Undergraduate Courses

2026 Course Descriptions

Spring
 

1100 Introduction to Philosophy

What is the ultimate nature of right and wrong? Can values be objective? Why is there something rather than nothing? Does God exist? Do we have free will? Does it matter? Does anything matter, really? Believe it or not, these are all serious philosophical questions that have important implications for how we should live our lives. Introduction to Philosophy strives to engage these and other perennial philosophical questions using historical and contemporary sources from around the globe.

GE: Historical and Cultural Studies Foundation

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1300 Introduction to Ethics

What is the source of morality, and what makes an action right or wrong? Does it depend on God’s commands? Is it relative to the views of an individual or culture? Can we rationally debate moral questions at all, and if so how? Introduction to Ethics introduces students to philosophical approaches to these sorts of broad foundational questions. Then students consider how such approaches are relevant to controversial social questions, such as: What is a person, and how does this bear on AI ethics and the abortion debate? What do we owe to sentient non-human creatures and how does this bear on the ethics of eating animals or keeping them as pets? When and why is punishment justified, and how does this bear on the American penal system? What is the moral justification for national borders, and how does this bear on immigration debates? Students will read selections from a few of the most historically influential philosophers, including Plato, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill, and many more contemporary thinkers.

GE: Historical and Cultural Studies Foundation

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1332 Engineering Ethics

The purpose of this course is to equip engineering students with the skills necessary for resolving moral issues that are likely to arise in professional contexts. The course begins with a brief introduction to ethics and will then turns to contemporary issues in engineering ethics. Students will discuss whistleblowing, conflicts of interest, diversity in the workplace, risk and uncertainty, privacy and surveillance, sustainability, autonomous weapons systems, and the ethics of artificial intelligence.

GE: Historical and Cultural Studies Foundation
Prerequisites/Restrictions: Not open to students with credit for 1300

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1420 Philosophical Approaches to Racism and Sexism

How should terms like ‘racism’ and ‘sexism’ be defined, especially given the complicated, intersectional nature of lived experience? Can racism or sexism exist without racists or sexists? Is reverse racism or anti-white racism a thing? Given the intersectional nature of oppression, can gender justice be achieved and promoted without racial justice (and vice versa)? Do we need to get clear about the nature of gender in order to understand and counter-act sexism? And similarly, do we need to clarify the nature of race to be effective anti-racists? How does ethnicity differ from race, if at all? The dominant position in philosophical literature is that categories like race, ethnicity and gender are “socially constructed.” But what does this mean, and how do socially constructed categories fit into a broader picture of reality? We will explore these questions in part by studying the views of academic philosophers. We will also explore and assess the implications of these views for the “real world.”

GE: Race, Ethnicity and Gender Diversity Foundation

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1500 Introduction to Logic

There are many ways to get others to believe what you say: using statistics selectively, appealing to authority figures, or triggering emotional responses. These approaches can be useful and sometimes necessary. However, they're essentially deceptive - if discovered, your audience will rightfully challenge your methods. Moreover, these tactics fail against those trained to spot them. As speakers, we want to rely on sound reasoning rather than rhetorical tricks. As listeners, we want to be able to distinguish rhetoric from reason. In this course, we'll explore what it takes to reason well and how to distinguish between good and bad arguments.

GE: Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning (or Data Analysis) Foundation
Prerequisites/Restrictions: Not open to students with credit for 1501.

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1501 Introduction to Logic and Legal Reasoning

This course equips students with the tools of logic and critical thinking especially as they apply to the assessment of legal reasoning. By examining court cases and legal materials, students will learn to assess the strength and validity of legal reasoning, and thus to be able to evaluate and weigh legal evidence and testimony to reach justified conclusions. The critical reasoning practiced in the legal context will generalize to other domains.

GE: Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning (or Data Analysis) Foundation
Prerequisites/Restrictions: Not open to students with credit for 1500.01, 1500.02, or 1501

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2120 Asian Philosophies

This class will explore the main philosophical traditions that underlie the cultures of India, China, Japan, and a number of other countries in south and east Asia. Specifically, we will work toward understanding some of the essential texts from Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and others as time permits. However, we will not be approaching these texts merely for their historical value. We will be engaging them as potential sources of wisdom and insight into the nature of the world around us and our place within it.

GE: Literary, Visual & Performing Arts Foundation; and Historical and Cultural Studies Foundation

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2332 Engineering Ethics for a Diverse and Just World with High Impact Research

This course provides students in engineering and technology fields analytical and critical tools to help them design and build for a diverse and just world. Codes of ethics—such as the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers—encapsulate the demands of citizenship on engineers in their professional capacities. These codes prioritize safety, health, and welfare—but what do these require in a diverse world marked by racial, ethnic, gender, and other inequalities? What ethical and professional responsibilities do engineers in the United States have to diverse communities at home and abroad, and how can they work collaboratively and inclusively?

GE: Citizenship for a Just and Diverse World Theme

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2338 Computing Ethics for a Just and Diverse World

This course provides students in computer science fields analytical and critical tools to become ethically attuned citizens who promote and sustain justice in a diverse world. Codes of ethics—IEEE Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics, and the ACM Code of Ethics—encapsulate the demands of citizenship on computer scientists in their professional capacities. These codes prioritize safety, health, and welfare—but what do these require in a diverse world marked by racial, ethnic, gender, and other inequalities? What ethical and professional responsibilities do computer scientists have to diverse communities at home and abroad, and how can they work collaboratively and inclusively?

GE: Citizenship for a Just and Diverse World Theme

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2340 The Future of Humanity

What will life be like in a hundred, two hundred, or five hundred years? Some believe that further advances in technology will make human life unimaginably joyous and prosperous. Others have a much darker vision of our future—one in which our descendants are left with a depleted planet, and in which they face extinction at the hands of technological forces they cannot control. The future of humanity raises important philosophical and ethical questions. Why should we act more sustainably for the sake of future people? How large should the human population become? Should we use technology to enhance ourselves? Will we someday be able to transcend our physical bodies by uploading ourselves into computers—and if so, would this be a desirable thing to do? How might artificial superintelligence change human life—and could it destroy it?

GE: Sustainability Theme

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2342 Environmental Ethics

This course explores the relationship between humans, our fellow creatures, and the environment we inhabit together. It addresses theoretical questions concerning the value of nature, our duties to future people, environmental justice, and animal rights, as well as practical debates about the ethics of consumption, ecological and animal rights activism, and the just distribution of climate change burdens. By the end of the semester, you will develop the skills needed to think critically about our current environmental challenges and apply ethical reasoning to novel environmental ethics puzzles that will surely emerge over the course of your life.

GE: Sustainability Theme

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2344 Human Flourishing in a Global Society

All too often, global human development has been measured merely by the standards of economic growth. However, philosophers and other thinkers have long offered arguments suggesting that we need an account of development which includes a broader understanding of well-being, equity, empowerment, sustainability, human rights, and cultural freedom. This course will investigate the many challenges that face us as a global society and strive to develop a truly satisfying account of what our goals should be as we move forward into the future.

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2367 Contemporary Social and Moral Problems in the U.S.

Contemporary U.S. society presents a myriad of social and moral challenges. In this course, students will dissect pressing issues such as the ethics of wealth disparity, racial and gender discrimination, political polarization, and climate change. In this course, students will learn how to analyze, construct, and defend moral arguments with careful reasoning and how to apply these skills to philosophical writing.

GE: Writing and Information Literacy Foundation

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2390 Ethics and Leadership in a Diverse World

In this course, students examine what is required of leaders who are also citizens in a pluralistic, democratic society. How do difference and disagreement shape leaders’ responsibilities? How do responsibilities differ within their organizations and as democratic citizens navigating broader social, political, legal, and economic challenges? Students will engage with leading scholarship on the justification of authority, democratic citizenship, morally responsible decision-making, and virtue ethics to understand how citizenship in a just and diverse society shapes our ideals and practices of ethical leadership.

GE: Citizenship for a Just and Diverse World Theme

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2400 Poltical and Social Philosophy

The course investigates one of the central questions of philosophy: How should we, as human beings, live together? Given that social and political institutions both shape us and are shaped by us, what values should we adopt so that we may best fulfill our natures as individual and social beings? In particular, we will focus on questions surrounding how and whether a state can be justified, what it means to be free, what justice entails, and what equality is for, as well as contemporary issues, such as the protection and violation of human rights, immigration, epistemic injustice, and global poverty.

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2450 Philosophical Problems in the Arts

What is art? How should we feel about images, music, and video created by artificial intelligence? Is that art too or is it something else entirely? Is artistic value merely subjective or is there some substantial difference between good and bad art? What role does creativity play in the good life and should we keep making art even if we aren't particularly good at it? This class will engage the complex interactions between the history and the philosophy of art as we strive to understand the nature of art itself and why we value it.

GE: Literary, Visual & Performing Arts Foundation

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2455 Philosophy and Videogames

This course examines video games from a philosophical perspective. The course explores questions such as: What is a game in the first place? Are video games art and if so, are they a distinct form of art from movies or other visual arts? Are achievements that you are awarded in video games real achievements? Do these achievements have value or are videogames largely a waste of time? Is it ever wrong to perform an action in a video game? Is it wrong for tech companies to develop and market video games that are highly addictive for users? Throughout our course, we will also examine broader philosophical issues that arise in the creation and play of videogames. For example, what can we learn from video games about the nature of personal identity or free will?

GE: Historical and Cultural Studies Foundation; and Literary, Visual and Performing Arts Foundation

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2456 Philosophy of Sport

Sport is a central part of many people's lives, but despite the popularity and ubiquity across cultures and histories, there are still a number of questions about it that we've yet to answer. For instance: What constitutes a sport? How is sport different from games? Are esports even sports? What role does sport have within a happy and flourishing life? How should we understand fairness and cheating? How do these considerations bear on drug use in sport? How do considerations of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, and discrimination intersect with sport? In addressing these questions, the course draws on insights from a wide range of subjects including philosophy, psychology, and exercise science.

GE: Health and Well-Being Theme

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2465 Death and the Meaning of Life

What is a meaningful life? What role, if any, does the afterlife play in conceptions of meaningfulness? Can things like achievement, happiness, and engaging in valuable projects give meaning to our lives?  Would immortality or an extraordinarily long life increase or decrease the likelihood of a meaningful life? The course will explore these and related questions. 

GE: Health and Well-Being Theme

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2500 Symbolic Logic

Ordinary physical objects have a basic structure.  Various natural sciences (physics, biology, chemistry, etc.) help us understand this structure, thereby enabling better prediction and control of the world around us. 

Analogously: ordinary language and ordinary arguments have a basic structure; part of the role of symbolic logic is to help us understand this structure, thereby facilitating more effective reasoning and argumentation. In this course we develop a theory of valid deducibility adequate to handle most deductive reasoning to be found in science, mathematics, and legal discourse.  Along the way we will reflect upon such notions as logical truth, logical form, the nature of language, the relation between truth and derivability, the idea of a “correct logic,” and the very idea of a valid argument.  Students should emerge from the course more sensitive to the structure of deductive arguments and better equipped to evaluate them. 

The course is self-contained and requires no special background beyond familiarity with the techniques of high school algebra and geometry.  There will be three mid-term exams and a cumulative final exam, plus frequent problem sets.  TEXT: E.J. Lemmon, Beginning Logic. 

GE: Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning (or Data Analysis) Foundation
Prerequisites/Restrictions: Math 1075 or equiv, or an ACT Math subscore of 22 or higher that is less than 2 years old

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2540 Introduction to the Philosophy of Rational Choice

This course is a brief introduction to rational choice theory and its philosophical, political, and economic significance. It surveys dominant views of rationality and the normative constrains they impose on actions and decisions including decision and game theories. We will also discuss the relationship between individual rationality and the emergence of norms, conventions, and institutions.

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2650 Introduction to the Philosophy of Science

Are you interested in science and how it works? Many foundational questions about science are addressed in philosophy. What is science, and how does it differ from pseudoscience and other non-scientific forms of enquiry? How can scientists know about what they have not observed? Do the unobservable things posited by our best scientific theories really exist? How should we understand scientific explanation? Can all of science be reduced to just the laws of physics? What even is a law of physics? This course is an introduction to such questions and the attempts scientists and philosophers have made at answering them.

GE: Number, Nature, Mind Theme
Prerequisites/Restrictions: 3 cr hrs in logic or Math above 1075, an ACT Math Subscore of 22 or higher, or Math Placement Level R or better, and 3 cr hrs in natural science, or permission of instructor

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2660 Metaphysics, Religion, and Magic in the Scientific Revolution

The seventeenth century saw revolutionary developments in natural science, specifically, in matter theory, mechanics, chemistry, and astronomy. These developments were intertwined with magical traditions, religious doctrines and disputes, and, especially, philosophical theories and arguments. This course will examine some of these connections in the works of some of the most influential natural philosophers of the period. Our main goal is a richer understanding of this crucial period in the development of modern science. 

GE: Number, Nature, Mind Theme
Prerequisites/Restrictions: N/A

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2690 Genes and Society

Our understandings (and misunderstandings) of genetic inheritance have had enormous societal impacts that must be discussed and understood by a broad population of scientists and citizens. We will discuss the science behind, and philosophy underlying issues like the genetic modifications of crops, animals and humans; the impacts of genetics on medicine; and the extent to which genetics influence critical social constructions like race, sex, and sexuality. This class will teach philosophers and ethicists some science, and teach scientists some ethical and philosophical framework so we can engage in robust discussions of the intersections of genetics and society.

Prerequisites/Restrictions: Not open to students with credit for MolGen 2690.

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2850 Introduction to Philosophy of Religion

Should we believe in God? The concept of God has been defined in many different ways throughout history, and a wide variety of arguments have been offered for and against believing in such a being. This class will provide an in-depth look at issues such as: possible explanations for the existence and complexity of the world, the nature of morality, the occurrence of apparently gratuitous evils, the role of faith and personal religious experience, and the challenge of religious diversity.

GE: Cultures and Ideas; and Historical and Cultural Studies Foundation
Prerequisites/Restrictions: N/A

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3220 History of Medieval Philosophy

The philosophy of late antiquity and the medieval era entailed a syncretization of ancient Greek thought and monotheistic theology that set the stage conceptually for the early modern philosophical turn, arguably best represented by the Cartesian cogito.  But how exactly did the medieval thinkers draw upon scriptural traditions and bridge the gap between ancient and modern philosophy?  To what extent are these thinkers theologians, and to what extent are they philosophers?  For that matter, what exactly is the relationship between theology and philosophy? We will consider these questions by reading important late-ancient and medieval thinkers, likely including Augustine, Boethius, Al-Kindi, Al-Farabi, Al-Ghazali, Maimonides, Aquinas, and Meister Eckhart.

Prerequisites/Restrictions: 3 cr hrs in Philos, or permission of instructor

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3221 Philosophy and the Just Society in the Classical Islamic World

In the eighth-tenth centuries AD, Muslim elites living in the Abbasid Caliphate commissioned scholars of diverse confessional backgrounds to translate a vast corpus of Greek, Persian, and Indian philosophical and scientific works. This “Arabic Translation movement” set in motion a revolutionary synthesis of the diverse traditions of the early medieval Islamic empire with long-term ramifications for the region and world history. This course introduces students to the dynamic history of this era and uses the era as arena for exploring how major thinkers of diverse religious backgrounds in this era conceived of an array of foundational ideas: citizenship and political belonging, just versus unjust rule, the role of virtues and ethics in managing the domestic sphere as well as civil and political society, and the aims of the ethical life within political communities.

GE: Citizenship for a Just and Diverse World Theme
Prerequisites/Restrictions: Not open to students with credit for Arabic 3601

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3250 History of 19th-Century Philosophy: Hegel and Marx

In this course we investigate the philosophical views of Hegel (1770-1831) and Marx (1818-1883), with a special emphasis on how their accounts of knowledge inform their political philosophy and philosophy of history. Both philosophers consider how our history shapes who we are today and who we might become in the future. We begin with an investigation of some early parts of Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), where Hegel considers how the knowing subject and its objects should be related for knowledge to be genuine. Hegel identifies a logical progression of different modes of thinking that seems to bear on human history and the legitimate roles for a political state. We then turn to Marx and consider how he transforms Hegel’s proposal by prioritizing a material and economic investigation of the human condition. Through a study of some of the writings collected in McLellan’s Karl Marx: Selected Writings, we will identify what Marx thinks drives human history, political organizations, and the associated forms of human consciousness.

GE: Literature; and Diversity: Global Studies
Prerequisites/Restrictions: 3 cr hrs in Philos, or permission of instructor

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3260 Movements in 20th-Century Philosophy

With reference to seminal works by the likes of Russell, Ramsey, Wittgenstein, Carnap, Quine and others we shall immerse ourselves in the early growth of analytical philosophy in the 20^th century. It will cover pragmatism, logical empiricism, philosophical analysis, and linguistic philosophy.

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3262 Contemporary Continental Thought

This course will focus on the Heideggerian turn in Continental philosophy.  20th century German philosopher Martin Heidegger enacted a thoroughgoing critique of the entire modern philosophical tradition, positing radically new ways of understanding human subjectivity as there-being (Dasein), the world as given through disclosure (Erschlossenheit), truth as unconcealment (alētheia), art as a source of world-building (Ursprung), and modern technology as posing the danger of enframing (Gestell).  Heidegger's thinking proved enormously influential, while this influence is complicated and problematized by the moral repugnancy of Heidegger's personal life.  In the first half of this course, we will study major works by Heidegger like Being and Time, "On the Essence of Truth," "The Origin of the Work of Art," and "The Question Concerning Technology."  In the second half, we will survey major movements and thinkers in later Continental thought with an eye to Heidegger's influence, likely including political theorists like Hannah Arendt and Herbert Marcuse, environmental philosophers like Hans Jonas and Wendell Berry, feminist philosophers of science like Donna Haraway and Karen Barad, and affect theorists like Sara Ahmed and Silvia Federici.

GE: Literature; and Diversity: Global Studies
Prerequisites/Restrictions: 3 cr hrs in Philos other than 1500, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 307

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3300 Moral Philosophy

This course explores ideas and strategies for teaching philosophy, with a special focus on the theory and practice of classroom dialogue facilitation and the Philosophy for Children tradition. You and your fellow classmates will develop skills for fostering caring, creative, and critical thinking through procedurally directive dialogue facilitation techniques, crafting engaging and pedagogically sound lesson plans, and diagnosing and responding to the most difficult classroom puzzles in real time. You will also put what you have learned into practice by teaching lessons at a local high school. This course will critically assess some philosophically influential answers to these questions, and to other, related ones. It  will emphasize the development of intellectual skills such as critical reasoning, discussion and focused analytical writing.

Prerequisites/Restrictions: 6 cr hrs of Philos course work, or enrollment in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Major, or permission of instructor

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3310 Morality and the Mind

This is a course in moral psychology. We will cover topics such as altruism and egoism, moral motivation, praise and blame, moral responsibility, moral judgments and intuitions, virtue and vice, and character. Through both empirical and theoretical research, we will investigate the psychologies of the virtuous and the psychopath, the strong- and the weak-willed, the rationally- and the emotionally-driven agent. Guiding us in our investigations will be one central question: What can facts about human psychology tell us about human morality?

Prerequisites/Restrictions: 3 cr hrs in Philos, or permission of instructor

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3410 Philosophical Problems in the Law

This course explores questions about the ontology, meaning, and justice of laws. What distinguishes a law from a mere command? Does an answer to this question depend on whether the commands are moral? What determines a law's meaning: is it the author's intention or is it something else, such as what a law might mean to a competent reader? How ought considerations about race and historical injustice properly figure in legal reasoning? Are such considerations ever permissible in legal reasoning? If not, does legal reasoning perpetuate institutionalized racism?

Prerequisites/Restrictions: Not open to students with credit for 338

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3420 Philosophical Perspectives on Issues of Gender

“One is not born, but rather becomes a woman”—or so thought Simone de Beauvoir in 1949. This groundbreaking statement is part of an on-going conversation about how and whether gender is related to biological sex, sexuality, class, race, ethnicity, and nation. What does it mean to be a woman or man?  Can one be neither?  How does gender inform one’s conception of the good, truth, and justice?  (How) Can answers to these questions help those who seek to resist and end domination, exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, imperialism, and/or violence? Where can we find hope and how should we pursue it? This course explores these questions from a broad range of feminist perspectives as well as from ones that are not feminist.   This course is offered in coordination with the Ohio Prison Education Exchange Project (OPEEP). The course is a class with both campus students and incarcerated students at the London Correctional Institution, a state prison facility in London, Ohio. The class meets once a week at the prison facility. Students are enrolled only by permission of instructor.

GE: Cultures and ideas and diversity soc div in the US course.
Prerequisites/Restrictions: 3 cr hrs in Philos, or permission of instructor.

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3430 The Philosophy of Sex and Love

How does sexuality affect us and our world?  What exactly is love, in both the senses of romantic communion and care more broadly? How can thinking through these questions help us improve life quality for the marginalized and live freer, more authentic, and happier lives?  In this course, we will examine historical and contemporary theories concerning the natures of sex and love, and their roles in constituting ourselves and our communities. Particular emphasis will be given to recent critiques of power structures and the roles of race, gender, sexual orientation, and class in such critiques.  Applied ethical issues we might address include monogamy and non-monogamy, non-heterosexual marriage, non-traditional family structures, reproduction technology, pornography, consent, and the tension between individual freedoms and community values, particularly in the contemporary U.S. context.

GE: Health and Well-Being Theme
Prerequisites/Restrictions: 3 cr hrs in Philos, or permission of instructor.

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3600 Introduction to Philosophy of Language

This is an in-depth survey course, designed to familiarize students with a variety of theories and movements in the philosophy of language, and to prepare students for more advanced studies in semantic theory and various philosophical approaches to language and linguistic behavior.  No background in linguistics is required, but students are required to have taken Phil 2500 (Symbolic Logic) and several additional philosophy courses. Topics covered include: meaning and understanding; the very idea of “correct” translation; Russell’s Theory of Definite Descriptions; anaphora; proper names: description theories, cluster theories, Kripke’s critique; direct reference and causal-historical theories: rigid designation; natural-kind terms and “Twin Earth” thought experiments; “use” theories of meaning: inferentialism; linguistic roles, neo-pragmatist approaches; Wittgenstein and “language games”; psychological theories (a.k.a. “intention-based semantics”); verificationist theories of meaning; truth-conditional semantics; semantic compositionality; meaning and truth: Davidson’s theory; Grice’s theory of speech acts: illocution, locution, and perlocution; conversational implicature; the nature of linguistic convention; relevance, confirmation and disagreement; “expressive” vs. “descriptive” language; metaphor and figurative uses of language.         Along the way we will puzzle about the relation(s) between language and thought, and the extent (if any) to which conceptual/cognitive activity requires linguistic competence.  Obviously we will not provide in-depth study of all the listed topics—any of which could form the basis of a seminar; but we will touch upon many of them and note their interrelations.  Grade will be based upon two midterm exams, a cumulative final exam, and a ten-page term paper.  There will also be required postings on Canvas, due before each class meeting: this will provide additional motivation for preparing the readings for discussion. Students will be asked to provide relatively brief answers to questions about the required readings.

Prerequisites/Restrictions: 2500 and 6 cr hrs of Philos course work, or permission of instructor

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5010S Teaching Philosophy

This course explores ideas and strategies for teaching philosophy, with a special focus on the theory and practice of classroom dialogue facilitation and the Philosophy for Children tradition. You and your fellow classmates will develop skills for fostering caring, creative, and critical thinking through procedurally directive dialogue facilitation techniques, crafting engaging and pedagogically sound lesson plans, and diagnosing and responding to the most difficult classroom puzzles in real time. You will also put what you have learned into practice by teaching lessons at a local high school.

GE: service learning course
Prerequisites/Restrictions: 6 cr hrs of Philos course work at the 2000-level or above, or Grad standing in Philos, or permission of instructor

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5241 Studies in 18th Century Philosophy: Kant

In this course, we will read and study as much of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason as we can during the semester. Kant is one of the most important thinkers—and his first Critique one of the most important texts— in the history of western philosophy. We will discuss the problem of synthetic a priori knowledge; Kant's theory of pure sensibility; Transcendental Idealism; the Deductions of the Categories; the System of Principles; the Antinomies; and more. Our study will be illuminated by related texts in Kant, and a commentary on the Critique, to be selected. In-class discussion will be emphasized, and assessments will include short papers and an exam.

Prerequisites/Restrictions: Prereq: 3230 or 3240, and 6 cr hrs of Philos course work at the 2000 level or above; or Grad standing in Philos; or permission of instructor.

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5310 Metaethics

Are there objective ethical facts? Is reason the slave of the passions? Is morality an elaborate fiction? Is ethical knowledge possible? This course will explore contemporary philosophical discussions of fundamental questions about the nature of ethical thought and talk, the existence and character of ethical facts, and the possibility of ethical knowledge.

Prerequisites/Restrictions: 3300, or 6 cr hrs in Philos at or above 3000-level; or Grad standing in Philos; or permission of instructor

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5500 Advanced Symbolic Logic

This course is an introduction to the metatheory of first-order logic. We do this through a mathematical investigation into a language for first-order logic and its features. After a brief survey of the basics of set theory and how to develop proofs, we turn to a precise characterization of the syntax and semantics for a language of first-order logic. This allows us to consider some of the most important results for first-order logic: the soundness and completeness of first-order logic as well as the Löwenheim-Skolem theorems. If time permits, we will also investigate the proof that first-order logic is not decidable.

Prerequisites/Restrictions: Prerequisite: Phil. 2500 or permission of the instructor.

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5530 Philosophy of Logic and Mathematics

Throughout history, philosophers have always paid special attention to mathematics. Rationalists, for example, took (what they regarded as) the methodology of mathematics to be the paradigm of knowledge acquisition.  Empiricists went to some length to accommodate mathematics, a prima facie counterexample to their world view. We will begin with the foundationalist programs early this century:  Frege's platonistic logicism, Russell's nominalistic variation, the Hilbert program, and intuitionism.  The (alleged) failure of each program will be discussed, with attention to ramifications for epistemology.  One problem of particular concern in this course will be that of understanding the relationship between mathematics and physical reality.  Course evaluation will be based on a series of informal essays and a substantial term project.

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