Courses
Philosophy Courses
PHL101 Introduction to Philosophy
[3–0, 3 cr.]
This course introduces the major issues and outlooks in ancient, modern, and contemporary philosophy.
PHL201 Ancient Philosophy: From the Pre-Socratics to the Epicureans and the Stoics
[3–0, 3 cr.]
This course examines the roots of Western philosophy in Ancient Greece, and serves as a broad introduction to philosophy. While emphasis will be placed on the works of Plato and Aristotle, the renewed appreciation of the depth of pre-Socratic thought and the value of post-Aristotelian thought will also be given their due. In the process, themes such as the origins of the universe, the nature of reality, the basis of our knowledge, the good life and society, and the handling of misfortune will be discussed.
PHL202 Medieval Philosophy: From Plotinus to Ockham
[3–0, 3 cr.]
An examination of the works of major Medieval thinkers. Special attention will be paid to the origins of modern philosophy in Medieval thought, and how Medieval thinking stands in contrast to Ancient thinking. Also, the theological character of scholastic thought will be emphasized, for example: attempts to reconcile each of Christian and Islamic teachings with the authority of Aristotle; attempts to reconcile the benevolence of God with the existence of evil; attempts to reconcile the omnipotence of God with presumed limits placed on his power by “natural laws”; and attempts to reconcile the omniscience of God with free will.
PHL203 Early Modern Philosophy: From Montaigne to Kant
[3–0, 3 cr.]
Emphasis will be given to (1) early modern theories of knowledge (epistemology) against the backdrop of the Scientific Revolution and (2) the roots of early modern philosophy in Renaissance humanism and the outstanding individuals such as Montaigne who had contributed to several areas of human endeavour. In parallel with (1) and (2), two contrasting approaches to acquiring knowledge will be studied, one based on experience (empiricism), the other on reason (rationalism). Finally, attention will be given to the significant role of skepticism.
PHL204 Modern Philosophy: From Hegel to Heidegger and/or Frege to Wittgenstein
[3–0, 3 cr.]
Two variants of the course will be offered to reflect recent realities. The first variant of the course traces a development from Hegel through Marx, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche into 20th century Phenomenology and Existentialism. The second variant of the course will look at the work of Frege and Russell, and some of their influential 20th century successors. Within the second variant, special attention will be given to Wittgenstein, who was a unique and unclassifiable thinker of great importance.
PHL210 Critical and Creative Thinking
[3–0, 3 cr.]
Students will be taught how to read out arguments in ordinary language —for instance in opinion pieces in newspapers and magazines or in short philosophical passages— and to identify the kind of argument, and to analyze and evaluate those arguments. Students will also be introduced to formal modes of reasoning in categorical and symbolic logic. Finally, students will be trained in thinking creatively about certain passages from the established great figures in the philosophical tradition.
PHL211 Symbolic Logic
[3–0, 3 cr.]
This course introduces the concepts and principles of symbolic logic, in particular the distinction between valid and invalid arguments, the determination of logical relations between sentences, the formal analysis of sentences so that the logical relations between them can be determined, the definition and construction of a formal language, the evaluation of truth, truth-functions, quantifiers and their use in the analysis of arguments, and predicate logic.
PHL301 Ethics
[3–0, 3 cr.]
Ethics is classically the study of what is right, just, appropriate, or desirable, all of which are among the various meanings given to “the good,” the central concern of ethics. Typically, this course will have historical, theoretical, and applied dimensions: the historical dimension will provide acquaintance with the various kinds of ethical and moral theory that have emerged over the last two and half millennia; the theoretical dimension will examine the content of these ideas closely; and the applied dimension will sharpen the student’s ability to think through distinctively ethical and moral problems.
PHL302 Theory of Knowledge
[3–0, 3 cr.]
Theory of knowledge, known as “epistemology,” is a fundamental and enduringly significant branch of philosophy. Despite many historical transformations (some of which will be examined), it has had stable aims, among which are the definition of knowledge, the distinction between knowledge and belief, the methodologies and procedure by which knowledge is acquired, and how to deal with skepticism. These issues will be raised and explored with reference to both ancient and modern texts.
PHL303 Metaphysics
[3–0, 3 cr.]
Metaphysics is the broad philosophical study of the basic form, structure, essence, and elements of reality or “being,” and in its classical form it tries to provide a unified account of how the cosmos hangs together and what makes the cosmos what it is. This course may variously emphasize metaphysical topics in religion, physics, and/or mind. Overall, the course will survey philosophers’ quest to grasp the basic nature of reality (perhaps with that of some physicists and biologists who have recently joined philosophers in their timeless quest).
PHL311 Philosophy of Religion
[3–0, 3 cr.]
This course will address fundamental philosophical questions arising from all major religions in the worlds, including the three Abrahamic faiths as well as the older Asian traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. The course will deal with common religious themes such as Transcendence (or the Sacred or Mystery), religious experience, religious language, symbolism, the relationship between faith and reason, the relationship between science, mythology, and religion, and religious pluralism.
PHL321 Philosophy of Art
[3–0, 3 cr.]
The course deals with (1) how we can discern whether something qualifies as art, in what sense our aesthetic judgments are subjective or objective, what qualifies as a good, bad, correct, or an incorrect interpretation of an artwork, and whether we can learn from art (epistemological issues); (2) the nature of art and artworks and the kinds of experience associated with them, how art relates to reality, the creative process, and aesthetic experience (metaphysical issues); and (3) the moral dimension of art (moral issues).
PHL322 Philosophy in Literature and Film
[3–0, 3 cr.]
Modern novels and films have often been far more effective than the work of philosophers in engaging readers with some of the most important questions of life, such as the existence of God, the meaning of life, the role of art in shaping human beings, the nature of time, truth, and reality, our relationship to nature, and so on. This course will therefore turn to literature and/or film to immerse students in situations that bring urgent philosophical issues to the foreground with great power and conviction.
PHL323 Philosophy of History
[3–0, 3 cr.]
The principal aim of this course is a critical consideration of the claim that there has been genuine progress in global history, especially morally. Typically this course will study the work of G.W.F. Hegel and use it as a departure point, but other variations are possible. These variations will be based on the work of Hegel’s critics, such as Marx, Nietzsche, Adorno, and Foucault. A byproduct of such criticism has been the rediscovery of the value of pre-Hegelian philosophy of history, and so the worldly and deeply cultured approach taken by Vico, Herder, and von Humboldt will also be covered.
PHL324 Philosophy of Science
[3–0, 3 cr.]
Traditionally, this course has consisted in an examination of how philosophers have regarded science, especially the natural sciences: physics, chemistry, and biology. However, it has also become important to consider how scientists themselves regard their own work, especially since this often disagrees with what philosophers say about science. Readings will therefore be taken from well known philosophers of science such as Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, Feyerabend, Holton, and A. W. Moore, and from the writings of scientists themselves, such as Darwin, Maxwell, Mach, Poincarré, Einstein, Heisenberg, Eiseley, Schrödinger, and Hawking.
PHL325 Philosophy of Mind
[3–0, 3 cr.]
Themes to be discussed are the nature of mind, the argument between materialists and non-materialists, artificial intelligence, and the resistance of mental states such as beliefs, intentions, values, norms, thoughts, perceptions, and judgments to physical interpretation. Positions canvassed will be chosen from the following: dualism, behaviourism, identity theory, and functionalism. Special consideration will be given to philosophers (like Hegel, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein) mindful of how traditional theory distorts our ability to appreciate the elusive “nature” of mind.
PHL326 Social and Political Philosophy
[3–0, 3 cr.]
Through a selection of works by leading thinkers from Plato onwards, issues addressed include the basic theoretical approaches (social contract theories, utilitarianism, political realism, politics guided by the idea of the Good and other ideas that are metaphysically grounded), the nature of power, good vs. bad governance, the role of reason in social and political life, ideology, the relation of ethics to politics (including a look at how ethical theories like utilitarianism and pragmatism can be utilized in political theory), and the recent liberalism vs. communitarianism debate.
PHL328 Arab and Islamic Philosophy
[3–0, 3 cr.]
A look at key Arab and Islamic figures, past and present, such as al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, al-Ghazzali, Ibn Rushd, and Mulla Sadra; and René Habachi, Charles Malik, Muhammad Abed al-Jabiri, Hassan Hanafi, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Muhammad Arkoun, and Abdelkarim Surush. These works will be discussed in relation to how broad philosophical themes have been treated, including questions of metaphysical, moral, epistemological, political, and religious interest.
PHL350 Individual Philosophers
[3–0, 3 cr.]
The course is an in-depth study of the work of a particular philosopher, and reflects the sustained rigor and depth of the approach of the philosopher to universal questions. It also examines the work of scholars who have studied the thought and works of individual philosophers. This helps students to appreciate the nature and virtue of the scholarly tradition. Primary as well as secondary sources are examined in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the life, works, thought and influence of the philosopher.
PHL401 Special Topics
[3–0, 3 cr.]
This course focuses on specific topics in the philosophical tradition; classical and modern. It may cover topics such as contemporary philosophy, interactive combinations among individual philosophers, specific philosophical themes, Arabic and Islamic philosophy, world philosophy, Phenomenology and Analytical Philosophy.
PHL499 Senior Study
[3–0, 3 cr.]
Students must complete a supervised substantial paper (or an approved equivalent) on a topic formulated in consultation with a member of the philosophy faculty. This course provides the opportunity for seniors to share with one another their work in progress in a collegial seminar setting. Students present their work and receive feedback from their peers and their instructor.