Undergraduate Students
Course Descriptions
101 Introduction to Philosophy 5 credit hoursAntony
The blockbuster film The Matrix has provoked widespread interest in a number of philosophical questions, such as: How do we know what is real? Do we have a duty to seek the truth? What is free will, and do we have it? Can machines think or feel? In this course, we'll use the film as a jumping-off point for a systematic investigation of these and other questions, drawing on essays about the film by contemporary philosophers, as well as more traditional works.
101 Introduction to Philosophy
5 credit hours
Boer
This course surveys some representative issues in the theory of knowledge, philosophy
of religion, philosophy of mind, and ethics. Course requirements: midterm and final exams,
plus two writing assignments.
101 Introduction to Philosophy
5 credit hours
Raffman
We will read about and discuss some of the major philosophical issues facing our society
today. For example: (1) Is abortion morally acceptable? What are the best arguments for
and against allowing abortions? (2) What sort of thing is your mind? Is it just identical to
your brain, or is it something different, so that it might be able to exist separately from
your brain? Would a clone of you have the same mind you have? (3) How do we draw
the line between art and non-art? Are all of the works presented in the Wexner Center
clearly works of art? Assignments will include a series of short papers, in-class midterm
exam, in-class final exam.
101 Introduction to Philosophy
Jones
Summer 05
This course is an introduction to philosophy, centered around discussion of several perennial philosophical questions (with some history along the way). What is truth? What can we know about the world, and with what degree of certainty can we know it? What is the world really like? Is it reasonable to believe that God exists? What is it to be a person like us? What is the relation between our minds and our bodies? What is a self? Are we responsible for our actions? Are our experiences of making choices illusory? What is the difference between moral and immoral actions? What is the difference between just and unjust societies? Text: Donald C. Abel, Fifty Readings Plus: An Introduction to Philosophy.
101 Introduction to Philosophy
Smith
Summer 05
People engage in reasoning that involves statistical data on a daily basis. We are going to focus on two important uses of statistics: (1) the drawing of causal conclusions from correlations, and (2) the employment of samples. The aim is to clarify how relevant data is gathered and assessed, as well as the pitfalls that must be avoided, with an eye to leaving one better able to deal with (1) and (2) in everyday life.
101 Introduction to Philosophy
Pappas
Fall 05
Examination of several complex philosophical problems, such as the nature of the mind and of mental things, the rationality of belief in the existence of God, and different theories of the nature of morally right and wrong actions.
H101 Honors Introduction to Philosophy
Kraut
Fall 05
Most of us make fundamental assumptions about the world, assumptions which we rarely question or even reflect upon. We might assume, for example, that there exists an all-powerful God who created the universe and who keeps an eye on us; or that people are very different from other animals or machines, because people have minds with which to think; or that some actions (like helping others) are right, whereas others actions (like inflicting pain unnecessarily) are wrong; or that science tells us the way the world really is, or that we can freely choose to do certain things. Maybe such assumptions are justified; maybe they arent. Well find out. Requirements: Two mid-term exams, a cumulative final, extensive class participation, and an 8-10 page paper.
H101 Honors Introduction to Philosophy
Summer 05
This course is an introduction to the methods of contemporary philosophy.
We will look at three traditional philosophical problems. First, we will consider the mind-body problem.
What is the relation between mind and body? Is the mind identical to the brain? Or might the mind exist
separately from the body? Second, we will consider the question of personal identity. What makes a person at
a time identical to a person at a later time? Is it a matter of bodily continuity, or psychological continuity,
or some other subtle condition entirely? Finally, we will look at the question of free will. Do the laws of nature
in combination with the past completely determine what the future will be like? Are our actions and decisions all
part of the great chain of causes and effects studied by physics? And if the answer to these questions is yes, does
that mean that we have no free will?
101 Introduction to Philosophy
Tennant
Fall 05
Most of us make fundamental assumptions about the world, assumptions which we rarely question or even reflect upon. We might assume, for example, that there exists an all powerful God who created the universe and who keeps an eye on us; or that people are very different from other animals or machines, since people have minds with which to think or that some actions (like inflicting pain unnecessarily) are wrong; or that science tells us the way the world really is; or that we can freely choose to do certain things. Maybe such assumptions are justified; and maybe they arent. Well find out. Requirements: a variety of short written assignments, including exams and/or papers
H101A Introduction to Philosophy
Taschek
Fall 05
H101 Honors Introduction to Philosophy
This course is designed for honors students with little or no background in philosophy.
We shall closely examine several of the great works of Western Philosophy. The course, however,
is not designed to provide a whirlwind survey of the entire history of philosophy. Our aim, rather,
is to focus closely on a handful of selected original works that are representative of important differing
approaches to certain central and persistent philosophical problems. The point is to allow the students to go
beyond merely reading and hearing about the works of great philosophers and to begin actually interpreting,
analyzing, and most importantly critically evaluating the works themselves and, so, the principles held and the
positions taken by these philosophers. Texts are likely to include: Plato, Euthyphro and Meno; Rene Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy; David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding.; A.J. Ayer, Language,
Truth, and Logic.
H101A Introduction to Philosophy
Shabel
Fall 05
In this course, we will begin the study of philosophy by carefully examining several classic philosophical texts. We will read these texts in an attempt to understand the positions that some great philosophers take on a variety of philosophical issues, including the nature of human knowledge, the relation of mind and body, the possibility of immortality, and the value of reflection. More generally, we will develop our skills as critical readers and writers, seeking to interpret, analyze, and evaluate philosophical arguments. We will occasionally use contemporary films to illustrate the philosophical ideas under discussion.
H101A Introduction to Philosophy
Levine
Fall 05
This course is an introduction to philosophy through an investigation of three central philosophical problems. First, the problem of personal identity: What makes us the same person from moment to moment? Is it a matter of possessing the same body, the same soul, or perhaps some more subtle and complicated condition? Second, the problem of rational faith: Is it possible to justify belief in God by appeal to our experience of the world? Can we reconcile belief in God's goodness with the presence of evil in the world? Third, the problem of justice: What is it to act justly, and are human beings capable of it? What determines whether a society is just?
130 Introduction to Ethics
5 credit hours
Sanger
Spring 2005
An introduction to ethics, with emphasis on applied ethics. Many choices we make each day are ethical choices. This class can help you understand how to think about
ethical choices in a reasoned, clear-headed way--which is very important.
We will look at both (or all) sides of important ethical questions, and the
answer will be left up to you. We will begin by studying the ethics of Mill and Kant,
and thereby learn the basics of utilitarianism and deontological ethics. We will also discuss
ethical relativism. Then we will apply what we've learned to a number of timely issues: terrorism, war,
capital punishment, abortion, and the moral standing of animals. Some questions we might address include: should acts be judged as right or wrong based solely on their consequences? Do we have absolute duties, and inviolable rights? Aren't ethical judgments all relative? What is terrorism, and is it always wrong? What is innocence, and is it ever justified to kill innocent people in wartime? What is the justification of capital punishment, or can it be justified? Is abortion always, sometimes, or never morally wrong? Do animals deserve the same sort of moral consideration that human beings do--if not, why not?
130 Introduction to Ethics
Svavarsdottir
Autumn 05
Is euthanasia ever morally justified? We will start by addressing this important moral question. We will be trying to set emotions and prior convictions aside. The aim is to engage in an open-minded critical examination of the moral reasons that have been given for euthanasia (in some cases) as well as the moral reasons that have been given against euthanasia (in all cases). This study will take us to more general issues in moral philosophy like: Is there a moral difference between killing and letting die? To what extent do the consequences of an action determine whether it is right or wrong? To what extent does the intention behind an action determine whether it is right or wrong? These in turn will lead to questions about the extent of our moral obligations. Are we morally obligated to help victims of natural or political disasters across the globe? Are we morally obligated to look after the less fortunate in our own society? We will end the course by considering an ancient philosophical question: Why be moral? Throughout the term, we will be reconstructing and evaluating arguments in support of opposing moral views.
H130 Honors Introduction to Ethics
Svavarsdottir
Autumn 05
Is euthanasia ever morally justified? We will start by addressing this important moral question. We will be trying to set emotions and prior convictions aside. The aim is to engage in an open-minded critical examination of the moral reasons that have been given for euthanasia (in some cases) as well as the moral reasons that have been given against euthanasia (in all cases). This study will take us to more general issues in moral philosophy like: Is there a moral difference between killing and letting die? To what extent do the consequences of an action determine whether it is right or wrong? To what extent does the intention behind an action determine whether it is right or wrong? These in turn will lead to questions about the extent of our moral obligations. Are we morally obligated to help victims of natural or political disasters across the globe? Are we morally obligated to look after the less fortunate in our own society? We will end the course by considering an ancient philosophical question: Why be moral? Throughout the term, we will be reconstructing and evaluating arguments in support of opposing moral views. In the honors version of this course, a special emphasis will be placed on writing philosophy essays.
150 Introduction to Logic
5 credit hours
Schumm
Spring 05
The primary goals of this course are, first, to introduce you to the basic
concepts and vocabulary of both deductive and inductive logic; second, to show
you how those concepts are applied in the critical evaluation of real-life reasoning
and argumentation; and third, to provide you with enough exercise in critical evaluation
to ensure that you will be able to use these tools in the future.
In a typical
section of this course,
there will be two midterms, a final examination, and weekly quizzes.
150 Introduction to Logic
5 credit hours
Boer
Spring 05
An elementary introduction to the construction and interpretation of formal languages as a
tool for understanding the logical structure of English sentences and assessing the cogency of
arguments in which they figure.
Course requirements: midterm exam, final exam, and several in-class quizzes.
153 Probability, Data and Decision Making
5 credit hours
Schumm
Spring 05
This course is intended as an introduction to the uses of statistical ideas
and reasoning involving probabilities, as found throughout the sciences. Illustrative
examples will be drawn from a wide range of sources, from the use of political and other
types of polls to the testing of new drugs by the FDA. One aim will be to acquaint students
with some of the interesting conceptual issues that underlie various methods of data analysis
and statistical reasoning. A second aim will be to show how to avoid the many potential fallacies
to which this sort of reasoning gives rise. Students should thus emerge from the course
better equipped for construction and evaluation statistically based arguments
153 Probability, Data and Decision Making
5 credit hours
Shapiro
Hardly a day goes by without our being bombarded with claims
involving statistics. Statistical reasoning can be very powerful and fruitful,
but it can also be misleading. Figures don't lie, but some liars know how to figure.
In this course, we will be concerned with how statistical results are obtained, and how to
evaluate the claims. The treatment will be mostly informal,
with a minimum of mathematics involved.
153 Probability, Data, and Decision Making
Schumm
Fall 05
This course is intended as an introduction to the uses of statistical ideas and reasoning involving probabilities, as found throughout the sciences. Illustrative examples will be drawn from a wide range of sources, from the use of political and other types of polls to the testing of new drugs by the FDA. One aim will be to acquaint students with some of the interesting conceptual issues that underlie various methods of data analysis and statistical reasoning. A second aim will be to show how to avoid the many potential fallacies to which this sort of reasoning gives rise. Students should thus emerge from the course better equipped for construction and evaluation statistically based arguments.
215 Asian Philosophies
5 credit hours
Garner
Spring 05
We begin with a study of Indian thought-the Vedas, the Upanishads, and
the Bhagavad Gita. Then we look at Buddhism as it originated and developed in India.
Following that we turn to China to explore the Confucian and Taoist traditions. This prepares
us to understand the entry of Buddhism into China and the development of Chan (Zen) as a synthesis
of Daosim and Buddhism. The course concludes
by tracing the migration of Zen to Japan and more recently to this country.
215 Asian Philosophies
Lee
Fall 05
This course provides an introductory survey into various Asian philosophies. Our main goal will be to understand the core philosophical positions constitutive of Asian philosophies and see how the various philosophical traditions overlap and diverge in terms of their assumptions, outlooks, and recommendations, in dealing with fundamental philosophical issues. We will begin with a look at the foundations of the long tradition of Indian philosophical thought, expressed in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. Against this background, our focus will turn to the origination and development of the deeply influential system of Buddhism. Next will be our exploration of the fascinating Chinese philosophical tradition with an emphasis on Confucianism and Taoism. We will conclude by briefly examining the development of Chan (Zen) and how other evolved forms of these original philosophies emerge as they migrate through Eastern Asia (Korea and Japan). Requirements include two midterms and a final.
230 Intro to Social and Political Philosophy
Farrell
Summer 05
What is the scope and source of the legitimate authority of a government over its subjects? What principles ought to guide or constrain the structuring of our political and social institutions? What role, if any, should government play in the way wealth is accumulated and distributed, and why? What implications do one's answers to these and related questions have to do with the social and political issues that seem to divide us so severely these days--issues like tax policy, abortion, the role of the judicial branch of government vs. the role of the legislative and executive branches, gay marriage, etc.? Readings will be drawn from classical and contemporary texts. Requirements will include three short (three- to five-page) papers, a small-group presentation, a mid-term exam and a final.
230 Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy
Hubin
Fall 05
"Our legal system engages in more coercion in a single day than all the muggers and extortionists in history." A shocking claim perhaps, but remember that we do not merely request compliance with the law; we demand it. We do not reward compliance; we punish noncompliance. What, if anything, justifies legal coercion? Is the state justified in threatening to take away your property, your freedom, even your life. Is it justified in carrying out these threats? The central problem of political philosophy concerns the justification of this coercion. Various defenses of governmental coercion have been offered. We will spend about half the quarter examining and evaluating some of the most influential of these. In the second half of the course, we will look at a few of the less central, but no less important, issues of political and social philosophy.
Requirements will include both midterm and final exams and a term paper to be submitted first in draft from and later in polished form.
240 Introduction to the Philosophy of Art
Kraut
Summer 05
Our goal in this course is to understand and assess certain traditional and contemporary views about the nature and function of art. Here are some questions to be considered: Can aesthetic values be objective? Is "art criticism" anything more than an expression of individual aesthetic preference? What is the difference between "creative innovation" and fraudulence? [A noted jazz critic once described the avant garde as "the last refuge of the untalented." Is this accurate?] Is there such a thing as "the right way to feel" in response to an artwork, or the "correct interpretation" of a text or painting? Is there more to "understanding" an artwork than enjoying it? Is the traditional contrast between "the arts" and "the sciences" tenable? Can "great art" be understood in isolation from the cultural, economic, and political details of the social context in which it is produced? Is art primarily a mechanism for the "expression of emotion"? Can the preservation of historic architectural structures be justified on "aesthetic" grounds? Finally: if a "theory of art" is even possible, how is it relevant to the creation and/or appreciation of art?
In thinking about these questions, we will remain focused upon the realities of music, painting, film, and other art forms. Thus, it would be helpful (though perhaps not essential) if students had some knowledge of art history, and/or working familiarity with some contemporary art form. Requirements: two mid-terms, a cumulative final, participation in class discussion, and a term paper of approximately 8 pages.
240 Philosophical Problems in the Arts
Brown
The questions in this course range from very general ones that cover all the arts to very specific ones that pertain to specific art forms. Sample issues to be addressed: Why are movies such a powerful art form? Can something be a work of art simply by being called "art"? Is there an important distinction popular art and "fine" art? Can art give a true picture of reality? Is there any real way to tell the difference between good and bad art? Can white people really do justice to black music? Should pornography be criminalized? Text is Aesthetics: A Reader in Philosophy of the Arts, ed. David Goldblatt and Lee Brown (Prentice-Hall), second edition and John Berger's Ways of Seeing (Penguin). Films and/or videos will supplement readings. Requirements: one quiz, three midterms, and a final examination.
240 Philosophical Problems in the Arts
5 credit hours
Spring 05
Pratt
This class serves as an introduction to some basic questions in the
philosophy of art. Some of these are at a high level of generalitytheoretical questions
about how art is to be defined, evaluated, and interpreted, and about high arts contrasts
and similarities to crafts and popular arts. Other topics are much more specific. These may
include the paradox of fiction; categorization of arts; the ontology of comics, jokes, and music;
the value of photography; and the limits of representation. Students write two papers on topics of
their choice, take exams and quizzes, and
can produce (for extra credit) a philosophically-informed puppet show.
250 Symbolical Logic
5 credit hours
Spring 05
Batterman
Symbolic logic can be thought of as a formal language that can be used to represent the logically important properties of sentences in natural language. In this course, well learn two different logical languages: sentential logic and first-order predicate logic. We will concentrate on developing rules of syntax and
semantics for both sentential and first order predicate logic.
250 Symbolic Logic
Schumm
Fall 05
We shall develop an account of valid deductibility adequate to handle all valid deductive reasoning typically found in mathematics, science and in most other disciplines. Along the way, light will be shed upon the nature of logical truth, logical form, formal languages, semantics, validity, and related notions. The student should emerge from the course more attuned to how deductive arguments work and with tools adequate to evaluate them. Three one-hour exams, plus a two-hour final. Text: E. J. Lemmon, Beginning Logic (rev. ed., 1978) and G. F. Schumm, A Teaching Companion to Lemmons Beginning Logic (1979).
250 Introduction to Symbolic Logic
Tennant
Fall 05
We aim to give the student a thorough grounding in the techniques of formal logic: translating sentences of English into formal logical notation, analyzing arguments for validity, providing formal proofs for valid arguments, and constructing counterexamples to invalid ones. We shall concentrate on the connectives of propositional logic, but shall also explain the workings of the quantifiers of first-order logic. This is not just a technical exercise, but involves philosophical consideration of issues such as reference, predication, quantification, identity, descriptions, truth and meaning. We shall explain the basic concepts of metalogic, which is the study of logical systems themselves. The most important properties to be studied are the soundness and completeness of systems of proof with respect to a chosen semantics. Our systems of proof will be those of natural deduction, with their characteristic introduction and elimination rules for the connectives and the quantifiers. This affords a unified approach to the study of classical logic and its most important subsystems.
Text: Neil Tennant, Natural Logic, 2nd. edn., Edinburgh University Press 1990.
270 Introduction to Religion
5 credit hours
Hartz
Spring 05
The Judeo-Christian tradition and its God has had the firmest grip on Western culture. In this course we'll be taking a detailed look at that God and
asking all manner of questions about the belief system associated with "him." Among other things we'll be discussing these questions: How do we know there is such a being? How does evil count against God's existence? What is his nature? How much can be known about that nature? What is the role of faith versus reason? Is there existence beyond the grave? Could God break a law of nature? Could he create a stone so large he couldn't lift it? If God already knows whether I'll commit adultery tomorrow, why do I go on trying to resist it (if he knows I will) or arrange it (if he knows I won't) ? What can we make of the mystic's claim that she has directly experienced God? The class will be lecture with discussion, based partly on readings selected from historical figures like Anselm as well as contemporary ones like Nelson Pike. Emphasis is on understanding the full range of theoretical options and the philosophical costs and benefits of taking those options. There will be three exams covering roughly equal segments of class material and an occasional quiz.
270 Introduction to Religion
Jaworski
Religion is one of humanity's most important institutions. It occupies a central place in many of our lives, and influences all of our lives through its impact on the values and beliefs of the communities in which we were raised, those in which we continue to live, and those that we contrast with our own. The world's religions have inspired people to extraordinary actions, and have made tremendous impact on the lives of individuals---sometimes for better, other times for worse. They all advise that there is more to our world and our lives than common sense alone leads us to expect; they demand our attention, and warn that we will miss out on something vitally important if we ignore them.
But what are we to make of religions and their claims? Can reasoning about religious matters give us insight into deep truths? What is the relationship between reasoning and faith? Is the supernatural revealed in certain kinds of experiences? Is it reasonable to believe in miracles? In life after death? In the existence of a God who created the universe? How are we to resolve apparent conflicts between the claims made by different religions? Or between religion and science? Do all religions attempt to express the unexpressible, or does one religion manage to capture the whole truth about existence? And if there is such a religion, must you believe in it, or face dire consequences? Or do all religions simply make false claims about the nature of reality?
In this course, we will investigate these questions and more in an attempt to better understand the role religion ought to play in our lives.
301 History of Ancient Philosophy
5 credit hours
Arlig
Spring 05
It has been said that all of philosophy is nothing but a footnote to Plato.
This overstates the case, but it is nevertheless true that Plato and his most famous pupil
Aristotle have had a tremendous influence on the shape and trajectory of Western philosophy.
In this course, we will survey the principle writings of Plato and Aristotle, including Plato's
"Meno". "Phaedo", and "Republic", and Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics", "Physics", and "On the Soul".
(Note this list is not exhaustive.) We will also examine some of the philosophical ideas that influenced
Plato and Aristotle, and if time permits, we will examine some of the
responses to Plato and Aristotle in the Hellenistic period.
302 History of Medieval Philosophy
5 credit hours
Rudavsky
We'll be looking at primary texts written during the
Middle Ages, in the Western Latin Christian tradition, paying particular
attention to issues in metaphysics and theory of knowledge. One of the goals
of this course is to give the students a representative sample of the sorts
of views that were held in the Middle Ages, and to do that we'll concentrate
on understanding the debates that medieval philosophers thought the most important.
Requirements will include short papers as well as a midterm and final exam.
303 History of 17th Century Philosophy
Lee
Fall 05
This course will examine the central epistemological and metaphysical doctrines set forth by three major philosophers of this time period: Descartes, Locke, and Berkeley. We will focus on the interpretation and evaluation of the arguments these philosophers have to offer in support of their views with regard to such issues as skepticism, the origin and nature of perception and its applicability to the external world, substance and causality, personal identity, and idealism as an alternative metaphysics to materialism. Readings will be from primary texts and the course requirements will most likely include two exams and one paper.
303 History of 17th-Century Philosophy
5 credit hours
Lee
Winter 05
This course will examine the central epistemological and metaphysical doctrines set
forth by three major philosophers of this time period: Descartes, Locke, and Berkeley. We will
focus on the interpretation and evaluation of the arguments these philosophers have to offer in support of
their views with regard to such issues as skepticism, the origin and nature of perception and its applicability to the external world, substance and causality, personal identity, and idealism as an alternative metaphysics to materialism. Readings will be from the primary texts and
course requirements will most likely include two exams and one paper.
304 History of 18th-Century Philosophy
5 credit hours
Shabel
Spring 05
This course will focus on the ideas of three major philosophers
of the Eighteenth Century: Leibniz, Hume, and Kant. Topics to be
discussed include causation, substance, the nature of mind, and the
possibility of knowledge, as well as the historical connections among
the ideas of the three thinkers. Course requirements will include three exams.
305 History of 19th-Century Philosophy
5 credit hours
Hammermeister
This course offers a survey of 19th century philosophy. After a brief recapitulation of Kant's thought,
we will first examine the writings of the German idealists (Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel). Next, we will
explore the multifaceted reactions to these philosophies by thinkers like Schopenhauer, Marx, and Kierkegaard.
A short section of the quarter will also be devoted to 19th century Anglo-American thought, namely utilitarianism
(Mill, Bentham) and transcendentalism (Emerson, Thoreau). The class will conclude with an examination of Nietzsche's
philosophy.
306 Fundamental Concepts of Existentialism
5 credit hours
Rudavsky
Winter 05
The course will cover basic texts of the existentialist philosophers,
as well as the phenomenological background of the movement. Literary and technical writings
will be selected from among the following authors: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger,
Sartre, and Camus. Along with published works, available at the SBX, the course will use a CopEz packet.
Requirements: Two write-at-home midterms, final examination.
321 Introduction to Jewish Philosophy
5 credit hours
Shapiro
A general introduction to major figures and movements in ancient, medieval, and contemporary Jewish philosophy. After a brief introduction to Judaism and philosophy, we will take up Philo, Maimonides, Soloveitchik, and various orientations towards Zionism. Evaluation will be based on a series of short essays, other assignments, class participation, and an essay-type final examination.
322 Jewish Mysticism
5 credit hours
Instructor
Course description not available
323 Judaism and Ethics
5 credit hours
Shapiro
Spring 05
In this course, we will cover a number of ethical issues from the perspective of
traditional, normative Judaism, often comparing this with a more secular approach. The specific topics we cover
will depend on student interest, but we will focus primarily on biomedical topics, such as abortion, euthanasia,
transplants, and surrogate parenting. Questions concerning the beginning of life, the end of life, and the
quality of life will dominate.
During the term, each student will become part of a team, whose responsibility is to present a balanced
treatment of one issue. The team will also prepare a group paper. In addition to this, evaluation will be
based on class participation, a series of short essays, and an open-note, essay-type final examination.
336 Philosophical Perspectives on Issues of Gender
5 credit hours
Hay
Spring 05
An Examination of metaphysical, epistemological and ethical issues surrounding sex and gender, with issues
chosen to represent both theoretical and practical controversies.
338 Philosophical Problems in the Law
5 credit hours
Hubin
What is the nature of a legal system and how, if at all,
does it differ from mere coercion? What is the relationship between law and morality?
Can a legal system be thoroughly immoral or is some basic level of morality necessary for a
system of coercive social rules to be considered a legal system? In the first half of this course,
we will focus on these, and related, questions. In the second half of the course, we will look at a
variety of more specific problems in legal philosophy such as: the justification of a system of legal punishment,
the nature and justification of an insanity defense, the limits of individual liberty, sex discrimination in the law,
and the nature and justification of civil disobedience.
338 Philosophical Problems in the Law
Hubin
Fall 05
What is the nature of a legal system and how, if at all, does it differ from mere coercion? What is the relationship between law and morality? Can a legal system be thoroughly immoral or is some basic level of morality necessary for a system of coercive social rules to be considered a legal system? In the first half of this course, we will focus on these, and related, questions. In the second half of the course, we will look at a variety of more specific problems in legal philosophy such as: the justification of a system of legal punishment, the nature and justification of an insanity defense, the limits of individual liberty, sex discrimination in the law, and the nature and justification of civil disobedience.
This course presupposes no special background in philosophy or law. Requirements include: midterm and final exams, and two short (3-5 page) papers.
367 Contemporary, Social, and Moral Problems in the U.S.
5 credit hours
Arlig
Spring 05
Is every scientific advance good for humankind? In particular, is
every advance in biotechnology a good thing? Or are we in danger of going too far?
Some have recently called for caution, and our president has even suspended funding for
some stem cell research because of ethical doubts. We will consider the fundamental question
of what is human nature, and ask whether all biomedical advances really help us to be better human beings
and to live more fulfilling lives. Some of the issues that will be considered are euthanasia and the
extension of life, eugenics,
performance enhancing drugs, and stem cell research.
431 Ethical Theory
5 credit hours
Svavarsdottir
Spring 05
Attempts to give principled and systematic answers to moral questions
have yielded rival moral theories. Those theories do not only give competing
answers to specific moral questions, but also provide us with different conceptions
of what it is that makes something morally right or good. In this course, we
will critically examine some of the most influential moral theories. Moreover,
we will consider what place moral theorizing has or should have in our lives.
431 Ethical Theory
Farrell
Summer 05
A study of five major moral theories, from original texts, with an emphasis on understanding them and then assessing their merits and demerits as systematic accounts of the nature of morality. Requirements will include two short (five-page) papers, a small-group class presentation, and a final term paper.
455 Philosophy of Science
5 credit hours
Batterman
Winter 05
This course will serve as an introduction to several issues in the philosophy
of science. In particular we will concentrate on the following methodological
issues: Various problems of induction, falsificationism, the nature of scientific
revolutions, the problem of underdetermination, the issues of scientific realism.
Requirements: One paper, a midterm and a final. Text: James Ladyman, Understanding Philosophy of Science(Routledge, 2002)
460 Introduction to Theory of Knowledge
5 credit hours
Tennant
Prerequisites: rudimentary logic, and some experience with conceptual analysis.
This course is both basic and broad. We shall examine questions such as the following.
What makes belief knowledge? What can we know, and how can we know it? What is the role of our sensory experience in our coming to know? What is the role of our reason and understanding? Could there be unknowable truths? Are some truths knowable independently of sensory experience? Do we have innate knowledge? In what sense might non-human animals know anything?
What is the structure of justifications for knowledge-claims? Can justifications regress without regressing viciously? In what ways does our knowledge about abstract objects differ from our knowledge about concrete objects?
Are knowledge-claims relative or subjective? Do they depend upon socio-political forces and institutions of which we might be unaware? What is the role of the community in constituting an individual's knowledge?
What are the special epistemological puzzles posed by subject-matters such as: God; the self; logic; arithmetic; geometry; qualia; perceptual experience; ordinary objects; theoretical entities of natural science (e.g. fundamental particles); meaning and intention; time and space; mind and body; functions and purposes; norms and values?
There will be a list of classic readings, supplemented by the instructor's Web-pages.
Assessment will be by term-paper and final exam.
463 Introduction to Metaphysics
Levine
Fall 05
Survey of the principal philosophical positions concerning the nature of identity, causation, persons, and freedom.
467 Introduction to Philosophy of Mind
5 credit hours
Antony
Autumn05
This course will introduce students to some important questions about the mind and its place in the natural world: Are minds material or immaterial? If the former, how do we explain all the ways that mental phenomena seem to be different from physical phenomena? If the latter, how do we explain how minds can affect and be affected by physical things? How do we know about minds? Is my way of knowing my own mind different from my way of knowing your mind? What is consciousness? Is there a difference between mental states that "feel like" something, like a pain, and mental states that are "about" something, like a belief that Paris is lovely? Could a computer, or "artificial brain," ever be conscious?
Readings will be drawn from mostly contemporary sources.
Requirements will include two exams, an essay, and many short writing exercises.
No particular philosophical background will be presupposed, but students without previous
experience in college philosophy are urged to consult with the instructor before registering.
467 Introduction to Philosophy of Mind
5 credit hours
Raffman
Spring 05
This course will introduce you to the main responses to the mind/body problem, focussing primarily on contemporary writings. We will take up such much-debated questions as: Is the mind just the same thing as the brain, or is it something different? If it is something different, what exactly is it? Could it exist separately from the brain? How can conscious experiences, like the look of a bright red tomato or the sting of a pain, be nothing more than events in our brains? Could a Martian have mental states? What about a dog or cat? Or a computer or robot? Would a clone of you have the same mind as you? Readings from Descartes, Smart, Churchland, Jackson, and others. Assignments will
include a series of short papers, in-class midterm exam, in-class final exam.
H580 Ethical Conflicts in Health Care Research, Policy and Practice
5 credit hours
Farrell
Spring 05
This will be an introduction to the problems, concepts and theories in
bio-medical ethics for advanced Honors students. We will start by surveying a
number of important (and pressing) moral problems in medicine and its supporting
sciences: problems like physician-assisted suicide, organ transplantation issues,
genetic testing and counseling issues, research ethics, health care justice issues,
and so on. Our aim will be to understand what's at stake in these issues and to
identify the pro's and con's of various positions on these issues. We will then
study a number of moral theories that have been proposed for dealing with these
and other moral issues, asking ourselves how well these theories handle the issues
that interest us. Requirements will include three short papers, a (group) class
presentation, and a final term paper.
601.02 Ancient Philosophy-Aristotle
5 credit hours
Silverman
Spring 05
This is a reasonably high-level introduction to the Philosophy of Aristotle. Our major focus will be Aristotle's
Psychology and Theory of Knowledge. We will begin with the metaphysical doctrines and end with the ethical
doctrines. Topics to be covered include: Categories; Perception; The Syllogism and Scientific Methodology;
the acquisition of Knowledge; Immanent Universals and Primary Substances; Being Qua Being; Hylomorphism and
Aristotle's Psychology; Akrasia, Virtue and Happiness. Requirements: 10-15 written pages.
601.02 Aristotle
5 credit hours
Berryman
Aristotle stands beside Plato as one of the two great figures of
ancient Greek philosophy. A central part of his contribution was to
forge a system for the investigation of nature and of the place of human beings
within it. He offers new answers to traditional problems of continuity
through change, causation and the fundamental principles of explanation,
and an account of the development and reproduction of living things. Most
controversial of all is his notion of teleology in nature. This course will
focus on Aristotle's approach to the study of nature and of human nature in
particular, and will consider how his conception of nature shaped his approach
to ethical inquiry.
Berryman
The Hellenistic period of ancient Greek philosophy, beginning after the death of Aristotle, is one of the most fertile and interesting periods of philosophy, with a number of schools competing for converts and offering different paths to individual happiness. Learn how to conquer your fear of death, suspend judgement, align yourself with the cosmic plan and find tranquillity in a troubled world! Topics will include the nature of pleasure, scepticism, suicide, freewill and determinism, reason and emotion, and the therapeutic value of philosophy.
We will study the claims of the Stoics, Epicureans, Sceptics and Cynics to offer you a guide to living well.
602 Studies in Medieval Philosophy
5 credit hours
Rudavsky
This course will concentrate upon central issues in medieval philosophy: eternity of the world, divine omniscience and human freedom, and the existence of evil. Readings will be drawn from a variety of sources (all in English). Students will be expected to write a term paper, as well as a final exam.
Depending upon the size of the class, there may be the opportunity for oral presentations as well.
602 Studies in Medieval Philosophy
5 credit hours
King
We'll try to get a sense of the sorts of problems and concerns philosophers had during the Middle Ages by working through Peter Abelard's *Treatise on Understandings* (philosophy of mind and logic); Thomas Aquinas's *On Being and Essence* (metaphysics); and William of Ockham's attack on property rights in the debates over poverty (political philosophy). Abelard wrote in the 12th century, Aquinas in the 13th, and Ockham in the 14th. No knowledge of Latin will be assumed; come one, come all.
603 Studies in the 17th Century Philosophy
Hartz
Fall 05
Scepticism-roughly, doubting beliefs that are considered bits of knowledge-has a rich history in philosophy, and flourished in the Seventeenth Century, spurred along mainly by Descartes's work in his Meditations. We will take an intensive look at the relevant Meditations and "objections and replies" they elicited from various people at the time. We will also look at some contemporary theorists writing on scepticism, seeking always to come to an clear understanding of the relevant issues. Requirements: two exams and one 6-8 page paper. Texts will include The Philosophical Writings of Descartes, vol 2 (translated by Cottingham, et al), Cambridge University Press.
603 Studies in the 17th Century Philosophy
5 credit hours
Lee
Winter 05
This course will examine some key metaphysical topics which are of common concern to the central continental philosophers of the 17th and early 18th century. We will read the relevant works of Descartes,
Malebranche, Spinoza, and Leibniz in addition to contemporary secondary material with a focus on the following two questions: 1) what understanding, if any, properly captures the causal relation between the
two substances that comprise Cartesian dualism, i.e. mind and body?; 2) how does the new 'modern' conception of nature as mechanistic reconcile itself with the traditional theological beliefs concerning God's relation to the natural world?
604 Studies in 18th-Century Philosophy
5 credit hours
Instructor
Course description not available
604.01 Kant
5 credit hours
Shabel
Spring 05
We will study Kant's epistemology, criticism of metaphysics, and theory of
science by examining selections from Kant's PROLEGOMENA TO ANY FUTURE METAPHYSICS, CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON and associated texts.
604.02 Studies in 18th Century Philosophy
5 credit hours
Farrell
A close study of the work in moral philosophy of David Hume and Immanuel Kant.
We will read Hume's *Inquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals* and parts of his *Treatise of Human Nature*, including all of Part III. We will read Kant's *Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals* and parts of both his *Critique of Practical Reason* and *The Metaphysics of Morals*. Students will be encouraged to peruse the secondary literature on their own. Requirements will include two short papers, a
small-group presentation in class, and a final term paper.
605 Studies in 19th-Century Philosophy
5 credit hours
Instructor
Course description not available
606 Foundations of Analytical Philosophy
5 credit hours
Boer
Course description: This course surveys the origin and development of "Analytical" Phi-losophy dur-ing the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with special attention to the following:
- Gottlob Frege's views on the nature of logic, arithmetic, and meaning.
- Bertrand Russell's phenomenalistic logical atomism, with its ingredient doctrines of logical types, classes, descriptions, judgement, truth, and logical construction.
- G. E. Moore's refutation of idealism and defense of common sense, together with his doctrines concerning concepts, propositions, facts, and the role of "sense-data" in perception.
Prerequisite: In addition to the normal prerequisites for a 600-level course, competence in symbolic logic (Philosophy 250 or equivalent) is required.
612 Introduction to Cognitive Science
5 credit hours
Palmer
Course objectives: Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary study
of the nature of intelligence. The first part of the course is devoted to the
foundations of cognitive science. The second part of the course investigates
psychological, artificial intelligence, linguistic, neuroscientific, and philosophical
approaches to knowledge representation. Current problems in cognitive science will be
covered in the final weeks of the course. Guest lecturers from philosophy, linguistics,
neuroscience, and computer science will contribute to each part of the course. Part I,
Foundations of Cognitive Science, will cover basic contributions to cognitive science from
cognitive psychology (representational formats, memory, skill), artificial intelligence
(problem solving, search procedures),linguistics(phonology, syntax, semantics), and
philosophy (epistemology and ontology). Part II, Knowledge Representation, will cover
relevant topics from neuroscience (neural bases of cognition), philosophy (philosophy of
the mind), Psychology( concepts, reasoning), artificial intelligence (neural networks and
learning), and linguistics (language comprehension and productions). The finals weeks
of the course will explore specific problems in cognitive science from interdisciplinary
viewpoints, including computational vision and natural language processing. Course prerequisites:
students should have 2 courses in each of 2 of the 4 following areas: psychology,
philosophy, linguistics, computer science
625 Philosophical Topics in Feminist Theory
5 credit hours
Antony
Autumn 05
The course this quarter will focus on feminist epistemology. We will
look both at feminist critiques of mainstream analytic epistemology, and at constructive programmes in
"engaged epistemology." The course will begin with background in traditional epistemology, with works by Ayer,
Quine, Gettier, and Goldman, and then proceed to such theorists as Harding, Code, Haraway, MacKinnon, Longino, Keller,
Scheman, Antony, Haslanger, Anderson, and Jones.
630 Advanced Political and Social Philosophy
5 credit hour
Uglietta
This course will concentrate on theories of justice. We will focus on John Rawls' A Theory of Justice and challenges to the theory he presents there. We will consider libertarian, communitarian, and other liberal responses.
Readings will be drawn from a variety of classical and contemporary sources.
630 Advanced Political and Social Philosophy
5 credit hour
Hubin
The central normative problem of political philosophy is this: How,
if at all, can political authority be justified? A wide variety of answers have been proposed. Some have said that political authority is founded on some sort of agreement; others that it is justified by its good consequences; and others, of course, have denied that it is justified at all. This course will focus almost exclusively on the evaluation of various answers to this question. In addition, we will consider the nature and the proper limits of political authority, but these issues will be discussed only to shed light on the central concern. Course requirements include a midterm, a final and a term paper.
631 Advanced Ethical Theory
5 credit hours
Svavarsdottir
Winter 05
This is an advanced course in
metaethics. In metaethics we address questions such as: What are we doing when engaging in
moral thinking or in moral discussions? What is the nature of moral and other value judgments?
Are there moral facts? If so, what is the nature of these facts? Are there objective values?
What would it be for values to be objective?
631 Advanced Ethical Theory
5 credit hours
D'Arms
This course will focus primarily on the metaethical debates of twentieth century moral philosophy: questions about the objectivity of morality, and the meaning of moral language. What would it take for moral claims to be true, and how could we ever come to know that they are true? What do moral claims mean? Do they ascribe moral properties to the world? If so, what is the nature of these properties? If not, then what are we doing when we make moral claims, and why? Time permitting, we may also take up some analogous questions concerning the status of claims about practical reason. Likely authors include Moore, Ayer, Stevenson, Brandt, Hare, Foot, Mackie, Harman, Sturgeon, Railton, Smith,
Gibbard, McDowell, Wiggins, Korsgaard and Williams.
638 Advanced Philosophy of Law
5 credit hours
Uglietta
This course will be an in-depth investigation
of 3 topics in the philosophy of law. The topics are likely to be legal
responsibility (and excuse), punishment, and legal reasoning, but we may
substitute for one of these topics. Students will be required to
write 3 papers.
The instructor is presently examining options in this regard: Requirements: Two write-at-home examinations and a term paper.
640 Advanced Aesthetic Theory
5 credit hours
Kraut
Spring 05
The artworld is a complicated place. It contains acts of artistic creation, interpretation, evaluation,
preservation, misunderstanding, and condemnation. It contains clubowners violating contracts, sound engineers
modifying recorded material, painters struggling for recognition, dancers starving themselves to retain the
requisite body morphology, poets substituting one phrase for another, and nightclub patrons too stupid and/or
musically illiterate to remain attentive during sensitively performed ballads. The artworld contains citizens
seeking to preserve cast-iron facades in their neighborhoods, parents attending dramatic performances at their
childrens schools, museum patrons puzzled about an exhibited hyperrealist sculpture, and amplifiers blowing
output tubes during concerts. The artworld contains raging controversies about the artistic value of various
objects, performances, and achievements.
The goal in this advanced course is to turn a critical reflective eye upon the artworld, and to articulate some of the problems, principles, and norms implicit in the actual practices of artistic creation, interpretation, evaluation, and commodification. The course presupposes substantial background in philosophy: students should have at least 400-level grasp of (several of) metaphysics, ethics, epistemology, logic, philosophy of language and philosophy of mind. Moreover: because our goal is to get clear on what actually happens in the artworld (rather than what certain theorists claim happens in the artworld) it is vital that students have reasonable familiarity with some artform (it is not sufficient to have once visited an art museum). We will study works by Danto, Railton, Ridley, Mattick, Zangwill, Scruton, Collingwood, Steinberg, Walton, Levinson, Dutton, Wollheim, and various other writers in and out of aesthetic theory. We will also read enough art criticism to provide an adequate database for theorizing about actual art-critical practice; and we will read certain artists
reflections upon their own artistic endeavors, thus prompting speculation upon the role(s) played
by artists intentions (and other sorts of mental states) in interpreting and/or evaluating their work.
Course grade will be based upon a take-home mid-term exam, a final exam, two ten-page papers, and contributions
to class discussion.
640 Advanced Aesthetic Theory
5 credit hours
Brown
A course addressing an array of fundamental issues in philosophy of art. Examples:
Art works of art material objects? Should ethnic considerations be relevant to art criticism?
What happens to music when you record it? Ideally, a problem will be treated pertaining to a
variety of arts. This leaves many options, but be alerted to the fact that the instructor has research
projects on "popular" art as well as "high" art, particularly music. See catalog entry for 640 pre-reqs.
(The course does not require any elementary course in esthetics as a pre-requisite.) Texts will include a
Copeze text covering a range of foundational problems in aesthetics. It is possible that we will also address
a text by one author addressing a set of issues from a single perspective. The instructor is presently
examining options in this regard: Requirements: Two write-at-home examinations and a term paper.
650 Symbolic Logic
5 credit hours
Shapiro
An introduction to the meta-theory of first-order languages. The proof theory and model-theoretic semantics for a standard formal language will be developed. The course will include proofs of the completeness, compactness, and Loewenheim-Skolem theorems. The purpose of the course is to provide some of the logical background presupposed by many contemporary philosophical authors. Occasionally, issues in the philosophy of logic will be raised.
There will be a midterm exam, a final exam, and several quizzes over homework exercises.
Prerequisite: Philosophy 250 or equivalent.
650 Advanced Symbolic Logic
5 credit hours
Tennant
This course will cover the important basic results of first-order metalogic.
We shall characterize first-order deductibility within systems of natural deduction,
and the model-theoretic definition of logical consequence. The main results will be the
completeness (and soundness) theorem, the compactness theorem and the downward Lowenheim-Skolem theorem.
There will be philosophical discussion of the aims of formalization or regimentation of mathematical and/or scientific discourse; the status of the notion of logical form; the theory of descriptions; the comparative virtues of inference-based v. truth-conditional theories of meaning; and intuitionistic logic as an important subsystem of classical logic. Students will acquire fluency in construction proofs within these systems, and finding countermodels to invalid arguments. Thus the course aims to impart both intra-systematic and meta-system understanding. Assessment will be based on exercises, a mid-term and a final exam. The text will be Neil Tennant, Natural Logic, Edinburgh University Press, 2nd edition, 1990. If students cannot find copies in the bookstores, photocopies of the work will be authorized.
655 Advanced Philosophy of Science
5 credit hours
Tennant
Spring 05
What is a scientific theory? How does a scientific theory relate to the
evidence relevant to it? How do we form scientific concepts? How do these differ from
concepts from everyday discourse; or mathematical concepts; or metaphysical or religious
concepts? What makes the acceptance of a scientific theory rational? Can two competing
scientific theories have the same subject matter? How can the process of scientific change
be rational? Such questions of logical structure, cognitive significance, commensurability,
and rationality of revision will be the focus of this otherwise general introduction to the
philosophy of science.
Readings: Ian Hacking, ed., "Scientific Revolutions", Oxford University Press; plus sundry papers/chapters by figures such as Popper, Hempel, Boyd, Laudan, Glymour.
693 Individual Studies
5 credit hours
Instructor
Course description not available
694 Group Studies
5 credit hours
Antony
Feminism has given rise to a host of difficult and interesting philosophical questions. Some of these are highly theoretical, and some are of immediate practical significance. This class offers a structured introduction to some of these questions. In the first part of the course, we will tackle some important conceptual issues concerning the notions of "gender" and "oppression," paying special attention to ways in which the notion of "the natural" figures in attempts to justify gender hierarchies. We will also consider the ways in which gender interacts with race, class, sexual orientation and other aspects of identity, and the implications of these interactions for our understanding of "women" and "persons." Along the way, we'll examine some of the theoretical frameworks feminists have developed to analyze gender relations, and to articulate feminist vision. Utilizing this background, we'll take up one or more topical issues as "case studies": is affirmative action morally justified? Is pornography and sex work inherently oppressive to women? Is abortion morally justified, and should it be legal? Some familiarity with philosophical method will be helpful, but is not required. Course requirements will emphasize the analysis of arguments.
697 Study at a Foreign Institution
5 credit hours
Instructor
Course description not available
750 Advanced Logical Theory
5 credit hours
Tennant
Spring 05
This course studies various limitative results in the foundations of logic and mathematics.
Topics will include the undecidability of first-order logic and arithmetic;
the incompleteness of first-order arithmetic; the unprovability of the consistency
of arithmetic; the non-axiomatizability of second-order logic; and Skolem's paradox.
The main metamathematical preliminaries, concerning recursive functions, Church's Thesis,
and the representability in arithmetic of recursive functions, will be carefully explained.
The philosophical implications of these limitative results will also
be explored.Text: N. Tennant, Natural Logic, 2nd edn., Edinburgh University Press, 1990.
801 Kant's Critique of Pure Reason
5 credit hours
Shabel
In this course we will examine the central doctrines of Kant's critical philosophy.
Topics to be discussed will include Kant's theory of space, the synthetic a priori, the categories,
the transcendental deduction, the schematism, the synthetic principles of pure understanding, and transcendental
idealism. Our goal will be to read and discuss approximately the first half of the Critiqe of Pure Reason
(through the Transcendental Analytic.) We will supplement our reading of the Critique with readings from the
Prolegomena and a variety of secondary sources.
Requirements will include a substantive research paper.
830 Seminar in Value Theory
5 credit hours
Svavarsdottir
Metaethics after Moore. 1903 G. E. Moore published Principia Ethica. Much
of 20th century metaethics was developed in response to the semantic, metaphysical, and epistemological accounts of moral discourse that Moore laid out in that work. In this seminar, we will be studying this tradition within metaethics. The seminar
is designed as a teaching or background seminar in metaethics and will, therefore,
be fairly broad in scope. However, we will be doing metaethics rather than just
surveying (a part of) the history of the field.
855 Seminar in Science
5 credit hours
Batterman
Spring 05
It will be on Emergence and will examine issues of emergence in physics as well as philosophy of mind/psychology with an aim to determining if there are different senses of emergence employed in these different areas and whether or not the one sense
(if they are distinct) can inform the other.
860 Seminar in Value Theory
5 credit hours
Tennant
We shall study the problem of belief-revision. This involves getting clear about how to represent
a system of beliefs; what it is for a belief to count as justified within a system (from the believer's point of view); and whether---and, if so, how---trains of justification terminate. We shall inquire how one ought to proceed, as a rational agent, if one wishes to change one's mind by retracting a belief to which one is at present committed. The new system of belief must be a minimal mutilation of the old system. But what exactly is meant by "minimal mutilation"? And how can one ensure it? The problem is more difficult than one would be led to believe by its
simple statement. We shall study the shortcomings of systems of belief-revision that have been variously proposed by mathematical logicians or workers in AI. Then we shall examine a new proposal, which has the advantage that it enjoys a computational implementation. We shall also be able to raise the question whether the need for a logic of rational belief-revision entails
the existence of a"core logic" which is itself (contra Quine) absolutely immune to revision.
863 Seminar in the Philosophy of Metaphysics
5 credit hours
Raffman
Spring 05
What are concepts and how do they work? We will examine some philosophical
and some psychological theories, both "classic" and recent. Readings from Fodor,
Rey, Rosch, Smith & Medin,
Barsalou, Peacocke (article(s) only!), and Prinz, among others.
863 Seminar in the Philosophy of Metaphysics
5 credit hours
The topic of this course is the relation of part to whole. We will introduce classical mereology as the end point in a spectrum of gradually richer mereological systems. We will start with the relatively uncontroversial assumption that the part-whole relation is a partial ordering, i.e., reflexive, anti-symmetric, and transitive, and consider the gradual addition of different supplementation and closure principles until we reach the power of classical mereology. The discussion of the basic principles of mereology will lead us to important questions that are now at the center of a lively debate. We will ask, for example, whether whenever there are some objects, there is a mereological fusion of them. Or whether the mereological fusion of some objects is ``nothing over and above" them. Finally, we will discuss some questions that are left open by the axioms of classical mereology. We will ask, for example, whether the part-whole relation takes absolutely unrestricted range and applies to all objects, whatever their kind. Or whether all mereological fusions are ultimately composed of atomic parts.
873 Seminar in Philosophy of Language
5 credit hours
Boer
Topic: The Foundations of Analytical Philosophy (1879-1918).
A high-level survey of the work of Gottlob Frege and the early Bertrand Russell,
with special attention to (a) Frege's views about the nature of logic, arithmetic and
meaning and (b) Russell's phenomenalistic logical atomism in the context of his views about
logical types, classes, descriptions, judgment, truth, and logical construction. Texts: M. Beaney (ed.), A Frege Reader; R. Marsh (ed.), Bertrand Russell: Logic and Knowledge; B. Russell, Problems of Philosophy; and various articles and book chapters on Electronic Reserve.
873 Seminar in Philosophy of Language
5 credit hours
Taschek
This will be a teaching seminar in the Philosophy of Language.
Its aim is to offer for graduate students only, and in a seminar format, an advanced
introduction to and critical overview of an important though hardly exhaustive range of
issues in the philosophy of language. Our principal focus will be with the nature and
status of meaning, the objectivity of meaning, the relation between truth and meaning,
between sense and reference, the connection between the contents of our thoughts and the
contents of our utterances, and the nature of the cognitive achievement we call linguistic
understanding. Among others, we shall read seminal works by Frege, Russell, Quine, Grice,
Davidson, Kripke, Putnam, and Burge. Assignments will include likely include comment
papers, a brief presentation, and a substantial term paper.
873 Seminar in Philosophy of Language
5 credit hours
Tennant
This is a teaching seminar, which will count for distribution credit in
both M&E and LLS.
We shall examine the recent literature on truth and knowability, focusing
on the Fitch Paradox and the debate between realists and anti-realists
over the epistemic character (or otherwise) of the notion of truth.
The reading will consist of a brick of papers and book-chapters.
Assessment will be based on a term paper, a class presentation, and on
participation in class discussion.
Assessment: One term paper of 5,000 words.
Reading:
C. Peacocke, A Study of Concepts, MIT Press, 1992.
J. Fodor, Concepts: Where Cognitive Science Went Wrong, Clarendon Press,
Oxford, 1998.
Plus various papers to be made available in photocopied form.
993 Individual Studies
5 credit hours
Instructor
Course description not available
999 Research in Philosophy
5 credit hours
Instructor
Course description not available
999A Dissertation Seminar
5 credit hours
Pappas
Deep and original work by advanced graduate students will be disseminated and discussed.
All 693, 993 and 999 call numbers can be obtained by calling 292-7914 or by stopping in Room 350 University Hall.
