Philosophy (PHIL)

Philosophy and Religious Studies

100 Introduction to Philosophy (3:3:0). Introduction to the nature of philosophical reasoning and some of the main problems of philosophy.

105 Critical Reasoning (3:3:0). Informal, systematic study of rational argumentation, focusing on written arguments. Students explore competing philosophical methods for understanding, evaluating, and constructing arguments.

111 Individual and Society (3:3:0). Examination of philosophical issues revolving around the relationship between the individual and society, drawing from such thinkers as Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Marx. Issues include the concept of individual rights, the legitimacy of political authority, and the competing demands of individual liberty, equality, and the common good.

112 Ethics and the Cybersociety (1:1:0). Examination of a variety of ethical issues associated with new developments in information technology, including privacy rights, intellectual property rights, and the effect of information technology on society.

151 Introduction to Ethics (3:3:0). Consideration of some of the perennial issues in ethical theory.

155 Issues in Environmental Ethics (3:3:0). Philosophical examination of a variety of issues in environmental ethics, such as the moral status of animals, the moral significance of nature, our duties to protect wilderness areas, the moral status of economic reasoning, and morally acceptable population policies.

156 What Is Art? (3:3:0). Introduction to philosophical reflection on the arts by looking at the critical issues in the history of aesthetics. Applying these considerations to specific works and exploring these works in terms of their historical contexts and influences. Concentrates on one form of art or one period and always emphasizes questions of critical evaluation and art historical analysis.

173 Introduction to Logic (3:3:0). Basic concepts and techniques of deduction, emphasizing the modern treatment of such topics as quantification and rules of inference, with study of the classical treatment. Basic principles of induction, informal fallacies, and uses of logic in everyday life.

253 Philosophy and Literature (3:3:0). Fulfills literature requirement. Examination of the differences and relations between literary and philosophical texts. Examines texts from a given period in the history of literature and philosophy. Topics include the presence of common issues in literary and philosophical writings, the influence of philosophical ideas on the production of literary texts and literary theory, and the development in literary texts of issues that are possible objects of philosophical inquiry.

254 Contemporary Ethical Problems (3:3:0). Topics include homosexuality, abortion, drugs, civil disobedience, capital punishment, and the rights of the individual versus the rights of society.

300 Foundations of European Civilization (3:3:0). Up to three credits in seminars listed under EUST300 may be credited toward the philosophy major.

301 History of Western Philosophy: Ancient (3:3:0). Classical Greek philosophy, including pre-Socrates, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

302 History of Western Philosophy: Medieval (3:3:0). Figures and problems of medieval philosophy. Study of leading thinkers from the 5th to the 15th centuries.

303 History of Western Philosophy: Modern (3:3:0). Figures and problems of modern philosophy. Study of philosophers such as Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, and Hegel.

305 Business Ethics (3:3:0). Examination of some of the moral problems that arise with regard to the responsibilities of various segments of the business community, including employers, management, stockholders, to one another, to the consumer, and to society at large.

309 Medicine and Human Values (3:3:0). Examination of some of the major moral issues involved in the practice of medicine and arising from research in the life sciences. Topics include medical experimentation, eugenics, definition of death, euthanasia, abortion, distribution of scarce resources, transplants, organ donation, and psychiatric medicine. May not be taken by students who have previously taken PHIL 310.

311 Philosophy of Law (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Investigation of theories of natural law, legal positivism, and legal realism as they pertain to some of the central philosophical questions about law.

312 Philosophy of Technology (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Philosophical examination of modern technology in its broadest human context. Several alternative philosophies of technology are considered. Examines the relationships between technology and religion, economics, and politics. Ethical issues raised by the use of technology are also examined. Typically, the course focuses on the ethical issues raised by the use of one kind of technology.

313 Philosophy of Religion (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Study of classical appeals to philosophy in support of belief in god's existence (Philo, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes); the fideism of Hume and the metaphysical agnosticism of Kant; the concept of religious experience in the philosophies of Hegel, Schleiermacher, and Kierkegaard; and the problem of religious language in contemporary empirical philosophy.

325 Karl Marx's Social and Political Thought (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Study and evaluation of Marx's social and political ideas based on writings selected from several phases of his career. Examination of relation of Marx's thought to post-Marxian socialist theory and practice.

326 Liberty, Equality, and Community (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Investigation of three alternative theories of justice, egalitarianism, libertarianism, and communitarianism through a critical examination of important recent texts.

332 Twentieth-Century Analytic Philosophy (3:3:0). Prerequisites: Three credits of logic and PHIL 303 or permission of instructor. Examination of the attempts of 20th-century philosophers to solve philosophical problems by an analysis of language. Figures and movements covered include Russell, Moore, Wittgenstein, logical positivism, and ordinary language philosophy.

335 Nineteenth-Century Philosophy (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Development of German Romanticism and Idealism during a brilliant period in the history of the West rivaled only by ancient Greece. Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche mount a revolt against the rationalism and scientism of the modern world.

336 Contemporary Continental Thought: Existentialism (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Examination of existential philosophy from its 19th-century origins to its 20th-century expressions. Philosophers studied include Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, De Beauvoir, and Buber.

337 Twentieth-Century Continental Thought: Phenomenology (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Examination of the phenomenological way of doing philosophy, its findings in regard to the "life-world," questions of "first philosophy," and the subject matter of the social sciences, as well as critical difficulties in its development. Texts by Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, Schutz, and Derrida.

338 Woman: The Philosophical Questions (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Exploration of the meaning and politics of the question of woman that puts the idea of woman into question. Recognizing the historical context of this issue, the ways in which the structures of patriarchy situate woman as the other and determine the meanings of sexuality, subjectivity, the body, and language are examined. One overriding theme of this course is the relationship between the "woman" question and other central issues of contemporary philosophy.

340 Hermeneutic Philosophy (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Study of the development of hermeneutic philosophy in works by Heidegger, Gademer, and Ricoeur, as an effort toward coming to terms with the historicity of human experience. Implications for interpretive understanding of artworks, institutions, events, texts, and the human condition.

350 Classicism and Romanticism (3:3:0). Up to three credits of listed European studies seminars may be credited toward the major. Examination of Classicism and Romanticism through literary and other cultural forms of expression in 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century Europe.

355 Contemporary Ethical Theory (3:3:0). Prerequisite: PHIL 151 or permission of instructor. Major trends and issues in recent moral philosophy.

356 Philosophy of Art (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Basic problems that arise from an inquiry into the meaning and value of art and our response to art.

357/SOCI 599 Philosophy of the Social Sciences (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Philosophical issues relating to competing methodologies for the social sciences. Analysis and critique of mainstream positivism and behaviorism; paradigm theory and scientific revolutions; interpretive understanding and
hermeneutical science; phenomenology and the social construction of reality; ethnomethodology and situational meaning; analytic philosophy and action theory; the "idea" of a social science; sociology of knowledge and theory of ideology; and Western Marxism and critical theory.

371 Philosophy of Natural Sciences (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. One semester of logic recommended. Study of aims and methodology of science. Among the questions of concern are, What constitutes a good scientific explanation? What grounds are used for comparing rival theories? Isthere a special method of scientific discovery?

372 Philosophical Methods (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Study of the relationship between a philosopher's method, doctrine, and concept of truth. Philosophers studied vary but include representatives from among the empirical, analytical, phenomenological, hermeneutical, and structuralist movements.

373 Theory of Knowledge (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Discussion of basic problems concerning the nature of knowledge, with study of the relation of knowledge to perception, belief, and language.

374 Philosophy of Mind (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Investigation of such theories as dualism, behaviorism, and materialism as they pertain to some of the central philosophical questions about mind.

375 Metaphysics (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of instructor. Study of basic problems concerning being in general and foundations of individual being; traditional treatments of such problems and criticism of the possibility of such knowledge. Selected readings from figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Spinoza, Leibniz, Kant, Bradley, Heidegger, and others.

376 Symbolic Logic (3:3:0). Prerequisite: PHIL 173 or MATH 110 or permission of instructor. Study of predicate calculi by means of a step-by-step construction of artificial languages. Topics include procedures for constructing a calculus, proof techniques, significant properties of predicate calculi, and procedures for recognizing phrases.

377 Metaphysical Foundations of Science (3:3:0). Prerequisite: 60 credits or permission of instructor. Exploration of metaphysical questions concerning the nature of physical reality, as presented within major scientific theories. Questions are explored within the scientific/metaphysical principles of Kepler, Galileo, Boyle, Newton, Kant, Faraday, Einstein, and Bohr.

391, 392 Special Topics in Philosophy (3:3:0), (3:3:0). Examination of topics of current interest, such as death and dying, the rights of children, or philosophical controversies in modern physics.

421 Seminar (3:3:0). Limited to philosophy majors with nine credits of philosophy, but others may be admitted if the topic is sufficiently close to their fields of study. Topics vary.

425, 426 Independent Study (3:0:0), (3:0:0). Prerequisites: Philosophy majors with 60 credits and 15 credits of philosophy and permission of department.

450 The 20th Century in Europe (3:3:0). Examination of the main currents of European life and thought in the 20th century. Study of the principal influences and events of
the period, culminating in an assessment of contemporary European problems and values.

470 Seminar: Philosophical Examination of Social Issues and the Law (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Three hours in philosophy or permission of instructor. Philosophical study of social issues that are subject to legislation and judicial review. Analysis of the purpose and function of law in society lays the groundwork for reflection on specific issues such as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, divorce, child care, and health care.

510 Seminar in Ethics of Health Care (3:3:0). Prerequisite: 90 credits, graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Examination of moral dilemmas within the health care profession on ethical theories and principles. Special emphasis on patients' rights, social justice of health care, and evolving health care technologies.

512 Issues in Philosophy and Literature (3:3:0). Prerequisites: 90 credits, 6 credits of 300-level English and 6 credits of 300-level philosophy, or permission of instructor. Possible topics include structuralism, technology, form and matter, conceptions of the future. Course is cross-listed and team taught.

520 Current Issues in Philosophy of Science (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Advanced exploration of the current issues addressing the structure of scientific knowledge. The fundamental question is, What are the rational standards for acquiring knowledge of the physical world? This question is explored from rival philosophical perspectives: the logical-empiricist perspective of the Received View, represented by R. Carnap and C. Hempel; the problem-solving perspective of the historicists T. Kuhn and L. Laudan; and the rationalism of W.Newton-Smith; and the antirealism of V. van Fraassen.

531 Freud and Philosophy (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Six credits of philosophy, a course in personality theory, or permission of instructor. Exploration of philosophical aspects of Freud's thought, focusing on Freud's philosophy of human nature and culture and its influence on contemporary thought.

555 Environmental Ethics (3:3:0). Prerequisites: 90 credits or graduate standing, and three credits in philosophy plus a combined total of 9 additional credits in philosophy and sciences, or permission of instructor. Examination of ethical principles affecting environmental issues with special emphasis on the problems encountered by environmental biologists.

560 Philosophical Foundations of Science (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Focuses on metaphysical questions concerning the nature of physical reality, as presented within major scientific theories of the modern era. Questions are explored within the scientific/metaphysical principles of Kepler, Galileo, Boyle, Newton, Kant, Faraday, Einstein, and Bohr.

573 Current Issues in Theory of Knowledge (3:3:0). Prerequisite: 90 credits or graduate standing and minimum of 3 credits in philosophy or permission of instructor. Advanced exploration of conditions and limits of knowledge, from the perspective of contemporary philosophy. Is there any infallible, or fallible but at least reasonable, foundation for
achieving an understanding of the world and of our minds? This question is examined from the perspective of sense datum theory, coherentism, and various naturalized epistemologies. The nature of a priori knowledge (e.g., from mathematics and logic) is also examined.

574 Philosophical Issues in Cognitive Science (3:3:0). Prerequisite: 90 credits or graduate standing plus 12 credits in philosophy and any of the disciplines relative to cognitive science (such as psychology or computer science) required for undergraduates and recommended for graduates, or permission of instructor. Careful examination of some philosophical issue or issues relevant to contemporary studies of the mind. Typical issues examined include the mind-body problem, philosophical and psychological implications of work in artificial intelligence, and philosophical issues in psycholinguistics.

591 Special Topics in Philosophy (3:3:0). Examination of specific topics in philosophy that are both of central interest in that field and of interdisciplinary interest. Topics are selected with special reference to the areas of technology, aesthetics, philosophy of religion, ethics, and social and political philosophy.

611 Philosophy of Law (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Examination of the major jurisprudential theories that underpin law in Western society. After examining the theories, students apply them to contemporary social and political problems.

615 Postmodernist Thought (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. In recent decades, the term "postmodern," which was first used by art critics in the late 19th century, has been taken up by prominent contributors to the arts, social thinkers, and philosophers, to describe developments in their fields, as well as to describe the current period. This course examines three thematic concerns found in work that is identified with postmodern issues: what modernity defines itself in contrast to or against, the status of "man," and the status of "subjectivity."

656 Happiness and the Quality of Life (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Examination of the role that concepts of happiness and the good life have played in ethical theory. Focuses on the development of consequentialist ethical theories from Aristotle's eudaimonic theory to contemporary versions of utilitarian theory. Examines the theories of the self and personal identity implied by these ethical theories. Throughout the semester, these theories are used to critically assess modern social structures.

658 Feminist Theory (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Analysis of the critique of patriarchy offered by contemporary continental feminist philosophers. Examines contemporary moral, political, and epistemological issues in feminist theory.

681 Philosophical Figures (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Examination of a major philosophical author of crucial philosophical texts and their influence on philosophical thought. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits.

691 Special Topics in Philosophy (1-6:1-6:0). Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Topics vary.

693 Directed Readings in Philosophy (3:0:0). Directed readings and research on a specific topic in philosophy chosen by student and instructor. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits.