Course
Descriptions Spring 1998
CAS PH 100
PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY
Professor Ferrarin
Introduction to some basic questions of human
existence, with particular reference to the relationship
between man and nature; between the individual
and the political domain; the soul and the passions;
the definition of virtue and of ethics; morality
and freedom.
CAS PH 110
GREAT PHILOSOPHERS
Professor Brinkmann
Introduction to the life and thought of five
preeminent philosophers: Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau,
Kant, and Kierkegaard.
CAS PH 140
GOD, FREEDOM, & IMMORTALITY
Professor Fussi
The course focuses on philosophical issues relating
to God, freedom and immortality. Metaphysical,
epistemological, and ethical aspects are examined.
Relevant writings of key thinkers (such as Plato,
Augustine, Aquinas, Nietszche, and Lao Tzu) will
be studied.
CAS PH 150 A1
INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS
Professor Dahlstrom
A systematic and historical inquiry into differing
accounts of the good life, alternating lectures
with discussions of selected texts.
CAS PH 150 B1
INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS
Professor Roochnik
A systematic inquiry into alternative ways of
discerning between good and evil, alternating
lectures with discussions of selected texts from
contemporary ethics.
CAS PH 150 C1
INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS
Professor L. Haakonssen
This course introduces students to some of the
main theories of ethical thought in the Western
philosophical tradition. The course is divided
into three sections based on the comprehensive
reading of selected texts in ancient, early modern
and contemporary moral philosophy. We begin with
Plato, Aristotle and Epictetus. Topics discussed
include the relationship between law and morals,
religion and morals and the role played by virtue,
friendship and the emotions in our quest for "the
good life." In the second part of the course
we will study J.S. Mill's utilitarianism, the
Kantian notion of respect for persons and the
central tenets of Sartre's existentialism. In
the final section, the moral-philosophical ideas
of these philosophers will be examined in the
light of their influence on such contemporary
debates as the cloning of humans and the treatment
of animals. With Montaigne as our inspiration
and guide, we will conclude with a reflection
on cannibalism, human nature and the problems
of relativism.
Texts: Plato, The Trial and Death of Socrates;
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics; Epictetus, The
Encheiridion; J.S. Mill Utilitarianism; Course
packet
CAS PH 155
POLITICS AND PHILOSOPHY
Professor Rosen
An introduction to modern political philosophy,
with special emphasis on the most important differences
between ancient and modern political thought,
and in particular on the problem of enlightenment.
CAS PH 160 A1
REASONING & ARGUMENTATION
Professor Webb
Beginning course in deductive logic. Truth tables,
truth trees, testing validity, translating sentences
into symbolic language, and examination of different
voting rules will be covered.
Requirements: three quizzes, final exam
CAS PH 160 B1
REASONING & ARGUMENTATION
Professor Floyd
A systematic study of the principles of both
deductive and informal reasoning, with an emphasis
on reasoning and argumentation in ordinary discourse,
and on their strategies. The aim of the course
is to train the student in the skills of argument
analysis, argument construction, and argument
evaluation.
Textbook: Hintikka and Bachman, What if...? Toward
Excellence in Reasoning and Weston, A Rulebook
for Arguments.
CAS PH 260
KNOWLEDGE AND REALITY: EINSTEIN
Professor Janssen
This course, taught by one of the editors of
the Einstein Papers Project, will offer an in-depth
yet non-mathematical look at the surprising picture
of the physical world emerging from relativity
theory and quantum theory. The focus will be
on the contributions of Albert Einstein to this
modern view of nature. The goal is not just to
get a clear image of the unexpected features
of physical reality uncovered by Einstein and
others, but also to understand the reasoning
behind their claims.
To give just two examples of the sort of question
that will be guiding us: How does one get from
the notion that the velocity of light is independent
of the velocity of its source to the claim that
an astronaut returning from a mission in space
will be younger, albeit only a tiny bit, than
his or her twin who stayed at home, an unexpected
effect Einstein immediately accepted as a consequence
of his special theory of relativity? How does
one get from the splitting of a beam of electrons
sent through some magnetic field to the claim
that electrons do not have definite properties
until one performs a measurement on them, one
of the basic tenets of standard quantum mechanics,
a theory Einstein never accepted?
Prerequisite: one philosophy course
or sophomore standing
CAS PH 241
PHILOSOPHY OF PERSONALITY
Professor Kestenbaum
Consideration of the nature and problems of self-understanding
and self-realization. Psychological and philosophical
perspectives on pattern, growth, and maturity
in personality. Particular attention to philosophical
issues associated with the place of emotion in
healthy personality: rationality, freedom, and
responsibility.
Texts:
Plato, Five Dialogues
Kant, Lectures on Ethics
Carl Gustav Jung, Modern Man in Search of Soul
Sigmund Freud, An Outline of Psychoanalysis
Victor E. Frankl, The Doctor and the Soul
Gordon W. Allport, Becoming: Basic Considerations
for a Psychology of Personality
CAS PH 246
INDIAN PHILOSOPHY
Professor Rouner
Introductions to the Indian philosophical tradition,
study of the classical Six Systems, and an overview
of the rise of neo-Hindu philosophy from Ram
Mohun Roy to Gandhi.
CAS PH 247
CHINESE PHILOSOPHY
Professor Berthrong
This course will deal with the development of
Chinese philosophy in the classical Confucian,
Taoist, Mohist, Legalists, New-Taoist, and Neo-Confucian
intellectual traditions. Attention will also
be given to the general philosophic development
of Chinese civilization as a whole, including
a brief discussion of the role of Buddhism. The
texts selected for study will focus on the key
thinkers of the Chou-Han period as well as later
Taoist and Neo-Confucian developments.
Required texts: Wing-Tsit Chon, A Source Book
in Chinese Philosophy; A.C. Graham, Disputers
of the Tao; David Hall & Noyh Ames, Anticipating
China; Daniel Gardner, Chults: Learning to Be
a Sage
CAS PH 248
EXISTENTIALISM
Professor Cahoone
Analysis of existentialism as a movement or orientation
in twentieth century philosophy and literature.
We will explore a variety of expressions and
formulations of existentialism, for example,
in the work of Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Heidegger,
Camus, Sartre, Nietzsche, and Tillich.
CAS PH 253
SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY
Professor Cao
A philosophical examination of classical and
contemporary theories of modern society. Readings
will include the work of Rousseau, Marx, Weber,
Freud, as well as later thinkers.
CAS PH 257
PHILOSOPHIES OF NATURE
Professor Tauber
"Nature" is a category we must strive to recover. Any such effort
must confront a number of questions, among which are these. What are the philosophical
issues underlying the modern disjunction between nature and human beings? How
does nature serve as a source of aesthetic inspiration? What are the metaphysical
parameters of our examination of nature as an object of scientific scrutiny,
specifically the conceptual foundations of ecology beyond the epistemological
questions posed as a science? What is the wilderness and what philosophical
category does it serve? What, more fundamentally, is the nature of Nature?
These questions frame our inquiry.
A historical framework will be established to
discuss the philosophical issues. Environmental
consciousness has become an important political,
if not metaphysical, issue in contemporary life.
This development is hardly a new question, for
the importance of the wilderness as a contrasting
social category for the city and civilization
has served as a defining issue in American history
and is central to our national identity. The
most immediate and important antecedents of the
debate concerning our relation to the environment
date to the Romantic era as a response to the
growing industrialization of Western Europe and
America, but the philosophical questions date
to ancient times. This course will examine the
philosophical foundations of the environmental
movement, emphasizing the Romantic position,
which still serves as the essential formulation
for our own time.
An honors section of this course is available.
CAS PH 265
MIND AND MACHINES
Professor Webb
Additional Prerequisite: logic or some
mathematical background, or consent of instructor.
This course examines the efforts of artificial
intelligence to model the human mind and explain
human thought by means of suitably programmed
computers. Attention is given to the historical
and mathematical origins of such efforts, as
well as the main psychological and philosophical
assumptions on which they depend.
Requirements: mid-term and final examinations.
Texts: What Computers Can't Do by Dreyfus; Minds
and Machines edited by Anderson
CAS PH 271
HISTORY OF SCIENCE
Professor Tauber
Considering the centrality of science in our
world today, it is essential that students in
all fields--including the sciences and engineering
as well as the social sciences and the humanities--appreciate
both the role of science in society and its nature
as an intellectual system. One way to acquire
this perspective is through studying the history
of science. In this course we will examine key
events in the history of science and the historiographical
problems as to how the evolution of the history
of science is to be explained. The seminal discoveries
in the rise of modern science will be surveyed.
Special attention will be given to the scientific
revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries, both
to assess its reaction to ancient modes of thought,
and to define the conceptual foundations of subsequent
progress in physics and biology. In particular,
we shall study the emergence and development
of relativity theories and quantum theory in
physics, and of evolutionary theory and molecular
biology in biology. In addition, various views
on the nature of scientific progress, offered
by Sarton, Merton, Koyre, Popper, Kuhn, as well
as the social constructivists, the feminists,
and the post modernists, will be briefly examined.
Upon completion of this course, the student will
be able to understand the nature of the conceptual
developments in modern science, to appreciate
the character of the interactions between modern
science and society, and to appreciate the philosophical,
religious, and other cultural issues involving
science. The student will thus be in a position
to understand how science has become a dominant
social, cultural, and intellectual force in the
modern world.
CAS PH 300 A1
HISTORY OF ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
Professor Garrett
The course will explore Greek philosophy and
will concentrate on its chief representatives:
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Platonic dialogues,
and major chunks of the Aristotelian corpus will
be read with some care. The focus will be philosophical
rather than historical, and the emphasis will
be on the analysis and interpretation of texts.
Requirements: One paper, midterm, final.
CAS PH 300 B1
HISTORY OF ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
Professor Speight
The course will explore Greek philosophy and
will concentrate on its chief representatives:
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Platonic dialogues,
and major chunks of the Aristotelian corpus will
be read with some care. The focus will be philosophical
rather than historical, and the emphasis will
be on the analysis and interpretation of texts.
Requirements: One paper, midterm, final.
CAS PH 310 A1
HISTORY OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY
Professor Cahoone
Examination of theories of major seventeenth
and eighteenth century philosophers, from Descartes
to Kant. Our focus will be on accounts of the
ultimate nature of existence and knowledge. Two
papers and final examination.
CAS PH 310 B1
HISTORY OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY
Professor Allison
Beginning with a brief discussion of the scientific
revolution of the seventeenth century, the course
will trace the main outlines of the philosophical
response, by the thought of the four leading
thinkers of this period: Descartes, Leibniz,
Hume and Kant.
CAS PH 350
HISTORY OF ETHICS
Professor K. Haakonssen
The course provides a wide-ranging history of
Western ethics from Plato, Aristotle and the
stoics, via medieval thinkers (esp. St. Augustine)
to early modern and modern moral philosophers:
Hobbes, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Mill and Nietzsche.
We consider such questions as whether morality
is invented or discovered? What is the good life?
What is the relationship between moral virtue
and happiness? What is duty? What is supererogation?
What is the relationship between morality and
religion?
Texts: Michael Morgan, ed., Classics of Moral
and Political Theory (2nd edition), Alasdair
MacIntyre A Short History of Ethics
Undergraduates: Register for 400
level courses
Graduates: Register for 600 level
courses
Ancient Philosophy
CAS PH 403/603
PLATO I
Professor Roochnik
Prerequisite: PH 300 and two other
PH courses
A close reading of Plato's Theaetetus.
Modern & Contemporary Philosophy
CAS PH 412/612
PHILOSOPHY OF ENLIGHTENMENT
Professor K. Haakonssen
Prerequisite: PH 310 and two other
PH courses
The course will be an intensive study of Jean
Jacques Rousseau. The course is designed to incorporate
The Benedict Lectures on Rousseau, a series of
public lectures by Professor David Gauthier (University
of Pittsburgh). These six lectures will fall
within the course-time and be spread through
the semester. The course requires extensive reading
from most of Rousseau's major works, preferably
in the following editions: The Discourses and
Other Early Political Writings, and The Social
Contract and Other Later Political Writings,
both edited by Victor Gourevitch, Cambridge U.P.
1997; Emile, edited by Allan Bloom, Basic Books
(or Penguin); Confessions, Penguin Classics;
Reveries of the Solitary Walker, edited by Peter
France, Penguin Classics.
CAS PH 413
KANT
Professor Ferrarin
A single text constitutes the basis for this
course--Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. Some
of the great scholars of the past have devoted
a lifetime to analyzing, explicating, and evaluating
this work. We, alas, have only one semester.
In this, the first of three Critiques, Kant introduced
the idea of a critical self-examination of reason,
and in the execution of this program he developed
a unique new type of philosophy, called transcendental
philosophy, which forever revolutionized philosophical
thought. We shall examine the text carefully
from beginning to end. Because Kant's thinking
is enormously complex, intricate, and subtle,
we shall make ample use of secondary sources
and complement textual analysis by discussing
helpful comments by some of today's finest Kant
scholars.
Note: this is a course ONLY open to undergraduates.
CAS PH 416/616
HEGEL
Professor Brinkmann
A close reading of Hegel's 1831 Encyclopedia.
Major topics: Hegel's concept of philosophy,
the structure of his system, the dialectic, fundamental
aspects of the Logic, the Philosophy of Nature
and the Philosophy of Spirit.
CAS PH 420/620
CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY
Professor Hintikka
This course does not only present briefly some
of the main figures of contemporary philosophy,
among them Frege, Husserl, Wittgenstein and Heidegger,
and some of the important developments, such
as hermeneutics, logical empiricism, existentialism,
the new philosophy of science (Kuhn, etc.), the
new theory of reference (Marcus, Kripke, etc.)
neurophilosophy and the realism controversy.
It also seeks to answer the question: What's
in them for us? Which ideas of these thinkers
are helpful in guiding philosophical thought
to the next century and which ones are not?
CAS PH 424/624
WITTGENSTEIN
Professor Floyd
An intensive (line by line) study of Wittgenstein's
Philosophical Investigations.
Text: Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations
CAS PH 430/630
AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY
Professor Devlin
An examination of the work of the inventor of
American philosophy, Charles Sanders Peirce,
and two of its most famous exponents, William
James and John Dewey. The doctrine of pragmatism
will be featured.
Philosophy of Value
CAS PH 450/650
TYPES OF ETHICAL THEORY
Professor Griswold
Prerequisite: PH 350 and two other
PH courses
The focus of the course this semester will be
on "virtue ethics" and on the debate
about the role of philosophical "theory" in
ethics. We will begin with a reading of parts
of Plato's Protagoras, and then turn to the contemporary
revival of and debate about virtue and (ethical)
theory.
Readings will include work by Anscombe, Williams,
MacIntyre, McDowell,Schneewind, Slote, Baier,
Foot, and Brandt. The central text for the modern
readings will be Virtue Ethics, ed. Crisp and
Slote. A course packet will also be used. Recommended
texts will include Virtue (Nomos vol. 34, ed.
Chapman and Galston); Ethical Theory: Character
and Virtue (ed. French et al); and Williams'
Shame and Necessity.
CAS PH 452/652
ETHICS OF HEALTH CARE: Birth, Life & Death
Professor Grodin
What is life? What is death? What distinguishes
being alive or having a life from living a life?
What is the nature of personhood? How can one
relate causality to intent, predictability or
fallibility? Medicine and health care offer a
unique opportunity to explore the nature of humanity
and the world and to ask fundamental questions
concerning the nature of life, death, and what
it is to be human. This course will analyze these
problems in the context of medical care at the
beginning and end of life. After an introduction
to the foundational questions and problems of
medical ethics and an exploration into the historical
views of birth, life, and death, the class will
explore the following topics: abortion, selective
fetal termination, the new reproductive and genetic
technologies, fetal-maternal conflicts, the human
genome projects, human death, brain death, personal
death, persistent vegetative coma, termination
of life support, euthanasia, and assisted suicide.
Throughout the course case studies will be used
as philosophical paradigms to assist in critiquing
and clarifying metaphysical and normative ethical
arguments.
Requirements: class participation, presentations,
short papers and a longer final term paper. Readings
will be from both classical and contemporary
writings in ethics, medicine, law and public
health policy.
CAS PH 454/654
COMMUNITY, LIBERTY, AND MORALITY --
Resistance and Responsibility
Professor Lyons
This seminar examines the theory and practice
of principled resistance to law. We consider
theories about a duty to obey the law and about
civil disobedience in relation to examples of
political resistance in their historical context.
Brief weekly reports on the readings as well
as a term paper are required.
Note: the first meeting of this course is Thursday,
January 8.
CAS PH 455/655
PHILOSOPHY OF LAW
Professor Lyons
This course is organized around the two most
central issues of general jurisprudence--the
essential nature of law and whether law has any
necessary relation to sound moral principles.
We will consider, for example, the idea that
law is basically a set of coercive commands issued
by the sovereign. We will study this idea as
presented by its leading proponent, John Austin,
and as analyzed by its leading critic, Herbert
Hart. Recent developments in legal theory involve
attempts to understand law by focusing on the
role of courts, and this will lead us to consider
topics relating to the interpretation of law,
such as open texture and legislative intent.
Readings for the course are mainly theoretical
writings (plus a handful of cases). No background
in philosophy is assumed--only a tolerance for
abstract ideas. There may be some brief (one
page) writing assignments during the term. The
final will be given in the form of a paper so
as to allow more time for reflection.
Texts: H.L.A. Hart, The Concept of Law (2nd edn.)
plus photocopied materials available from the
Law School copy center.
Note: the first meeting of this course is Wednesday,
January 14.
Prerequisite: PH 310, 360, and one
other PH course
Philosophy of Logic
CAS PH 468/668
PROBLEMS IN LOGIC AND MATH
Professor Kanamori
The course begins, if necessary, with a review
of first-order logic and formal systems. It then
focuses on axiomatic set theory as the basic
framework for mathematics, and as a distinctive
field of mathematics. With emphasis on the historical
context, the theory is developed from its beginnings
in the work of Cantor and Zermelo through to
modern preoccupations.
Prerequisite: PH 310 and two other
PH courses
Topics Courses
CAS PH 482/682
TOPICS: 17th & 18th Century Philosophy
of Mind & Human Nature
Professor Garrett
Over the course of the semester we will explore
the 17th and 18th century philosophies of mind
and human nature, through the works of Locke,
Leibniz, Berkeley, Hume and others. The class
will both give an introduction to some of the
primary texts in the British philosophical tradition,
and compare them with Continental philosophies
along a few important themes. Key issues discussed
will be the relation between perception and ontology,
and the importance of the distinction between
human and animal nature for isolating what the
human mind and nature are, and are not.
CAS PH 486/686
TOPICS: KNOWLEDGE, LANGUAGE & LOGIC
Professor Dreben
A detailed study of the works of J.L. Austin.
Required texts: Sense and Sensibilia, How to
Do Things with Words, Philosophical Papers
The following courses are open to
Graduate Students ONLY
Note that courses listed above
bearing a 600 level number may be taken for
graduate credit.
CAS PH 801
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
Professor Hintikka
The fundamental problems of Aristotle's methodology
and metaphysics are studied. The topics that
will be discussed include Aristotle's early dialectical
methodology and its development into syllogistic
logic and syllogistic methodology, Aristotle's
notions of induction, definition and explanation,
his treatment of being, especially existence,
his theory of categories, Aristotle's theory
of thinking and its influence on his methodology,
his theory of modality and chance, etc.
Texts: Seminar members are expected to read Categories,
On the Interpretation, Posterior Analytics, Topics
I and VIII and relevant portions of other works
including Physics, On the Soul, and Metaphysics.
GRS PH 826
PHENOMENOLOGY
Professor Dahlstrom
The general objective of this seminar is to examine
Heidegger's phenomenological studies of being,
temporality, and truth, as presented in lectures
held and essays written by him in the first few
years after the completion of Being and Time
(1926). To this end the course centers on the
lectures of the summer semesters of 1927 and
1928, The Basic Problems of Phenomenology and
The Metaphysical Foundations of Logic, as well
as the essays, "What is Metaphysics?" (1929)
and "On the Essence of Truth" (1930).
GRS PH 840
METAPHYSICS
Professor Rosen
This seminar will be devoted to the problem of
human temporality, with special attention to
the lived present. The instructor will discuss
the time-analyses of Husserl and Heidegger, but
the main task will be to grasp the problem itself.
No texts required.
GRS PH 860
EPISTEMOLOGY
Professor Allison
The seminar will be devoted to a study of Hume's
Treatise, perhaps some related texts. Please
note that, in spite of its title, this will not
be a seminar on Hume's epistemology. It will
instead aim at a comprehensive understanding
of Hume's "system," encompassing all
three books of the Treatise.
Requirements: Two papers of 12 to 15 pages and
one or two (depending on class size) in-class
presentations.
GRS PH 871
PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Professor Cao
This seminar will examine, from four perspectives
(scientific realism, positivism, pragmatism and
epistemic relativism), the contemporary philosophical
debate on the nature and limits of scientific
knowledge, centered around such issues as (i)
the under determination and incommensurability
versus cumulativity and progress of scientific
theories; (ii) social interests and perspectives
versus objective facts and evidence as well as
scientific rationality in theory acceptance.
The aim of the course is to clarify the credentials
and implications of each position, (thus provide
students a solid ground for participating in
wider cultural debates on rationality and relativism),
and to have a better understanding of the recent
history and current status of philosophy of science,
(which is part of necessary training for professional
philosopher), through a careful examination of
the structure of the arguments adopted by each
position in dealing with various issues.
Required: Larry Laudan, Science and Relativism
(1990)
Suggested: Mary Hesse, Revolutions and Reconstructions:
The Philosophy of Science (1980) Richard Rorty,
Objectivity, Relativism and Truth (1991)
Back to Top |
