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PHI 111 - Basic Problems of Philosophy
Multiple sections; for information on individual sections, click
here
FYS 100 - Contemporary Moral Issues
Eric Brandon
MW 4:00-5:15 p.m.
Tribble A307
FYS 100 - Philosophy and Physics
Ralph Kennedy and Daniel Kim-Shapiro
TR - 1:30-2:45 p.m.
Tribble A307
Is all truth relative, contingent on social and historical
factors? Does it make sense to speak of what is "real",
independently of what anybody says or thinks? Is objectivity
ever a reasonable goal? We will consider these philosophical
questions with reference to natural science generally and quantum
mechanics in particular, a field which poses acute challenges
for traditional understandings of reality and objectivity.
PHI 121 -Logic
Marcus Hester
TR - 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Tribble Hall A307
This course on elementary logic is oriented to students with
other interests in addition to interest in pure philosophy,
for example, to students intending to go to law, business or
medical school. Thus it emphasizes translating and formulating
arguments in ordinary English instead of a hybrid language of
English and logic. However, philosophical and theoretical issues
are discussed--for example the nature of causation and contrary
to-fact-conditionals (conditionals such as "Stonewall Jackson
would not have been a great general if Lee had not been commanding
general of the Confederate Army"). Further, arguments intended
to establish their conclusion with probability are studied as
well as arguments intended to establish an airtight link between
premises and conclusion.
PHI 161 - Medical Ethics
Hannah Hardgrave
TR - 12:00-1:15 p.m.
Tribble Hall B313
Stories in the media about cloning, embryo research, physician-assisted
suicide, artificial organs, and the inequities of managed care
are all about issues in medical ethics. These issues (and others)
and the responses to them will be the focus of this course.
Case studies, including films, will be the means by which the
principles and methods of medical ethics are introduced, analyzed,
and subjected to critical evaluation.
PHI 232 - Ancient & Medieval Philosophy
Marcus Hester
MWF- 11:00-11:50 a.m.
Tribble Hall B313
Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, because of its scope,
has to center on certain philosophers--Aristotle, Augustine
and Aquinas--while others are more cursorily treated. Aristotle
especially provided the vocabulary of middle and later Medieval
Philosophy (1200-1350 A.D.). Medieval Philosophy embodies perhaps
the most refined and rigorous analysis of man in relation to
God in the history of philosophy. It treated problems such as
how we know about God, including proofs of His existence, the
relation of faith to reason, and the problem of evil.
PHI 262 - Philosophy of Law
Clark Thompson
T - 7:00-9:30 p.m.
Tribble Hall A307
An examination and evaluation of some basic legal practices
and principles of Anglo-American law. Topics will include the
nature and extent of legal liability, strict liability, the
legal enforcement of morality, and capital punishment. After
a brief overview of two major ethical theories (Utilitarianism
and Kantianism), the readings divide into three main categories:
general principles of criminal liability; what to criminalize;
and punishment. We shall examine prominent legal cases and their
underlying principles, but the emphasis will be on philosophical
analysis and moral evaluation of the law.
PHI 263 - Freedom, Action & Responsibility
Andrew Cross
TR - 1:30-2:45 p.m.
Tribble Hall B313
The course will be devoted to the following issues in the
philosophy of action and moral psychology: What is it for action
to be free? What is it for action to be voluntary, or intentional?
Is freedom of action the same as freedom of will? Would either
kind of freedom be jeopardized by the truth of causal determinism
(the view that all action is causally determined)? To what extent
is either freedom or voluntariness a necessary condition for
moral responsibility?
Students will be expected to complete two papers and a mid-term
and final (both in-class), as well as to give an oral presentation.
Class participation will also be an important factor in the
final grade.
PHI 331 - Plato
Charles Lewis
MW - 3:00-4:15 p.m.
Tribble Hall B313
Is there a best or superior way of life? Is an examined
life compromised by questioning, provoking doubt and insecurity?
Is there a best political form of life? Is there any good reason
to fear death? What is love? What account of causation is required
by a good explanation of human and of non-human things or states
of affairs? Is there any way to know the answers to such questions
or are we confined to our opinions? What is the status of religious
or poetic answers? What is knowledge and is it something different
from well-justified true belief? What is truth?
PHI 342 - Studies in Modern Philosophy
Adrian Bardon
TR - 3:00-4:15 p.m.
Tribble Hall B313
"What, then, is time? If no one asks me, I know what
it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know."
-Saint Augustine of Hippo
In this course we shall examine views of major Modern (1600-1800)
thinkers on the nature of time and time-consciousness. We will
begin with a look at Augustine for an early view of time and
our awareness of it. Then we will move on to an examination
of the treatment of the metaphysics and epistemology of time
in the Modern period, with an emphasis on Suarez, Newton, Leibniz,
Locke, Hume, and Kant. These thinkers had radically different
views on time, and their theories remain deeply relevant to
this day. We shall also look at two early 20th century philosophers:
Husserl's theory of time-consciousness represents a thoroughly
revolutionary view of temporal awareness, as well as a direct
attack on both Hume and Kant; McTaggart's famous attack on the
reality of temporal passage undermines our commonsense view
of time--but Kant may have an answer…. Students will be
expected to write a number of short (2 page) essays and a substantial
term paper (8-10 pages). Class discussion will be emphasized.
PHI 375 - Philosophy of Language
Dorothea Lotter
TR - 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Tribble Hall B313
This course serves as an introduction to the main issues and
theories in twentieth-century philosophy of language, focusing
specifically on linguistic phenomena. The course is thematically
divided up into four parts. In the first quarter of the semester,
we will explore several theories of how proper names, descriptions,
and other terms bear a referential relation to non-linguistic
objects. In the second quarter we will survey competing theories
of linguistic meaning and compare their various advantages and
liabilities. Part III introduces the basic concepts of linguistic
pragmatics, and in part IV, finally, we will examine linguistic
theories of metaphor.
Requirements
Regular attendance (you shouldn't miss more than three times);
active participation in class (including occasional short oral
presentations); and two short papers (5-7 pages), one longer
final paper (10-12 pages)
Textbooks
William Lycan, Philosophy of Language: A Contemporary Introduction,
Routledge 1999. In addition, a reader with a collection of important
original sources will be available either at the book store
or on reserve in the library.
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