Updated:10/25/1811:47AM

CourseDescriptions

Spring2019

UndergraduateCourses

CASPH100A1 IntroductiontoPhilosophyProfessorDerekAndersonMonday,Wednesday,Friday9:05AM-9:55AM

Introducesthenatureofphilosophicalactivitythroughcarefulstudyofmajorphilosophicaltopics.Wewilldiscussawidevarietyoftopicsincludingthenatureofreality,knowledge,justice,themind,thedistinctionbetweenappearanceandreality,subjectivityandobjectivity,thequestionofGod'sexistence,andthenatureandsignificanceofhumanlife.Wewillalsoconsidertherolethatculturalandpoliticalperspectivesplayinshapingourphilosophicalunderstandingoflife’sdeepestquestions.CarrieshumanitiesdivisionalcreditinCAS.ThiscoursefulfillsasingleunitineachofthefollowingBUHubareas:CriticalThinkingandPhilosophicalInquiryandLife'sMeaning.

CASPH100B1 IntroductiontoPhilosophyProfessorDerekAndersonMonday,Wednesday,Friday1:25PM-2:15PM

Introducesthenatureofphilosophicalactivitythroughcarefulstudyofmajorphilosophicaltopics.Wewilldiscussawidevarietyoftopicsincludingthenatureofreality,knowledge,justice,themind,thedistinctionbetweenappearanceandreality,subjectivityandobjectivity,thequestionofGod'sexistence,andthenatureandsignificanceofhumanlife.Wewillalsoconsidertherolethatculturalandpoliticalperspectivesplayinshapingourphilosophicalunderstandingoflife’sdeepestquestions.CarrieshumanitiesdivisionalcreditinCAS.ThiscoursefulfillsasingleunitineachofthefollowingBUHubareas:CriticalThinkingandPhilosophicalInquiryandLife'sMeaning.

CASPH110A1 GreatPhilosophersProfessorIanDunkleTuesday,Thursday2:00PM-3:15PM

Thehistoryofphilosophyisfullofterrificquestionsandsomesurprisinganswers.Forinstance,Platoasksus,IfGodmakestherules,whatrulesdoesGodfollowinmakingthem?Aristotlewantstoknowhowgoodfriendscanbegoodpersonswhilestillbeingmadebetterbytheirfriendship.SextusEmpiricusaskswhatultimatereasonwehavetoholdourbeliefstobetrue,andhetriestoshowthatwehavejustasgoodareasontorejectallofthemastoholdontoanyofthem.Whenisitpermissibletokill,andwhy;indefenseofthestate,indefenseofourselves,indesperatesuicide?ThomasAquinassays:Yes(butonlyifyou’reauthorizedtodoso),No(oratleastnotintentionally),andNo.RenéDescarteswantstoprovethatworldaroundusreallyexists(wait!there’saquestionaboutwhethertheworldexists?).Whatishumandesire?ArthurSchopenhauerarguesthatit’sapointlesspursuitofthingswedon’treallycareaboutunderthedelusionthattheymatter,andhethinkssexualdesireisacaseinpoint!FriedrichNietzschewantstoknowthevalueofourmoralvalues,andhearguesthatourcurrentmoralvaluesliterallymakeussick.MarthaNussbaumasks,Whatisanemotion?,andshearguesthatouremotionsareactuallyvaluejudgmentsabouttheworldaroundus.Thiscourseintroducesstudentstophilosophicalinquirybypursuingthesequestionsandconsideringwhethertheseandothersurprisinganswersstanduptoscrutiny.

CASPH150A1 IntroductiontoEthicsProfessorDanielStarMonday,Wednesday,Friday10:10AM-11:00AM

Whatismorality?Whatdoesmoralityrequireofusinourdailylives?Welookbothattheoriesthatspecifywhatmoralityrequiresofusandatspecificmoralissuestowhichthesetheoriesapply.CarrieshumanitiesdivisionalcreditinCAS.

CASPH150B1 IntroductiontoEthicsProfessorAaronGarrettTuesday,Thursday9:30AM-10:45AM

Anintroductiontomoralphilosophythroughhistorical(Aristotle,Hume,Kant)andcontemporaryreadings.Questionsdiscussedwillinclude:Whatsortsofreasonsaretheretobemoral?Canluckinfluencemoralvalue?Whatarethedifferenttypesofnormativemoraltheories?Arethereunsolvablemoraldilemmas?Wewillalsodiscussasomepracticalmoralissues,suchasanimalwelfare.

CASPH150C1 IntroductiontoEthicsProfessorJamesKinkaidMonday,Wednesday,Friday12:20PM-1:10PM

Manyofuswanttoleadmeaningfullives.Butwhatisitforalifetobemeaningful?Whatmakessomelivesbetterormoremeaningfulthanothers?Canlifeasawholehavesomesignificanceormeaning?CarrieshumanitiesdivisionalcreditinCAS.ThiscoursefulfillsasingleunitineachofthefollowingBUHubareas:PhilosophicalInquiryandLife'sMeanings,EthicalReasoning,CriticalThinking.

CASPH160A1 ReasonandArgumentationProfessorAlisaBokulichTuesday,Thursday11:00AM-12:15PM

Knowinghowtothink,reason,andarguewellisessentialforsuccessinalldisciplinesandineverydaylife.Theaimofthiscourseistostrengthenanddevelopyourcriticalthinkingskills;youwilllearnhowtomakegoodargumentsandhowtocriticallyevaluatetheargumentsofothers.Thiscoursewillemphasizebothrealeverydayexamples,suchasthosedrawnfromnewspaperarticles,andexamplesofscientificreasoningdrawnfromvarioussciencejournals.ThiscoursefulfillsasingleunitinthefollowingBUHubarea(s):PhilosophicalInquiryandLife'sMeanings,CriticalThinking.

CASPH160B1 ReasonandArgumentationProfessorDerekAndersonMonday,Wednesday,Friday11:15AM-12:05PM

Thiscourseisanintroductiontophilosophicalmethodsofinquiryanddiscourse.Wewillhavethreemajoraims.Thefirstisphilosophical.Weaimtounderstandthenatureofreasonandargumentation;thecoursewillserveasanintroductiontologic,epistemology,andphilosophyoflanguage.Thesecondispractical.Weaimtoimproveourabilitytoreason,constructarguments,andidentifyfallacies.Thethirdissocial.Reasonandargumentarecentraltotheprocessofsocialchange.Inordertoachieveamorejustsociety,weneedtoreasontogetherandarguewithoneanotherinwaysthatfacilitatechangeofbeliefinthedirectionofknowledgeandsocialjustice.

CASPH242A1 PhilosophyofHumanNatureProfessorPaulKatsafanasMonday,Wednesday,Friday1:25PM-2:15PM

ThiscoursewillexaminethewayinwhichDarwin,Marx,Nietzsche,andFreudunderminetraditionalconceptionsofhumannature.Thesethinkersteachustobesuspiciousofourordinaryassumptionsaboutreligion,humandistinctiveness,theconsciousmind,theroleandstatusofmorality,andtheupliftingeffectsofcivilization.Ideastobediscussedinclude:thatintrospectionandconsciousthoughtmayconcealmorethantheyreveal;thatthemoralcategorieswithwhichweunderstandourselvesandoursocialrolesmaybepathological;thattraditionalmoralphilosophymaybesuperficial;thatthephilosophicalandpoliticaldebatesaboutthebestformofsocialorganizationmaybeemanationsofunderlyingmaterialforces;thatcivilizationmayrequireaprofoundformofinnerdivision;thatmodernitymightfosternihilismandlossofmeaning.ThiscoursefulfillsasingleunitineachofthethreefollowingBUHubareas:PhilosophicalInquiryandLife'sMeanings,HistoricalConsciousness,CriticalThinking.

CASPH246A1 IndianPhilosophyProfessorAmodLeleMonday,Wednesday,Friday2:30PM-3:20PM

Howshouldwehumanbeingsrespondtothefactofourownsufferingandthesufferingofothers?Istheresuchathingasrighteousangerorviolence?Isrealityasweknowitanillusion?Istheselfreal?Whatistruthandhowcanweknowit?Whatbenefitsdoweobtainfrommeditationpractice?ThesearesomeofthequestionsaskedbyIndianphilosophersthroughouttheages.Inthisclassyou’lllearnaboutwhatithasmeanttothinkphilosophicallyoutsideofaWesterncontext,andexploreaphilosophicaltopicofparticularinteresttoyou.ThiscoursecountsforHubcreditin:PhilosophicalInquiryandLife’sMeaningsGlobalCitizenshipandInterculturalLiteracyCriticalThinking

CASPH247A1 IntroductiontoChinesePhilosophyProfessorGuySchuhTuesday,Thursday9:30AM-10:45AM

Ishumannaturefundamentallygoodorfundamentallybad?Howcanwebestachieveanenduringsocialorder?Whatistheshapeofalifewelllived?ThisclassexaminessuchquestionsinthecontextoftheclassicalperiodinChinesephilosophy,focusingon(1)Kongzi(Confucius),(2)Mozi,(3)Mengzi(Mencius),(4)Zhuangzi,and(5)Xunzi.Aprimarygoalofthecourseistoexposestudentstotherichness,vitality,andpluralityofthephilosophicalsceneinancientChina.Topicsdiscussedincludemoralvirtue,music,education,andtheethicsofwar.ThiscoursefulfillsasingleunitineachofthefollowingBUHubareas:PhilosophicalInquiryandLife'sMeanings,GlobalCitizenshipandInterculturalLiteracy,CriticalThinking.

CASPH248A1 ExistentialismProfessorWalterHoppMonday,Wednesday,Friday9:05AM-9:55AM

Thecentralphilosophicalandliteraryfigurescommonlyregardedasexistentialistsareadiversegroupofthinkers,butareunitedintheirskepticismconcerningthepoweroftraditionalphilosophicalorscientificanalysistorenderhumanthoughtandactionintelligible,thevaluetheyplaceonindividualauthenticity,andtheimportancetheyassigntoemotionallyexceptionalstatesofmindforthefulldisclosureofhuman(andevennon-human)reality.InthiscoursewewillexamineworksbyKierkegaard,Dostoevski,Nietzsche,Kafka,Sartre,anddeBeauvoir.Wewillbeespeciallyconcernedwithwhatthesethinkershavetosayabouttheconditionofmodernhumanity,theabilityofsciencetoexplainhumanaction,theauthorityofmorallaws,theimportanceofindividual“authenticity,”thescopeandnatureofhumanfreedom,andthe“absurdity”ofhumanlife,eitherwithorwithoutGod.

CASPH251A1 MedicalEthicsProfessorIanDunkleMonday,Wednesday,Friday1:25PM-2:15PM

Thiscoursefocusesbothoncontemporarymedicalethicsandbioethicsmorebroadly.Thefirstpartofthecourseintroducesstudenttowhathasbecomethereceivedtraditioninmedicalethics—Principlism.Wewillconsider(1)whatthisviewis,(2)whatalternativestoithavebeenoffered,and(3)whatthefundamentalphilosophicalargumentsarefortheethicalprinciplesinvokedbythisview.Thislastinvestigationwillcomplicatethetraditionandexposethestudenttobroaderissuesinphilosophicalethics.Thesecondpartofthecourseintroducesthestudenttophilosophicalworkonarangeofbioethicalissuesawarenessofwhichisessentialtobeingamindful,ethicalmedicalprofessional.

CASPH251B1 MedicalEthicsProfessorRussellPowellTuesday,Thursday3:30PM-4:45PM

Thiscoursewillsurveyethicalissuesthatariseinconnectionwithmedicineandemergingbiotechnologies.Itwillexaminetopicssuchastherighttohealthcare,researchonhumansubjects,euthanasia,abortion,cloning,geneticselection,disabilities,andthebiomedicalenhancementofhumancapacities.Studentscanexpecttogainnotonlytrainingintheconceptsandmethodsofmoralphilosophyandthelogicofargumentation,butalsotheresourcesneededforassessingethicallydifficultquestionsthathealthcareprofessionalsroutinelyface.CarrieshumanitiesdivisionalcreditinCAS.ThiscoursefulfillsasingleunitineachofthefollowingBUHubareas:PhilosophicalInquiryandLife'sMeanings,EthicalReasoning,CriticalThinking.

CASPH255A1 Law,Philosophy,andSocietyProfessorHughBaxterMonday,Wednesday,Friday10:10AM-11:00AM

Thiscoursewillexaminetwoissues–capitalpunishmentandeitherabortionordemocraticself-government–fromtheperspectivesofphilosophy,constitutionallaw,andsocialscience.Theaimistounderstandnotjusttheseimportantpublicissuesbutalsothedifferences,tensions,andsometimesresonancesamongthethreedisciplinaryapproaches.Gradedworkwillconsistintwo1000-1300wordpapersandatake-homefinalexamination.

CASPH256A1 PhilosophyofGenderandSexualityProfessorSusanneSreedharTuesday,Thursday11:00AM-12:15PM

Thiscourseexploresphilosophicalquestionsthatariseaboutgenderandsexuality.Whatissexism?Whatisoppression?Whatisthecorrectresponsetosexismandoppression?Howmanysexesarethere?Howmanygenders?Whatissexualorientation?Whatissexualperversion?Whataresexualethics,includingquestionsaboutthevalueandstatusofmonogamy,polyamory,promiscuity,andadultery?Whatarethemoralstatusofpracticessuchassexworkandpornography?

AlsoofferedasCASPO396andCASWS396.

CASPH259A1 PhilosophyoftheArtsProfessorCAllenSpeightTuesday,Thursday2:00PM-3:15PM

Whatmakessomethingaworkofart?IsaBanksypaintingthatshredsitselfaworkofart?Isaforgery?Howdodifferentarts(painting,sculpture,dance,architecture,photography,etc)relatetodifferentaspectsofouraestheticexperienceoftheworld?Whatistherelationshipbetweenartandpoliticallife:isthereeveragoodreasontocensorart?Hastechnologytransformedourexperienceofart?Thiscoursewillexploreseveralfamousphilosophicaltheoriesofart(Hume,Kant,Schiller,Heidegger,Benjamin,DeweyandCollingwood)anddiscusstheminconnectionwithnumerousspecificexamplesofartworkinthevariousgenres,accompaniedbyvisitstoBoston-areaartsinstallations.

CASPH270A1 PhilosophyofScienceProfessorJudsonWebbTuesday,Thursday12:30PM-1:45PM

Usesscientificexamplesfromthestudyofphysics,biology,andmind.Focusesontheaimsofscience,thenatureofscientificunderstanding,thestructureandinterpretationofscientifictheories,andthedevelopmentofscience.CarrieshumanitiesdivisionalcreditinCAS.

CASPH300A1 HistoryofAncientPhilosophyProfessorBrianJulianTuesday,Thursday3:30PM-4:45PM

ClassicalGreekphilosophy,withaconcentrationonthephilosophiesofPlatoandAristotle.Prereq:onephilosophycourseorsophomorestanding.

CASPH300B1 HistoryofAncientPhilosophyProfessorDavidRoochnikTuesday,Thursday11:00AM-12:15PM

AnintroductiontothemajorthinkersofclassicalGreekphilosophy,inparticularPlatoandAristotle.

CASPH310A1 HistoryofModernPhilosophyProfessorCharlesGriswoldMonday,Wednesday,Friday12:20PM-1:10PM

Thiscourseoffersanexaminationofseveraltopicsinseventeenth-andeighteenth--centuryphilosophy,withemphasisonthenatureandextentofknowledge(includingourknowledgeoftheexistenceoftheexternalworld),therelationofmindtobody,thenatureofpersonalidentity,theproblemoffreewill,andthetheologicalproblemofevil.Thecomplicatedandsurprisingdialecticbetweenempiricist,rationalist,idealist,andvitalistviewswillbearecurringconcern,aswilltherelationbetweenscience,religion,andphilosophy.ReadingsincludeselectionsfromAstell,Bacon,Conway,Descartes,PrincessElisabeth,Hume,Leibniz,andLocke,amongothers.Timepermitting,wewillalsoreadsomecontemporaryarticlesthatpickuponthemesthatwehavediscussed.

CASPH310B1 HistoryofModernPhilosophyProfessorJudsonWebbTuesday,Thursday9:30AM-10:45AM

Anexaminationofseventeenth-andeighteenth-centuryphilosophyfromDescartestoKant,withemphasisonthenatureandextentofknowledge.ReadingsincludeDescartes,Locke,Spinoza,Berkley,Hume,andKant.Prereq:onephilosophycourseorsophomorestanding.

CASPH340A1 MetaphysicsandEpistemologyProfessorWalterHoppMonday,Wednesday,Friday12:20PM-1:10PM

Metaphysicsandepistemologyarethemostfundamentalsubjectmattersinphilosophy.Inthiscoursewewillexamineanumberofcentralissuesineachfieldandattheirintersectionthroughthestudyofbothhistoricalandcontemporaryworks.Wewillbeespeciallyconcernedwithquestionsregardingthenatureandmetaphysicalstatusofbothconcreteandabstractobjectsandwhetherandhowwecancometoknowaboutsuchthings.Wewillbeespeciallyconcernedwithdeterminingwhetherandtowhatextentourownpowersofperceptionandthoughtenableorpreventusfromrepresentingobjectsastheyobjectivelyare.

CASPH350A1 HistoryofEthicsProfessorAaronGarrettTuesday,Thursday12:30PM-1:45PM

AgeneralintroductiontothehistoryofmoralphilosophyfromPlatoandAristotletoIrisMurdoch.

CASPH360A1(CrossPH633) SymbolicLogicProfessorJulietFloydTuesday,Thursday2:00PM-3:15PM

Anintroductorysurveyoftheconceptsandprinciplesofsymboliclogic:validandinvalidarguments,logicalrelationsofstatementsandtheirbasisinstructuralfeaturesofstatements,analysisofthelogicalstructureofcomplexstatementsofordinarydiscourse,andtheuseofasymboliclanguagetodisplaylogicalstructureandtofacilitatemethodsforassessingthelogicalstructureofarguments.Wewillcovertheanalysisofreasoningwithtruth-functions(“and”,“or”,“not”,“if...then”)andwithquantifiers(“all”,“some”),attendingtoformallanguagesandaxiomaticsystemsforlogicaldeduction.Throughout,weaimtoclearlyandsystematicallydisplayboththetheoryunderlyingthenormsofvalidreasoningandtheirapplicationstoparticularproblemsofargumentation.Thecourseisanintroductiontofirst-orderquantificationallogic,akeytoolunderlyingworkinfoundationsofmathematics,philosophyoflanguageandmind,philosophyofscienceandpartsofsyntaxandsemantics.Itislargelymathematicalandformalincharacter,butlectureswillsituatethesestructureswithinthecontextofquestionsraisedincontemporaryphilosophyoflanguageandmind.

CASPH409A1(CrossPH609) MaimonidesProfessorMichaelZankMonday6:30PM-9:15PM

AstudyofmajoraspectsofthethoughtofMaimonides.PrimaryfocusontheGuideofthePerplexed,withattentiontoitsmodernreceptioninworksbyBaruchSpinoza,HermannCohen,LeoStrauss,andothers.AlsoofferedasCASRN420.Prereq:CASPH300

CASPH415A1(CrossPH615) Nineteenth-CenturyPhilosophyProfessorPaulKatsafanasWednesday6:30PM-9:15PM

ThecenturybetweenthepublicationofKant’sCritiqueofPureReasonin1781andNietzsche’sfinalworksof1888wasarguablytherichestandmostprofoundperiodofphilosophicalthoughtsinceantiquity.Duringthistime,philosophersproducedaseriesofastonishinglydeepandambitiousworksthatrethoughttraditionalphilosophicalaspirationsandintroducedsomeofthemostdifficultquestionsthatphilosophyhaslearnedtoask.Mustphilosophyalwaysbeginwithundefendedassumptions,orcoulditbepresuppositionless?Canphilosophybeall-encompassingandsystematic,oristheaspirationforsystematicityaformofpathology?Isthereawayofmovingpasttraditionaldualismssuchasreason/passion,mind/world,andfreedom/nature?Howcanphilosophyavoidtreatingconceptsaseternalandimmutable,insteadrecognizingtheirhistoricity?Whatroledoesreligiousexperiencehaveinphilosophy?Doesmodernitypromoteorunderminehumanflourishing?Mightstructuralfeaturesofhumanagencyrenderhappinessimpossible?Couldmostofusbevictimsoffalseconsciousnessandideology?Mightwebealienatedfromourselves?How,ifatall,canweachieveauthenticity?Mightmoralitybeanobstacletohumanflourishing?TextsincludeHegel’sPhenomenologyofSpirit,Kierkegaard’sFearandTrembling,Feuerbach’sTheEssenceofChristianity,Marx’sCommunistManifestoandGermanIdeology,Schopenhauer’sTheWorldasWillandRepresentation,andNietzsche’sOntheGenealogyofMorality.UndergraduatePrerequisites:CASPH310;andoneotherphilosophycourse.

CASPH436A1(CrossPH636) Gender,Race,andScienceProfessorAlisaBokulichTuesday,Thursday2:00PM-3:15PM

Thiscourseisanexaminationofissuesarisingattheintersectionoffeministphilosophy,philosophyofrace,andthehistoryandphilosophyofscience.Weshallexaminequestionssuchasthefollowing:Howhaveviewsaboutgenderandracechangedoverthehistoryofscienceandthehistoryofphilosophy?Is‘race’agenuinescientificcategoryorjustasocialconstruct?Whyaretherestillsofewwomenandminorityscientists?Hasthecontentofsciencebeenaffectedbythefactthatithasbeencarriedoutalmostexclusivelybywhitemen?Theprimarygoalofthiscourseistocometoadeeperandmorecriticallyreflectiveunderstandingofboththehistoryoftheconceptsofraceandgenderandthevariousrolesthattheseconceptscontinuetoplayincontemporaryscience.

CASPH454A1 Community,Liberty,andMoralityProfessorCharlesGriswoldMonday,Wednesday2:30PM-3:45PM

Doesafreecommunityrequiresharedvalues?Mustthosevalues,andhencepoliticalliberty,inturnbesustainedbyacommunalreligiousoutlook—andifso,whichone?Ifdiversereligiousviewsarepermittedinafreesociety,howisaregimeofmutualtolerationtobeestablishedandhowisreligiouslibertytobedefinedanddefended?Isthecauseofcivicvirtueandlibertybetterservedbyasortoffreemarketofreligiousandmoralviewsorbystate-enforcedcommitmentsandvalues?Howcanrivalreligiousandsecularclaimsaboutthefoundationsofpoliticalauthoritybereconciledinafreecommunity?Whataresomeoftheargumentsforandagainstfreedomofspeechandinquiry?Thisseminarwillfocusontheseandrelatedquestionsconcerningthecomplexrelationbetweenvalue,civicunity,religion,andliberty.Ineffect,wewillreflectonthemeaningof“Epluribusunum”inthecontextofafreesociety.Readingswillbedrawnfromavarietyofclassicalandcontemporarythinkers.Thisseminarisopenonlytoundergraduatestudentswhohavetakenatleasttwopriorphilosophycoursesorhaveobtainedthepermissionoftheinstructortoenroll.Theseminaremphasizesclassdiscussionandparticipation.

CASPH460A1(CrossPH660) EpistemologyProfessorDanielStarMonday,Wednesday,Friday1:25PM-2:15PM

Anexaminationofsomeofthecentralquestionsconcerningthenature,scope,sources,andstructureofknowledge.Prereq:CASPH310

CASPH462A1(CrossPH662) FoundationsofMathematicsProfessorAkihiroKanamoriTuesday,Thursday11:00AM-12:15PM

Axiomaticsettheoryasafoundationfor,andfieldof,mathematics:AxiomofChoice,theContinuumHypothesis,andconsistencyresults.AlsoofferedasCASMA532.Prereq:(CASPH461)orconsentofinstructor.

CASPH463A1(CrossPH663) PhilosophyofLanguageProfessorJulietFloydMonday2:30PM-5:15PM

Asurveyofclassicandcontemporaryissuesanddebatesinthephilosophyoflanguage.Topicsincludethenatureofpropositionsandthenatureoftruth;literalvs.figurativeusesofwords;meaning,describing,andreferring;prosody;languageacquisition;speechacttheoryandcommunicationpragmatics;genderinlanguage,lying,bullshitting,misleading,andtheusesoftestimony.Wewillstudyso-called“ordinarylanguagephilosophy”inrelationtotraditionalphilosophyoflogicandlanguage,focusingonthewritingsofCavell,Austin,andothersinthistradition.

CASPH465A1(CrossPH665) PhilosophyofCognitiveScienceProfessorVictorKumarMonday2:30PM-5:15PM

Thiscourseisaboutthecognitivescienceofmoralprogress.We'llreadimportantrecentscientificworkonhumancognitionandthenexploreitsphilosophicalimplicationsregardingthepossibilityandfeasibilityofmoralprogress.Arehumansinherentlyandirremediablytribal?Doesevolutionarytheorysupportaconservativeorliberalapproachtosocialchange?Isreasoninganeffectivewayofchangingmoralattitudes?

CASPH472A1(CrossPH672) PhilosophyofBiologyProfessorRussellPowellTuesday6:30PM-9:15PM

Conceptualproblemsinbiology;unityorpluralismofscience;hierarchytheory;biologicalexplanation;evolutionarytheory,teleologyandcasuality,statisticalexplanation;thespeciesproblem;mindandthebrain;andlanguageinanimalsandhumans.(CASPH310&CASPH360)andoneotherphilosophycourse,orconsentofinstructor.

CASPH482A1(CrossPH682)

TopicsinModernandContemporaryPhilosophy

ProfessorJamesSchmidtWednesday2:30PM-5:15PM

Topicsvaryfromsemestertosemester;mayberepeatedforcreditastopicschange.Prereq:anyonephilosophycoursefromCASPH410-439,orconsentofinstructor.

CASPH485A1 TopicsinPhilosophyofValueProfessorDianaLobelTuesday,Thursday2:00PM-3:15PM

Whatishappiness?Howcanweachieveabalanced,healthy,fulfillinglife?ClassicalthinkerssuchasAristotle,Plato,ChuangTzu;Stoic,Epicurean,Confucian,Buddhistpaths;comparisonwithcontemporarystudiesofhappinessandmindfulness.

GraduateCourses

CASPH609A1(CrossPH409) MaimonidesProfessorMichaelZankMonday6:30PM-9:15PM

AstudyofmajoraspectsofthethoughtofMaimonides.PrimaryfocusontheGuideofthePerplexed,withattentiontoitsmodernreceptioninworksbyBaruchSpinoza,HermannCohen,LeoStrauss,andothers.AlsoofferedasCASRN420.

CASPH615A1(CrossPH415) Nineteenth-CenturyPhilosophyProfessorPaulKatsafanasWednesday6:30PM-9:15PM

ThecenturybetweenthepublicationofKant’sCritiqueofPureReasonin1781andNietzsche’sfinalworksof1888wasarguablytherichestandmostprofoundperiodofphilosophicalthoughtsinceantiquity.Duringthistime,philosophersproducedaseriesofastonishinglydeepandambitiousworksthatrethoughttraditionalphilosophicalaspirationsandintroducedsomeofthemostdifficultquestionsthatphilosophyhaslearnedtoask.Mustphilosophyalwaysbeginwithundefendedassumptions,orcoulditbepresuppositionless?Canphilosophybeall-encompassingandsystematic,oristheaspirationforsystematicityaformofpathology?Isthereawayofmovingpasttraditionaldualismssuchasreason/passion,mind/world,andfreedom/nature?Howcanphilosophyavoidtreatingconceptsaseternalandimmutable,insteadrecognizingtheirhistoricity?Whatroledoesreligiousexperiencehaveinphilosophy?Doesmodernitypromoteorunderminehumanflourishing?Mightstructuralfeaturesofhumanagencyrenderhappinessimpossible?Couldmostofusbevictimsoffalseconsciousnessandideology?Mightwebealienatedfromourselves?How,ifatall,canweachieveauthenticity?Mightmoralitybeanobstacletohumanflourishing?TextsincludeHegel’sPhenomenologyofSpirit,Kierkegaard’sFearandTrembling,Feuerbach’sTheEssenceofChristianity,Marx’sCommunistManifestoandGermanIdeology,Schopenhauer’sTheWorldasWillandRepresentation,andNietzsche’sOntheGenealogyofMorality.UndergraduatePrerequisites:CASPH310;andoneotherphilosophycourse.

CASPH633A1(CrossPH360) SymbolicLogicProfessorJulietFloydTuesday,Thursday2:00PM-3:15PM

Anintroductorysurveyoftheconceptsandprinciplesofsymboliclogic:validandinvalidarguments,logicalrelationsofstatementsandtheirbasisinstructuralfeaturesofstatements,analysisofthelogicalstructureofcomplexstatementsofordinarydiscourse,andtheuseofasymboliclanguagetodisplaylogicalstructureandtofacilitatemethodsforassessingthelogicalstructureofarguments.Wewillcovertheanalysisofreasoningwithtruth-functions(“and”,“or”,“not”,“if...then”)andwithquantifiers(“all”,“some”),attendingtoformallanguagesandaxiomaticsystemsforlogicaldeduction.Throughout,weaimtoclearlyandsystematicallydisplayboththetheoryunderlyingthenormsofvalidreasoningandtheirapplicationstoparticularproblemsofargumentation.Thecourseisanintroductiontofirst-orderquantificationallogic,akeytoolunderlyingworkinfoundationsofmathematics,philosophyoflanguageandmind,philosophyofscienceandpartsofsyntaxandsemantics.Itislargelymathematicalandformalincharacter,butlectureswillsituatethesestructureswithinthecontextofquestionsraisedincontemporaryphilosophyoflanguageandmind.

CASPH636A1(CrossPH436) Gender,Race,andScienceProfessorAlisaBokulichTuesday,Thursday2:00PM-3:15PM

Thiscourseisanexaminationofissuesarisingattheintersectionoffeministphilosophy,philosophyofrace,andthehistoryandphilosophyofscience.Weshallexaminequestionssuchasthefollowing:Howhaveviewsaboutgenderandracechangedoverthehistoryofscienceandthehistoryofphilosophy?Is‘race’agenuinescientificcategoryorjustasocialconstruct?Whyaretherestillsofewwomenandminorityscientists?Hasthecontentofsciencebeenaffectedbythefactthatithasbeencarriedoutalmostexclusivelybywhitemen?Theprimarygoalofthiscourseistocometoadeeperandmorecriticallyreflectiveunderstandingofboththehistoryoftheconceptsofraceandgenderandthevariousrolesthattheseconceptscontinuetoplayincontemporaryscience.

CASPH660A1(CrossPH460) EpistemologyProfessorDanielStarMonday,Wednesday,Friday1:25PM-2:15PM

Anexaminationofsomeofthecentralquestionsconcerningthenature,scope,sources,andstructureofknowledge.

CASPH662A1(CrossPH462) FoundationsofMathematicsProfessorAkihiroKanamoriTuesday,Thursday11:00AM-12:15PM

Axiomaticsettheoryasafoundationfor,andfieldof,mathematics:AxiomofChoice,theContinuumHypothesis,andconsistencyresults.AlsoofferedasCASMA532.

CASPH663(CrossPH463) PhilosophyofLanguageProfessorJulietFloydMonday2:30PM-5:15PM

Asurveyofclassicandcontemporaryissuesanddebatesinthephilosophyoflanguage.Topicsincludethenatureofpropositionsandthenatureoftruth;literalvs.figurativeusesofwords;meaning,describing,andreferring;prosody;languageacquisition;speechacttheoryandcommunicationpragmatics;genderinlanguage,lying,bullshitting,misleading,andtheusesoftestimony.Wewillstudyso-called“ordinarylanguagephilosophy”inrelationtotraditionalphilosophyoflogicandlanguage,focusingonthewritingsofCavell,Austin,andothersinthistradition.

CASPH465(CrossPH665) PhilosophyofCognitiveScienceProfessorVictorKumarMonday2:30PM-5:15PM

Thiscourseisaboutthecognitivescienceofmoralprogress.We'llreadimportantrecentscientificworkonhumancognitionandthenexploreitsphilosophicalimplicationsregardingthepossibilityandfeasibilityofmoralprogress.Arehumansinherentlyandirremediablytribal?Doesevolutionarytheorysupportaconservativeorliberalapproachtosocialchange?Isreasoninganeffectivewayofchangingmoralattitudes?

CASPH672A1(CrossPH472) PhilosophyofBiologyProfessorRussellPowellTuesday6:30PM-9:15PM

Conceptualproblemsinbiology;unityorpluralismofscience;hierarchytheory;biologicalexplanation;evolutionarytheory,teleologyandcasuality,statisticalexplanation;thespeciesproblem;mindandthebrain;andlanguageinanimalsandhumans.

CASPH682A1(CrossPH482) TopicsinModernandContemporaryPhilosophy

ProfessorJamesSchmidtWednesday2:30PM-5:15PM

Topicsvaryfromsemestertosemester;mayberepeatedforcreditastopicschange.

GRSPH811A1 TopicsinthePhilosophyofKantIProfessorSallySedgwickFriday11:15AM-2:00PM

ThiscoursefocussesprimarilyonKant’spracticalphilosophy.Wewillconsiderhisaccountofhumanfreedomanditssupremepracticallaw,thecategoricalimperative.Wewillalsoexaminehisdefenseofthethesisthathistheoreticalphilosophy(histranscendentalidealism)providesthebasisforhispracticalphilosophy.Ourtextswillincludeselectionsfrom:theGroundworkfortheMetaphysicsofMorals,theMetaphysicsofMorals,theCritiqueofPureReason,aswellassecondarysources.

GRSPH860A1 EpistemologyProfessorMichaelaMcSweeneyTuesday3:30PM-6:15PM

Thiscourseis,roughly,abouttheepistemology/perception(“perception”?)ofthatwhichwecan’tseemtoperceive:abstractobjects,logic,moralproperties,etc.(Becauseofthetopic,itwillprobablyinvolvesomemetaphysicshereandthere,butthefocusismoreonepistemology/perception.)We’llreadatleastsomeofthefollowing(absolutelynoguaranteeallofthiswillenduponthesyllabus):(a)workonintuition/perceptionofthe“thirdrealm”(e.g.:Bengson,Chudnoff);(b)workontherelationshipbetweenperception,obstaclestoperception,andknowledge(e.gHelton,portionsofBenceNanay’sbookmanuscript,SeeingThingsYouDon’tSee);(c)workonmoralepistemology(likely:portionsofSarahMcGrath’sbookmanuscript,MoralKnowledge);(d)workonepistemologyoflogic(e.g.JoshSchechter,GillianRussell)(noneofthisworkwillbetechnical/youdon’tneedastronglogicbackgroundtounderstandit).

GRSPH880A1 Pragmatism&SocialPracticeProfessorDavidDecosimo

Thursday12:30PM-3:15PM

Thisdoctoralseminarconsidersarangeofcontemporaryphilosopherswhoformulateandapproachquestionsconcerningmeaning,conceptualcontent,language,truth,‘realism,’‘socialconstruction’,justice,justification,value,andothertopicsbyfocusingonsocialpracticesandtheirexplanatorypower.Ouraimwillbetounderstandandassesstheargumentsofsuchfiguresandthedisputesanddistinctionsamongthem.Wewillalsoexplorethevalueofsuchperspectivesforourownphilosophicalwork.AmongthephilosopherstobeconsideredarefiguressuchasDonaldDavidson,RobertBrandom,HilaryPutnam,RichardRorty,CherylMisak,JeffreyStout,JohnMcDowell,JoséMedina,IanHacking,ElizabethAnderson,andothers.

GRSPH994A1 PlacementProseminarIIProfessorMichaelaMcSweeneyMonday2:30PM-5:15PM

AcontinuationofGRSPH993.Aworkshopseminarofferingadvancedgraduatestudentstheopportunitytopresentanddiscusswork-in-progress(dissertationchapters,papersforjobapplications,journalsubmissions).Aseriouscommitmenttoregularandcontinuingattendanceisexpected.