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Philosophy Courses
- PHIL S-4 Introduction to Philosophy
- PHIL S-140 Deductive Logic
- PHIL S-142 Philosophy in the Public Sphere: Philosophers as Public Intellectuals
- PHIL S-158 Philosophy of Mind and the Brain Sciences
- PHIL S-167 Introduction to Biomedical Ethics
PHIL S-4 Introduction to Philosophy (31849)
Class times: Tuesdays, Thursdays, noon-3 pm. Optional sections to be arranged.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $2,700.
This course focuses on the central questions and problems in philosophy: Why be good? What is consciousness? What is knowledge and do human beings have any? Do persons have free will? Is there a God? The course is more about thinking than it is about coverage or the memorization of facts. Readings are drawn from the writings of major philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Leibniz, Kant, John Stuart Mill, and Bertrand Russell, as well as prominent contemporary philosophers such as Peter Singer, John Rawls, Robert Nozick, Daniel Dennett, Martha Nussbaum, John Searle, Bernard Williams, Judith Jarvis Thomson, Hilary Putnam, and Thomas Nagel. Although the course is called an introduction, it is more an invitation to do philosophy than an introduction to it. Introductions seek to map out a territory or lay the ground for more detailed study. There is some of that here, but insofar as invitations beckon and introductions point, the course beckons students to the study of philosophy rather than points the way. (4 credits)
PHIL S-140 Deductive Logic (32751)
*** PHIL S-140 has been CANCELED. ***
PHIL S-142 Philosophy in the Public Sphere: Philosophers as Public Intellectuals (32852)
Class times: Mondays, Wednesdays, noon-3 pm.
Course tuition: noncredit, undergraduate, and graduate credit $2,700.
In this seminar we study contemporary philosophers who see themselves as public intellectuals, using philosophy in an attempt to change as well as comment on the world. We read works by Kwame Anthony Appiah, Martha Nussbaum, Peter Singer, Cornel West, as well as James Kloppenberg's Reading Obama. We also regularly examine philosophical op-eds and other recent articles in newspapers such as The New York Times. (4 credits)
PHIL S-158 Philosophy of Mind and the Brain Sciences (32703)
Rosa Cao and Justin Junge.
Class times: Tuesdays, Thursdays, 3:15-6:15 pm. Optional sections to be arranged.
Course tuition: noncredit, undergraduate, and graduate credit $2,700.
How should we understand the mind? What is the relationship between the mind and brain? Can there be a science of consciousness? This course is an introduction to philosophical questions about the mind, taking into account our current scientific understanding of the brain. (4 credits)
PHIL S-167 Introduction to Biomedical Ethics (30201)
Class times: Tuesdays, Thursdays, 3:15-6:15 pm.
Course tuition: noncredit, undergraduate, and graduate credit $2,700.
This course introduces the basic concepts and theories of ethics and applies them to some of the most widely discussed issues of the day. Students examine ethical issues that arise in a biomedical context, such as euthanasia, eugenics, reproductive control, lying to patients, and the right to health care. (4 credits)
