Spring 2007 Courses

Philosophy 1101. Introduction to Philosophy

Lory Lemke, Tu Th 10-11:40

This course is designed to be a topical and historical introduction to philosophy.  On the topics side, we will cover five different areas in philosophy.  The first is the philosophy of religion where we will address the ontological argument for the existence of God and the argument from evil against the existence of God.  The second is epistemology where we will address perceptual relativity and a skeptical argument against our perceptual knowledge of everyday objects.  The third area is in metaphysics where we will look at the issue of true predictions about the future, determinism, and free will. The fourth area is ethics where we will examine the debate over the objectivity of ethics. The fifth area is political philosophy where we will look at the debate over the legitimate role of government in our everyday lives.   On the historical side, we will begin with the Presocratics and develop a metaphysical framework underlying much of both ancient and medieval philosophy.  In the modern period, beginning with Descartes, we will outline an epistemological outlook which rivals a more contemporary “scientific” outlook which most people have today. My aim in this course is to stimulate your own philosophical thinking.  A good foundation in philosophical thinking provides both new ideas and important tools for you to use in both critical and creative thinking. This course will develop your abilities to find arguments and their, sometimes hidden, assumptions as well as to evaluate those arguments.  If you are successful in this course, you should expect to be able to progress in your own personal and philosophical thinking on a wide range of issues.

Phil 2111. Introductory Ethics

Tamler Sommers, MWF 10:30-11:35 and 2:15-3:20

We all have strong beliefs about right and wrong, good and bad. Moral philosophy, or ethics, is the business of justifying these beliefs. As philosophers we cannot say, for example: “women have a right to choose, and that's all there is to it.” We have to say why women have this right (or why they do not). We have to provide a basis for the whole concept of rights itself. This course will examine the different ways in which philosophers have attempted to carry out this project of justification. First, we will study some basic reasoning skills as well as the methods philosophers employ to evaluate arguments. Next, we'll examine a wide range of ethical theories and consider the obstacles moral philosophers have come across, including the challenges of moral relativism and moral skepticism. Finally, we will consider the complex relationships between ethics and religion and ethics and science. Throughout the course, we will apply the ideas and concepts we study to concrete issues, such as abortion, euthanasia, animal welfare, the environment, and the death penalty. There is no “applied” section for this course (although we will be reading essays that specifically address these issues). Rather we will consistently regard the ideas and theories not only as abstract philosophical problems, but as vital challenges to our core beliefs and as guides for how to live.

Philosophy 2151. Philosophy of Mind: Mind, Brain, and Computers

Mark Collier, Tu Th 12-1:40

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What is the relationship between consciousness and the brain? Can computers think? Will psychology eventually be eliminated by neuroscience? These are some of the questions that we will ask in this course, which serves as an introduction to the philosophy of mind and cognitive science. The first part of the course will survey the various positions that have been put forth concerning the relationship between the mind and body, with particular emphasis on computational approaches to cognition and the problem of consciousness. The second part of the course is concerned with the philosophical controversies surrounding the topic of psychological explanation.

Philosophy 4000. History of Philosophy Seminar: the Scottish Enlightenment

Mark Collier, Tu Th 4-5:40

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The Scottish Enlightenment is widely recognized as a unique age of genius. In the period from 1720 to 1790, Scotland led the world in almost every area of human inquiry. This course will focus on the extremely influential ethical doctrine that was fashioned by the major thinkers of this period: “moral sentimentalism”. The sentimentalists put forth the radical claim that human morality depends primarily upon our passionate natures rather than our cognitive faculties; they also defended the controversial thesis that human beings are genuinely capable of altruistic behavior. Readings for the course will come mainly from historical figures such as Hobbes, Mandeville, Butler , Hutcheson, Hume, Smith, Kames, and Reid. We will also examine evidence for and against moral sentimentalism from current research in psychology, economics, neuroscience, and biology.

Requirements: Two exams and a final paper.

Phil 4100. Moral Issues and Theories: Free Will and Moral Responsibility

Tamler Sommers, M W 3:30-5:10

This seminar examines issues relating to free will and moral responsibility. First, we survey classic and contemporary philosophical literature regarding the compatibility of free will with a scientific or naturalistic view of the world. Next, we consider the ethical and practical everyday implications of the different positions in the debate, including those that deny the existence of free will. Finally, we will review recent work in evolutionary theory, moral psychology, and experimental economics which explores the origins of our beliefs about freedom and moral responsibility. Many of the readings draw their inspiration from P.F. Strawson's landmark paper “Freedom and Resentment”—an essay that revolutionized the free will debate, refocusing the attention of philosophers on the psychological and ethical dimensions of this ancient problem.

Philosophy 4121. Philosophy of Language

Pieranna Garavaso, Tu Th 2-3:40

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This is an advanced course in logic and philosophy of language. It is highly recommended that students registering for this course have already taken one introductory course in logic, such as Phil 2101 or equivalent course. Students who have not taken any such course should meet with the instructor before registering. The first third of the course will be devoted to a review of propositional logic and the study of first order predicate logic with identity. The second two thirds of the course will be devoted to the discussion of issues such as truth, meaning, reference, the nature of language, speech acts, the functioning of proper names and of metaphors. We will read the works of historical figures such as Frege, Russell, Austin , and Grice, and contemporary philosophers such as Quine, Kripke, Searle, Millikan and Chomsky. At the end of the course we will apply the theories we have studied to address controversial issues such as hate speech and the use of names for ethnic groups.

Requirements: one in class exam on symbolic translations and deductive proofs at the end of the first third of the course; two take home exams on the second part of the course; first draft, class presentation, and final draft of an individual paper due on the day of the final. Attendance and participation are essential.

Philosophy 4901. Senior Philosophical Defense