Philosophy 7. Introduction to Ancient Philosophy
Catalog Number: 1583
Mi-kyoung (Mitzi) Lee (University of Colorado at Boulder)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 1. EXAM GROUP: 15
An introduction to some of the central issues and problems of philosophy through the study of classic Greek and Roman philosophical texts from the Pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, and the Hellenistic philosophers. Topics include the nature of reality, the ways we might come to have knowledge, the good life for human beings, and the problem of determinism and free will.
Philosophy 8. Introduction to Early Modern Philosophy
Catalog Number: 8947
Alison Simmons
Half course (fall term). M., W., (F.), at 12.
A survey of 17th- and 18th-century philosophy with a focus on the major metaphysical and epistemological writings of Descartes, Locke, Hume, and Kant. Topics include the natures of mind and body, the physical world, freedom, and human knowledge. Special attention to the rise of mechanistic science (i.e. the “Scientific Revolution”).
[Philosophy 12. Introduction to the Philosophy of Law]
Catalog Number: 1951
Douglas Lavin
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Crime, punishment and responsibility: some questions concerning the criminal law. (i) How, if at all, can criminal punishment be justified? (ii) By what principles or criteria should the criminal law hold people responsible? (iii) What sorts of conduct may the state rightly make criminal?
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
[Philosophy 19. Introduction to Philosophy of Religion]
Catalog Number: 6837
Jeffrey K. McDonough
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A study of some central themes in the philosophy of religion, including the relationship between faith and reason, the nature of divine activity and attributes, and the tenability of miracles.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
*Philosophy 91r. Independent Study - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9710
Edward J. Hall
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Graded independent study under faculty supervision. Interested students need approval of head tutor for their topic and must propose a detailed syllabus before the beginning of term.
*Philosophy 97. Tutorial - I
Catalog Number: 2435
Edward J. Hall
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Required of all sophomore concentrators, and for the secondary field in philosophy.
*Philosophy 98hf. Tutorial — Junior Year
Catalog Number: 5533
Edward J. Hall
Half course (throughout the year). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Required of all junior concentrators.
*Philosophy 99. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 4396
Edward J. Hall and members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
[Philosophy 120. The Rationalists]
Catalog Number: 2512
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Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A study of some central topics in the works of Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz, with primary emphasis on their contributions to metaphysics and epistemology.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
Philosophy 122. British Empiricism
Catalog Number: 9025
Jeffrey K. McDonough
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 13
A study of the central works of Locke, Berkeley, and Hume with primary emphasis on their contributions to metaphysics and epistemology.
Philosophy 124. Spinoza - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8960
Herman De Dijn
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 12
As the title of Spinoza’s major work indicates, Spinoza’s philosophy is focused on the question of the good life. This question needs a radically new answer in view of the new modern conception of Nature and the place of human beings therein. Spinoza in fact distinguishes three different kinds of ethics. The study of Ethica IV and V will be preceded by a survey of central concepts and topics in Spinoza’s metaphysics and philosophical anthropology.
Philosophy 129. Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason
Catalog Number: 0614
Matthew Boyle
Half course (spring term). M., W., (F.), at 11. EXAM GROUP: 4
A careful reading of the work that is the cornerstone of Kant’s critical system, his first Critique, aiming at a general understanding of the problems that Kant seeks to address, the main tenets of his response, and the significance of the doctrine of "transcendental idealism" that is the upshot of his enterprise. Some attention also to the intellectual context in which Kant wrote, and to influential recent interpretations of his views.
Philosophy 135. Pragmatism
Catalog Number: 7527
Peter Godfrey-Smith
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 1. EXAM GROUP: 15
A chronological survey of pragmatist thought, focusing on C. S. Peirce, William James, and John Dewey, with some coverage of more recent thinkers such as Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam.
[Philosophy 137. The Later Philosophy of Wittgenstein]
Catalog Number: 3360
Warren Goldfarb
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A close reading of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations, focusing on its treatments of the topics of meaning, reference, rule-following, cognition, perception, “the private mental realm” knowledge, scepticism, and the nature of philosophy. Attention to Wittgenstein’s philosophical methodology, with its claim to dissolve philosophical problems rather than propose solutions to them.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10.
*Philosophy 139. Heidegger:Proseminar - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4546
Sean D. Kelly
Half course (fall term). W., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 9
A selection of readings from Martin Heidegger’s late work, focusing on his discussion of thinking, gods, works of art and things.
Philosophy 141. Frege, Russell, and the Early Wittgenstein
Catalog Number: 6807
Warren Goldfarb
Half course (fall term). M., W., (F.), at 2. EXAM GROUP: 7
An examination of the beginnings of analytic philosophy, with primary interest in the reformulation of traditional philosophical problems by these three authors and the analytic and logical methods they introduced to treat them.
Philosophy 144. Logic and Philosophy
Catalog Number: 1111
Warren Goldfarb
Half course (spring term). M., W., (F.), at 10. EXAM GROUP: 3
Three philosophically important results of modern logic: Gödel’s incompleteness theorems; Turing’s definition of mechanical computability; Tarski’s theory of truth for formalized languages. Discusses both mathematical content and philosophical significance of these results.
Prerequisite: Some knowledge of deductive logic.
Philosophy 148. Philosophy of Mathematics
Catalog Number: 8341
Matti Eklund (Cornell University)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 14
Philosophical issues concerning mathematics, such as: its degree of certainty and necessity, its apparently a priori character, the existence and “nature” of basic mathematical objects (numbers, sets), the relation of mathematics and logic, whether classical logic can be called into question.
Prerequisite: Quantitative Reasoning 22 or the equivalent or some background in mathematics.
*Philosophy 149. Foundations of Probability: Proseminar - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 5669
Edward J. Hall
Half course (spring term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Probability is peculiar: its mathematics is well-understood, the interpretation of that mathematics much less so. 50 years after the first serious studies, we have no agreed-upon answers to the fundamental metaphysical and epistemological questions about probability: What kind of thing is it? And how do we know about it? We will aim to answer, definitively, these and other fascinating philosophical questions concerning the nature of uncertainty. Probability of success: low. Expected value of endeavor: high.
Philosophy 152. Philosophy of Biology
Catalog Number: 3367
Peter Godfrey-Smith
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 1. EXAM GROUP: 15
Conceptual issues in evolutionary biology. Topics will include natural selection, biological kinds, and the role of evolution of social behaviors such as cooperation and communication.
Philosophy 156. Philosophy of Mind
Catalog Number: 3410
Sean D. Kelly
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 12
The mind-body problem and proposed solutions to it, including dualism, behaviorism, identity theories, and functionalism. Theories of consciousness, subjective experience, and the mind’s representation of the world. Consideration of how recent work in psychology relates to the philosophical debates.
*Philosophy 158q. History of the Unconscious: Proseminar - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 8247
Alison Simmons
Half course (spring term). W., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
An investigation of the roles that consciousness and unconsciousness have played in philosophical, psychological and psychiatric treatments of the human mind with particular attention to debates about whether there is any such thing as an unconscious mental life. Historical and contemporary readings.
Note: Qualifies as an MBB junior seminar.
Philosophy 159. Epistemology
Catalog Number: 5443
Selim Berker
Half course (spring term). M., W., (F.), at 1. EXAM GROUP: 6
An introduction to the field of epistemology. Topics include the analysis of knowledge, the problem of induction, a priori knowledge, immediate perceptual justification, foundational vs. coherence views, internalism vs. externalism, naturalized epistemology, and skepticism.
*Philosophy 161. Personal Identity and Self-knowledge: Proseminar
Catalog Number: 7414
Cheryl K. Chen
Half course (fall term). Th., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
An examination of issues concerning personal identity and self-knowledge. What makes a particular person you? What makes you the same person you were five years ago? What is introspection? How does knowledge of your own thoughts and experiences differ from other kinds of knowledge?
Philosophy 164. Metaphysics
Catalog Number: 1480
Edward J. Hall
Half course (fall term). M., W., (F.), at 11. EXAM GROUP: 4
Examination of several topics central to contemporary metaphysics: the nature and existence of properties; identity over time; material constitution; possibility and necessity; laws of nature. The course will close with challenges to the idea that legitimate metaphysical inquiry is possible.
[Philosophy 168. Kant’s Ethical Theory]
Catalog Number: 8361
Christine M. Korsgaard
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A study of Kant’s moral philosophy, based primarily on the Groundwork of Metaphysics of Morals, the Critique of Practical Reason, and The Metaphysics of Morals.
Note: Expected to be given in 2009–10. Expected to be given in 2009-10. This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core requirement for Moral Reasoning.
Philosophy 171z. Global Justice - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 1255
Mathias Risse (Kennedy School)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 10; Th., at 9. EXAM GROUP: 12
This course examines contemporary debates about global justice. Questions include: Does it make sense to speak of ’justice’ in the global context? Does the global order harm the poor? Do we have special obligations to compatriots? What obligations do we have to the distant needy? Does morality demand that rich countries allow for more immigration? Are there obligations that arise from trading? What is the role of human rights? Why would people have them?
Philosophy 173. Metaethics
Catalog Number: 3541
Selim Berker
Half course (fall term). M., W., (F.), at 1. EXAM GROUP: 6
A close examination of three metaethical views that take a deflationary approach toward the moral domain: moral nihilism, moral relativism, and moral expressivism.
Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core requirement for Moral Reasoning.
Philosophy 175. Ethical Theory
Catalog Number: 1108
Talbot Marguder Brewer (University of Virginia)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 9. EXAM GROUP: 11
An inquiry into competing ideas of morality and its relation to the good life, with special attention to the views of virtue ethicists, utilitarians and Kantians. Among the questions to be considered are: Do contemporary conceptions of morality leave sufficient elbow room for personal loves and ideals? Can we be held responsible for unchosen elements of our character? Are there "morally tragic" cases in which we will do wrong no matter what we choose?
Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Moral Reasoning.
Philosophy 179. Race and Social Justice - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6665
Tommie Shelby
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 12. EXAM GROUP: 14
Critically examines recent philosophical work on questions of racial justice: What is racism? What makes racial discrimination wrong? Are reparations owed for past racial injustices? Is racial profiling ever justified? Under what conditions should we regard racial disparities (e.g., in wealth or employment) as unjust? Should government foster racial integration in schools and neighborhoods? Is affirmative action unfair? Is a just society a "color-blind" society?
Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Moral Reasoning.
*Philosophy 237. Wittgenstein: Seminar - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 4165
Warren Goldfarb
Half course (spring term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Issues in philosophy of logic, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of mind in the Tractatus and the Philosophical Investigations. Attention to metaphilosophical questions, particularly concerning continuities between Wittgenstein’s early and later views.
*Philosophy 238. Topics in Intersubjectivity: Seminar - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9194
Douglas Lavin and Richard Moran
Half course (spring term). M., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
An investigation of various relations of "mutual recognition" -- promising, wronging, telling, loving, humiliating, etc. What are their preconditions? What does standing in them reveal about ourselves? Authors include Rousseau, Sartre, Grice, Lovejoy, Williams, Rawls, Darwall.
*Philosophy 249w. Tools, Instruments, and Extended Cognition: Seminar - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6743
Peter Godfrey-Smith and Peter L. Galison
Half course (fall term). W., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 9
Examination of the relation between external tools and cognition. Can the boundaries of a thinking agent extend beyond the skin? Perspectives from philosophy of mind and history of science, including Clark, Wilson, Galison and others.
*Philosophy 251. Empirical Content: Seminar - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 5161
Cheryl K. Chen
Half course (fall term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
An examination of philosophical theories about the relation between thought and perceptual experience. Topics will include: concept empiricism, perceptual content and phenomenal concepts.
*Philosophy 263. Metaontology: Seminar - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 0874
Matti Eklund (Cornell University)
Half course (spring term). W., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
The seminar will cover various approaches to the enterprise of ontology. Among authors we will read are Carnap, Quine, Putnam, Wright, Sider, and Hirsch.
*Philosophy 267. Ethics and Action: Seminar - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 2329
Matthew Boyle and Douglas Lavin
Half course (fall term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
An examination of connections between theorizing about the nature of action and theorizing about the proper form of systematic ethics. Special attention to contemporary Aristotelian approaches, with some consideration for Humean, Kantian, and Rationalist alternatives.
*Philosophy 268z. Contemporary Kantian Ethical Theory: Seminar - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6948
Christine M. Korsgaard
Half course (fall term). F., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
A study of some important recent work on Kant’s ethics and Kantian ethics by Thomas Hill, Jr., Andrews Reath, Arthur Ripstein, Stephen Engstrom, and Barbara Herman, all of whom will visit the seminar.
*Philosophy 274. Philosophy of Action: Seminar
Catalog Number: 9583
Christine M. Korsgaard
Half course (spring term). F., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
A study of some important recent work in the philosophy of action by Gary Watson, Jennifer Hornsby, Michael Bratman, Brian O’Shaughnessy, and John McDowell, all of whom will visit the seminar.
*Philosophy 276x. Bioethics: Seminar - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3452
Frances Kamm (Kennedy School)
Half course (spring term). Tu., 5–7 p.m.
Philosophical discussion of selected issues in bioethics, such as allocation of scarce resources, equity in healthcare, death, euthanasia and assisted suicide, abortion, embryonic stem cell research. Readings primarily from contemporary philosophical sources.
Note: Offered jointly with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government as LAW-90335A.
*Philosophy 278x. Virtue Ethics: Seminar - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 0288
Talbot Marguder Brewer (University of Virginia)
Half course (spring term). W., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 9
A survey of key works in contemporary virtue ethics, with special attention to the distinction between works that address established issues of philosophical ethics and those that call these guiding issues into question.
Philosophy 290. Probability (Graduate Seminar in General Education) - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 0376
Edward J. Hall and Andrew W. Murray
Half course (spring term). M., 10–12. EXAM GROUP: 3, 4
This course will emphasize conceptual foundations and characteristic errors we humans fall into when trying to reason "probabilistically". Beginning with an examination of what "probability" means, and the various reasons why this notion must be distinguished from the notion of statistical frequency, the bulk of the course will take up various pernicious fallacies in "probabilistic thinking." The seminar will design and develop a General Education course on these themes for undergraduates.
*Philosophy 299hf. Individual Supervision
Catalog Number: 8076
Christine M. Korsgaard and members of the Department
Half course (throughout the year). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Required of candidates for the AM or PhD in Philosophy. Consult the Department’s Supplement to the General Announcement for details.
*Philosophy 300b. Colloquium
Catalog Number: 6280
Douglas Lavin 5091
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Continuation of Philosophy 300a.
*Philosophy 303. Colloquium: Dissertation Presentations
Catalog Number: 1089
Susanna Siegel 2441 (on leave spring term)
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
*Philosophy 305. Individual Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 4462
Selim Berker 5514, Matthew Boyle 5279, Talbot Marguder Brewer (University of Virginia) 6017 (spring term only), Matti Eklund (Cornell University) 6020 (spring term only), Peter Godfrey-Smith 3338, Warren Goldfarb 4499, Edward J. Hall 5324, Frances Kamm (Kennedy School) 4280, Sean D. Kelly 5515, Peter Koellner 4680 (on leave 2008-09), Christine M. Korsgaard 2994, Douglas Lavin 5091, Mi-kyoung (Mitzi) Lee (University of Colorado at Boulder) 6021 (spring term only), Jeffrey K. McDonough 5280, Richard Moran 1786, Bernhard Nickel 5516 (on leave 2008-09), Thomas M. Scanlon, Jr. 7986 (on leave 2008-09), Amartya Sen 1705 (on leave spring term), Tommie Shelby 3863, Susanna Siegel 2441 (on leave spring term), Alison Simmons 1300, and Gisela Striker 2271
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
*Philosophy 310. Research Seminars
Catalog Number: 4465
Selim Berker 5514, Matthew Boyle 5279, Talbot Marguder Brewer (University of Virginia) 6017 (spring term only), Matti Eklund (Cornell University) 6020 (spring term only), Peter Godfrey-Smith 3338, Warren Goldfarb 4499, Edward J. Hall 5324, Frances Kamm (Kennedy School) 4280, Sean D. Kelly 5515, Peter Koellner 4680 (on leave 2008-09), Christine M. Korsgaard 2994, Douglas Lavin 5091, Mi-kyoung (Mitzi) Lee (University of Colorado at Boulder) 6021 (spring term only), Jeffrey K. McDonough 5280, Richard Moran 1786, Bernhard Nickel 5516 (on leave 2008-09), Thomas M. Scanlon, Jr. 7986 (on leave 2008-09), Amartya Sen 1705 (on leave spring term), Tommie Shelby 3863, Susanna Siegel 2441 (on leave spring term), Alison Simmons 1300, and Gisela Striker 2271
Small seminars on specialized topics, arranged by members of the Department in consultation with suitably prepared graduate students. Seminars will be listed individually with numbers from 311 through 398.
*Philosophy 311. Workshop in Moral and Political Philosophy
Catalog Number: 5370
Selim Berker 5514 and Douglas Lavin 5091
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., 4–6.
A forum for the presentation and discussion of work in progress by students in moral and political philosophy. Open only to graduate students in the Philosophy Department or by invitation of the instructors.
*Philosophy 312. Workshop in Metaphysics and Epistemology
Catalog Number: 0576
Matthew Boyle 5279 and Peter Godfrey-Smith 3338
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). M., 4–6.
A forum for the presentation and discussion of work in progress by students in metaphysics and epistemology. Open only to graduate students in the Philosophy Department or by invitation of the instructors.
*Philosophy 315hf. Instructional Styles in Philosophy - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9781
Gisela Striker 2271 and Members of the Department
Half course (throughout the year). Hours to be arranged.
Course is required for graduate students in their first year of teaching; optional for students in their second year of teaching.
*Philosophy 333. Preparation for the Topical Examination
Catalog Number: 1967
Selim Berker 5514, Matthew Boyle 5279, Peter Godfrey-Smith 3338, Warren Goldfarb 4499, Edward J. Hall 5324, Frances Kamm (Kennedy School) 4280, Sean D. Kelly 5515, Peter Koellner 4680 (on leave 2008-09), Christine M. Korsgaard 2994, Douglas Lavin 5091, Jeffrey K. McDonough 5280, Richard Moran 1786, Bernhard Nickel 5516 (on leave 2008-09), Thomas M. Scanlon, Jr. 7986 (on leave 2008-09), Amartya Sen 1705 (on leave spring term), Tommie Shelby 3863, Susanna Siegel 2441 (on leave spring term), Alison Simmons 1300, and Gisela Striker 2271
Required in both fall and spring terms of all third-year graduate students in the Department.
*Philosophy 399. Direction of Doctoral Dissertations
Catalog Number: 3283
Selim Berker 5514, Matthew Boyle 5279, Peter Godfrey-Smith 3338, Warren Goldfarb 4499, Edward J. Hall 5324, Frances Kamm (Kennedy School) 4280, Sean D. Kelly 5515, Peter Koellner 4680 (on leave 2008-09), Christine M. Korsgaard 2994, Douglas Lavin 5091, Jeffrey K. McDonough 5280, Richard Moran 1786, Bernhard Nickel 5516 (on leave 2008-09), Thomas M. Scanlon, Jr. 7986 (on leave 2008-09), Amartya Sen 1705 (on leave spring term), Tommie Shelby 3863, Susanna Siegel 2441 (on leave spring term), Alison Simmons 1300, and Gisela Striker 2271