PHIL 100 Introduction to Philosophy
An introduction to central issues in metaphysics and epistemology. Questions to be considered might include: "Can we know anything?" "Does God exist?" "Is the mind just a brain?" "Do human beings have free will?"
PHIL 100J Introduction to Philosophy
This course seeks to introduce students to the nature of philosophy. This is done through the examination of core texts and figures in the history of philosophy as well as in the discussion of perennial philosophical questions.
PHIL 105 Introduction to Ethics and Values
An introduction to central issues in ethics and value theory. Questions considered might include: "What makes actions right or wrong?" "Are there facts about what is beautiful?" "Can our social institutions be justified?"
PHIL 118J The Moral Life
An examination of the importance of virtue in general and of the cardinal virtues in particular for the development of character and the enjoyment of the good life.
PHIL 145 Critical Thinking
An analysis of basic types of reasoning, structure of arguments, critical assessment of information, common fallacies, problems of clarity and meaning.
PHIL 200A Great Works of Western Philosophy: Part 1
Outstanding works from the ancient and medieval periods.
PHIL 200B Great Works of Western Philosophy: Part 2
Outstanding works on metaphysics and epistemology from the early modern period (1600-1800).
PHIL 200J Aristotelian Logic
An introduction to the understanding of how words are used, the formation of propositions, the construction of arguments and the examination of fallacies to help the student argue with order, facility and without error.
PHIL 201 Love
A philosophical analysis of different forms and functions of love. Among the topics to be considered: love and sexuality, religious love, love and knowledge. Classical and contemporary sources will be treated.
PHIL 202 Gender Issues
Issues arising in our lives as gendered human beings: oppression, language, looks, the work place, sports, love, relationships, bonds, sex, AIDS, rape, sexual harassment, prostitution, pornography, contraception, abortion, reproduction, raising children, youth and aging.
PHIL 208 Philosophy Through Science Fiction
An exploration of issues in philosophy via science fiction. The stories provide thought experiments like those used by the great philosophers in considering knowledge, mind-brain identity, space, time, causality, ethics, and politics (among others).
PHIL 209 Philosophy in Literature
Philosophical themes (such as alienation, freedom and responsibility) will be explored through appropriate literary works (for example, works by Aeschylus, Dostoevsky, Kafka, and Twain).
PHIL 210J Philosophy of Human Nature
What is a human being? What is the place of humans among other creatures? Are human beings accidents of evolution? What are the major theories of human nature? How are love and sex aspects of human life?
PHIL 215 Professional and Business Ethics
Study of ethical and moral issues that typically arise in professional and business activity. What responsibilities to society at large do people in such business and professional activities as teaching, engineering, planning, architecture and accounting have? How far should professional autonomy extend?
PHIL 216 Rational Behaviour and Decision-Making
An elementary introduction to the subject of 'rational' behaviour and decision-making for individuals and groups. Emphasis is on the definition and measurement of utility functions and various criteria employed in models of decision-making. This course is intended to help those whose work will involve them in making decisions in either the public or private sectors.
PHIL 218J Ethical Theory
The search to establish a rational basis for ethics. Consideration will be given to ethical theories which help to shed light on the most fundamental problem of ethics: the existence and the nature of the good, understood as the question of what makes a human life a good life.
PHIL 219J Practical Ethics
This course will examine a variety of applied ethical issues. The topics that may be discussed include abortion, euthanasia, pornography, environmentalism, animal rights, poverty, and reproductive technologies.
PHIL 220 Moral Issues
The aim of this course is to improve the student's understanding of ethical ideas and principles by careful discussion of selected concrete moral issues, such as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, and violence. Choice of issues is partly determined by student interest.
PHIL 221 Ethics 1
This course is intended to be both a history of and an introduction to moral philosophy. Views on the foundations of ethics of the great philosophers from classical antiquity to about 1900 are systematically examined. Writers studied include: Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, Mill and Nietzsche.
PHIL 224 Environmental Ethics
Philosophical perspectives on current environmental concerns: pollution, use of scarce resources, relations to animals and future generations, the significance of biodiversity and wilderness areas, bioactivism and other approaches to environmental problems.
PHIL 226 Ethics and the Life Sciences
An investigation of some critical ethical issues in human research and therapy. Includes discussions of the right to live and the right to die, behaviour control (e.g. psychosurgery, behaviour modification and psychotherapy), human experimentation (including 'informed consent' and fetal research) and genetic engineering.
PHIL 237 Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion
A critical discussion of basic religious concepts. Among the topics covered will be faith, miracles, religious experience, immortality, and arguments for the existence of God.
PHIL 240 Introduction to Formal Logic
An examination of classical propositional logic, covering proof methods, expressive completeness, soundness, and completeness. Also introduction to quantificational logic.
PHIL 255 Philosophy of Mind
This course will discuss fundamental questions concerning the nature of mind, including the relation between mind and body, the plausibility of commonsense views of the mind, and knowledge of other minds.
PHIL 256 Introduction to Cognitive Science
Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of mind and intelligence. This course will draw on philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, linguistics, neuroscience, and anthropology to address central questions about the nature of thinking. Topics discussed will include mental representation, computational models of mind, and consciousness.
PHIL 258 Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
A discussion of the fundamental concepts on which science is based. Consideration is given to such topics as scientific theories, the nature of law-likeness, the grounds for scientific confirmation, and the debate between rationalism and empiricism in science.
PHIL 259 Philosophy of Technology
What is technology? What is its relationship with modern science? Is technology a means or an end? Does the development of technology require a change in the way we conceive human nature and its place within the natural world? What new moral and metaphysical dilemmas does technology raise? Contributions from a wide range of thinkers - such as Aristotle, Descartes, Bacon, Ellul or Heidegger - will be studied.
PHIL 265 The Existentialist Experience
An introduction to the existentialist view of humans using both literary and philosophical texts from such authors as Kierkegaard, Unamuno, Nietzsche, Ortega y Gasset, Camus, Sartre, Heidegger and others.
PHIL 315 Ethics and The Engineering Profession
An analysis from the standpoint of philosophical ethics of moral issues arising in professional engineering practice. Issues include the social responsibility of engineers, conflict of interest and obligation, morally acceptable levels of risk, and moral implications of technology.
PHIL 322 Contemporary Ethical Theory
Continues the history and discussion of ethics begun in PHIL 221 with writings from 1900 to the present. Theories such as intuitionism, emotivism, utilitarianism, and relativism are examined via the writings of such people as Moore, Hare and Warnock.
PHIL 324 Social and Political Philosophy
An investigation of concepts and principles via readings in classical and contemporary social and political philosophy. Concentration is on the justification of the state, with specific attention to socialism, capitalism, and democracy. Does society create problems which political institutions are necessary for solving?
PHIL 327 Philosophy of Law
Basic themes in the philosophy of law. Issues include the nature of law and its relation to morality and politics, legal reasoning, the justification of punishment, and theories of rights, responsibility and liability.
PHIL 328 Human Rights
What are human rights? Which do we have, and why? What are the practical implications of human rights, for both individuals and institutions? A comprehensive discussion of theory and history, of law and morality, and of national and international applications.
PHIL 329 Violence, Non-violence and War
An exploration of the traditional debates concerning the legitimacy of violence and war as instruments in the pursuit of personal and political goals. The course critically examines a continuum of views from religious doctrines of non-resistance, to various forms of pacifism and non-violent resistance, "just-war theory" and political realism. The strategic arguments for political non-violent action are also considered.
PHIL 342 Non-Classical Logics
Introduction to Kripke semantics and proof methods for classical modal logic and for intuitionistic logic, with discussion of philosophical issues. May include topics like temporal and relevance logics.
PHIL 350 Epistemology
An examination of such problems as meaning criteria, primary data, and the importance of certainty to knowledge.
PHIL 355 Theories of Reality
A selection of topics in metaphysics such as universals and particulars, mind-body problem, and free will.
PHIL 363 Philosophy of Language
Topics in the philosophy of language such as meaning, truth, reference, speech acts, mental representations of syntax and semantics, psycholinguistics, and relations between logical and natural languages.
PHIL 378 American Philosophy
A survey of the leading ideas of classical American philosophers, including Peirce, James, Royce, Santayana, Dewey and Mead. Attention will be paid to certain common themes, such as the pragmatic theory of truth, and the concept of democratic community. An effort will also be made to determine what makes these views distinctively American.
PHIL 383 Medieval Philosophy 2
The later period from the 13th century. Among those considered will be: Bonaventure, Aquinas, Scotus, and Ockham.
PHIL 386 19th-Century Philosophy
The 19th-century Philosophers covered may include Hegel, Mill, Schopenhauer, James and Kierkegaard.
PHIL 387 20th-Century Philosophy
A study of major themes of 20th-century philosophy through representative works of Russell, Moore, Carnap, Wittgenstein, Husserl and others.
PHIL 403 Studies in Ancient Philosophy
Special topics in ancient philosophy, as announced by the department.
PHIL 404 Studies in Medieval Philosophy
Special topics in medieval philosophy, as announced by the department.
PHIL 405 Studies in Early Modern Philosophy
Special topics in modern philosophy, as announced by the department.
PHIL 406 Studies in Kant
Special topics in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, as announced by the department.
PHIL 407 Studies in 19th Century Philosophy
Special topics in 19th century philosophy, as announced by the department.
PHIL 447 Seminar in Cognitive Science
An interdisciplinary discussion of central issues concerned with mind and intelligence, such as representation, meaning, inference and consciousness.
PHIL 470 Phenomenology
A critical examination of the issues and methods of phenomenology, including the attempts to understand the uses and ramifications of phenomenological methods through the working out of particular analyses. The basic writings of phenomenologists such as Husserl and Merleau-Ponty will be used.
PHIL 471 Special Subjects
One or more term courses will be offered at different times, as announced by the Department.
PHIL 475 Special Subjects
One or more term courses will be offered at different times, as announced by the Department.
PHIL 476 Special Subjects
One or more term courses will be offered at different times, as announced by the Department.
PHIL 478 Special Subjects
One or more term courses will be offered at different times, as announced by the Department.
PHIL 479 Special Subjects
One or more term courses will be offered at different times, as announced by the Department.
PHIL 480 Special Subjects
One or more term courses will be offered at different times, as announced by the Department.
PHIL 481 Special Subjects
One or more term courses will be offered at different times, as announced by the Department.
PHIL 482 Special Subjects
One or more term courses will be offered at different times, as announced by the Department.
PHIL 498 Directed Reading in Special Areas
Readings in selected topics chosen in discussion with instructor.