PHL - Philosophy

Philosophy: PHL

Lower-Division Courses

PHL X01. Introduction to Philosophy.

A survey of principal topics and problems in areas such as ethics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of religion.

PHL X01K. Ancient Philosophy.

An introduction to the philosophical achievements of the ancient world, concentrating on Plato and Aristotle.

PHL X01L. Early Modern Philosophy.

An introduction to the philosophical achievements of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, concentrating on such figures as Descartes, Hume, and Kant.

PHL X02. World Philosophy.

Basic issues of philosophy in Western and non-Western traditions, such as the nature of philosophy, its relation to religion and science, the self, knowledge, and virtue.

PHL X02C. Ethics and Enlightenment.

A study of non-Western ethics, especially in Hindu and Buddhist traditions.

PHL X03. Human Nature.

Theories of human nature, such as those of Plato, Christianity, Marxism, and existentialism. Modern psychological and biological theories are included, as the interplay of nature and nurture in determining human conduct is explored.

PHL X03M. Mind and Body.

Introduction to philosophical issues about the nature of mind and its relation to body: What is mind? Do people have free will? How does psychology relate to neuroscience?

PHL X04. Contemporary Moral Problems.

Philosophical examination of selected moral problems arising out of contemporary society and culture.

PHL X04T. Introduction to Technology Ethics.

Examine ethical challenges that have been introduced or exacerbated by recent technological advancements.

PHL X05. Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion.

A critical examination of various conceptions of God and of the relationship of the human and the divine.

PHL X06. Topics in Philosophical Thinkers.

An introduction to major areas of philosophy through the study of selected philosophical thinkers.

PHL X06D. Descartes.

Examine the philosophy of Rene Descartes.

PHL X06L. Mind, Matter, and Persons.

Examines the philosophy of John Locke.

PHL X10. Knowledge and Reality.

An introduction to basic issues in epistemology and metaphysics.

PHL X10Q. Problems of Knowledge and Valuation.

Methods and aims of selected sciences, arts, and philosophy in the attainment of knowledge and in providing the basis for valuation.

PHL X11. Argument.

Argument as a kind of discourse: deductive and inductive arguments; principles of reasoning; fallacies; practical applications.

PHL X11K. Games and Decisions.

Introduction to the theories of games and rational decision, with applications to ethical, social, and political issues.

PHL X12. Introduction to Logic.

Logical structure of sentences and arguments; elementary symbolic methods; applications.

PHL X13. Introductory Symbolic Logic.

Introduction to symbolic logic (through first-order predicate logic); interpretations; formal proofs, consistency; some practical applications.

PHL X13K. Logic, Sets, and Functions.

Sets, relations, functions, sentential and predicate logic, proof techniques, algorithms, and elementary metatheory. Mathematically oriented.

PHL X13Q. Logic and Scientific Reasoning.

Introduction to formal proofs, semantics, quantifiers, inductive methods, decision theory, and scientific reasoning.

PHL X15F. Philosophy and Film.

Formulation, analysis, and criticism of philosophical ideas in selected films.

PHL X15L. Philosophy and Literature.

Formulation, analysis, and criticism of philosophical ideas in selected works of literature.

PHL X16K. Science and Philosophy.

Introduction to scientific method, including discussion of the nature and goals of science.

PHL X17K. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Arts.

Classic issues in the philosophy of art and beauty, illustrated from the fine arts and contemporary media: literature, drama, music, painting, film, and television.

PHL X18. Introduction to Ethics.

Study of basic principles of the moral life, with critical examination of traditional and contemporary theories of the nature of goodness, happiness, duty, and freedom.

PHL X18K. Introduction to Political Philosophy.

Views of major political philosophers on humanity, nature, and society; discussions of contemporary political ideologies.

PHL X19S. Topics in Philosophy.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Philosophy. University credit is awarded for work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program.

PHL X29S. Topics in Philosophy.

Upper-Division Courses

PHL X19S. Topics in Philosophy.

PHL X21K. Theory of Knowledge.

Systematic and detailed study of major issues in the theory of knowledge, such as the distinction between knowledge and belief, the criteria of knowledge, the justification of knowledge-claims, and perception.

PHL X22. Science and the Modern World.

The historical development and impact of scientific ideas through the modern period to the present.

PHL X22K. History of Ethics.

Survey of ethical theories from ancient times through the nineteenth century.

PHL X23K. Metaphysics.

Problems of substance, change, categories of being, mind, body, space and time, approached either systematically or historically.

PHL X23M. Philosophy of Mind.

Problems concerning the nature of mind and mental phenomena: the relation between mind and body, knowledge of other minds, the computational model of mind, mental causation, intentionality, and consciousness.

PHL X23S. Philosophy of Science.

Examine philosophical issues pertaining to science, with an emphasis on the metaphysics and epistemology of science.

PHL X25D. Environmental Ethics and Philosophy.

Examine moral issues concerning the relation of human beings to the environment, including biodiversity, resource depletion, and animal rights.

PHL X25E. Biomedical Ethics.

Apply ethics to problems of medical practice and theory including abortion, euthanasia, sterilization, psychosurgery, genetic engineering, and concepts of health, cure, insanity, and death.

PHL X25J. Health and Justice.

Examines ethical, political, and legal issues surrounding medicine, society, and healthcare.

PHL X25K. Ethical Theories.

Major traditional and contemporary ethical theories discussed and critically examined.

PHL X25L. Business, Ethics, and Public Policy.

Issues in ethics and politics that are relevant to the organization of business and industry and the distribution of power in society; topics include the role of industry; concepts of profit, property, and moral responsibility.

PHL X25M. Medicine, Ethics, and Society.

Examine moral, legal, and socio-political implications of developments in the biomedical sciences. Explore health and disease, function and normalcy, evidence-based practice, gene editing and cloning, genetic testing, screening, and counseling, public health and compulsory vaccination.

PHL X25N. Organizational Ethics.

Examine the practical and theoretical aspects of ethical issues in organizations, including philosophical, psychological, anthropological, and strategic approaches.

PHL X28. Nineteenth-Century Philosophy.

Major figures in nineteenth-century European philosophy, including Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Mill.

PHL X29C. Plato and His Philosophy.

Intensive study of selected works by Plato.

PHL X29D. Spinoza's Philosophical System.

Examine the significance of Benedict de Spinoza's philosophical system.

PHL X29E. Aristotle.

Study the philosophy of Aristotle through the examination of key texts.

PHL X29F. Squaring the Vienna Circle.

Traces the origin of the Vienna Circle of Logical Empiricism in nineteenth-century Europe, and introduces central texts and problems of intellectual history and historical epistemology at the roots of today's analytic philosophy.

PHL X29K. History of Ancient Philosophy.

Development of Western philosophy from the pre-Socratics to the early Christian era; emphasis on Plato and Aristotle.

PHL X29L. Early Modern Philosophy: Descartes to Kant.

PHL X29P. Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.

An intensive study of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, focusing especially on his "Copernican Revolution," his theories of categories and concepts, and his rejection of metaphysics.

PHL X29S. Topics in Philosophy.

PHL X29T. Thomas Aquinas and His Philosophy.

Study the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas through the examination of key selected texts.

PHL X29U. Perspectives on Science and Mathematics.

An examination of five notable episodes in the history of science: Galileo's conflict with the Catholic Church, Isaac Newton's formulation of the laws of motion, Charles Darwin's proposal of the theory of evolution by natural selection, the development of the atomic bomb, and the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA.

PHL X32. Philosophy of Language.

Contemporary theories of meaning and linguistic structure, and their relationships to epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics.

PHL X32M. Interpretation and Meaning.

Examine issues concerning the nature of communication, interpretation, and meaning.

PHL X34F. Forensic Files: Philosophy Crimes.

Explore political philosophies from the continental tradition (Heidegger/Arendt, Nietzsche, Adorno/Horkheimer, and Agamben/Schmitt) implicated in radical politics and answering to political turning points, with a focus on research and reading in historical contexts.

PHL X34G. Hegel and His Heirs: Philosophy That Remade the West.

Explore how Hegel's philosophy contributed to the founding of the modern social sciences and led to innovations in the study of religion, psychology, education, social organizations, and social reform.

PHL X34M. Martin Heidegger.

Examine the work of Martin Heidegger, focusing especially on his views concerning truth, art, history, humanism, and technology.

PHL X34Q. German Scholars: US Exile.

Examine the migration of established European intellectuals into the US, due to the Second World War. Explore how they worked against their persecutors for their own cultural heritage and to influence US intellectual life. Investigate the ethical dilemmas faced in transplanting their lives and projects into new contexts.

PHL X42. Topics in Political Philosophy.

Critical examination of leading theories of the state, including analysis of such concepts as sovereignty, obligation, rights, and freedom.

PHL X42.1. Natural Law Theory.

Study of the fundamental moral principles that are built into the design of human nature and lie at the roots of conscience.

PHL X42C. Philosophy of Citizenship.

Explore central philosophical and ethical questions about citizenship.

PHL X42L. Origins of Liberalism.

Examine the theory of liberal democracy through a study of its development in historical, religious, and political contexts.

PHL X42M. Marx and Marxist Theory.

Introduction to the writings of Karl Marx as well as to those of his intellectual successors in Europe and around the globe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

PHL X42P. Four Modern Political Theories.

Examine four modern political theories (classical liberalism, Marxism, social democracy, and traditional conservativism), with close reading and analysis of central texts.

PHL X42R. Philosophy of Race and Gender.

Examine philosophical issues pertaining to race and gender.

PHL X42T. Advanced Political Philosophy.

Examine one or more of the central subjects in political philosophy including liberty, justice, equality, democracy, and constitutionalism.

PHL X44K. Intermediate Symbolic Logic.

A second-semester course in symbolic logic: formal syntax and semantics, basic metatheory (soundness, completeness, compactness, and Loewenheim-Skolem theorems), and further topics in logic.

PHL X44M. Philosophy of Mathematics.

Philosophical issues concerning mathematics and its foundations, such as the correlation of mathematics to logic, mathematical truth, and mathematical knowledge.

PHL X46K. Aesthetics.

The nature and purpose of art and the aesthetic experience.

PHL X47. Philosophy of Law.

The significance and function of law in political and ethical contexts; comparison of common and statutory to scientific and moral law; readings from among Plato, Kant, Hegel, Bentham, Austin, Hart, Dworkin, Feinberg, and others.

PHL X48C. Classical Chinese Philosophy.

Introduction (in translation) to thinkers, texts, and ideas from the golden age of Classical Chinese philosophy (circa sixth-second centuries BCE), including how to apply their teachings to current sociopolitical issues.

PHL X48D. Chinese Ethics and Political Philosophy.

Examine Chinese ethical and political philosophy, with an emphasis on the Confucian tradition, through close reading of major works. Analyze ideas from the course both philosophically and historically.

PHL X48G. The Bhagavad Gita: Interpretation and Ethics.

Explore one of the most influential books in Indian and global contexts, the Bhagavad Gita, through interpretations, commentaries, and scholarly materials. Navigate ethical dilemmas in the Bhagavad Gita and real-life situations.

PHL X48P. Indian Philosophies.

Investigate the theories and arguments of major Indian philosophers, considering both their historical positioning and contemporary relevance.

PHL X49. History of Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy.

Philosophical thought from Augustine through Cusanus and Vico, with emphasis on its cultural bearing.

PHL X56C. Contemporary Christian Philosophy.

Study of recent work in philosophy written from a Christian point of view or that examines philosophical questions that arise within the framework of the Christian faith.

PHL X56D. History of Christian Philosophy.

Examines the history of Christian philosophy through classic Christian thought, concerning what can be known and how people should live.

PHL X56E. Buddhist Thought and Practice.

Explore important themes in Buddhist thought, various ways in which Buddhists practice their religion, and the relationships between religious concepts and practices.

PHL X58. Philosophical Logic.

Issues in philosophical logic and its applications, such as theories of meaning, logical paradoxes, epistemic logic, deontic logic, modal logic, existence, and identity.

PHL X61K. Philosophy in Literature.

Formulation, analysis, and criticism of philosophical ideas in selected literary works.

PHL X63. Scientific Method.

History, exposition, and analysis of such fundamental concepts in the natural and social sciences as explanation, prediction, discovery, confirmation, laws, hypotheses, theories.

PHL X63L. Topics in Philosophy of Science.

PHL X63L.1. The Philosophy of Biology.

PHL X63L.2. The Outer Limits of Reason.

Examines fundamental questions that appear to transcend the capacities of reason such as semantic paradoxes, theseus' ship, vagueness, infinities, computational intractability, quantum mechanics, fine-tuning arguments, and why mathematics applies to the physical world.

PHL X63L.3. Science and Metaphysics.

Examine questions about the nature of reality informed by science and metaphysics, such as the nature of time, space, minds, meanings, identity, infinity, abstract vs concrete objects.

PHL X63L.5. Biology and Society.

Explore how biological theorizing has influenced and, in turn, been modulated by social ideology from the early twentieth century to the present day.

PHL X63L.6. Philosophy and Computation.

Analyze fundamental results from the early theory of computation such as the unsolvability of the halting problem, uncomputability, computational complexity, and intractability. Question central notions such as 'implementation' of a program, what a program is, what an algorithm is, 'software' versus 'hardware' distinction, and other distinctions. Discuss issues surrounding the relation between computation, thought, and experience. Consider questions such as what artificial intelligence is, whether there is a relevant distinction between 'simulation' of a phenomenon such as intelligence versus the production of genuine intelligence, the ethics of AI, and the status of various 'virtual' entities, such as internet sites, the metaverse, and bitcoin.

PHL X65. Topics in Selected Problems in Philosophy.

PHL X65.2. Introduction to Cognitive Science.

PHL X65.6. Process Philosophy and Pragmatism.

PHL X65M. The Meaning of Life.

Investigate the meaning of life, exploring pre-modern perspectives, modern views including those of the nineteenth through twenty-first centuries, and contemporary problems such as whether AI poses new threats to meaning in life.

PHL X65N. The Nature of Visual Consciousness.

PHL X65P. The Pursuit of Happiness.

Investigate happiness and how it is attained. Examine contrasting perspectives on happiness or human flourishing offered by major thinkers, both religious and secular, representing different epochs, cultures, and theoretical approaches.

PHL X66K. Existentialism.

Existentialism and its relationship to literature, psychoanalysis, and Marxism.

PHL X75M. Topics in Major Seminar.

PHL X75M.1. Philosophy and Feminism.

PHL X75M.10. Philosophy of Action.

Study contemporary philosophy of action through a survey of some of its central questions and influential authors.

PHL X75M.11. Constitutional Law and Theory.

Explore issues surrounding constitutional theories and interpretations as they relate to the rule of law and the function of a constitution.

PHL X75M.2. Philosophy of David Hume.

Examine David Hume's contributions to Philosophy holistically: metaphysics, knowledge, morality and religion. Explore the systematic nature of his thought, as applied to specific problems including causation, induction, moral belief, and the existence of God.

PHL X75M.3. Wittgenstein.

Examine the later philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein in the context of the development of analytic philosophy in the early twentieth century.

PHL X75M.4. Philosophy of the First Amendment.

Examine the philosophical principles beneath the several freedoms protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, as well as the applications of those freedoms (speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition) to concrete legal disputes.

PHL X75M.5. Major Ethical Theories.

Examine selected major works in ethical theory from ancient and modern philosophy. Explicate the argumentative structure of the texts, situate them in their historical contexts, and consider their significance for contemporary moral thought.

PHL X75M.6. Studies in Epistemology.

Examine one or more of the philosophical approaches to the study of knowledge and rational belief.

PHL X75M.7. Foundational Issues In Metaphysics.

Examine foundational questions in metaphysics, including being and existence, essence, real definition, grounding, ontological dependency, form and matter, explanation, causation, and parts and wholes.

PHL X75M.8. History of Metaphysics.

Examine selected major works of metaphysical inquiry from an earlier period, from the ancient Greeks to the twentieth century.

PHL X75M.9. The Philosophy of Privacy.

Explore the legal, political, and personal dimensions of privacy. Examine the nature of privacy and the value of privacy.

PHL X79H. Honors Tutorial Course.

Supervised individual reading for one semester, followed by research and writing to produce a substantial paper on a special topic in philosophy, to be completed during the second semester.

PHL X79K. Conference Course.

Intensive tutorial study of selected problems in philosophy.

Graduate Courses

PHL X19S. Topics in Philosophy.

PHL X29S. Topics in Philosophy.

PHL X80. Topics in Contemporary Philosophy.

Past topics include pragmatism; postmodernism; contemporary Marxism; critical theory.

PHL X80N. French-German Philosophy and Theory.

Explore core philosophical texts from the nineteenth and twentieth century that ground post-World War II French post-structuralism.

PHL X81. Topics in History of Philosophy.

Past topics include major figures and movements in ancient, medieval, early modern, and nineteenth- and twentieth-century philosophy.

PHL X82. Topics in Metaphysics.

Past topics include basic issues in metaphysics; particulars and universals; identity and individuation; realism and antirealism; mind-body issues.

PHL X83. Topics in Theory of Knowledge.

Past topics include basic issues in epistemology; theories of belief and rationality; justification and truth.

PHL X83C. Introduction to Cognitive Science.

PHL X84F. First-Year Seminar.

Central problems in philosophy.

PHL X84K. The Analytic Tradition.

A selective examination of works by major figures such as Frege, Moore, Russell, and Wittgenstein.

PHL X85. Topics in Theory of Value.

Past topics include basic issues in value theory; the objectivity of value; literature and philosophy; philosophy of art; literary criticism.

PHL X86. Topics in Philosophy of Science.

Past topics include basic issues in the philosophy of science; theories and explanations; philosophy of quantum mechanics; philosophy of the social sciences.

PHL X87. Topics in Ethical, Political, and Legal Philosophy.

Past topics include contemporary ethical theory; theories of justice; philosophy of law; social contract theories; political philosophy.

PHL X87C. Intersectionality: Identity and Politics.

Examine current theories of identity and identity politics from the US and Europe, deriving from theories of economic and class-based origins of identity.

PHL X88. Conference Course.

Mainly a reading course in the works of classical and modern philosophers.

PHL X88C. Prospectus Course.

Mainly a reading course for development of a dissertation prospectus.

PHL X89. Topics in Logic.

Rigorous definitions of syntax and semantics. Proofs of soundness and completeness of sentential and predicate logics; other topics in metatheory. May include extensions of and alternatives to classical logic. Philosophical significance of logic and metalogical results.

PHL X91. Topics in Logic and Philosophy.

Past topics include identity and substitutivity; philosophy of logic; discourse representation.

PHL X94K. Philosophy of Language.

PHL X96M. Job Market.

PHL X96W. Dissertation Seminar.

Intensive examination of selected dissertation topics: attention to research methods, presentation, structure, and argument. Student reports on current research.

PHL X98. Thesis.

PHL X98R. Master's Report.

Preparation of a report to fulfill the requirement for the master's degree under the report option.

PHL X98T. Supervised Teaching in Philosophy.

Teaching experience developed through an apprentice relationship between student and faculty member.