Instructor: Dr. Alex Radulescu

Course Description:  

This class is designed in part to help students confront some issues that arise out of the human condition, with an eye toward constructing a reasonable and consistent world view. To this end, this class will survey an array of answers to questions like: 1) What sorts of things can we know, and how can we know them? 2) Do humans act freely when we choose to do something, or are our actions such that we could not have done otherwise? 3) Can moral claims be true or false for all, or is the truth of moral claims just a matter of opinion? 4) How ought material goods and honors be divided in society? 5) Is it rational to believe that God exists?

 Instructor: Dr. Andrew Melnyk

Course Description:

The central goal of the course is to learn critical thinking skills that are used by living philosophers and that will be useful throughout your life. We will learn these skills while considering philosophical questions from different areas of philosophy, so that we meet a second goal, learning that philosophy isn’t just about reading the work of famous thinkers in the past; it is a living discipline with active researchers who consider a broad range of issues. For example, these questions include: Do you know that the objects and events you experience are real, or is it probable that we are living in a simulated reality? What should you believe, particularly when the source of knowledge is what other people tell you? Does the internet raise new problems about knowledge, because of its social nature? What does the moral principle “do the greatest good for the greatest number” omit about morality, and how is this relevant to programming and purchasing self-driving cars? Do you understand what you think and feel better than you understand what other people think and feel? What does it mean to say that a group of people is oppressed? 

Although many of these problems have their roots in the history of philosophy, and we will learn about the work of some notable historical figures, especially the 17th century French philosopher René Descartes, most of the readings for the course were written by living philosophers specifically for undergraduates.

 Instructor: Dr. Kenny Boyce

Course Description:

The core question of ethics is this: How should we behave towards one another? In this course we address this disarmingly simple question, ultimately with an eye to matters of life and death. We begin by familiarizing ourselves with the basics of ethical theory, and then proceed to consider the objectivity of moral claims and the possibility of moral knowledge. After that, we tackle a variety of moral questions, including questions about the permissibility of abortion, our obligations to animals, and whether we have a duty to reduce social and economic inequality. Though we will be exploring the field of ethics at a certain level of abstraction, the ultimate goal of the course is entirely practical: to develop the ability to think clearly and systematically about ethical issues. The course is open to students from all areas of the University interested in improving their moral judgment and decision making. These skills may be helpful in a wide array of professions, as well as in everyday life.

Note: This course counts towards the Philosophy Department’s Certificate in Ethical Theory and Practice.

Instructor: Dr. Marta Heckel

Course Description:

This is an introduction to ethical theory. What basis, if any, do we have to make distinctions between what is good and what is bad, who is virtuous and who is vicious, or what we ought to do and what we ought not to do? We will read, discuss, and write about the answers given by Plato, Aristotle, John Stuart Mill, and Immanuel Kant.

Note: This course counts towards the Philosophy Department’s Certificate in Ethical Theory and Practice.

Instructor: TBD

Course Description:

This course approaches moral problems in biomedical and scientific research from a philosophical perspective. First, we'll familiarize ourselves with ethics and political philosophy. Then we'll study the ethical issues that arise in connection with a series of issues, including research involving human and animal subjects, eugenics, the human genome project, cloning and stem cell research. By thinking about these issues, we learn how to think critically about particular moral quandaries, as well as to uncover and examine some of our deepest moral commitments.

Note: This course counts towards the Philosophy Department’s Certificate in Ethical Theory and Practice.

Instructor: Dr. Philip Robbins

Course Description:

This is an introductory course in critical thinking. In every academic discipline and in every walk of life reasons are given for believing claims to be true. But not all reasons are alike: some are good, some are not so good, and some are downright bad. How do we tell the difference between good and bad reasoning? The answer is to learn some good reasoning rules and methods. This is the aim of the course. By mastering rules and methods of good reasoning, students will acquire the ability to sharpen their judgment and decision-making skills for use both in and out of the classroom.

The course is designed to be foundational for your college education. That's a bold statement, but it’s true. Everything you learn in college will be implicitly or explicitly based on reasons. Hence, a course that teaches you the rules of reasoning counts as a foundational course. Every citizen should take a course like this. Again, that's a bold statement. But if you cannot reason properly, then your life choices will be poor. In this course, you will acquire the tools of reasoning and learn how to use them for thinking more effectively about the world.

Instructor: Dr. Claire Horisk

Course Description:

Instructor: Joel Vall Thomas

Course Description:

A lot of philosophers claim that almost every human being has asked themselves what the meaning of life is. Among these philosophers, Albert Camus famously said: “Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy.” I doubt that almost every human being has asked that question. However, I’m sure that some of us have asked what the meaning of life is. And I hope that during and after this course some of us will. This course has two main goals: first, understanding why the question of the meaning of life is worth asking; second, get you to philosophically reflect on the meaning of life and how your area of expertise (career, major, passion) relates to a meaningful life.

Instructor: TBD

Review of the major contemporary ethical theories and their contribution to the resolution of major social issues such as euthanasia, suicide, abortion, capital punishment, violence and war. Emphasis on nature, interests, and rights of persons.

Note: This course counts towards the Philosophy Department’s Certificate in Ethical Theory and Practice.

Instructor: Dr. Troy Hall

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. Marta Heckel

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. Hannah Rubin

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. Hannah Rubin

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. Kenny Boyce

Course Description:

Do you love solving puzzles like Sudoku? Then this is a great course for you. We will learn how to solve logical puzzles, by learning a formal logical language and formal methods of evaluating arguments. Having logical abilities is great for anyone who needs to reason—and that is all of us—and is an especially useful skill if you are interested in law, business, or linguistics. Logic also serves as a fundamental basis for computer science and artificial intelligence.

Instructor: Dr. Troy Hall

Course Description:

Ethics concerns this question: what should I do? Environmental ethics asks this question regarding our relationship to the rest of the world around us. Do only humans matter? Do non-human beings matter too? Is everything else in our world merely valuable as a tool—instrumentally—for human interests? Or might other things matter for their own sake—intrinsically—regardless of whether they further human flourishing in particular? In this class, we get to join this ongoing discussion with others living in our shared environment.

Note: This course counts toward the Department of Philosophy's Certificate in Ethical Theory and Practice.

Instructor: Dr. M Folescu

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. Troy Hall

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. Alex Radulescu

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. Claire Horisk

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. André Ariew

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. Hannah Rubin

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. Mike Schneider

Course Description:

Instructor: Various Departmental Faculty

Instructor: Dr. André Ariew

Instructor: Various Departmental Faculty

Instructor: Various Departmental Faculty

Instructor: Various Departmental Faculty

Instructor: Dr. Alex Radulescu

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. Robert Johnson

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. Gualtiero Piccinini

Course Description:

Instructor: Dr. Mike Schneider

Course Description:

Examines central issues in general philosophy of science concerning the scientific method and the role in it of observation, the nature of rational theory choice, progress, and the status of theories postulating unobservables.