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Undergraduate Classes

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Honors Seminar: FYS Theories & Human Nature (Phil 53H) (6F)

           Jesse Prinz

Freshman Seminar: The Structure of Constitutions (Phil 79) (6F)

           Michael Corrado

Introduction: Main Problems (Phil 101) (20)

            Ram Neta

            Peter Hanks

            Justin Jeffrey           

Introduction to Great Works (Phil 110) (24)

            Bryce Huebner

Making Sense of Ourselves (Phil 112) (26)

            Peter Hanks

            Anabella Zagura

Philosophy of Religion (Phil 134) (32)

            Dean Pettit

Language and Communication (Phil 145) (35)

            Dean Pettit

Philosophy of Science (Phil 150) (31)

            John T. Roberts

Philosophy of Social Science (Phil 154) (36)

            Alan Nelson

Introduction to Symbolic Logic (Phil 155) (21)

            Thomas Hofweber

            Andrew Johnson

Introduction to Ethics (Phil 160) (22)

            Geoffrey Sayre-McCord

            Peter Vanderschraaf

Practical Ethics (Phil 163) (30)

            Douglas MacLean

            Marc Baer

Morality and Business (Phil 164) (39)

            Terry Price                 

Bioethics (Phil 165) (34)

            Terry Price

            Marc Baer

            Nena Davis

Social Ethics & Political Thought (Phil 170) (37)

            Peter Vanderschraaf           

            Derek Boyd           

Ancient Philosophy (Phil 210) (56)

            Jason Bowers

Ancient Philosophy - Honors (Phil 210H) (56)

            C.D.C. Reeve

Existentialism (Phil 224) (64)

            David Frost

Experience & Reality (Phil 230) (38)

            Joshua Knobe

            Mark Phelan

Ethics of Peace, War, and Defense (Phil 272) (42)

            Piers Turner

            Katherine Dimitriou

Social & Economic Justice (Phil 273) (66)

            Derek Boyd

Moral & Philosophical Issues of Gender in Society (Phil 275) (46)

            Jan Boxill

Morality and Law - Honors (Phil 280H) (41H)

            Gerald Postema

Moral and Philosophical Problems in Education (Phil 285) (45)

            Warren Nord

Theory of Knowledge (Phil 335) (73)

            Jay Rosenberg

History of Moral Philosophy (Phil 360) (70)

            Thomas Hill

Intro to Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (Phil 384) (84)

            Geoffrey Brennan

Special Topics: Art, Virtue and Emotion (Phil 390) (80)

            Bernard Boxill

Special Topics: Moral Status (Phil 390) (80)

            Christopher Grau

Independent Tutorial (Phil 396) (99)

            Jan Boxill

Colloquium for Philosophy Majors (Phil 397) (96)

            Dorit Bar-On

Empiricism (Phil 422) (154)

            Alan Nelson

American Political Philosophy (Phil 473) (154)

            Bernard Boxill

           

 

 

 

        

 

 

Honors Seminar: FYS Theories and Human Nature (Phil 53H) (6FH)

Jesse Prinz

In this course, we will explore different theories of human nature. Are human beings intrinsically good? Or are we naturally disposed towards hatred and violence? Or perhaps some people are born good, while others are born evil. These questions also relate to the debate about nature and nature: is behavior determined by biology or experience? If behavior is heavily influenced by culture, does it make sense to talk about human nature at all? These questions have captivated philosophers for centuries, and they have recently become topics of intense scientific investigation. We will read philosophical texts, both old and new, as well as research on animal behavior, evolutionary psychology, and behavioral genetics. There are no prerequisites.

SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS ONLY

This course meets Thursday at 3:30-6:00.

Freshman Seminar: Words that Bind, The Structure of Constitutions (Phil 79) (6F)

Michael Corrado

Constitutions are very much in the news: Iraq and Afghanistan have new constitutions, and the European Union has attempted to adopt a constitution. The very first job for a new state is to come up with a constitution. But why? What is a constitution supposed to do? Constitutions resolve conflicts, limit government, provide stability; but some constitutions do it better than others. The United States Constitution has worked well enough to become an influential model. Can we nevertheless learn something from the constitutions of other countries? Perhaps. In this seminar we will examine a number of constitutions and try to determine what makes a constitution better or worse, and when it makes sense to borrow constitutional principles from other countries. We will also try our hand at designing a constitution.

This course meets Tuesday at 3:30-6:00.

Main Problems (Phil 101) (20)

Ram Neta

Philosophy is the attempt to figure out what has value, and why. Is freedom something of value? How about knowledge? Life? Wealth? Pleasure? And, if these things have value, then what gives them value? In this course, we will study texts in which some important philosophers (Plato, Descartes, Berkeley, Rousseau) attempt to figure out the answers to these questions.

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:00.

Main Problems (Phil 101) (20)

Peter Hanks

Most people have heard of the famous philosophers, e.g. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Wittgenstein. And most know that philosophy is about the big issues: reality, truth, God, knowledge, mind, goodness, justice, identity. Far fewer know or understand what philosophers have had to say about these problems. To many, philosophy can seem impractical, unworldly and strange. But deep and careful philosophical reflection on the big issues can enrich your life in unexpected ways. If you are curious about these problems and would like to learn about what philosophy is about then this is the course for you.

(Course registration is initially open to first/second year students)

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:00.

Main Problems (Phil 101) (20)

Justin Jeffrey

What makes some things right and others wrong, and how can we tell the difference? What can we know about the world? Do we have free will?

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00.

Great Works (Phil 110) (24)

Bryce Huebner

Philosophy is the love of wisdom. But what is wisdom? And what good does it do us to pursue wisdom? Can it improve our character?

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00.

Making Sense of Ourselves (Phil 112) (26)

Peter Hanks

You are the same person you were when you were 5 years old. Why? Your body is completely different. Your beliefs and desires and personality are completely different. So in what sense are you the same person? Is it even true that you are the same person? This is the philosophical problem of personal identity, one of the main issues we'll be studying in this course. We'll also consider the problem of free will. Do you have control over your actions, or was everything pre-determined at the beginning of the universe? And if everything was pre-determined, are we morally responsible for our actions? Careful reflection on these questions, even if we cannot answer them, will help us understand ourselves and our place in the world.

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11:00.

Making Sense of Ourselves (Phil 112) (26)

Anabella Zagura

An examination of attempts to understand human beings as agents whose lives are potentially meaningful.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30.

Philosophy of Religion (Phil 134) (32)

Dean Pettit

This course will be concerned with a cluster of philosophical issues that arise in the context of religious belief, especially belief in God. The central issue of the course will be whether there is any compelling reason to believe that God exists. In pursuing this issue, we will confront a number of others. Is reason the appropriate basis for belief in God, or should we believe in God on the basis of something like faith? What is faith? Is the concept of God coherent? Is it even meaningful to say that God exists? Can we consistently believe that God exists while acknowledging that there is evil in the world? Can we consistently believe that God exists and that we have free will? If God does not exist, can there be any basis for morality? This project will confront us with fundamental issues about the grounds for knowledge, the scope of reason, the nature of God, the nature of reality, the limits of possibility, and the basis of morality. In short, the course will introduce students to the enterprise of philosophy. No previous exposure to either philosophy or religious studies will be presupposed.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00.

Language and Communication (Phil 145) (35)

Dean Pettit

This course is an introduction to contemporary theorizing about language in the cognitive sciences. A central theme of the course is that our ordinary way of thinking about language – as a human invention, like the automobile or the telegraph – is fundamentally mistaken. Evidence from a variety of sources suggests that language is a biological capacity of human cognition, like the visual system, and is no more a human invention than the visual system is. We will survey some of the key areas in the study of language (phonology, morphology, syntax, psycholinguistics, language acquisition, the evolution of language) with an eye to the “big issues” about the nature of language and what language reveals about the structure of the human mind and about us as a species. This course will be of particular interest to students in philosophy, linguistics, psychology and cognitive science. However, no previous familiarity with these areas will be presupposed by this course.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00.

John T. Roberts

This course will examine some basic questions about the nature of scientific knowledge. What is the difference between the ways of studying the world that we call scientific and the kinds that we call sun- or non-scientific? Is there a single method that the sciences employ? If so, how exactly does it work? What reasons can be given for thinking that we should trust it? What are the limits, if any, on the scope of scientific knowledge? Is science just a tool for making predictions about the observable features of the world, or can it disclose knowledge of the unobservable? Is science limited to describing what happens, or can it also offer explanations of why things happen?

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday at 4:00.

Alan Nelson

The interplay between the individual and the social is the main focus of the course. We shall examine three aspects of this interplay:

1. Should scientific theories of the social be somehow based on theories of individual behavior? For example, is sociology ultimately a form of applied psychology?

2. Is the scientific way of knowing objectively superior or do pre-scientific societies have different forms of knowledge?

3. What can be learned from social studies of science? Are the standards of scientific knowledge themselves partly a product of social factors? We shall consider various case studies from the physical sciences and from psychiatry.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30.

Introduction to Symbolic Logic (Phil 155) (21)

Thomas Hofweber

Logic is the study of certain precisely specified formal languages. In this course we will study these languages and their applications. Logic has proven to be extremely useful in a number of different disciplines. First, they are very helpful in the study of good and valid reasoning. We will use these formal languages to study valid and invalid forms of reasoning, and how to distinguish them. Secondly, mathematical logic is useful in the study of natural languages, and we will see some illustrative examples of this. Finally, logic is crucial for computer science and foundational issues in mathematics. Although these latter two areas quickly get into more advanced topics we will be able to discuss some highlights of these uses of logic.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00.

Introduction to Symbolic Logic (Phil 155) (21)

Andrew Johnson

This course introduces the theory of deductive reasoning, using a symbolic language to represent and evaluate patterns of reasoning.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30.

Geoffrey Sayre-McCord

This course is an introduction to moral theory. We will be going straight to the classics -- a few of the best books ever written on moral theory: Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals and Mill's Utilitarianism.

We will be concerned primarily with two questions: (1) What really matters? and (2) What is involved in answering (1)? In general, worries about the second question arise from worries about the first; and answers to the second usually commit us to answers to the first. In fact, the questions are really far more entangled than they are distinct. So we won't be taking the questions in order; instead we will jump back and forth between the two. In coming to grips with these two very general questions we will focus on three fundamental, but slightly more specific, questions: (i) What does morality demand? (ii) Under what conditions are we responsible for our success or failure in living up to these demands? and (iii) What connection is there between our being moral and our living a good (satisfying, fulfilling) life? The first calls for a theory of morality, the second requires a theory of moral responsibility, and the third asks for an answer to an age old question: why should I be moral? We will, pretty much, be taking them in reverse order.

Initially, spaces in the course will be held for freshman. After freshman have had a chance to enroll, registration will be open to all.

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday at 11:00.

Introduction to Ethics (Phil 160) (22)

Peter Vanderschraaf

This will be a theme course on methods of ethics. The question that will drive our discussion: “What is the best way (or what are the best ways) for us to make good choices and to live our lives well?” Put another way, the question asks: “What is the correct method (or what are the correct methods) of ethics?” We will begin our class with a look at the opening argument of Henry Sidgwick's monumental treatise The Methods of Ethics, in which Sidgwick argues that there are at bottom three different ways by which people ultimately guide their choices in life. Sidgwick's argument was and remains highly influential and controversial, and will help to motivate the discussion throughout the semester. We will then turn to four alternative proposed methods of ethics, each of which is defended in a classic of moral philosophy which we will examine:

(1) Natural Law Theory, which evaluates choices and acts as good and right when they conform with certain axioms of practical reason. Saint Thomas Aquinas defends this approach in the Summa Theologiæ.,
(2) The categorical imperative, which evaluates choices and acts as good and right when they are consequences of a supreme principle of morality. Immanuel Kant defends this approach in Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals.,
(3) Utilitarianism, which recommends that one act so as to promote the greatest overall good for all. John Stuart Mill defends this approach in Utilitarianism., and
(4) Egoism, which recommends that one act consistently in ways which serve one's self-interest. Thomas Hobbes defends this approach in Leviathan.

We will consider their interrelationships of these alternative methods along with the merits and pitfalls of each.

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday at 4:30.

Practical Ethics (Phil 163) (30)

Douglas MacLean

The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the nature of ethical reasoning. It addresses questions like the following: Do ethical claims appeal to objective standards, or is any opinion as worthy as any other? What is the meaning of moral concepts like duty, rights, equality, or justice, and how should we apply these concepts in the context of reasoning and talking about moral controversies? We will attempt to answer these questions by examining contemporary moral issues and arguments. Examples of issues we may discuss include: Do we have an obligation to obey the law? Is affirmative action justified? Do animals have rights? Should abortion or physician-assisted suicide be tolerated? Under what conditions is war morally justified? Should the rich be taxed to help the poor?

Our aim in this course is neither to try to answer these questions definitively, nor to ensure that every position on these issues is presented and discussed. We are less concerned with the conclusions of arguments than with the soundness of the reasoning that supports the conclusions. We will be discussing controversial issues, and one goal is to understand why some moral questions are controversial while other questions (e.g., Is it all right to abandon one’s baby if she cries too much? Is it a good thing that people volunteer to help the needy?) are not controversial. In this way we hope to achieve a better understanding of the nature of ethical reasoning, ethical arguments, and the claims that morality makes on us.

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday at 12:00 and requires enrollment in a recitation section.

Practical Ethics (Phil 163) (30)

Marc Baer

An introduction to applied ethics surveying a variety of moral issues. Topics include: economic justice; pornography and sexual harassment; abortion; sexual exploitation, perversion and prostitution; affirmative action; poverty and marriage; and euthanasia, suicide and futility.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00.

Morality and Business (Phil 164) (39)

Terry Price

A philosophical introduction to the central ethical issues in business, management, and leadership. Topics include truth telling, property, profit, justice, employment at will, whistle blowing, relativism, diversity, marketing, and the environment. Historical readings from Immanuel Kant, John Locke, Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and Andrew Carnegie. Contemporary readings from Norman Bowie, Patricia Werhane, Robert Solomon, George Brenkert, John Rawls, Robert Nozick, Michael Walzer, Richard Epstein, Lynne Sharp Paine, Milton Friedman, and Ed Freeman. The course concludes with an extended examination of leadership and leader immorality.

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday and Friday at 10:00.

Bioethics (Phil 165) (34)

Nena Davis

This course addresses the ethical basis of issues arising in health care: e.g. patient rights, removing life support, euthanasia, abortion, use of human or animal subjects in experiments, genetic manipulation, cloning.

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:00.

Bioethics (Phil 165) (34)

Terry Price

A philosophical introduction to the central ethical issues in medicine and health care. Topics include abortion, euthanasia, disability, and experimentation with human and non-human animals. Historical readings by Immanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham, and John Stuart Mill. Contemporary readings from John Finnis, Judith Jarvis Thompson, Derek Parfit, Jonathan Glover, James Rachels, Peter Singer, and Ronald Dworkin. The course concludes with a sustained and systematic analysis of the moral and political implications of advances in genetic technology.

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1:00.

Bioethics (Phil 165) (34)

Marc Baer

This course will survey a range of pressing issues in bioethics. We will cover: the question of health care rights and the rationing of health care; patient autonomy; end of life decision-making; eugenics and genetics; stem-cell research; and the global aids epidemic and the threat of bioterrorism. Major ethical theories will be used as a framework for the discussion.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30.

Social Ethics and Political Thought (Phil 170) (37)

Peter Vanderschraaf

The theme for this course is conceptions of justice. What constitutes a just society? The various answers to this question proposed by political philosophers are intertwined with the answers they give to the question: Why should the members of a society follow its requirements? In this course, we shall take a sustained and critical look at three of the most important general responses to address these questions:

1) A society is just if each of its members receives benefits from and influence in the society in proportion to her contribution to society.
2) A society is just if its members gain some mutual benefit from living together they would not gain outside of society.
3) A society is just when no one can rationally object to the way this society shares out the benefits and responsibilities of living together.

All three of these general theses have spirited defenders in our time. Accordingly, we shall examine some of the arguments of several of the most influential contemporary political philosophers as well as those from selected figures in the history of political thought. We shall proceed with our analysis of the three conceptions of social justice described above, guided by the following works: Aristotle's Politics (322 B. C.), David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature (1740) and An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1751), John Rawls' A Theory of Justice (1971), and David Miller's Social Justice (1999). We will finish our course with a critical evaluation of these alternative conceptions of justice and consider their relevance to contemporary political life.

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday at 3:00.

Derek Boyd

This course will survey different approaches to public policy. Some topics will include: How do we assess social policies or prospects – what makes one prospect better than another? If we assess them in terms of social costs and benefits, overall well-being, or intrinsic justice, then how do we measure these items? How much should the interest of the individual yield to the social good? Does the state have rights to an individual’s life, labor, or property?

This course meets on Tuesday, and Thursday at 11:00.

Ancient Philosophy (Phil 210) (56)

Jason Bowers

This course is an examination of the basic writings of the pre-Socratics, Plato, and Aristotle, with a primary focus on ethics and politics. Epicureanism, stoicism, Neoplatonism, and Greek skepticism.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00.

Ancient Philosophy - Honors (Phil 210H) (56)

C.D.C. Reeve

The focus will be on the philosophy of Plato, specifically on his dialogues on love—Lysis, Symposium, and Phaedrus. The format will be that of a discussion seminar rather than a lecture.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00.

David Frost

We will explore works of philosophy, literature and film in order to come to understand and appreciate some main themes in the European movements of existentialism and phenomenology. What is it to be human? What is consciousness? What's the proper modality by which to understand humanity: science, art or philosophy? We'll discuss the creation of individual values in the face of nihilism; and attend to the issues surrounding philosophy and Nazism in both Germany and France. Readings from Camus, Husserl, Heidegger, Nietzsche, Sartre, Socrates and others. Film from Bergman or Godard.

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 2:00.

Mark Phelan

Is your mind different from your brain? Is time travel possible? What are cause and effect? What makes you today and yesterday the same person?

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 2:00.

Joshua Knobe

Many of the most difficult philosophical problems arise when we feel a kind of conflict between our ordinary way of understanding the world and the ways of understanding the world that have emerged from scientific inquiry. We will discuss a number of such problems, focusing both on claims about people's ordinary understanding and on claims about what exactly scientific inquiry has revealed. Topics include: the relationship between the mind and the body, freedom of the will, the existence of God.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30.

Ethics of Peace, War and Defense (Phil 272) (42)

Piers Turner

This course addresses the legitimacy of states; just war theory; pacifism; the ethics of revolution; terrorism; problems of war in an age of weapons of mass destruction; the moral conditions of peace.

This course meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 2:00.

Katherine Dimitriou

This course addresses the legitimacy of states; just war theory; pacifism; the ethics of revolution; terrorism; problems of war in an age of weapons of mass destruction; the moral conditions of peace.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30.

Social and Economic Justice (Phil 273) (66)

Derek Boyd

This course will explore the concept of ‘justice’ as it is found in discussions of the fairness or goodness of competing social and/or economic arrangements or practices. The readings will consist of various applied issues, as well as their theoretical justifications. Some of the topics will include: the nature of justice, distributive justice, retributive justice, international justice, and intergenerational justice.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00.

Jan Boxill

The course will focus on the relationships between and the ethical issues surrounding gender, race, and class. This will include discussions of roles and expectations in society in general, theories of gender, race, and class, as well as how they are applied to specific issues such as affirmative action, abortion, rape, pornography, and gender equity in sports. We may not, and probably will not, be able to resolve the issues, but we should at least gain a greater understanding of the issues, how they affect all people, and how we can best approach them with eyes open for resolution which shows respect for persons, their differences and similarities.

This course meets meets on Monday and Wednesday at 11-11:50 in Howell 104
Recitation on Fridays 11 or 12
You must be registered in a Recitation as well as in the Lecture.

Gerald Postema

In this course, we will explore the connections between law and justice. The central organizing idea is the notion of "the rule of law". This notion has played a very large role in Western political thinking since the middle ages and over the last century has a strong presence in thinking about the international legal order. The world-wide respect for the ideal is (in part) the legacy of the Nuremberg Trials in which Nazi war criminals were tried by an international tribunal. Yet, those trials themselves seemed to compromise the ideal. The trials and the notion of the rule of law have remained controversial. Some believe that the ideal of the rule of law can be derived from a sound understanding of law itself, others argue that it has its roots in fundamental notions of liberty, others attack it as a piece of Western (or American) ideology. This course will explore the foundations and applications of the notion of the rule of law, its relationship to classical and contemporary theories of the nature of law, its role in shaping constitutional democracies, and the problems of respect for the rule of law in authoritarian or otherwise unjust political regimes.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00.

Warren Nord

The course will explore a number of ideas and issues that arise at the intersection of liberal education, the humanities, philosophy, morality, and religion. It will provide historical context for understanding these issues, though the primary focus would be on contemporary controversies. What does it mean to be well educated, or liberally educated (as opposed to socialized or trained or indoctrinated)? Should education have a moral aim, or a moral structure? What role, if any, should religion have in a liberal education, or in moral education? Is there a conflict between the humanities and the sciences? What is academic freedom? And how does all of this fit into the politics of our culture wars? The readings will present a wide variety of views; while we will read a few classic texts, most of the readings will be by contemporary philosophers, theologians, and educational theorists.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00.

Jay Rosenberg

After a brief general orientation to the questions that arise in philosophical reflection on knowledge, the course will focus on two central topics. One is the perennial issue of skepticism, that is, how best to respond to arguments which conclude that that we know much less than we think we know, the most radical of which challenge the thesis that any of our everyday or scientific beliefs about the world count as genuine knowledge. The other is a more recent issue that arises in connection with the notion of an epistemically justified belief: a debate between internalists—who hold that justification depends primarily on “subjective” factors internal to a believer's point of view or factors to which he has special access—and externalists—who hold that justification depends exclusively or primarily on such “objective” factors as how a belief was caused or the reliability of the faculty or mechanism by which a subject came to hold the belief.

This is an advanced class, structured as a seminar and presupposing prior work in philosophy. Regular class attendance and active participation in discussion will be expected. Written work will comprise two essays (maximum length circa 10 pages each) and a final exam.

This course meets on Wednesday from 1:00-3:30.

Thomas Hill

This course examines selections from the works of influential moral philosophers from ancient, medieval, and modern times, including Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Hume, Kant, and Mill. The aim is to understand and discuss critically their views on such questions as these: What is the ultimate good for human beings, and how does being virtuous contribute to our possibility of achieving it? Are there basic universal moral standards, accessible to everyone with reason, that can guide our moral decisions? Are moral judgments based on sentiment or reason, or both? Is there a comprehensive moral principle that should guide and constrain all moral decisions? If so, does it tell us always to promote the best consequences or to avoid certain acts “whatever the consequences?” For advanced or upper division students who have had one or more of the lower division philosophy courses, preferably an introductory course in ethics or political philosophy.

This course meets on Wednesday from 3:00-5:30.

Geoffrey Brennan

This course will integrate and examine the relationship between philosophical and political theories of the state and economic distribution. The course is designed as the gateway course for the proposed Philosophy, Politics and Economics program, by introducing students to the subjects and techniques used to analyze problems in the disciplines.

This course falls into two rather distinct parts. The first occupying the period up to Spring break will be concerned with the prisoners’ dilemma (both in its two-person and more socially relevant n-person variants). The second part will be concerned with distributive justice – emphasizing the similarities and differences between the philosophical, economic, and political approaches to this issue.

This course meets on Monday and Wednesday from 4:25-5:40.

Classes meet at Duke for the first half of the semester and at UNC after spring break.

Special Topics: Art, Virtue and Emotion (Phil 390) (80)

Bernard Boxill

The special topics to be covered in this class are art, virtue, and emotion. The connection between them is that art is often supposed to arouse emotion; and virtue is sometimes supposed to involve a capacity to control emotion. Texts are: Martha Nussbaum Upheavals of Thought; R. Collingwood The Principles of Art; and a text on virtue not yet decided.

This course meets on Thursday from 12:30-3:00.

Special Topics: Moral Status (Phil 390) (80)

Christopher Grau

When does something deserve moral consideration? What features or capacities must one possess in order to be considered a member of the moral community? These are the sorts of questions we will be considering in this seminar. While the moral status of the environment, humans, and artifacts will be be considered, there will be a special focus on puzzles and problems that arise when thinking philosophically about the moral status of non-human animals. Authors discussed will include Jeff McMahan, Frances Kamm, Peter Singer, Cora Diamond, Bernard Williams, Vicki Hearne, J.M. Coetzee, Michael Pollan, David Foster Wallace, and Mark Rowlands.

This course meets on Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00.

Independent Tutorial (Phil 396) (99)

Jan Boxill

This course provides an opportunity for advanced students to work individually with a professor in the department on a topic of mutual interest and meeting times convenient for both. Permission to enroll must be obtained from the professor. Requirements of the course will be set by the individual professor.

This course meets on Thursday from 6:30-9:00.

Colloquium for Philosophy Majors (Phil 397) (96)

Dorit Bar-On

In my Colloquium for Philosophy Majors next semester, I plan to go through my recently published book, "Speaking My Mind: Expression and Self-Knowledge." Below is the book's abstract. My plan is to read through the book's 10 chapters (with some additional relevant articles as needed). This will give students an opportunity to get familiar with issues discussed in contemporary philosophy of mind&language and epistemology, as well as develop their philosophical skills through close readings and critique.

Abstract:
Philosophers and psychologists alike have tried to explain a kind of "basic self-knowledge" human subjects appear to have that is articulated in self-ascriptions such as "I am feeling dizzy", "I am thinking about my lecture right now", "I'm scared of that dog", etc. (Such self-ascriptions are often called "avowals" in the literature.) It is commonly thought that we enjoy a certain "authority" or "privilege" when we avow present mental states, and that this is an important mark of the commonsense distinction between so-called conscious mental or psychological states, on the one hand, and purely bodily states, on the other. In my recent book ("Speaking My Mind: Expression and Self-Knowledge," Clarendon Oxford Nov 2004) I develop a "philosophical" account that tries to respect the commonsense view without falling into objectionable Cartesianism about the mind. On my account, what gives avowals a special status is the fact that they serve to "express" rather than merely report the states that are self-ascribed. Although avowals share their semantics with bodily self-reports, they differ from such reports in their pragmatics and epistemology. We can gain insight into basic self-knowledge, I argue, if we see avowals as continuous with non-linguistic "expressive behavior" of the sort found in non-human animals and prelinguistic children. I take it as an advantage of my view that it lends itself to empirical support (or refutation) by studies in psychology and linguistics.

This course meets on Thursday from 4:00-6:30.

Alan Nelson

We shall concentrate on the philosophical systems of three of the great early modern empiricists: Hobbes, Locke, and Hume. The initial focus in empiricism concerns the theory of knowledge, but in Hobbes's Leviathan, Locke's Essay and Hume's Treatise we shall also examine the consequences for scientific theorizing and for morals and politics. The course will conclude with a study of the extent to which classical empiricism plays a role in comtemporary philosophy.

This course meets on Thursday from 1:00-3:30.

Bernard Boxill

We will begin with the writings of the Founders and Framers, especially Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton. Then we will take up texts that represent American liberalism and American republicanism, and that debate the constitutionality of slavery. Authors here will include Calhoun, Fitzhugh, Spooner, Lincoln, Douglass, and DuBois. Finally we'll read some Rawls and Sandel as representing the contemporary debate about American liberalism.

This course meets on Tuesday from 1:00-3:30.