at criticisms of liberalism leveled by communitarians, libertarians, Marxists, utilitarians and feminists. One central aim of the class will be to determine what sense, if any, can be made of the liberal ideal of neutrality. In order to give substance to the sometimes abstract disputes between liberals and their critics, we will examine Supreme Court rulings on a variety of issues, including freedom of speech, campaign finance regulation, school prayer, pornography, abortion, and marriage and divorce law.
PHIL 3640 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. Motchoulski – AAM5JM Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45 Cocke 115
The point of this class is to learn how to think well about political institutions and social structures more broadly. The perennial questions of political philosophy, such as justice, fairness, and in general living well together, can only be asked and even potentially answered within a framework of social life. Our readings are mostly contemporary analytic political philosophy. The course is designed to hone the philosophical skills of careful reading and clear writing.
PHIL 3720 CONTEMPORARY ETHICS [3]
Prof. MacKenzie – DFS8ZY Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15 Monroe 134
This course will give you an opportunity to read some of the ‘greatest hits’ from normative ethics in the 20th (and beginning of the 21st) century. We’ll begin by looking at some of the ‘anti-theoretical’ challenges to Utilitarianism and Kantian ethics that spearheaded the resurgence of virtue ethics. We'll then examine the 'relational turn' in contemporary ethics, looking at how the relationships that we share with others shape our moral obligations. From there, we’ll move on to questions about moral responsibility and the appropriateness of guilt and blame. Throughout the course, we’ll be asking questions like: what should a moral theory give us? What are the limits of morality? What attitudes, behaviors, and actions are morally assessable? And what role should morality, and moral philosophy, play in our daily lives?
PHIL 3730 ANCIENT ETHICAL THEORY [3]
Prof. McCready-Flora – ICM5H Monday & Wednesday 5:00-6:15 Cabell 058
This course introduces students, through close reading of primary source translations, to major figures and themes of ethical theory in Ancient Greece and Rome. Authors to include: Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Cicero, Marcus Aurelius, Porphyry and Sextus Empiricus. Topics to Include: moral and intellectual virtue; happiness; the social preconditions of human goodness; the nature and possibility of the good life; whether the good life requires moral virtue or its opposite; the nature and possibility of ethical knowledge; how humans should live together; how humans should treat other animals. At no point will our readings overlap with any concurrent Plato and Aristotle course: students may profitably enroll in both.
GRADUATE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Department Permission Required for all Philosophy Graduate Courses
PHIL 5540 LOVE, RESPECT, AND THE VALUE OF HUMAN BEINGS [3]
Prof. Brewer – TMB2N Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15 Cocke 108
Respect and love both bring the value of other human beings into view, yet they yield very different pictures of this value. These pictures, in turn, yield very different visions of how we are called to relate to our fellow human beings. In this seminar we will be comparing and contrasting these ethical visions. Readings are likely to be drawn from such thinkers as T. M. Scanlon, Christine Korsgaad, Stephen Darwall, Iris Murdoch, Peter Strawson, Stanley Cavell, Raimond Gaita, Martha Nussbaum and R. M. Adams.
PHIL 5580 SELF-KNOWLEDGE [3]
Prof. Secada – JES2F Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45 Cocke 108
The seminar examines answers to the question “who am I?” offered in Plato's Phaedrus, Augustine's Confessions, Anselm's Proslogion, Therese of Avila's Inner Castle, and Descartes' Meditations. Our focus will be on their normative or ethical dimension (that is, their bearing on the question “how should I live?”). Requirements are class presentations and a term paper.
PHIL 8530 Hume, Reid, and Shepherd [3]
Prof. LoLordo - AL4H Monday 3:30-6:00 Cocke 108
In this seminar, we’ll read some of the philosophical works of David Hume, Thomas Reid, and Mary Shepherd. Key issues will include causation, laws of nature, skepticism, freedom, testimony, the nature of the mind, and knowledge of the external world
PHIL 7540 SEMINAR ON ETHICS TOPIC: ANCIENT ETHICS [3]
Prof. McCready-Flora – ICM5H Wednesday 1:00-3:30 Cocke 108
This course introduces students to figures and themes of ethical theory in the ancient world. Syllabus always includes Plato and/or Aristotle alongside Chinese thinkers (Mencius, Mozi), Indian Philosophers (e.g. Nagarjuna), and post-Aristotelian schools (Episcureans, Stoics, Skeptics). Enrolled graduate students are assigned additional scholarly reading and must complete a 5000-word research paper.
PHIL 7560 REPARATIONS AND HISTORICAL INJUSTICE [3]
Prof. Motchoulski – AAM5JM Thursday 3:30-6:00 Cocke 108
How, if at all, does injustice in the relatively distant past affect what persons alive today ought to do? This course will study contemporary work on the topic of historical injustice, focusing on the grounds for duties to provide reparations for historical injustice. We will engage with arguments for and against prominent accounts of reparative duties, such as views that propose to ground those duties in considerations of harm, property and inheritance, or social structural relationships. Along the way, we will have forays into closely related metaphysical issues, such as the non-identity problem and the nature of historical truth.
PHIL 9700 DISSERTATION SEMINAR [3]
Prof. Payton – MRT4RJ Tuesday 3:30-6:00 Cocke 108
This non-credit course is taught every spring. It combines discussions of t he central aspects of professional life with multiple opportunities for students to present and receive peer feedback on their work-in-progress. It is mandatory for all third-year students in residence, and optional for others.
