PHIL - Philosophy

The course concerns the study and practice of critical thinking. Through analysis of dramatic examples of the critical thinking skills necessary for effective deliberation, it hones analytic skills and encourages careful thought. The primary feature of the course is the consideration of an abundance of exercises, examples, and applications from everyday life, ranging from the courtroom to political debate and from advertising to current social issues.

Discussion of some central problems in philosophy such as the existence of God, the ultimate nature of reality, the conditions for knowledge, the question of free will versus determinism, and the foundations of morality. How should one live? Why would God allow evil? How much can we know about the world around us? Do we have free will? Can we survive death? Such questions are universal and fundamental to all humanity.

The development of formal systems of propositional and predicate logic for the evaluation of reasoning. Truth table techniques to distinguish valid from fallacious inferences, symbolizing English in logical notation, proofs in propositional logic, predicate logic with quantifiers.

Ethics is the study of morality. It is central to issues relating to what a person should believe and how they should act. The investigation of morality occurs via an analysis of metaethics (the fundamental status of moral judgments), normative ethics (the nature of a right action and the nature of a virtuous person), and applied ethics (the application of normative ethics to particular moral issues). The areas are explored through the discussion of such issues as: Is morality relative to culture? Is morality independent of religion? Do the ends of one's action justify the means? What does it mean to be a virtuous person?

Medical ethics is the study of morality in the context of health and pathology. It concerns metaphysical issues about the nature of physical and mental disorders, and moral issues about treatments and policies. Topics include the creation of life, euthanasia, the Hippocratic Oath, treatment of the diseased or disabled, and the distribution of limited healthcare resources. The course topics are at the heart of moral, metaphysical, and economic issues in applied ethics: for example, creation-of-life and end-of-life issues. This course explores these issues and their consequences for the theoretical and applied fields of healthcare.

Introduces students to classical Greek philosophy in the context of the historical, cultural, social, and political conditions of ancient Greece. Part of the course is devoted to a careful examination of the social context of ancient Greece and to the sources and manifestations of Greek values: mythological, religious, literary, educational, and aesthetic.

This course chronicles philosophy in action -- in historical and political contexts. We examine the crucial role Platonism, Aristotelianism, Stoicism, and Epicureanism played during major social upheaval as Caesar, Pompey, Cicero, Cato, Brutus, and Cassius struggle with the often conflicting demands of seeking personal salvation, honoring philosophical conviction, and fulfilling patriotic duty in the final days of the Roman Republic. Later, during the building of the Roman empire, Seneca, Musonius Rufus, and Marcus Aurelius confronted the same conflicts but in different political settings.

Islamic, Judaic, and Latin-Christian thought of the Middle Ages, particularly the 11th to 13th centuries. The course examines the significance of the Greco-Roman tradition to medieval hopes and fears and addresses problems prevalent in all three cultures: the relationship between faith and reason; the nature of the Supreme Being; the connection between theology and art, politics, and metaphysics; and the origin and cause of the world.

The nature of reality, knowledge, and experience as portrayed by thinkers such as the Rationalists (Descartes, Leibniz, and Spinoza), the Empiricists (Locke, Berkeley, and Hume), Kant, and Reid. The legacy of these thinkers as reflected in standard notions of causality, truth, proof, and argument will be explored in relation to contemporary thinkers.

The political philosophy, epistemology, scientific method, and criteria of truth, argument, and reason which distinctively characterize the Founding Fathers, the Transcendentalists, the Pragmatists, and contemporary inheritors of the Pragmatist tradition. Includes consideration of the question: What is distinctively American about American philosophy?

Careful examination of classical and contemporary issues such as the nature of religious experience, the relationship of faith and reason, arguments for and against the existence of God, the significance of the problem of evil, knowing God without arguments, religious language, life after death, miracles, religious ethics, and the differences between Eastern and Western theisms.

The class explores fundamental issues relating to life and death. In particular, it looks at what constitutes life and what, if anything, makes life good. It also investigates what constitutes death and whether death is bad. Using thee notions, the class then analyzes particular moral issues surrounding life and death, such as the moral status of the following practices: abortion, suicide, euthanasia, capital punishment, and war.

The proper form of human association, the just balance of economic, political, and social power, and the nature of the relationship between the state and the individual are explored in the works of prominent historical and contemporary theorists. The course examines the nature of social commitment as viewed by major political philosophies.

Philosophical problems in the arts. Nature of art and aesthetic appreciation; aesthetic attitude, experience, and emotion; relations between art and art institutions; interpretation and evaluation of works of art are among topics considered. Problems specific to music, film, literature, painting, and sculpture are also discussed.

Existentialism is a philosophical realization of living in a broken, ambiguous, dislocated world into which we are thrown and condemned yet abandoned and free. The course examines the work of authors such as Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Kafka, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, and de Beauvoir. Students confront the main themes of life: anxiety, authentic living, meaning, love, relationships, God, and death.

The development of a formal system of logic with relations and multiple quantifiers, identity and definite descriptions. Other topics may include non-classical logics, modal logic (the logic of possibility and necessity), set theory, or results concerning the scope and limits of logical systems.

Students will explore abortion from theoretical and legal perspectives. They will investigate various underlying theoretical issues and the factual and legal aspects if abortion. Students will combine these concepts and explore the moral status of abortion.

The course investigates the criminal justice system and the limits of state coercion. May the state coerce persons only to prevent some persons from harming others? May it do so to protect persons from harming themselves or to protect society's moral fabric? The class will then examine the justification of punishment. Is punishment justified because it reforms offenders, because offenders deserve punishment, or because punishment deters other potential defenders? Finally, the class explores contemporary moral issues such as whether the state should criminalize recreational drug use, hate crimes, or blackmail.

Careful examination of moral issues arising in business contexts such as the duty to tell the truth, the profit motive, the relationship between private ownership and the public interest, the rights and duties of employees and employers, the responsibilities and liabilities of businesses to consumers, the respective roles of business and government, and business trends and social responsibility.

An examination of moral issues of significance today such as abortion, euthanasia, sexual ethics, affirmative action, animal rights, torture, and war. In exploring answers to these issues the course includes an introduction to moral principles produced by traditional theories such as natural law, utilitarianism, Kantianism, and the social contract tradition.

Addresses three specific areas of sex and love, and includes cross-cultural components. First, sexual ethics: Which kinds of sexual activity are morally permissible under what sort of circumstances? Must morally permissible sex be based on love? What is good sex? Second, the politics of sex: Are versions of proper sexuality used as mechanisms to oppress women and homosexuals? Third, the ideals of love: What are the different kinds of love? Why should persons be concerned with analyzing love?

An examination of the basic concepts and methods of the sciences through the study of topics such as the nature of scientific explanation, the status of laws of nature, the relation between observation and theory, and methods of confirming or refuting hypotheses. Other topics might include causality, scientific realism, scientific revolutions, evolution and natural functions, and the distinction between science and pseudo-science.

Libertarianism holds that the only proper function of the state is to protect its citizens from acts of force, fraud, or theft. The class will explore libertarianism and evaluate the arguments for and against it. The class will examine such issues as: whether the state has authority over persons, whether distributive justice allows the state to redistribute wealth, whether rights are inviolable, whether and to what extent property rights should be respected, and whether antidiscrimination laws are justified.

A survey of classic eastern philosophies and religions, including classical Chinese schools (Confucianism, Daoism), some varieties of Hinduism (Advaita Vedanta, Visistadvaita Vedanta), and some varieties of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. Topics include human nature, enlightenment, the nature of ultimate reality, reincarnation, karma, moral transformation of individuals and societies, supernatural beings, knowledge, truth, and idealism. Prerequisite: must have completed INDS 120 or at least one 3 credit Philosophy class.

Religions differ. What should we make of this fact of religious diversity? Theories of religious pluralism hold that in some sense or other, all religions are the same. In this course we’ll explore four major religious traditions, and will then explore theories of religious pluralism, as well as critical responses to and theoretical alternatives to them.

Examines the central themes of the tradition: its view of history, economics, the nature of political struggle, the status of law and morality, and the effects of material living conditions on forms of thought. The relevance of Marxism to revolutionary political movements is explored in the works of thinkers such as Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, Luxemburg, Gramsci, and Marcuse.

The course addresses the most fundamental questions of human existence in theistic, humanistic, and practical dimensions. Does life as a whole have inherent meaning? Does human life in particular have inherent meaning? If there is no God does that imply that life has no inherent meaning? Even if life has no inherent meaning, can life have meaning created by those who live it? If there is no inherent meaning of life, why do people exist? Does mortality rob human life of any significance it might have?

A critical evaluation of major theories of happiness. If people are rational and actively loving, what should people teach their children about more durable forms of life satisfaction? What is success? What is happiness? Is happiness the greatest good? Are all meaningful lives happy? Are all happy lives meaningful lives? What are the sources or conditions of happiness? What is the relationship between heroic, meaningful, and happy lives?

An examination of the fundamental categories of reality, such as existence, substance, property, identity, space, time, event, causation, necessity, essence, free will and mind. The philosophical questions in which these categories play a role will also be discussed; e.g., Is free will possible in a deterministic world? and How can something change its properties over time and still remain the very same thing? Prerequisite: 3 credit hours in philosophy.

Inquiry into the nature of human knowledge and related concepts such as truth, belief and epistemic justification. Knowledge from experience and a priori knowledge. The course addresses theories of justification such as foundationalism, coherentism and reliabilism. It also confronts problems posed by Skepticism for the scope of human knowledge, especially knowledge about the external world. Prerequisite: 3 credit hours in philosophy.

The course explores the nature of law and judicial decision-making. Is law simply a union of rules, a social practice, or an attempt to apply justice to interpersonal disputes? The course also examines the content and interpretation of statues. Should the interpretation take into account the statute's plain meaning? The intent of the legislature that voted for it? Considerations of justice? The class will then discuss the role of judges in interpreting both statutes and common law (judge-made law).

The civil law system adjudicates contractual disputes and disputes involving claims to compensation for injury. The course begins with a discussion of the justification of the system. The class will investigate whether the system is justified by a concern for economic efficiency, justice or both. The class will look at economic rules that relate to the civil laws, such as the rules relating to breach of contract, automobile accidents, liability for defective products, and pollution control. The class will also explore whether justice allows economic factors to be considered.

Special topics in philosophy. Variable-content course which may be taken more than once for credit. An in-depth study beyond the standard curriculum.

Philosophical accounts of the mind and its relation to the world. Topics include the mind-body problem, the intentionality (or "aboutness") of thought, the nature of mental content, consciousness, introspection and knowledge of other minds. Consideration of theories on these topics, such as dualism, behaviorism, type-physicalism, functionalism and eliminativism. Prerequisite: 3 credit hours in philosophy.

Major currents and themes in 20th century analytic philosophy. Attention devoted to the work of such philosophers as Russell, Moore, Wittgenstein, Quine and others. A critical examination of analytic approaches to the philosophy of language, metaphysics, epistemology and other traditional areas of philosophy. Likely topics are theories of meaning and reference, logical atomism, logical positivism, ordinary language philosophy, and recent debates concerning the nature of knowledge, meaning and necessity. Prerequisite: 3 credit hours in philosophy.

Exploration into the nature of language through the examination of such topics as meaning, reference, truth, use, and convention. Contemporary theories about the semantic contribution to sentence meaning made by proper names and definite descriptions; the difference between linguistic and other forms of communication and representation; and the relations between language, thought and reality. Prerequisite: 3 credit hours in philosophy.

Advanced special topics and problems not treated thoroughly in other courses. Past examples: Environmental Ethics, Philosophy of War, Philosophy of History, Rationality, Renaissance Philosophy, Autonomy, and Theories of the Good. Current topics specified in the online Course Offerings.

Advanced special topics and problems not treated thoroughly in other courses. Past examples: Environmental Ethics, Philosophy of War Philosophy of History, Rationality, Renaissance Philosophy, Autonomy, and Theories of the Good. Current topics specified in Course Offerings Bulletin.

Advanced special topics and problems not treated thoroughly in other courses. Past examples: Environmental Ethics, Philosophy of War Philosophy of History, Rationality, Renaissance Philosophy, Autonomy, and Theories of the Good. Current topics specified in Course Offerings Bulletin.

Advanced special topics and problems not treated thoroughly in other courses. Past examples: Environmental Ethics, Philosophy of War Philosophy of History, Rationality, Renaissance Philosophy, Autonomy, and Theories of the Good. Current topics specified in the online Course Offerings.

Intensive study of thought of a major philosopher of historical or contemporary significance. Past examples: Socrates, Plato, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Locke, Berkeley, Russell. Current topics specified in the online Course Offerings.

Intensive study of the thought of a major philosopher of historical or contemporary significance. Past examples: Socrates, Plato, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Locke, Berkeley, Russell. Current topics specified in Course Offerings Bulletin.

Intensive study of the thought of a major philosopher of historical or contemporary significance. Past examples: Socrates, Plato, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Locke, Berkeley, Russell. Current topics specified in Course Offerings Bulletin.

Intensive study of the thought of a major philosopher of historical or contemporary significance. past examples: Socrates, Plato, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Locke, Berkeley, Russell. Current topics specified in Course Offering Bulletin.

Intensive study of the thought of a major philosopher of historical or contemporary significance. Past Examples: Socrates, Plato, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Locke, Berkeley, Russell. Current topics specified in Course Offerings Bulletin.

Intensive study of the thought of a major philosopher of historical or contemporary significance. Past examples: Socrates, Plato, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Locke, Berkeley, Russell. Current topics specified in Course Offerings Bulletin.

Intensive study of the thought of a major philosopher of historical or contemporary significance. past examples: Socrates, Plato, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Locke, Berkeley, Russell. Current topics specified in Course Offerings Bulletin.

Intensive study of the thought of a major philosopher of historical or contemporary significance. Past examples: Socrates, Plato, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Locke, Berkeley, Russell. Current topics specified in Course Offerings Bulletin.

Intensive study of the thought of a major philosopher of historical or contemporary significance. Past examples: Socrates, Plato, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Locke, Berkeley, Russell. Current topics specified in Course Offerings Bulletin.

Intensive study of the thought of a major philosopher of historical or contemporary significance. Past examples: Socrates, Plato, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Locke, Berkeley, Russell. Current topics specified in the online Course Offerings.

The course centers on some of the following issues: (1) an in-depth study of a particular philosopher or specific topic; (2) detailed reflection on the discipline of philosophy, and the effects, if any, of being a philosophy major on the kind of person one becomes in terms of values, attitudes, and ways of viewing and acting in the world; (3) an examination of the art of philosophical research, writing, and oral presentations. Course format and focus vary depending on instructor. Prerequisite: Philosophy major with junior or senior standing, or by permission of instructor.

Student, with faculty member's guidance, will study a topic not currently offered, or will engage in studies in greater depth than current course offerings permit. Permission of instructor required.

Student will pursue a course of independent study and present evidence of accomplishment at end of semester. Philosophy major and permission of instructor required.