PHIL 1000 | INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): Prof. Cameron

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-8:50+ disc sec                  Wilson 301

An introduction to some of the major problems of philosophy. Questions we will look at include: Is consciousness supernatural? Are there races and genders? Do you know you're not in the Matrix? Must the future resemble the past? When is it permissible to end a life? Is morality objective, subjective, or relative? What are the limits of state authority? Readings are drawn from classics in the history of philosophy and from contemporary sources.

PHIL 1410 | FORMS OF REASONING

Professor(s): Prof. Darcy

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45                                Wilson 124     

Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15                              Wilson 124

Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45                                Wilson 124

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.

PHIL 1710 | HUMAN NATURE

Professor(s): Prof. Langsam

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 12:00-12:50+ disc sec           Minor 125

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

Professor(s): Prof. Stangl

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 11:00-11:50+ 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 2120 | HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: MODERN

Professor(s): Prof. Secada

Credits: 3

This course satisfies the requirement for History of Philosophy: Modern

Monday & Wednesday 9:00-9:50+ disc sec              Dell 1 105

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 2500-001 | SLURS, BAD WORDS, AND UNRULY LANGUAGE

Professor(s): Prof. Fox

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15                                  Cocke 115                  

Some words have incredible power in what their uses can convey and cause. Others are more inert. There are “bad words”, which can be met with sanctions from the mild to the severe. Words can also be used to subjugate individuals, groups, and collectives of various human identities. In this course we will study some pressing questions in the philosophy of language that connect to the study of slurs, bad words, and unruly language. In doing so, we will focus on what is often done with such language, while forging connections to some hallmark topics in the philosophy of language. Topics to be studied include: meaning, speech acts, presupposition, implicature, conversational norms, context-sensitivity, expression, derogation, silencing, subordination, and “fictional” discourses.

PHIL 2500-200 | FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Professor(s): Prof. Lomasky

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-2:50+Disc sec                              Dell 1 105                  

Free speech is about the First Amendment: that’s not exactly false but neither is it entirely true.

Constitutional speech guarantees concern restriction by law, but there are many other ways in which people can be pressured not to speak. Sometimes they are fired/not hired, sometimes they are shunned, shamed or canceled.  This course will look at some of the legal issues surrounding speech but mostly examine whether and how speech, broadly understood, should be constrained or protected outside courtroom contexts.  Readings commence with John Stuart Mill’s classic ON LIBERTY.  Then we turn to contemporary disputes, asking how well Mill’s arguments apply to speech in the internet era.

PHIL 2640 | RATIONAL CHOICE AND HAPPINESS

Professor(s): Prof. Barnes

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-8:50+ disc sec                  Clark 107                   

In this class, we will examine philosophical puzzles about our ability to make rational choices that affect or determine our own happiness. How can we rationally decide to undergo a significant experience - such as having a child or moving to a new country - when have no way of knowing what that experience will be like? How can we rationally choose to make decisions about our future (such as what career path to follow or where to live), since who we will become in the future is in part determined by those choices? These kinds of questions will be the focus of the class

PHIL 2652 | ANIMAL MINDS AND ANIMAL ETHICS

Professor(s): Prof. Ott

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 5:00-5:50                               Monroe 124

Other species seem to represent objects in their environments, think about the thoughts of their conspecifics, and perhaps even use language. Some seem to have long-term memory, emotion, and self-awareness. Do they in fact do all of these things, and if so, how, and in what sense? We will engage philosophically with the best scientific evidence available to answer these and similar questions before considering their ethical implications: is it morally permissible to eat animals? What about keeping them in zoos, or keeping them as pets? What responsibilities, in short, do we have to the sentient creatures with whom we share our world?

PHIL 3120 | ARISTOTLE

Professor(s): Prof. McCready-Flora

Credits: 3

This course satisfies the History requirement for those who have or will take PHIL 2120 – Modern.

Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15                         Cocke 115         

An introduction to the philosophy of Aristotle through close reading of keys texts in translations with the aim of achieving a philosophical understanding of his views and their lasting influence. Readings will focus on his metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind and theory of natural science, though expect material from his ethics and social philosophy as well.

PHIL 3180 | NIETZSCHE

Professor(s): Prof. Langsam

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15                               New Cabell 032

Nietzsche, Nietzsche, and even more Nietzsche on life, truth, philosophy, art, morality, nihilism, values and their creation, will to power, eternal recurrence, and a lot of other good stuff.  Readings will include The Birth of Tragedy, The Gay Science, Beyond Good and Evil, On the Genealogy of Morals, Twilight of the Idols, The Antichrist, and others.

DOES NOT SATISFY HISTORY AREA REQUIREMENTS FOR PHILOSOPHY MAJORS

PHIL 3330 | PHILOSOPHY OF MIND

Professor(s): Prof. Ott

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15                              New Cabell 058

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 as beliefs, desires, feelings, sensory experiences, and others. We shall be especially concerned with the relations between the mind and the body, and, more generally, between the mental and the physical. Most of the readings will be by contemporary philosophers.

PHIL 3400 | INTRODUCTION TO NON-CLASSICAL LOGIC

Professor(s): Prof. Cameron

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: Prerequisites: PHIL 2420

Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45                                New Cabell 364

An introduction to systems of non-classical logic, including both extensions and revisions to classical logic. We will look at logical systems that extend classical logic to deal with the phenomena of possibility & time. We will look at logics that revise classical logic to allow for sentences which are neither true nor false, or sentences which can be both. We will show how these departures from classical logic can shed light on various philosophical questions.

PHIL 3640 | POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): Prof. Adams

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-9:15                                  New Cabell 383         

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

Professor(s): Prof. Brewer

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45                                Cocke 115                  

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 3800 | FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): Prof. Barnes

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45                                Cocke 115

In this class, we’ll look at ways in which issues of gender can interact with traditional philosophical topics. We’ll discuss gendered dimensions to our understanding of some central issues in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, and social and political philosophy. 

PHIL 4020 | SEMINAR FOR MAJORS – LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

Professor(s): Prof. Brewer

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15                                  New Cabell 058

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 seminar 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 5540 | LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

Professor(s): Prof. Brewer

Credits: 3

This course is a combined section class with PHIL 4020

Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15                                  New Cabell 058

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 seminar 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 5560 | LIBERALISM & ITS FIRST CRITICS

Professor(s): Prof. Lomasky

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: This course is open to undergraduates

“Liberalism & its First Critics” will travel on something of a political philosophy time machine. It begins with the first great theorist of what became known as Liberalism, John Locke, and then it follows liberal developments over the next two centuries in the persons of Immanuel Kant and J. S. Mill. The second half of the course turns to critics of liberalism, but the twist is that these are critics from the era of classical philosophy: Plato and Aristotle. They will be read not as figures from a distant past but as significant challengers to the modern consensus. Their debate concerning how human beings can effectively live together in political association will comprise the substance of the course. Items to be discussed include the nature and value of liberty; liberal theories of basic rights; individualism vs. community; the need for social order and conditions of its maintenance; the good life and its pursuit. Requirements include periodic short discussion papers and eventual preparation of a course paper.

PHIL 7510 | ARISTOTLE

Professor(s): Prof. McCready-Flora

Credits: 3

This course satisfies History-Ancient area requirements.

Thursday 3:30-6:00                                                Cocke Hall 108

Graduate-level treatment, in translation, of Aristotle’s On the Soul and other relevant texts, e.g. Movement of Animals and parts of the Nicomachean Ethics. We will survey all parts of the work but give particular attention to book 3, which covers human reason (nous), imagination (phantasia) and the cognitive basis of animal movement. We will also consider the nature of the soul; function (ergon) and its place in Aristotle's natural philosophy; the varieties of human and animal perception; memory and recollection; practical reason and its various failure modes; and what makes humans cognitively distinct. Knowledge of Greek helpful but not required. Readings to include substantial amounts of secondary literature, with the aim of introducing students to the practices of scholarship and professional history of philosophy.

PHIL 7530 | SEMINAR ON MODERN HISTORY TOPIC: EXPANDING THE CANON

Professor(s): Prof. LoLordo

Credits: 3

Monday  3:30-6:00                                                     Cocke 108

Historians of early modern philosophy have recently been trying to push the monochromatic, male canon of early modern philosophers in a new direction.  This has involved two complementary strategies:  looking at hitherto under-appreciated figures working on topics that have traditionally been counted as philosophical, and expanding the boundaries of which topics count as philosophical in the first place.  In this course, we’ll look at a number of new-to-the-canon figures.  Who we read will depend on the interests and background of the people in the class, but possibilities like Amo, Cavendish, du Chatelet, Cugoano, Shepherd, and Wollstonecraft.

PHIL 8540 | ETHICS: RESPONDING VIRTOUSLY TO WRONGDOING

Professor(s): Prof. Stangl

Credits: 3

Wednesday1:00-3:30                                                      Cocke 108

Wrongdoing, both on a personal and societal scale, elicits strong and varied responses: indignation, anger, hopelessness, forgiveness, and sadness, among others.  Which of these responses are justified?  Which are likely to be useful?  Which are virtuous?  These questions have not only long interested philosophers, they are also of deep existential significance.  This course will look at recent philosophical work that attempts to grapple with this issue. 

PHIL 9700 | DISSERTATION SEMINAR

Professor(s): Prof. Adams

Credits: 3

Thursday 1:00-3:30                                                                 Cocke 108

This non-credit course is taught every spring. It combines discussions of the 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. 

PHIL 1000 | INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): Prof. Payton

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 12:00-12:50+ disc sec                       Wilson 301     

This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of analytic philosophical thinking, and some core philosophical arguments and ideas. How have philosophers argued for/against the existence of God? Can our past experiences justify our beliefs about what will happen in the future? Do we have free will? Are you morally obligated to give to charity? After addressing the basics of argument construction, we will turn to questions like these. Core course topics include: the existence of God, the nature of knowledge, freedom and determinism, and topics in ethics and social philosophy.

PHIL 1410 | FORMS OF REASONING

Professor(s): Prof. Anderson

Credits: 3

1410-001                                           Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45           Gibson 141     

1410-002                                            Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45          Cabell 058

1410-003                                           Tuesday & Thursday 5:00-6:15             Wilson 214

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.

PHIL 1730 | INTRODUCTION TO MORAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): Prof. Anderson

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 5:00-5:50+ disc sec                           Wilson 301     

What is it to live a really excellent life, & how is this task complicated (or assisted) by the need to live among others who may have very different views from your own? Is the answer to this question simply a matter of taste, or can we learn about better & worse ways to live? We will look to various philosophers to help us think through these matters, including Plato, Immanuel Kant, Adam Smith, David Hume, & John Stuart Mill. Additionally, we will read the play Antigone by Sophocles, novel Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky, & excerpts from the Bible. Students will be required to write two or three short essays, take unannounced short quizzes, & sit a final exam.

PHIL 2110 | HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL

Professor(s): Travis Tanner

Credits: 3

This course satisfies History area requirements.

Monday & Wednesday 8:00-8:50+ disc sec                           Gibson 211     

This is an introductory course on philosophy from Antiquity through the Middle Ages. Throughout the course, we will discuss philosophical issues of enduring importance including knowledge, beauty, good and evil, causation, the existence of God, and freedom. Given our broad temporal scope, the course readings consist of relatively brief excerpts from a wide variety of thinkers. These thinkers include Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Anselm, Ibn Sina, Aquinas, Al-Ghazali, and Ockham. This course has no prerequisites, and so no philosophical or historical background is assumed.

PHIL 2420 | INTRODUCTION TO SYMBOLIC LOGIC

Professor(s): Prof. Cameron

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-8:50+ disc sec                              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 2500-100 | THEORY AND METHOD FOR BIOETHICS

Professor(s): Prof. Stangl

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 10:00-10:50+ disc sec                          Maury 104

This course aims to provide a theoretical background and a set of methodological tools with which to contextualize and address ethical issues as they arise in practical bioethical contexts.  Normative theories and practical principles will be taught, but in the context of current controversies and case studies.  No prior background in philosophy will be assumed.  

PHIL 2500-200 | MINDS AND MACHINES

Professor(s): Prof. Irving

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 1:00-1:50+ disc sec                          Clark 107

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? 

PHIL 2500-300 | INTRODUCTION TO AFRICANA PHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): Prof. Harris

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 11:00 -11:50+ disc sec                      Maury 104

This course examines Africana philosophy as a field of study practiced by professional philosophers. It encompasses African, African American philosophy, Afro Caribbean and their forms worldwide. First, we will circumscribe the topic by exploring the themes that surround the existence of Black people. Students will learn how Africana philosophers have addressed philosophical problems within the context of racism, oppression, and forms of exploitation. Then, we will consider a variety of diagnoses shaped by the black experience such as Black Existentialism, Black Feminism, Black Hegelianism, Black (Radical) Kantianism, Black Marxism, and Black Nationalism.

PHIL 2660 | PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

Professor(s): Prof. Merricks

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: Instructor Permission - First and Second Years only.

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 2820 | PHILOSOPHY OF HEALTH AND HEALTCARE

Professor(s): Prof. Barnes

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-8:50+ disc sec                              Clark 108       

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

Professor(s): Prof. Eaker

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-4:45                                              Nau 141         

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

Professor(s): Prof. McCready-Flora

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45                                            Cabell 364

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 PHILOSOPHERS

Professor(s): Prof. Secada

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 5:00-6:15                                              Monroe 118   

This course examines the various philosophical systems of the 17th century.  This year, we’ll read Hobbes, Descartes, Cavendish, and Spinoza.  

PHIL 3180 | NIETZSCHE

Professor(s): Prof. Langsam

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45                                            Cocke 115

Nietzsche, Nietzsche, and even more Nietzsche on life, truth, philosophy, art, morality, nihilism, values and their creation, will to power, eternal recurrence, and a lot of other good stuff.  Readings will include The Birth of Tragedy, The Gay Science, Beyond Good and Evil, On the Genealogy of Morals, Twilight of the Idols, The Antichrist, and others.

PHIL 3330 | PHILOSOPHY OF MIND

Professor(s): Prof. Ott

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 5:00-6:15                                              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 as beliefs, desires, feelings, sensory experiences, and others. We shall be especially concerned with the relations between the mind and the body, and, more generally, between the mental and the physical. Most of the readings will be by contemporary philosophers.

PHIL 3500-001 | COUNSCIOUSNESS

Professor(s): Prof. Irving

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15                                              Cabell 485      

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 3620 | SCIENCE FICTION AND PHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): Prof. Cameron

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45                                           Gibson 242     

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 | POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): TBD

Credits: 3

 Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-4:45                                             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 3720 | CONTEMPORARY ETHICS

Professor(s): Prof. Stangl

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 5:00-6:15                                              Cabell 032      

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 3730 | ANCIENT ETHICS

Professor(s): Prof. McCready-Flora

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45                                            Cabell 485

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.                         

PHIL 3810 | SEX, SEXUALITY, AND GENDER

Professor(s): Prof. Barnes

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15                                         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 4010 | SEMINAR FOR MAJORS – PHILOSOPHY, MEDITATION, AND SELF-KNOWLEDGE

Professor(s): Prof. Secada

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 12:30-1:45                                         Pavilion 8-108

This seminar is a close reading of three philosophical masterpieces: Plato’s Phaedrus, Anselm of Canterbury’s Proslogion, and Descartes’s Meditations on First Philosophy. Unifying threads of the seminar include issues of self-knowledge, the relation between discursive argument and contemplative meditation, and the nature of philosophy. Students will be asked to write a term paper and to make short class presentations of the assigned texts.

PHIL 1000 | INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): Prof. Cameron

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-8:50+ disc sec                  Clark 107

An introduction to some of the major problems of philosophy. Questions we will look at include: Is consciousness supernatural? Are there races and genders? Do you know you're not in the Matrix? Must the future resemble the past? When is it permissible to end a life? Is morality objective, subjective, or relative? What are the limits of state authority? Readings are drawn from classics in the history of philosophy and from contemporary sources.

PHIL 1410 | FORMS OF REASONING

Professor(s): Prof. Anderson

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45                    New Cabell 364     

Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45                    New Cabell 485

Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15                      Gibson 141

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.

PHIL 1710 | HUMAN NATURE

Professor(s): Prof. Langsam

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-2:50+disc sec                   Minor 125

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

Professor(s): Prof. Stangl

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 9:00-9:50+ 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

Professor(s): Prof. Adams

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 5:00-5:50+ 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 2120 | HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: MODERN

Professor(s): Prof. Secada

Credits: 3

This course satisfies the requirement for History of Philosophy: Modern

Monday & Wednesday 2:00-2:50+ disc sec              Dell 1 105

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 2500-002 | PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE

Professor(s): Prof. Fox

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15                                  New Cabell 232         

It is easy to take for granted what humans can accomplish with language. With language use we can describe and better come to know about the world. We can express ourselves, share core values, and be better able to understand each other. Through language use we also do things and change things, including languages themselves. We define, argue, and translate from completely different languages. Accomplishments abound! In this course, we will revel in some of these accomplishments, and through close study of theories in the philosophy of language that seek to understand, analyze, and explain some of these accomplishments. Large-scale questions will include: how are we able to refer? What are the relationships between words/phrases and what they are able to mean when they are used? What roles do language users play in those relationships? More broadly, what is linguistic meaning? We will approach these and other questions with both theoretical interest and an eye to the practices we share of using language in the world.

PHIL 2500-003 | FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Professor(s): Prof. Lomasky

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15                                  New Cabell 489         

Free speech is about the First Amendment: that’s not exactly false but neither is it entirely true. Constitutional speech guarantees concern restriction by law, but there are many other ways in which people can be pressured not to speak. Sometimes they are fired/not hired, sometimes they are shunned, shamed or canceled.  This course will look at some of the legal issues surrounding speech but mostly examine whether and how speech, broadly understood, should be constrained or protected outside courtroom contexts.  Readings commence with John Stuart Mill’s classic ON LIBERTY.  Then we turn to contemporary disputes, asking how well Mill’s arguments apply to speech in the internet era.

PHIL 2500-100 | PHILOSOPHY OF MORAL RESPONSIBILITY

Professor(s): Prof. Payton

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 10:00-10:50+ disc sec           Nau 211               

In this course we will take up philosophical questions about moral responsibility and blame: what is blame and how is it related to moral responsibility? What does it take to be blameworthy for something? We will also look at questions about blamerworthiness, or what it takes to be in a position to hold another person or institution accountable.

PHIL 2640 | RATIONAL CHOICE AND HAPPINESS

Professor(s): Prof. Barnes

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-8:50+ disc sec                  Wilson 301                 

In this class, we will examine philosophical puzzles about our ability to make rational choices that affect or determine our own happiness. How can we rationally decide to undergo a significant experience - such as having a child or moving to a new country - when have no way of knowing what that experience will be like? How can we rationally choose to make decisions about our future (such as what career path to follow or where to live), since who we will become in the future is in part determined by those choices? These kinds of questions will be the focus of the class

PHIL 2660 | PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

Professor(s): Prof. Merricks

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: Prerequisites: Instructor Permission - First and Second Years only.

Monday & Wednesday 10:00-10:50+ disc sec           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 3120 | ARISTOTLE

Professor(s): Prof. McCready-Flora

Credits: 3

This course satisfies the History requirement for those who have or will take PHIL 2120 – Modern.

Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15                         New Cabell 168

An introduction to the philosophy of Aristotle through close reading of keys texts in translations with the aim of achieving a philosophical understanding of his views and their lasting influence. Readings will focus on his metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind and theory of natural science, though expect material from his ethics and social philosophy as well.

PHIL 3310 | METAPHYSICS

Professor(s): Prof. Merricks

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: Instructor Permission Required

This Course satisfies the Second Writing Requirement

Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15                               New Cabell 389           

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 3320 | EPISTEMOLOGY

Professor(s): Prof. Langsam

Credits: 3

This course satisfies the requirement for M&E.

Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15                              New Cabell 032     

The course focuses on questions in the theory of knowledge. Topics include: skepticism about knowledge of the external world, the nature of justification, foundationalism, and coherentism, the Gettier problem, internalism and externalism, a priori knowledge, the analytic/synthetic distinction, induction, and the ethics of belief.

PHIL 3400 | INTRODUCTION TO NON-CLASSICAL LOGIC

Professor(s): Prof. Cameron

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: Prerequisites: PHIL 2420

Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15                              New Cabell 389

An introduction to systems of non-classical logic, including both extensions and revisions to classical logic. We will look at logical systems that extend classical logic to deal with the phenomena of possibility & time. We will look at logics that revise classical logic to allow for sentences which are neither true nor false, or sentences which can be both. We will show how these departures from classical logic can shed light on various philosophical questions.

PHIL 3500 | METAPHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): Prof. Harris

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15                              New Cabell 058         

Philosophy characteristically probes existence, the reality of objects, the possibility of knowledge, and the nature of truth, among many other things. Metaphilosophy is the self-reflective inquiry into the nature, aims, and methods of the activity that make these philosophical inquiries possible. It is concerned with the nature of philosophy—the philosophy of philosophy.  

PHIL 3640 | POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): Prof. Adams

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15                               New Cabell 309         

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

Professor(s): Prof. Motchoulski

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45                                Cocke 115      

While no one would deny that the concept of the good is basic to ethical thought, the specific role of that concept has varied throughout history. This course will study the role of the good in ethical thought throughout the history of the Western philosophical tradition.  We will start with Aristotle and work our way to the cusp of contemporary philosophy, ending with Bernard Williams. Along the way, we will cover major figures such as Hume, Kant, and Sidgwick. Questions that we will cover concern the relationship between the good and happiness, the good and right, and the good and virtue. 

PHIL 3800 | FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): Prof. Barnes

Credits: 3

Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15                              Cocke 115

In this class, we’ll look at ways in which issues of gender can interact with traditional philosophical topics. We’ll discuss gendered dimensions to our understanding of some central issues in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, and social and political philosophy. 

PHIL 3999 | PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ON LIBERTY

Professor(s): Prof. Lomasky

Credits: 3

Monday & Wednesday 5:00-6:15                                Cocke 115

The Founder of this university declared that we possess an inalienable right to liberty. He does not, however, explain exactly what he means by that. We’re here to help him out. This course examines different theories about the nature and function of liberty. Among the theorists we will study are Adam Smith, J. J. Rousseau, Ayn Rand, and G. A. Cohen. Students will be required to submit 2 or 3 medium length essays and take a final exam. In addition, to keep things interesting there will be several unannounced quizzes.

PHIL 7510 | ARISTOTLE

Professor(s): Prof. McCready-Flora

Credits: 3

This course satisfies History-Ancient area requirements.

Tuesday 1:00-3:30                                                  Cocke 108

Graduate-level treatment, in translation, of Aristotle’s On the Soul and other relevant texts, e.g. Movement of Animals and parts of the Nicomachean Ethics. We will survey all parts of the work but give particular attention to book 3, which covers human reason (nous), imagination (phantasia) and the cognitive basis of animal movement. We will also consider the nature of the soul; function (ergon) and its place in Aristotle's natural philosophy; the varieties of human and animal perception; memory and recollection; practical reason and its various failure modes; and what makes humans cognitively distinct. Knowledge of Greek helpful but not required. Readings to include substantial amounts of secondary literature, with the aim of introducing students to the practices of scholarship and professional history of philosophy

PHIL 7530 | DU BOIS AND PHILOSOPHY

Professor(s): Prof. Harris

Credits: 3

Tuesday 3:30-6:00                                                      Cocke 108

W. E. B. Du Bois's work has been counted as philosophical—either because he makes race an object of philosophical investigation or he helps to innovate the subfields of philosophy of race, social and political philosophy, philosophy of science, and aesthetics with his important vision. It is also philosophical in the sense that he provides a view of the nature of philosophy.  

PHIL 7570 | SOCIAL METAPHYSICS

Professor(s): Prof. Payton

Credits: 3

Monday 3:30-6:00                                                      Cocke 108
In this seminar we will focus on the social construction of properties (e.g., being money) and kinds (e.g., gender and race kinds), with special attention paid to the mechanics and utility of different social construction relations. We will also spend some time with the question of how to best evaluate views about how social construction works: is there a general list of desiderata available here, and if so, what is on that list and why?

PHIL 7900 | DISSERTATION SEMINAR

Professor(s): Prof. Ott

Credits: 3

Thursday 1:00-3:30                                                     Cocke 108

This non-credit course is taught every spring. It combines discussions of the 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.