Philosophy

• MET PH 101: Basic Problems of Philosophy
  Introduction to classical philosophical problems concerning human nature and knowledge, freedom and morality, and reason and justice.
• MET PH 110: Great Philosophers
  Introduction to the life and thought of five preeminent philosophers from classical times through the modern era.
• MET PH 150: Introduction to Ethics
  Many of us want to lead meaningful lives. But what is it for a life to be meaningful? What makes some lives better or more meaningful than others? Can life as a whole have some significance or meaning? Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
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  • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Critical Thinking
• MET PH 155: Politics and Philosophy
  A study of the theoretical foundations of modern industrial democracy, with special attention paid to the Enlightenment. Readings from Machiavelli, Locke, Rousseau, Madison and Toqueville. 4cr.
• MET PH 160: Reasoning and Argumentation
  A systematic study of the principles of both deductive and informal reasoning, with an emphasis on reasoning and argumentation in ordinary discourse.
• MET PH 248: Existentialism
  Analysis of existentialism as a movement or orientation in contemporary philosophy. Topics include contingency and the grounds for belief and value; depth, superficiality, and the intense life; commitment and open-mindedness; tragedy and the healthy self; boredom, anxiety, and adventure; and existentialism as a philosophy of the possible.
• MET PH 265: Minds and Machines
  An examination of 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.
• MET PH 270: Philosophy of Science
  Main features of the scientific enterprise will be illustrated by examples in the study of physics, biology, and mind: the aims of scientific activities, the nature of scientific understanding and procedures, the structure and interpretation of scientific theories, and the development of science.
• MET PH 300: History of Ancient Philosophy
  Classical Greek philosophy from the pre-Socratics through Plato and Aristotle.
• MET PH 310: History of Modern Philosophy
  Main currents of modern philosophical thought from Descartes through Kant.

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