Fall 2026 Philosophy Courses
PHIL 1000 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. MacKenzie – ICM5H Monday & Wednesday 9:00-9:50+ disc sec Clark 108
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 2:00-2:50 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.
PHIL 1730 INTRODUCTION TO MORAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. Stangl – RLS5EF Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-4:20+ disc sec Monroe 134
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 be virtuous to our responsibilities in the face of global inequality.
PHIL 1740 ISSUES OF LIFE AND DEATH [3]
Prof. Bernstein - AQE2PX Monday & Wednesday 12:00-12:50+ disc sec Clark 108
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. Motchoulski – AAM5JM Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:20+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 2110 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL [3]
This course satisfies History area requirements.
TBD Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15 Warner 113
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.
PHIL 2350 MINDS, MACHINES, AND PERSON [3]
Prof. Irving – ZCI7C Tuesday & Thursday 5:00-5:50+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? 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 2420 INTRODUCTION TO SYMBOLIC LOGIC [3]
This course satisfies Logic area requirements.
Prof. Cameron – RPC4D Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-9:15 Monroe 130
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 JUSTICE AND HEALTHCARE [3]
Prof. Bernstein - AQE2PX Monday & Wednesday 10:00-10:50+ disc sec Monroe 134
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 2500-200 PHILOSOPHY OF RACE [3]
Prof. Harris – DCN7XU Monday & Wednesday 5:00-5:50+ disc sec Nau 211
This course examines the philosophical issues raised by the concept of race, the practices and mechanisms of racialization, and the persistence of various forms of racism worldwide.
PHIL 2510-001 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS [3]
Prof. Harrell – YBR5PQ Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45 Physics 217
How should humans relate to the natural world? What responsibilities do we have to ecosystems, animals, and future generations? This course explores these questions through the study of environmental ethics. We will examine contemporary environmental challenges—such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental injustice—and consider competing proposals for addressing them. Because many environmental decisions rely on scientific knowledge, the course also explores how we study complex ecological systems and the reliability of that knowledge. By combining ethical reflection with insights from the philosophy of science, students will develop tools for thinking critically about how societies should respond to environmental crises.
PHIL 2510-002 ETHICS OF SOCIAL MEDIA [3]
Prof. MacKenzie – ICM5H Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15 Cabell 187
Our social lives now increasingly take place online, with people whom we only know through usernames and profile pictures. How should our moral practices adapt to this change? Should we express blame online, when we know that doing so might lead to ‘doxxing’? How should we respect peoples' privacy, when our histories can now be discovered with a Google search? And how are our moral values being transformed by the gamification of social media platforms?
PHIL 2510-003 HISTORY OF POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. Motchoulski – AAM5JM Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:15 Cocke 101
This course will survey the historical development of political philosophy in the Western tradition. We will trace the development of that tradition starting in ancient Athens, following it through to the Industrial Revolution. Over the course of this study, students will advance their understanding of central ideas and arguments in political philosophy that deal with concepts such as equality, freedom, democracy, and property, among others.
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
TBD Monday & Wednesday 5:00-6:15 Cocke 101
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 3170 KANT [3]
Prof. Ott – WO5N Tuesday & Thursday 5:00-6:15 Cabell 115
This course focuses on Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, one of the most influential and challenging philosophical works ever written. We will focus on topics such as the self, space and time, causation, and the nature and limits of human knowledge.
PHIL 3185 HEGEL [3]
Prof. Harris – DCN7XU Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15 Cabell 183
This course offers an in-depth introduction to the philosophy of Hegel, one of the most influential thinkers in the history of modern European thought. Through close reading of primary texts including but not limited to selections from Phenomenology of Spirit, Science of Logic, and Philosophy of Right students will explore Hegel’s distinctive method of dialectical reasoning and his systematic approach to metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, art, and history. The course situates Hegel within the broader context of German Idealism, examining his responses to Kant, Fichte, and Schelling, while also tracing his lasting impact on later traditions such as Marxism, Existentialism, Phenomenology, and Critical Theory.
PHIL 3310 METAPHYSICS [3]
Instructor Permission Required
This course satisfies the requirement for M&E.
This Course satisfies the Second Writing Requirement
Prof. Merricks – TDM8N Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45 Cocke 101
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 [3]
This course satisfies the requirement for M&E.
Prof. Hoek – Monday & Wednesday 2:00-3:15 Cocke 101
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 3350 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE [3]
Prof. Boone – ASX7FH Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15 Cabell 187
What distinguishes science from pseudoscience, or from other human practices more generally? How does evidence confirm theories? What does it mean for a scientific theory to explain some aspect of the world? Should we believe scientific theories are true? How do values and social forces shape scientific inquiry? Such questions point to core issues in philosophy of science. In this course, we will examine these and similar topics drawing on both historical and contemporary scientific research.
PHIL 3500-003 IDEOLOGY AND OPPRESSION [3]
Instr. Levinson – QWC8UJ Monday & Wednesday 3:30-4:45 Cocke 101
The concepts of ideology and oppression are often appealed to in both public and academic discourse to explain harmful social and political outcomes. But what precisely is ideology? What is oppression? How do they relate to each other? In this course, we will explore answers to these foundational questions through a philosophical lens.
PHIL 3520 PHILOSOPHY OF NEUROSCIENCE [3]
Prof. Irving – ZCI7C Tuesday & Thursday 12:30-1:45 Cocke 115
We will survey neuroscience’s epistemic and metaphysical foundations. Part 1 is epistemic: do neuroscientific explanations aim to reduce psychology to the brain? Do neuroscientists offer the same kind of explanations as physicists and chemists? Part 2 asks an ontological question: are cognitive functions (e.g. speech) localized to anatomical brain regions (e.g. Broca’s area), distributed in circuits or networks, or not localized at all?
PHIL 3620 SCIENCE FICTION AND PHILOSOPHY [3]
Prof. Harrell – YBR5PQ Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45 Cocke 115
Morpheus: “Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?” The movie The Matrix is not the first venue in which such questions have been asked. The philosopher René Descartes asked very similar questions in the seventeenth century. In fact, philosophers often reflect on these kinds of thought experiments to examine fundamental philosophical questions. In this course, we will examine several philosophical issues raised in science fiction stories, novels, and movies. The idea is that science fiction most often revolves around something foreign to us—aliens, cyborgs, time travel. And confronting what is most foreign to us is often the best way to learn about ourselves. And this is exactly what philosophy is: an investigation of the human condition. We will use stories and movies as stepping stones to address questions such as: How is knowledge possible? What is real? What is the mind, and how does it interact with the body? Can computers think? Are humans ultimately free? What makes our lives valuable? How should we live?
PHIL 3710 ETHICS [3]
Prof. Brewer – TMB2N Tuesday & Thursday 9:30-10:45 Gilmer 245
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 4410 MATHEMATICS, COMPUITABILITY, AND PHILOSOPHY [3]
Instructor Permission Required
Prof. Cameron – RPC4D Tuesday & Thursday 11:00-12:15 Pavilion VIII 102
This class is about some of the fascinating and mind-bending issues that arise in the intersection of philosophy, mathematics, computing science, and logic. Some of the issues we will discuss are: The nature of infinity and the mathematics of the transfinite; Set theory, including non-well-founded set theories; Turing machines and the limits of computability; Godel’s incompleteness theorems and the limits of mathematical proof; Paradoxes and the nature of logic and truth. Through these topics we will see how the fields of logic and philosophy and mathematics and computer science are very closely interlinked, with each informing the other.
No particular prior logical, mathematical, or computer science 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. When requesting permission to enroll in the class, please explain how you believe your background has prepared you to take the class.
GRADUATE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
PHIL 5540 VIRTUE ETHICS [3]
Department Permission Required
Prof. Brewer – TMB2N Thursday 3:30-6:00 Cabell 183
A survey of key thinkers in contemporary virtue ethics, with special attention to the distinction between those who seek to answer established questions of philosophical ethics and those who seek to recenter the field around a different set of guiding questions.
PHIL 5570 PHILOSOPHY & AI [3]
Department Permission Required
Prof. Danks – EWW3BH Tuesday 3:30-6:00 Shannon 119
AI is rapidly impacting almost every part of our lives. In this course, we will both examine AI through a philosophical lens, and also consider the ways in which philosophical questions and topics change in light of AI. The course will cover topics in a range of philosophical areas, including ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of science, and epistemology.
PHIL 7590 PHILOSOPHY OF QUESTIONS [3]
Department Permission Required
Prof. Hoek - Monday 3:30-6:00 Cocke 108
This course is about questions, and the role they play in the way we think, the way we learn, the way we reason, and the way we act. The study of questions has already had transformative effects in linguistics and philosophy of language. The same is now beginning to happen in other areas of philosophy. In this course we will survey these developments, and seek to uncover the connections that exist between them.
PHIL 8570 VAGUENESS [3]
Department Permission Required
This course counts towards the Metaphysics area requirement
Prof. Merricks – TDM8N Tuesday 1:00-3:30 Cocke 108
We shall read the book Vagueness by Timothy Williamson, and a lot of articles on vagueness and related topics.
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 accounts 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.
