Courses for Spring 2019 | Department of Philosophy

	Title	Instructor	Location	Time	Description	Fulfills	Registration Notes
PHIL 001-001	INTRO TO PHILOSOPHY	SINGER, DANIEL	FISHER-BENNETT HALL 419	MW 1000AM-1100AM	Philosophers ask difficult questions about the most basic issues in human life. Does God exist? What can we know about the world? What does it mean to have a mind? How should I treat non-human animals? Do I have free will? This course is an introduction to some of these questions and to the methods philosophers have developed for thinking clearly about them.	Hum & Soc Sci Sector (new curriculum only)	SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCE SECTOR
PHIL 001-050	CENTRAL PROBLEMS IN PHILOSOPHY				Philosophers ask difficult questions about the most basic issues in human life. Does God exist? What can we know about the world? What does it mean to have a mind? How should I treat non-human animals? Do I have free will? This course is an introduction to some of these questions and to the methods philosophers have developed for thinking clearly about them.	Hum & Soc Sci Sector (new curriculum only)	SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCE SECTOR; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 001-601	INTRO TO PHILOSOPHY	BARNETT, MARIE	CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 204	TR 0600PM-0730PM	Philosophers ask difficult questions about the most basic issues in human life. Does God exist? What can we know about the world? What does it mean to have a mind? How should I treat non-human animals? Do I have free will? This course is an introduction to some of these questions and to the methods philosophers have developed for thinking clearly about them.	Hum & Soc Sci Sector (new curriculum only)	HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCE SECTOR
PHIL 002-001	INTRO TO ETHICS	PEREIRA DI SALVO, CARLOS	ANNENBERG SCHOOL 111	MW 1000AM-1100AM	Ethics is the study of right and wrong behavior. This introductory course will introduce students to major ethical theories, the possible sources of normativity, and specific ethical problems and questions. Topics may include euthanasia, abortion, animal rights, the family, sexuality, bioethics, crime and punishment and war.	Society sector (all classes)	SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; SOCIETY SECTOR
PHIL 002-050	PRACTICAL ETHICS				Ethics is the study of right and wrong behavior. This introductory course will introduce students to major ethical theories, the possible sources of normativity, and specific ethical problems and questions. Topics may include euthanasia, abortion, animal rights, the family, sexuality, bioethics, crime and punishment and war.	Society sector (all classes)	SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; SOCIETY SECTOR; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 002-051	ETHICS				Ethics is the study of right and wrong behavior. This introductory course will introduce students to major ethical theories, the possible sources of normativity, and specific ethical problems and questions. Topics may include euthanasia, abortion, animal rights, the family, sexuality, bioethics, crime and punishment and war.	Society sector (all classes)	SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; SOCIETY SECTOR; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 002-301	INTRO TO ETHICS	BAKER, TODD	CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 204	TR 1030AM-1200PM	Ethics is the study of right and wrong behavior. This introductory course will introduce students to major ethical theories, the possible sources of normativity, and specific ethical problems and questions. Topics may include euthanasia, abortion, animal rights, the family, sexuality, bioethics, crime and punishment and war.	Society sector (all classes)	SOCIETY SECTOR
PHIL 002-601	INTRO TO ETHICS	CASTELLITTO, PAUL	MCNEIL BUILDING 395	R 0600PM-0900PM	Ethics is the study of right and wrong behavior. This introductory course will introduce students to major ethical theories, the possible sources of normativity, and specific ethical problems and questions. Topics may include euthanasia, abortion, animal rights, the family, sexuality, bioethics, crime and punishment and war.	Society sector (all classes)	SOCIETY SECTOR
PHIL 003-601	HIST ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY	SHAPIRO, GABRIEL KRANZELBINDER, DANIEL	WILLIAMS HALL 219	MW 0430PM-0600PM	"What is philosophy? How does it differ from science, religion, literature, and other modes of human discourse? This course traces the origins of philosophy as a discipline in the Western tradition, looking to thinkers of Ancient Greece and Rome. We will examine how natural philosophers such as Thales, Anaximander, and Heraclitus distinguished their inquiries from the teachings of poets such as Homer and Hesiod; how ancient atomism had its origins in a response to Parmenides' challenge to the assumption that things change in the world; how Socrates reoriented the focus of philosophy away from the natural world and toward the fundamental ethical question, how shall I live? We will also examine how his pupil, Plato, and subsequently Aristotle, developed elaborate philosophical systems that address the nature of reality, knowledge, and human happiness. Finally, we will examine the ways in which later thinkers such as the Epicureans and Stoics transformed and extended the earlier tradition."	History & Tradition Sector (all classes)	HISTORY & TRADITION SECTOR
PHIL 004-401	HISTORY OF MODERN PHILOS	HUMPHREYS, JUSTIN	ANNENBERG SCHOOL 110	TR 1200PM-0100PM	This course is an introduction to a few central themes in philosophy in the 17th and 18th centuries, and to some of the crucial thinkers who addressed those themes. Topics to be covered may include, among others, the nature of the human being (including the human mind), the relationship between God and the created world, the nature of freedom, and the relations among natural sciences, philosophy and theology in this rich period of human history.	History & Tradition Sector (all classes)	SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; HISTORY & TRADITION SECTOR
PHIL 005-401	FORMAL LOGIC I	WEINSTEIN, SCOTT	CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 402	MWF 1000AM-1100AM	This course provides an introduction to some of the fundamental ideas of logic.Topics will include truth functional logic, quantificational logic, and logical decision problems.		FORMAL REASONING COURSE; FORMAL REASONING
PHIL 008-601	THE SOCIAL CONTRACT	NOAH, THOMAS	MEYERSON HALL B5	R 0630PM-0930PM	This is a critical survey of the history of western modern political philosophy, beginning from the Early Modern period and concluding with the 19th or 20th Century. Our study typically begins with Hobbes and ends with Mill or Rawls. The organizing theme of our investigation will be the idea of the Social Contract. We will examine different contract theories as well as criticisms and proposed alternatives to the contract idea, such as utilitarianism. Besides the above, examples of authors we will read are Locke, Rousseau, Hume, Mill and Marx.	Society sector (all classes)	SOCIETY SECTOR
PHIL 025-001	PHILOS OF SCIENCE	WEISBERG, MICHAEL	CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 402	MW 1200PM-0100PM	What counts as a scientific theory? What counts as evidence for a scientific theory? Are scientific inferences justified? Does science give us truths or approximate truths about a world that exists independently of us? How can we know? Does it matter? These are all perennial questions in the philosophy of science, and the goal of this course is to look at how philosophers have answered these questions since the scientific revolution. In addition to reading classic work by philosophers of science, we will read material from living and dead scientists in order to gain a deeper appreciation of the philosophical questions that have troubled the most brilliant scientists in Western science.	Nat Sci & Math Sector (new curriculum only)	SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; NATURAL SCIENCE & MATH SECTOR
PHIL 026-301	PHIL OF SPACE & TIME	SKILLINGS, DEREK	PERELMAN CENTER FOR POLITICAL 200	MW 0100PM-0200PM	This course provides an introduction to the philosophy and intellectual historyof space-time and cosmological models from ancient to modern times with special emphasis on paradigm shifts, leading to Einstein's theories of special and general relativity and cosmology. Other topics include Big Bang, black holes stellar structure, the metaphysics of substance, particles, fields, and superstrings, unification and grand unification of modern physical theories. No philosophy of physics background is presupposed.	Nat Sci & Math Sector (new curriculum only)	SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED
PHIL 029-601	PHILOSOPHY OF SPORT	MEYER, MILTON	JAFFE BUILDING 113	W 0600PM-0900PM	This is an introductory philosophy course that uses philosophical tools to understand and answer questions that arise in and about sports. Is there a principled basis for determining which methods of performance enhancement are acceptable? Developing a framework to answer this question will take us through: 1) questions about rules: what is their point in sports and what are appropriate reasons to change them; 2) questions about the point of participation in a sport; 3) questions about the kinds of virtues sports participants can demonstrate; and 4) questions about integrity of participants and a sport itself. A related set of questions concerns the appropriate competitors in sporting events: Should competition be restricted to single sex categories; Should competition be divided into disabled and non-disabled categories?
PHIL 030-401	PLATO: DEMOCRACY AND THE POWER OF RHETORIC	REESE, BRIAN	PSYCHOLOGY LAB B35	MW 0200PM-0330PM	A central value of liberal democracy is the free and robust exchange of ideas. However, the polarized nature of contemporary public discourse threatens to undermine our democracy. On a variety of pressing moral issues, we disagree more and do so more strongly. How can we better engage with each other on the problems that affect us as democratic citizens? In this CWiC seminar, we will examine the most pertinent policy problems we face today that generate deep ethical disagreement. Topics include: immigration policy, climate change, eating meat, taxation, reparations, racial and gender injustice, access to healthcare, gun control, social media's effect on democracy and artificial intelligence. Students will read philosophical writings on these topics. They will then engage in a group-based class debate with their peers on a chosen topic. The debate will likely be supplemented by other oral assignments, such as an individual presentation, audience participation during the debate, and general class participation. By having students debate with their peers and uncover the underlying ethical complexities of these problems, this CWiC critical speaking seminar aims to highlight the importance of practicing toleration and civility if we are to overcome deep ethical disagreement.
PHIL 034-601	PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION	STEINBERG, STEPHEN	VAN PELT LIBRARY 402	T 0600PM-0900PM	An introductory philosophical examination of questions regarding the nature of religious experiences and beliefs; arguments for and against the existence of God; the problem of evil; the relationships of faith, reason and science, the possibility of religious knowledge, the role of religious communities, etc. Readings from the history of philosophy, 20th century and contemporary philosophy.
PHIL 040-301	MACHINE FAIRNESS	HUMPHREYS, JUSTIN	WILLIAMS HALL 723	TR 0430PM-0600PM	Artificial intelligence is causing unprecedented changes and disruptions in many sectors of society, raising fundamental ethical and philosophical questions. Although many researchers are currently studying how tasks can be automated efficiently, only a few have discussed how tasks can be automated fairly, to produce the best possible outcome for society. Machine Fairness is an emerging area of research at the intersection of philosophy, machine learning, computer science, statistics, and psychology. This course is designed as a non-technical introduction to the basic problems involved in answering questions about machine fairness. It focuses on a number of applications, including criminal sentencing, predictive policing, self-driving vehicles, autonomous weapons, and healthcare. Although these areas are quite different, they involve similar questions. What biases might enter into algorithms, and what is their origin? How should we evaluate whether the outcomes of an algorithmic process are just? When things go wrong, who should be held accountable? The course addresses these questions by using methods from philosophical ethics.
PHIL 073-050	GLOBAL ETHICS				This course examines some of the central theoretical and applied questions of ethics. For example, what is the good life? By what measure or principles do we evaluate the rightness and wrongness of actions? How does ethical reasoning help us understand and address real world problems such as world hunger, social injustice, sex and race discrimination, allocation of scare resources and the like. The course can be organized around an applied topic or practical issue such as global ethics, just war, biomedical ethics or environmental ethics.		SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 073-051	ETHICAL ISSUES TODAY - ALIMENTARY THEOLOGY: EATING, DRINKING, AND ETHICS				This course examines some of the central theoretical and applied questions of ethics. For example, what is the good life? By what measure or principles do we evaluate the rightness and wrongness of actions? How does ethical reasoning help us understand and address real world problems such as world hunger, social injustice, sex and race discrimination, allocation of scare resources and the like. The course can be organized around an applied topic or practical issue such as global ethics, just war, biomedical ethics or environmental ethics.		SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 074-050	BUSINESS ETHICS				We will examine practical ethical issues facing businesses, and the philosophical tools for addressing them. Topics may include corporate responsibility, shareholders vs. stakeholders, whistle blowing, raiding and restructuring, the morality of markets, fair hiring practices, workers rights, sexual harassment, environmental impact.		SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 074-301	BUSINESS ETHICS	CETTY, CHETAN	WILLIAMS HALL 303	TR 0430PM-0630PM	We will examine practical ethical issues facing businesses, and the philosophical tools for addressing them. Topics may include corporate responsibility, shareholders vs. stakeholders, whistle blowing, raiding and restructuring, the morality of markets, fair hiring practices, workers rights, sexual harassment, environmental impact.
PHIL 077-050	CRITICAL LEGAL THINKING				This course is an introduction to some of the central philosophical problems of law: What is law? What makes law? What is the relationship between law and morality? Can laws be unjust? Is there a moral obligation to obey the law? We will look at different theories of law, such as positivism and natural law theory, and discuss topics like civil disobedience, liberty and the law, and punishment and the law. The third and final section of the course will consider an unusual and particularly significant kind of law: constitutional law. We will consider the purpose(s) of constitutions, how constitutionalism relates to democracy, and how constitutions ought to be understood and interpreted, in light of our answers to these first two questions. Throughout the course, we will engage with both classic and contemporary work, reading work by Michelle Alexander, Jeremy Bentham, Angela Davis, Ronald Dworkin, John Hart Ely, H.L.A. Hart, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Robert Nozick, Martha Nussbaum, Richard Posner, Jeremy Waldron, and others.	Society sector (all classes)	SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; SOCIETY SECTOR; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 079-050	INTRODUCTION TO LIBERAL THINKING				In this course we will investigate some of the ethical issues that arise from our relationship with the environment. Topics may include : What are our responsibilities toward the environment, as individuals and as members of institutions? How do our responsibilities toward the environment relate to other ethical considerations? Do non-human animals/species/ecosystems have intrinsic value? What should conservationists conserve?		SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 079-051	INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THEORY				In this course we will investigate some of the ethical issues that arise from our relationship with the environment. Topics may include : What are our responsibilities toward the environment, as individuals and as members of institutions? How do our responsibilities toward the environment relate to other ethical considerations? Do non-human animals/species/ecosystems have intrinsic value? What should conservationists conserve?		SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 079-052	INTRODUCTION TO LIBERAL THINKING				In this course we will investigate some of the ethical issues that arise from our relationship with the environment. Topics may include : What are our responsibilities toward the environment, as individuals and as members of institutions? How do our responsibilities toward the environment relate to other ethical considerations? Do non-human animals/species/ecosystems have intrinsic value? What should conservationists conserve?		SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 079-301	ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS	SKILLINGS, DEREK	PERELMAN CENTER FOR POLITICAL 100	MW 0330PM-0500PM	In this course we will investigate some of the ethical issues that arise from our relationship with the environment. Topics may include : What are our responsibilities toward the environment, as individuals and as members of institutions? How do our responsibilities toward the environment relate to other ethical considerations? Do non-human animals/species/ecosystems have intrinsic value? What should conservationists conserve?
PHIL 080-050	AESTHETICS				This course examines philosophical issues centering on the nature and value of the arts. Some questions we'll consider are: What is art? What does it mean to have an aesthetic experience? How are aesthetic experiences different from non-aesthetic ones? What is the relation between art and truth? How do the moral qualities in a work of art affect its aesthetic qualities? Why are emotions important in our interpretations of artworks? What is the relation between art and expression? Do forgeries necessarily have less aesthetic value than original artworks? What are aesthetic judgments, and are they merely expressions of taste? Lecture and discussion will center on both classical and contemporary works in aesthetics.	Arts & Letters Sector (all classes)	SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; ARTS & LETTERS SECTOR; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 080-301	AESTHETICS	LORD, ERROL	CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 392	TR 0130PM-0300PM	This course examines philosophical issues centering on the nature and value of the arts. Some questions we'll consider are: What is art? What does it mean to have an aesthetic experience? How are aesthetic experiences different from non-aesthetic ones? What is the relation between art and truth? How do the moral qualities in a work of art affect its aesthetic qualities? Why are emotions important in our interpretations of artworks? What is the relation between art and expression? Do forgeries necessarily have less aesthetic value than original artworks? What are aesthetic judgments, and are they merely expressions of taste? Lecture and discussion will center on both classical and contemporary works in aesthetics.	Arts & Letters Sector (all classes)	ARTS & LETTERS SECTOR
PHIL 202-050	PHILOSOPHY OF HAPPINESS				Selected topics in ethical theory, for example consequentialism, deontology, or virtue ethics. We will begin by looking at some of the historical antecedents to the contemporary debate, starting with work by Bentham, Mill, and Sidgwick. We will then move forward to the contemporary debate, reading important critiques by John Rawls, Bernard Williams, Thomas Nagel, Philippa Foot and others, as well as responses by Peter Railton, Samuel Scheffler, and others. Finally, we will look at recent work by Susan Wolf that provides an alternative perspective on morality, value, and meaningfulness. The readings in this class are challenging, but we will approach them carefully and collaboratively.		STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 202-301	TOPICS IN ETHICS I			TR 1030AM-1200PM	Selected topics in ethical theory, for example consequentialism, deontology, or virtue ethics. We will begin by looking at some of the historical antecedents to the contemporary debate, starting with work by Bentham, Mill, and Sidgwick. We will then move forward to the contemporary debate, reading important critiques by John Rawls, Bernard Williams, Thomas Nagel, Philippa Foot and others, as well as responses by Peter Railton, Samuel Scheffler, and others. Finally, we will look at recent work by Susan Wolf that provides an alternative perspective on morality, value, and meaningfulness. The readings in this class are challenging, but we will approach them carefully and collaboratively.
PHIL 211-050	PRACTICAL REASON IN ANCIENT GREEK AND CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY				A survey of ethical philosophy in the Ancient Greek tradition. We will study the work of Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and the Stoics, including writings of later Roman authors such as Cicero, Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. The class will be run as a seminar. All works will be read in English translation.	Society sector (all classes)	SOCIETY SECTOR; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 228-401	PHIL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE	NOAH, THOMAS	CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 204	MWF 0100PM-0200PM	This course is about the foundations of contemporary social science. It focuses on the nature of social systems, the similarities and differences between social and natural sciences, the construction, analysis, and confirmation of social theories, and the nature of social explanations. Specific topics may include: What are social norms and conventions? What does it mean to have one gender rather than another, or one sexual orientation rather than another? Should social systems be studied quantitatively or qualitatively?
PHIL 233-050	KNOWLEDGE AND REALITY				In this course, general philosophy of science issues are applied to economics, and some problems specific to economics are tackled. While analytical questions like "What is economics?" or "What is an economic explanation" must be pursued, the ultimate goal is practical: What is good economics? How can economists contribute to a better understanding of society, and a better society? How can we make economics better? Topics to be discussed include the following: specific object and method of economics as a social science; its relation with other disciplines (physics, psychology and evolutionary theory); values in economics (welfare, freedom, equality and neutrality); the role of understanding and possible limits of a quantitative approach to human behavior (purposefulness, freedom, creativity, innovation); prediction, unpredictability and the pretension of prediction; causation in econometrics and in economic theory (equilibrium); selfishness and utility maximization (cognitive and behaviorist interpretations); economic models and unrealistic assumptions (realism and instrumentalism); empirical basis of economics (observation and experiment); microeconomics and macroeconomics (reductionism and autonomy); pluralism in economics (mainstream economics and heterodox schools).		SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 234-050	PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION				This course will focus on arguments for and against the existence of God. It will begin by examining the ontological, cosmological, and design arguments for the existence of God. Included will be a discussion of purported evidence for the existence of God from modern biology and cosmology. It will then examine arguments against the existence of God based on human and animal suffering, followed by arguments against the existence of God arising from the scarcity of credible miracle claims.		STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 234-051	CONTEMPORARY THEOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY				This course will focus on arguments for and against the existence of God. It will begin by examining the ontological, cosmological, and design arguments for the existence of God. Included will be a discussion of purported evidence for the existence of God from modern biology and cosmology. It will then examine arguments against the existence of God based on human and animal suffering, followed by arguments against the existence of God arising from the scarcity of credible miracle claims.		STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 244-050	PHILOSOPHY OF MIND				This course will survey several central topics in philosophy of mind, as well as investigating how philosopy of the mind interacts with scientific study of the mind. Among the questions we'll be asking are: What is it to have a mind? What is the relationship between the mind and the brain? Can there be a science of the mind? What can it tell us? What can philosophy contribute to a science of the mind? What is consciousness? What is it to think, to perceive, to act? How are perception, thought, and action related to one another?		SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 244-051	PHILOSOPHY OF PSYCH &AMP; MIND				This course will survey several central topics in philosophy of mind, as well as investigating how philosopy of the mind interacts with scientific study of the mind. Among the questions we'll be asking are: What is it to have a mind? What is the relationship between the mind and the brain? Can there be a science of the mind? What can it tell us? What can philosophy contribute to a science of the mind? What is consciousness? What is it to think, to perceive, to act? How are perception, thought, and action related to one another?		SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED; STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 244-401	PHILOSOPHY OF MIND	GOMEZ-LAVIN, JAVIER	FISHER-BENNETT HALL 401	TR 1200PM-0100PM	This course will survey several central topics in philosophy of mind, as well as investigating how philosopy of the mind interacts with scientific study of the mind. Among the questions we'll be asking are: What is it to have a mind? What is the relationship between the mind and the brain? Can there be a science of the mind? What can it tell us? What can philosophy contribute to a science of the mind? What is consciousness? What is it to think, to perceive, to act? How are perception, thought, and action related to one another?		SECTION ACTIVITY CO-REQUISITE REQUIRED
PHIL 279-301	Contemporary Political Philosophy	TAN, KOK-CHOR	CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 392	TR 1030AM-1200PM	This course will examine contemporary theories of justice, including libertarianism, liberalism, contemporary Marxism and feminism. Examples of topics we will examine are distributive justice, liberty, human rights, republicanism, and global justice. Philosophers we will read include John Rawls, Ronald Dworkin, Robert Nozick, Michael Walzer, Martha Nussbaum, Susan Moller Okin, and G.A. Cohen.
PHIL 298-050	WITTGENSTEIN						STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 298-051	NEUROSCIENCES FOR HUMANITIES						STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 325-301	TOPICS IN PHIL OF SCI	WEINSTEIN, SCOTT	WILLIAMS HALL 320	MW 0200PM-0330PM	A seminar for philosophy majors on selected topics in the Philosophy of Science. In Spring 2019, the course will explore some of the relationships between philosophy and computer science, with a focus on connections with computational complexity theory. Topics will include the bearing of computational learning theory on the problem of induction and the philosophical explication of the notion of randomness. The readings will come from articles in journals made available via Canvas. PREREQUISTITES: The course is entirely self-contained: All topics in computational complexity theory that are necessary for understanding the pertinent philosophical problems will be reviewed in class.
PHIL 362-050	FAITH AND ENLIGHTENMENT: PHILOSOPHIES OF RELIGION FROM ANSELM TO KANT				A study of selected topics, texts, and figures from 17th and 18th century European philosophy. Figures studied may include Descartes, Leibniz,Locke, Berkley, Hume, or Kant. Topics will vary from term to term.		STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 362-301	TOPICS EARLY MODERN PHIL	DETLEFSEN, KAREN		CANCELED	A study of selected topics, texts, and figures from 17th and 18th century European philosophy. Figures studied may include Descartes, Leibniz,Locke, Berkley, Hume, or Kant. Topics will vary from term to term.		MAJORS ONLY
PHIL 372-301	TOPICS IN ETHICS	MEYER, SUSAN	MCNEIL BUILDING 582	TR 1200PM-0130PM	This majors seminar will cover selected topics in ethics. The content will vary from semester to semester.
PHIL 412-401	TOPICS IN LOGIC	TOWSNER, HENRY	DAVID RITTENHOUSE LAB 4E19	TR 1030AM-1200PM	The course focuses topics drawn from the central areas of mathematical logic: model theory, proof theory, set theory, and computability theory.
PHIL 425-401	PHIL OF SCIENCE	WEISBERG, MICHAEL		CANCELED	An advanced introduction to the central philosophical questions concerning the nature of scientific knowledge and its relation to experience, and the metaphysical assumptions underlying the natural sciences. Topics to be covered include: science versus pseudoscience, laws of nature, causation, determinism and randomness, theories and models in science, scientific explanation, underdetermination of theories by observation and measurement, realism and antirealism, reductionism and intertheory relations, objectivity and value judgments in science, hypothesis testing and confirmation of scientific theories, and classical paradoxes in scientific methodology. Prerequisite: Backround in elementary logic and some rudiments of science.
PHIL 430-640	PHILOSOPHY OF MIND	PURPURA, GARY		M 0630PM-0830PM	This course studies particular topics in contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science. Examples include: the nature of consciousness, naturalistic accounts of intentionality, the nature scope of scientific explanation in studying the mind, the intersection of philosophy of mind and epistemology, and theories of agency. Typically, readings include both philosophy and empirical work from relevant sciences.		ONLINE COURSE FEE $150; ONLINE COURSE ONLY
PHIL 431-050	FORMAL EPISTEMOLOGY				Selected topics in Epistemology such as: bridging the gap between mainstream and formal epistemology, the familiar tripartite definition of knowledge (knowledge as justified true belief), basic logical and probabilistic models of knowledge (Hintikka, Aumann, and Bayesian) and their multi-agent variants, logical omniscience and other problems (including the epistemic closure principle), attempts at formalizing joint and common knowledge, resource-bounded knowledge, knowledge under limited logical powers, and empirical knowledge obstructed by system complexity.		STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 436-301	HELLENISTIC PHILOSOPHY	HAHMANN, ANDREE	MEYERSON HALL B5	TR 1200PM-0130PM	A survey of the natural philosophy, ethics, and epistemology of the three major schools of post-Aristotelian philosophy in the West in the period up to approximately 200 CE: the Stoics, the Epicureans, the Academic Sceptics, and the "Pyrrhonists". Authors to be read include Cicero, Seneca, Lucreetius, Sextus Empiricus, and Stobaeus. All texts will be read in English translation. No Latin or Greek is required. Prerequisite: This course will be most suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in Philosophy or Classics; others need instructor's permission.
PHIL 466-401	KANT'S POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY	PEREIRA DI SALVO, CARLOS	PSYCHOLOGY LAB C41	M 0130PM-0430PM	This course is a study of Kant's moral and political philosophy. Texts may include Kant's Lectures on Ethics, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Critique of Practical Reason, Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason, and Metaphysics of Morals.
PHIL 472-050	APPLIED MORAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY				This course is an investigation of the main questions and problems in metaethics since the turn of the 20th century. We will investigate questions about the metaphysics of morality, the philosophy of language of moral talk, the philosophy of mind of moral thought, the epistemology of morality, and the objectivity of morality.		STUDY ABROAD
PHIL 472-301	SURVEY OF ETHICAL THEORY	LORD, ERROL	PERELMAN CENTER FOR POLITICAL 203	TR 1030AM-1200PM	This course is an investigation of the main questions and problems in metaethics since the turn of the 20th century. We will investigate questions about the metaphysics of morality, the philosophy of language of moral talk, the philosophy of mind of moral thought, the epistemology of morality, and the objectivity of morality.
PHIL 505-401	FORMAL LOGIC I	WEINSTEIN, SCOTT	CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 402	MWF 1000AM-1100AM	This course provides an introduction to some of the fundamental ideas of logic. Topics will include truth functional logic, quantificational logic, and logical decision problems.		FORMAL REASONING COURSE; UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION; FORMAL REASONING
PHIL 525-640	MLA Proseminar: Evolution, Altruism, and Human Nature	WEISBERG, MICHAEL	FISHER-BENNETT HALL 20	W 0530PM-0810PM	For the last four centuries, scientific research has provided our most reliable understanding of the world. Although the scientific revolution started modestly with attempts to understand stellar movement, we now know the age and constitution of the universe, the basis of heredity, and we can make and break chemical bonds at will. By all appearances, science seems to have made substantial progress from the scientific revolution to the global scientific enterprise of the 21st centry. This course is about how science has generated this knowledge, and whether it has been as progressive and reliable as it seems. We will consider methodological issues such as the sources of scientific knowledge, objectivity, the growing importance of computation in the natural sciences, and the nature of modeling. We will examine products of scientific research: explanations, models, theories, and laws of nature. And we will discuss questions about science and values, including whether non-scientific values can and should enter scientific research, the relationship between science and religion, and the role of the public in guiding the scientific enterprise.
PHIL 526-401	Appearances from Descartes to Chisholm	HATFIELD, GARY	DAVID RITTENHOUSE LAB 4N30	R 0300PM-0600PM	An investigation of issues that arise from scientific psychology and are investigated philosophically or have implications for philosophy. Specific topics vary by semester. In Spring 2019 the seminar will examine various instances of appealing to appearances in analyzing perception and its relation to an external world. Authors to be studied include Descartes, Hume, Russell, Sellars, and Chisholm.
PHIL 532-301	TOPICS IN EPISTEMOLOGY	SINGER, DANIEL	PERELMAN CENTER FOR POLITICAL 225	M 0330PM-0630PM	This seminar will cover topics of interest to contemporary epistemologists. Possible topics may include skepticism, accounts of knowledge and justification, virtue epistemology, formal epistemology, social epistemology, feminist epistemology, meta-epistemology and epistemic normativity.		UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION
PHIL 547-301	Mind, Education, Liberty	DETLEFSEN, KAREN		CANCELED	This course focuses on topics in philosophy of the 17-18th centuries. Topics may include natural philosophy in the early modern period, the relation of metaphysics to the 'sciences' (including what is meant by "metaphysics", and what falls under the scope of the various sciences), and the special role played by the life sciences. An examination of the development of a few topics in natural philosophy in the early modern period, such as: method (the evolution of hypotheses and their reception, the relation of theory to empirical work, and the importance of different kinds of empirical work, e.e. observation, experiment, use of instruments); the relation of metaphysics to the 'sciences' (including what is meant by "metaphysics", and what falls under the scope of the various sciences); and the special role played by the life sciences. A study of various social, political, and ethical issues, including the role that women played in these issues, and the nascent forms of feminism that emerged in the early modern era.
PHIL 550-301		DETLEFSEN, KAREN		CANCELED	In this course, we will examine problems in contemporary philosophy of education, including: how much control over a child's education ought to be allocated to parents and how much to the state; what role, if any, ought religion to play in education; how do race and gender impact individuals' educational experiences and how should such issues should be addressed in the classroom; what sort of (if any) civic education ought to be taught in schools (especially in wartime such as in the post 9-11 USA); and how should schools be funded? We will deal with a number of case studies, mostly recent, but some crucial historical cases as well. Our readings will be primarily philosophical texts, supplemented with those from other fields, such as psychology, history and sociology, in order to provide empirical context to the theoretical problems facing education today.		PERMISSION NEEDED FROM INSTRUCTOR
PHIL 551-001	Mind, Education, Liberty	DETLEFSEN, KAREN	DAVID RITTENHOUSE LAB 4E9	W 0330PM-0630PM	125 A seminar in philosophy of the early modern period (roughly 1600-1800), covering specific figures and/or topics. Examples of figures studied include (but are not limited to) Descartes Cavendish, Astell, Locke, Hume, Du Chatelet,or Kant. Examples of topics studied include (but again are not limited to)substance, causation, freedom, natural philosophy,education, the human being,the private and the public, or political authority.
PHIL 551-301	The Religious Background of Radical Enlightenment in Europe	VANHEESWIJCK, GUIDO	DAVID RITTENHOUSE LAB 2C8	R 0300PM-0600PM	125 A seminar in philosophy of the early modern period (roughly 1600-1800), covering specific figures and/or topics. Examples of figures studied include (but are not limited to) Descartes Cavendish, Astell, Locke, Hume, Du Chatelet,or Kant. Examples of topics studied include (but again are not limited to)substance, causation, freedom, natural philosophy,education, the human being,the private and the public, or political authority.
PHIL 576-401	Political Authority and Political Obligation (Perry)	PERRY, STEPHEN	TANENBAUM HALL - LAW SCHOOL 253	W 0430PM-0630PM	This class will be dedicated to investigating topics related to rationality in its many forms. Potential areas of study are metaethics, epistemology, moral psychology, and the philosophies of mind, language and action. UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION.		UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION
PHIL 578-301	TOPICS IN POLITICAL PHIL	TAN, KOK-CHOR	CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 493	T 0130PM-0430PM	This is a topics-based graduate seminar in political philosophy. Examples of topics we can examine in this course include distributive justice, liberty, equality, and global justice. Course readings will be drawn from a combination of seminal and more recent works on the selected topics.		UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION