QUOTE(Phó Thường Nhân @ Jun 25 2004, 03:58 PM)
Ví dụ, philosophie trong tiếng Pháp được coi như một hệ thống giá trị đạo đức, siêu hình, trìu tượng. Ngược lại trong tiếng Anh, nó lại chỉ một môn gần giống như lô gíc. Có những từ còn khác hẳn nghĩa.
Ai bảo với bác thế.
Ở Mỹ ngành Triết Học, học đủ các thứ bác nói và còn nhiều hơn các thứ bác nói, tôi chỉ cho bác vào đọc một phân khoa Triết của đại học Washington University ở St Louis tiểu bang Missourri. Bác vào đọc sẽ thấy sinh viên ở Mỹ cũng phải học các "giá trị đạo đức, siêu hình, trừu tuợng" và còn nhiều hơn thế nữa
Tôi tin chắc ba chữ philosophy, metaphysics, romancer Tiếng Anh và tiếng Pháp có cùng một khái niệm. Nhưng ở Mỹ vì có tinh thần khai phá của một quốc gia mới, nên họ còn mang vào chương trình học nhiều lớp mới, nhiều khái niệm mới áp dụng cho thời đại mới hơn là ở Pháp
source=http://artsci.wustl.edu/~philos/curriculum.html
http://artsci.wustl.edu/~philos/undergrad/Phil 100G. LOGIC AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Same as L84 Lw St 105G.
Introduction to the elementary tools of logic required for constructing and critically evaluating arguments and the claims they support. Topics include: the nature of an argument; argument structure; how arguments can fail both in structure and in content; formal and informal fallacies; propositional logic and predicate calculus; and critical analysis of rhetorical strategies for presenting arguments. Students will be encouraged to develop critical reasoning skills that can be widely applied. Credit 3 units.
Offered every semester--Barrett
Course Syllabus
Phil 120F. Problems in Philosophy
Introduction to philosophical methods and concepts through an investigation of major issues in Western philosophy such as: what counts as knowledge; truth and belief; the existence of God; the mind-body problem; materialism and idealism; moral theory and concepts of justice. A range of historical and contemporary views on these issues will be considered. The aim of the course is to prepare students to think and write about philosophical problems on their own. Credit 3 units.
Offered every semester, beginning Fall 2000--Gibson, Prinz, Wylie
Course Syllabus
Phil 125C. Great Philosophers
In this course we focus on some of the most important texts in the history of Western philosophy in order to discuss a wide range of central philosophical problems. We typically consider, for example, the existence of God, the justification of claims to knowledge, and the requirements of a good human life, including the demands of morality. Among the philosophers most likely to be studied are Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Marx, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein. Our goal is not just to appreciate the genius of some great philosophers but also to grapple with the current philosophical problems they have bequeathed to us. Credit 3 units.
Offered every semester, beginning Fall 2000--Brown, Kleingeld, Watson
Phil 127F. INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
Same as L23 Re St 127F.
There is a fundamental tension between Western philosophical thought, which emphasizes the import and efficacy of reasoned argument, and religious traditions, which stress the primacy of faith over reason. This conflict is the focus of this course. Topics to be considered include the range of concepts, claims, and arguments that have traditionally been used to support or to challenge religious beliefs such as: belief in the existence of God; atheism and agnosticism; the immortality of the soul; freedom of the will; the possibility of miracles; and, more generally, the nature of religious knowledge and the significance of religious diversity. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Spring semester of odd numbered years--Barrett
Phil 131F. PRESENT MORAL PROBLEMS
Same as L84 Lw St 131F.
An investigation of a range of contemporary moral issues and controversies that draws on philosophical ethics and culturewide moral considerations. Topics may include: racism, world hunger, war and terrorism, the distribution of income and wealth, gender discrimination, pornography, lesbian and gay rights, abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment. The aim of the course is to encourage students to articulate and critically examine their own moral intuitions. Credit 3 units.
Offered every semester--Anderson, Brown, Friedman, May
Phil 202A. Puzzles and Revolutions
Same as L91 Nat Sci 203A.
Offered every Spring--Barrett
Phil 208F. Introduction to Philosophy of Cognitive Science
This course will introduce key philosophical issues raised by the advent of cognitive scientific studies of mind. Topics may include: mental imagery, concepts, rationality, consciousness and emotion, language and thought, machine intelligence, robotics, free will. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Fall Semester--Craver, Prinz, Robbins
Course Syllabus
Phil 212. INTRODUCTION TO FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY
Same as L77 WS 212.
Phil 229C. ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHIES
Same as L03 East Asia 224C.
Phil 233F. BIOMEDICAL ETHICS
Same as L84 Lw St 233F.
A critical examination, in the light of contemporary moral disagreements and traditional ethical theories, of some of the moral issues arising out of medical practice and experimentation in our society. Issues that might be discussed include euthanasia, genetic engineering, organ transplants, medical malpractice, the allocation of medical resources, and the rights of the patient. Credit 3 units.
Offered every semester--May
Phil 234F. BUSINESS ETHICS
Study of the nature and justification of economic systems, business organizations, and business practices. Focus on contemporary business and the ideology it embodies. Discussion of moral problems arising in business includes both the analysis of structural factors that cause them and the evaluation of courses of action that might resolve them. Credit 3 units.
Phil 235F. INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Same as L84 Lw St 235F.
A general survey of current issues in environmental ethics, focusing on problems such as the obligation to future generations, protection of endangered species, animal rights, problems of energy and pollution, wilderness, global justice, and business obligations. Students will also learn some ethical and political theory. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Fall--Evans
Course Syllabus
Phil 237F. INTRODUCTION TO AESTHETICS
Study of characteristic problems in aesthetics and the philosophy of art, e.g., the nature of aesthetic entities, of aesthetic experience, and of individual differences in the various arts. Primary emphasis on solutions various theories offer to these problems. Credit 3 units.
Offered even Fall--Rollins
Course Syllabus
Phil 300. MODELS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
Same as L80 STA 300.
Offered every Fall--Wylie
Phil 301G. SYMBOLIC LOGIC
Same as L44 Ling 301G.
Study of the sentential calculus and quantification theory. The notion of validity is central. Emphasis mainly on development of formal proof techniques, secondarily on applications of those techniques to arguments. Considerable attention also given to metatheory; the completeness of quantification theory established and questions of decidability raised. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Fall--Ullian
Phil 306G. PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
Same as L44 Ling 306G.
A survey of major philosophical problems concerning meaning, reference, and truth as they have been addressed within the analytic tradition. Readings that represent diverse positions on these focal issues will be selected from the work of leading philosophers in the field, for example: Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Davidson, Quine, Kripke, and Putnam. Students are encouraged to critically engage the ideas and arguments presented, and to develop and defend their own views on the core topics. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Spring--Gibson
Phil 307. Metaphysics and Epistemology
An introduction to the philosophical study of the nature of reality (metaphysics) and of human knowledge (epistemology). Techniques of contemporary analytic philosophy are brought to bear on some of the more intriguing problems traditionally encountered in the metaphysical and epistemological literature. Of the former, such venerable puzzlers as the problem of universals, the nature of necessity, and the mind-body problem are likely to be tackled, while among the latter, correspondence and coherence theories of truth, the quest for certainty, and the nature of skepticism are prominent candidates for attention. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Fall--Barrett, Ullian
Course Syllabus
Phil 310. CONTEMPORARY JEWISH THOUGHT
Same as L75 JNE 310.
Phil 315. Philosophy of Mind
An introduction to philosophical' analyses of the nature of mind, especially those developed by contemporary philosophers. The focus will be on questions such as the following: What is a mind? How does it relate to a person's brain? How does it relate to a person's body and the external world? Can a mind exist in a very different kind of body (e.g., a computer or a robot)? Does thinking require a language-like code? If so, can non-linguistic species think? What is it to have a mental image or to experience pain? Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Spring--
Phil 316. Mind and Morals
This course explores a number of issues at the intersection of ethics and cognitive science. Possible topics include: Are we rational? Do we know our own thoughts and motivations? Can one believe that one ought to do something without being motivated to do it? Do emotions impair or enhance our ability to reason? How do moral beliefs develop through childhood? Are traits such as intelligence and character unchangeable, and what implications follow if they are (or are not)? Does retaining my identity over time require having the same mind, and, if so, am I the same person now as I was as a child? Are non-human animals worthy of moral consideration? If brain activity is determined by causal laws, can we have free will? Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Spring--Anderson, Prinz
Phil 321G. PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Pivotal concepts common to empirical sciences are examined and clarified. These include: explanation, confirmation, prediction, systematization, empirical significance, and the relationship of all these concepts to the structure of scientific theory. Examples may be drawn from both contemporary and historical science, including the social, biological, and physical sciences. Students with a background in science are particularly encouraged to consider this course. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Spring--Ullian
Phil 331F. CLASSICAL ETHICAL THEORIES
Same as L84 Lw St 331F, L80 STA 373F.
Intensive readings of great works in the history of ethics, especially by Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, and Mill. Topics may include: the sources of moral knowledge, the nature of practical moral judgment, the moral role of emotion and desire, weakness of will, moral autonomy, and the universality of moral norms. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Spring--Friedman
Phil 3321. FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY
Same as L77 WS 3321.
Phil 339F. Philosophy of the Arts
An examination both of general issues that apply to all types of art and of issues specific to particular art forms. For example, what is art? What are the central artistic values: beauty, truth, emotional expressiveness, representational power, or something else? Does art have a moral or political function? How can we account for the history of art and for different artistic styles? In regard to selected forms, there are important questions concerning how pictures represent, whether music and dance are forms of 'language', and the nature of literary interpretation. Some consideration is given to the relation of psychology and theories of the mind to art. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Phil 340F. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Same as L84 Lw St 340F, L80 STA 370F.
What is the relationship between society and the individual? In particular, how are rights to liberty and autonomy to be reconciled with the need for political justice and social order? What limits may society place on freedom of choice or freedom of expression? Is a culture of individualism compatible with strong community ties or does it lead to cultural fragmentation and social disintegration? Historical responses to these issues will be examined-e.g., as developed by Hobbes, Lock, Rousseau, Marx, and J. S. Mill-as well as contemporary analyses of key issues such as: free speech and hate speech, majority rule and minority rights, multiculturalism and national culture, paternalism and risk-taking. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Fall--Friedman
Phil 345F. Issues in Applied Ethics
Same as L48 Anthro 345F, L52 ARC 345F.
Advanced study of a selected topic in applied ethics. Abstract ethical theories and methods are brought to bear on the moral problems that arise in an area of social and professional practice such as medicine, business, law, journalism, engineering, or scientific and humanistic research. Possible topics include: reproductive healthcare and policy, the just distribution of medical resources, the social responsibilities of corporations, accountability in the media and public office, and the ethics of research on or affecting human subjects. Prerequisites: one course at the 100 or 200-level in applied ethics; or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Spring--Evans, Wylie
Phil 346. PHILOSOPHY OF LAW
Same as L84 Lw St 346.
Is the law to be understood on the model of institutionalized power or on the model of justice? This course evaluates a variety of arguments on both sides of the issue. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Fall--May
Course Syllabus
Phil 347C. Ancient Philosophy
Same as L08 Classics 347C, L23 Re St 356C.
An examination of the high-water marks of philosophy in ancient Greece and Rome, focusing primarily on Plato and Aristotle. A wide range of philosophical problems will be discussed, including the nature of the good life, the justification of knowledge, and the ultimate nature of mind and world. Attention will be paid to how these problems unfolded in their historical context and to how the ancient treatments of them compare to contemporary efforts. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Fall--Brown
Phil 349C. Descartes to Hume
An examination of major philosophical systems and problems in Modern Philosophy as presented in the original writings of the 17th and 18th centuries. Topics may include rationalism and empiricism, idealism, materialism, and skepticism, with readings selected from the continental rationalists, Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz, and from the British empiricists, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. Central problems include the mind-body problem, representationalism, and transcendentalism. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Spring--Paulson
Phil 357C. KANT AND 19TH CENTURY PHILOSOPHY
Examination of Kant and nineteenth-century philosophy. We will discuss Kant's "Copernican Turn" in metaphysics and epistemology, as well as his moral philosophy, and we will study works of selected nineteenth-century philosophy such as those of Hegel, Marx, Mill, and Nietzsche. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or the permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every Fall--Kleingeld
Course Syllabus
Phil 371F. CONTEMPORARY CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY
An examination of central texts of 20th-century philosophical thought in France and Germany. The work of Hegel and Heidegger will be considered, as well as that of thinkers they have influenced such as Adorno, Gadamer, and Habermas (in Germany), and Sartre, Foucault, Derrida, and Irigaray (in France). These philosophers reject any idea of "pure" knowledge and experience, and have reconceptualized human existence and understanding as fundamentally historicized, embodied, and linguistic. A focal question that this raises is, what does this reconceptualization mean for ideals of humanism? Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Spring of even numbered years--Evans
Phil 375. EXISTENTIALISM
Same as L16 Comp Lit 382.
The philosophical systems of selected philosophers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Sartre are examined to determine their historical origins, their ontological and epistemological ramifications, and their relationships to contemporary philosophy. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Fall of odd numbered years--Evans
Course Syllabus
Phil 378F. Philosophy of Literature
What is a literary work? Do certain interpretations of literary works (e.g., the author's) have more authority than others? What makes a literary work good? Is the answer to this question culturally relative? Why do we react emotionally to fiction even when we know that it isn't true? What do metaphors teach us about the nature of meaning and thinking? In this course we will examine these and other questions. Most of the readings will be drawn from philosophy, but we will also have occasion to read some fiction, poetry, and literary criticism. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 100 or 200-level, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Spring of odd numbered years--Prinz
Phil 399. Integrative Seminar for Majors
Designed to strengthen the philosophy major's knowledge of the field of philosophy as a whole. Attention will also be paid to developing the writing and presentation skills required by upper-level courses and the honors thesis. Required for all majors; strongly recommended for minors. Typically taken in the fall of the junior year. Pass/fail only. Credit 1 unit.
Phil 401. SET THEORY
An introduction to Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory and the foundations of mathematics. A framework in which standard mathematics can be embedded is constructed. Topics include relations, functions, the systems of natural numbers, rationals, and reals, finite and infinite sets, ordinals and cardinals, and the axiom of choice and its equivalents. Prerequisite: Phil 301G or equivalent, or background in pure mathematics. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Spring of odd numbered years
Phil 403. MATH LOGIC I
Same as L44 Ling 403.
A first course in mathematical logic, an introduction to both proof theory and model theory. The structure and properties of first-order logic are studied in detail, with attention to such notions as axiomatic theory, proof, model, completeness, compactness, and decidability. Prerequisite: Phil 301G or equivalent, or a background in mathematics. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Fall of odd numbered years
Phil 404. MATHEMATICAL LOGIC II
Same as L44 Ling 404.
Godel's Incompleteness Theorem; its proof, its consequences, its reverberations. Prerequisite: Philosophy 403 or a strong background in mathematics. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Spring of even numbered years
Phil 405. PHILOSOPHICAL LOGIC
What the philosophy student needs to know of logic, its techniques, and its use as a tool in philosophical analysis. Some attention to the history of the subject and to its metatheory. Prerequisite: previous exposure to formal logic, or permission of instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Fall of odd numbered years
Phil 4065. Advanced Philosophy of Language
An advanced level treatment of basic topics in the philosophy of language as this discipline is understood in the analytic tradition. The main positions and the problems they pose will be surveyed; focal themes include meaning, reference, and truth. The aim of the course is to help students develop effective expository techniques and to provide them with the necessary conceptual resources to analyze and criticize different theoretical views. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Phil 410. THEORIES OF PERCEPTION
A consideration of recent work in philosophy and cognitive science on the nature of perception and its contribution to thought, knowledge, and behavior. Special attention will be paid to two questions: To what extent can perceptual experience be changed through learning? In what sense do perceptual states have content? The relation of these issues to more general theories of mental content, to the possibility of objective and theory-neutral observation in science, and to the directness or indirectness of perception will be discussed. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Credit 3 units.
Phil 4141. ADVANCED EPISTEMOLOGY
Competing theories of knowledge and belief justification will be considered. Careful attention will be give to selected problems such as skepticism, certainty, foundations, coherence, perception, induction. Prerequistites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Fall of even numbered years--Gibson
Phil 4142. Advanced Metaphysics
Through readings from both classical and contemporary sources, a single traditional metaphysical concern will be made the subject of careful and detailed analytic attention. Possible topics include such concepts as substance, category, cause, identity, reality, and possibility, and such positions as metaphysical realism, idealism, materialism, relativism, and irrealism. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Spring of even numbered years--Barrett
Phil 418. Current Controversies in Cognitive Science
An advanced survey of current debates in cognitive science with an emphasis on the philosophical issues raised by these debates. Topics may include: evolutionary psychology; innateness and neural plasticity; perception and action; consciousness; connectionism; robotics; embodied cognition; moral reason; emergence and artificial life; concepts and content; animal cognition. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Phil 419. Philosophy of Psychology
An investigation of the philosophical presuppositions and implications of various traditions in psychology, including behaviorism, Gestalt, and cognitivism, with a special emphasis on the development of the information processing approach of contemporary cognitivism. The conception of psychological phenomena, data, and explanation central to each of these traditions will be examined, and typical topics will include the debates between propositional and imagistic models of representation, different accounts of concepts and categorization, and the relation of psychology to ethics. Prerequisites: one previous course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Fall of even numbered years--
Phil 4210. Advanced Philosophy of Science
An advanced survey of debates central to contemporary philosophy of science. These include the controversies generated by critiques of 20th century logical positivism and logical empiricism, and by a range of contextualist alternatives to this 'received view'; the on-going debate between scientific realists and anti-realists, irrealists, and constructive empiricists; competing proposals for naturalizing philosophical studies of science; and recent reassessments of concepts of objectivity, theories of evidence, models of explanation, and unity of science theses. Examples will be drawn from a range of sciences, contemporary and historical. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Phil 4211. Philosophy of Social Science
Same as L84 Lw St 421, L84 Lw St 4211, L80 STA 4211.
In what respects is inquiry in the social sciences like that of the natural or physical sciences, and in what respects is it different? Are these differences that must or ought to obtain, or are they an artifact of the history and circumstances of social scientific practice? This course is an advanced survey of dominant 'naturalist', 'anti-naturalist', and 'critical' responses to these questions. Topics include: concepts of explanation and interpretation; the role of idealizations; and standards of evidence and testing strategies in the social sciences. Graduate students and undergraduate majors in the social sciences may find this course particularly relevant. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Spring of odd numbered years--Wylie
Phil 4212. Philosophy of Neuroscience
This course focuses on the historical roots of neuroscience as well as its contemporary developments. Topics include: (1) the nature of explanatory strategies in neuroscience; (2) the relation between neuroscience research and higher-level disciplines such as psychology; and (3) the epistemology of the investigatory tools of neuroscience. Prerequisites: one previous course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Fall of odd numbered years--
Phil 426. THEORIES OF CONCEPTS
Concepts are the building blocks of thought. They are implicated in just about every cognitive task. Beyond that, there is little consensus. What information do concepts encode? How are they acquired? How are they combined to form thoughts? How are they related to perception and imagery? Each of these questions has been answered in numerous ways. In this course, we will explore competing theories of concepts that have been proposed by philosophers, psychologists, and other cognitive scientists. No prior acquaintance with these issues is required. Prerequisites: one previous course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Spring of even numbered years--Prinz
Course Syllabus
Phil 4310. 20th Century Metaethics
An examination of metaphysical and epistemological issues in ethics. Topics include: the nature of the good and the right, the meaning of ethical terms, the logic of moral argument, and the status of moral knowledge. We will consider philosophical works written since 1900 by such authors as Moore, Ross, Stevenson, Ayer, Foot, Hare, Brink, Harmon, Blackburn, and McDowell. Prerequisites: one previous course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Fall of even numbered years--
Phil 4315. Normative Ethical Theory
An exploration of the three major normative ethical theories debated by philosophers in the last hundred years: Kantian ethics, utilitarianism, and virtue theory. Authors covered in the course may include: Henry Sidgwick, R. M. Hare, R. B. Brandt, John Rawls, Bernard Williams, Philippa Foot, Thomas Nagel, Christine Korsgaard, Michael Slote, and Barbara Herman. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Fall of odd numbered years--
Phil 4320. British Moralists
An investigation of the work of the great British moral philosophers of the 17th-19th centuries, especially Hobbes, Hume, and Mill. Other figures may include Reid, Butler, Hutcheson, Bentham, and Sidgwick. In considering these philosophers, we will explore the relations between normative ethics, moral psychology, and political philosophy, and may include a discussion of legal, social, and economic philosophies as well. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Spring of odd numbered years--May
Course Syllabus
Phil 438. AESTHETICS
A careful consideration of selected issues regarding the experience of visual art, architecture, music, or literature, as well as of the power or beauty of nature, people, and artifacts. For example, is there a special form of aesthetic experience or aesthetic attitude? In what do aesthetic power and beauty consist? Are they different in art and nature? Do the artists' intentions matter? Some central concerns are: how do visual art and literary texts have 'meaning', what role do the viewer's or reader's interpretations play, and how might recent work in cognitive science and social theory shed light on these issues. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Phil 4400. Advanced Social and Political Philosophy
A selective investigation of one or two advanced topics in the philosophical understanding of society, government, and culture. Readings may include both historical and contemporary materials. Possible topics include: liberalism, socialism, communitarianism, citizenship, nationalism, cosmopolitanism, social contract theory, anarchism, and the rights of cultural minorities. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Generally offered in Spring of even numbered years
Phil 451. PLATO
Same as L08 Classics 451, L23 Re St 455.
An examination of some of Plato's most important dialogues, typically including the Gorgias, Phaedo, and Republic, with the aim of grasping the development of Plato's most influential thoughts in ethics and in metaphysics and epistemology. In order to provide both historical understanding and philosophical evaluation, attention will be paid to the context and structure of the dialogues and to the best of recent secondary literature. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every third Spring, beginning in 2002
Phil 452. ARISTOTLE
Same as L08 Classics 452, L23 Re St 456.
This course offers a maximally full and detailed introduction to the works of Aristotle. His logic, natural philosophy, psychology, metaphysics, ethics, and political philosophy will be discussed, and stress will be laid on the interpretive problems facing contemporary philosophers seeking to understand Aristotle's achievement. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every third Spring, beginning in 2001
Phil 4530. Hellenistic Philosophy
The Hellenistic Age, traditionally dated from the death of Alexander and his (Macedonian) Empire at 323 BCE to the birth of Augustus' (Roman) Empire in 31 BCE, gave the West three of its most innovative and influential schools of philosophy: Epicureanism, Skepticism, and Stoicism. This course investigates the central features of their thought. Special attention is paid to the still-relevant debates between the Stoics and Skeptics about the possibility of knowledge, to the disagreements among all three schools about the issues of freedom, responsibility, and determinism, and to their ethical theories. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered every third Spring, beginning in 2003
Phil 4550. Continental Rationalism
A rationalist is a philosopher for whom at least one certain truth is inborn or comes from reason rather than from empirical or sensory experience. The major systemic writings of Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz will be examined with a focus on the question: does the epistemology determine the ontology of these philosophical systems, or vice versa? The lines of development connecting these philosophers will be traced, and such enduring problems as the relation of mind to body will be examined. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Fall of odd numbered years--Watson
Phil 4560. British Empiricism
An empiricist is a philosopher for whom all knowledge comes from empirical or sensory experience (i.e., there are no truths that derive from reason alone). The major systemic writings of Locke, Berkeley, and Hume will be examined with stress on the question: does the epistemology determine the ontology of these philosophical systems, or vice versa? The lines of development connecting these philosophers will be traced, and enduring problems such as representationalism and skepticism will be examined. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Fall of even numbered years--Watson
Phil 4570. Kant's Critique of Pure Reason
An in-depth investigation of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, one of the most important books in the history of Western philosophy. Some supplementary readings from other philosophers will be used to situate Kant's work in a systematic and historical context, to present some 'Kantian' positions in current philosophy, and to bring in some important contrasting views and criticisms. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Spring of odd numbered years--Kleingeld
Phil 4575. Kant and Kantian Practical Philosophy
An in-depth examination of Kant's practical philosophy: his moral and political theory. Readings include the Critique of Practical Reason, parts of the Metaphysics of Morals, Perpetual Peace, and other writings. Supplementary readings will be used to situate Kant's work in its systematic and historical context, to provide orientation in the world of Kant scholarship, and to introduce important contrasting views and criticisms. We will also discuss recent reformulations of Kantian themes in the work of John Rawls and Jnrgen Habermas.Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Spring of even numbered years
Course Syllabus
Phil 4602. HEGEL AND HEGELIANISM
Same as L23 Re St 4703.
Phil 464. Advanced Continental Philosophy
A study of selected texts by such major figures of 20th Century continental philosophy as Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Levinas, Habermas, Foucault, Derrida, and Irigaray. Such topics as phenomenology, hermeneutics, existentialism, critical theory, structuralism and post-structuralism will be investigated. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy at the 300-level, graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. Credit 3 units.
Offered in Fall of even numbered years--Evans
Phil 499. STUDY FOR HONORS
Prerequisites: senior standing,a 3.0 minimum grade point average overall, a 3.35 minimum grade point average in philosophy courses, and the permission of the department. Applications and further information are available in the Department of Philosophy. Credit 3 units.
Phil 500. INDEPENDENT WORK
Prerequisites: junior standing and permission of the department. Credit variable, maximum 6 units.
Phil 501. PHILOSOPHY WORKSHOP
Credit 3 units.
Phil 502. PROSEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHY
Credit 3 units.
Phil 503. TUTORIAL IN PHILOSOPHY
Credit 3 units.
Phil 504. TUTORIAL IN PHILOSOPHY
Credit 3 units.
Phil 506. Topics in Philosophy of Language
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 507. Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 508. Topics in Analytic Philosophy
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 515. Topics in Philosophy of Mind
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 519. Topics in Philosophy of Psychology
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 520. Topics in Philosophy of Science
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 522. Topics in Philosophy of Neuroscience
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 524. Topics in Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 535. Topics in Ethical Theory
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 538. Topics in Aesthetics
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 540. Topics in Social and Political Philosophy
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Course Syllabus
Phil 546. Topics in Philosophy of Law
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 550. Topics in History of Philosophy
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 553. Topics in Ancient Philosophy
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 555. Topics in Modern Philosophy
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 565. Topics in Continental Philosophy
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 582. Topics in Feminist Philosophy
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Phil 590. RES MASTER LEVEL
Credit variable, maximum 3 units.
Phil 591. RES DOCTORAL LEVEL
Credit variable, maximum 9 units.
Courses Offered by the
Department of Philosophy