FALL 2007 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Phil. 141: Introduction to Philosophy Honors (Prof. Scott Jenkins, 11:00-11:50 MWF, 3097 Wescoe)
This course is an introduction to some of the central problems in metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Questions we will consider include: What is knowledge, and what can we know? How is the mind related to the body? Are we responsible for our actions in a deterministic world? What constitutes survival over time? What does morality demand of us, and with what right? We will consider approaches to these questions suggested by contemporary philosophers and by central figures in the history of Western philosophy. The class will consist of short lectures followed by class discussion, and evaluation will be based on class participation in addition to students' papers and exams.
Phil. 148: Reason and Argument (Prof. Ben Eggleston, 12:00-12:50 MW, 3139 Wescoe)
An introduction to the theory and practice of logical analysis. Special emphasis will be placed on the logical appraisal of everyday arguments.
Phil. 161: Introduction to Ethics Honors (Prof. John Bricke,
9:30-10:45 TR, 3097 Wescoe)
We shall investigate two central philosophical problems. The first is that of the nature of morality. Is morality an objective matter? Is it simply a matter of individual, social, or cultural preference? Has it – does it hinge on – religious foundations? Is it a matter of rationality? What is the basis of moral significance or standing? The second concerns the structure and content of fundamental moral principles. Is there a single fundamental principle? Are there irreducibly many fundamental principles? What is the content of the fundamental principle(s)? If there are many such principles, how deal with conflict of principle?
In pursuing these questions, we shall read widely in classical (ancient and early modern) and contemporary philosophical writings (Plato and Aristotle; Hobbes, Hume, Kant, and Mill; Rawls and other contemporary authors.)
Particular moral issues will, of course, come up at just about every point along the way. Towards the end of the semester, however, we shall focus on a number of concrete (and controversial) moral issues such as abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, the obligations of the affluent, and the treatment of animals.
We shall stick to a format of discussion based on close, careful reading of the authors in question. Students will take turn making presentations to initiate discussion. Grades will be based on those presentations, on discussion, and on a set of three (perhaps four) written assignments.
The paperback text for the course is Steven Cahn and Peter Mackie (eds.), Ethics: History, Theory, and Contemporary Issues, 3rd edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006).
Phil. 180: Intro to Social and Political Philosophy (Prof. Ann Cudd, 3:00-3:50 TR, 3140 Wescoe)
Course Description: This course is an introductory study of some of the central issues of social and political philosophy. We begin with a study of the major forms of justification of governmental authority, and the conditions under which revolution, secession, and/or civil disobedience are justified. Then we will consider in turn the concepts of democracy, rights, freedom, equality, oppression, and privilege. The course will primarily focus on the philosophical and political heritage of Anglo-American liberal democracy, but as a basis for comparison and contrast, and because of their growing global importance, we will also be spending a significant portion of our time on the political philosophy and history of China, and on issues of special concern in Africa and the Middle East. There are no prerequisites for this course.
Course Objectives: The primary objective of the course is to introduce the student to the major topics, ideas, and thinkers of political philosophy, particularly the ones that form the foundation of the contemporary American political system. Students will improve their ability to identify and construct political arguments and critically engage with social and political ideas orally and in writing, while learning about the requirements of, and exercising, civility and public reason. Additional objectives are to introduce the student to the social and political philosophies of China and to contemporary issues in Africa.
Text: There is a custom anthology for this course available at the Bookstore, entitled Readings in Social and Political Philosophy. There are additional readings available through the on-line eReserve system and some will be made available in class and on the website. I recommend that you print them out and put them together in a binder to have convenient access to them and to bring them to class.
Phil. 375: Moral Issues in Computer Technology (Prof. Richard De George, 10:00-10:50 MWF, 4008 Wescoe)
After surveying the nature of ethics and morality and learning some standard techniques of moral argumentation, we shall examine ethical issues that arise from the computer and its use, including the social dimensions of its impact. Among the topics that will be discussed are: property and ownership rights in computer programs and software; privacy in computer entry and records; responsibility for computer use and failure; the 'big brother" syndrome made possible by extensive personal data banks; censorship and the world-wide web; computer illiteracy and social displacement; and ethical limits to computer research.
Approach: lectures, class discussion, case studies.
Requirements: reading of texts, short quizzes, two short papers applying moral reasoning to cases, two in-class tests, and a final exam. Participation in class is encouraged.
Phil. 386: Modern Philosophy (Prof. Anthony C. Genova, 11:00-12:15
TR, 4008 Wescoe)
This is a fairly large section, and consequently, the instructor will
be informally lecturing on the assignments and related material. The course
is designed to introduce students to the central problems of modern philosophy
as they primarily pertain to theory of knowledge and metaphysics. Since
the reading material focuses on the primary sources (and therefore is
difficult), it is absolutely imperative that students be regularly prepared
for each class session. The course will accordingly proceed on the assumption
that students are prepared and attend regularly. Consequently, students
are responsible for being aware of any announcements or changes that may
be made at class sessions.
REQUIRED TEXTS: (1) Philosophers Speak for
Themselves: Descartes to Locke, eds., Smith and Grene, University
of Chicago Press, and (2) Philosophers Speak for Themselves: Berkeley
to Kant, eds., Smith and Grene, University of Chicago Press.
EXAMINATIONS AND GRADING: There will be three,
closed book, multiple choice style exams: (1) first mid-term covering
Descartes and Hobbes (50 points); (2) second mid-term covering Spinoza,
Leibniz and Locke (50 points);(3) final exam covering Berkeley, Hume and
Kant (100 points) for a total of 200 points
PHIL 500 Studies in Philosophy: African American Philosophy. Topic: Race, Racism, and American Liberalism (Prof. Derrick Darby, 1:00-2:15 TR, 4049 Wescoe)
We will begin our study by considering classical and contemporary theoretical perspectives on the nature of race and racism. What is race? What is racism? Are there any races? Our discussion will focus on how past and present philosophers have contributed to our understanding of race and racism. We will then consider three historical responses to race and racism in the political thought of Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and W. E. B. Du Bois. Their responses to the black inferiority thesis and the problem of racism afford us three distinctive perspectives on the promises and perils of American liberalism as a normative vehicle for addressing black oppression and promoting black uplift. Next we will consider two important contemporary philosophical debates about race and racism. Should we retain or reject the concept of race even if it is empirically unsound? Does racism still exist in post-civil rights America, or is the charge of racism a ploy used to defend persons that fail to take advantage of the American dream? As we will observe, the outcome of these debates have importance implications for our understanding of the relationship between race, racism, and liberalism. Finally, after surveying several ways of understanding the nature of liberalism within philosophy, we will turn to the question of whether liberalism is good or bad for blacks. Two recent books that offer distinct yet provocative interpretations of the relationship between race, racism, and American liberalism will inform our inquiry. David Carroll Cochran, The Color of Freedom: Race and Contemporary American Liberalism (SUNY, 1999), and Carol A. Horton, Race and the Making of American Liberalism (Oxford, 2005).
Phil. 605: The Philosophy of Plato (Prof. Thomas Tuozzo, 2:30-3:45 TR, 4075 Wescoe)
Philosophical questions may be timeless, but the social and intellectual practice of asking them and defending answers to them, a practice self-consciously conceived as distinct from other related social practices, has, in the Western tradition, a founder: Plato. In this class we shall examine a wide selection of Platonic dialogues with an eye both to the philosophical topics Plato's characters discuss and the positions for which they argue, and to Plato's self-conscious depiction of philosophy and its demarcation from other sorts of social and intellectual practices.
In the first third of the class we shall examine Plato's contrast of the philosophical life and philosophical intellectual activity with those of the sophist, the politician, the public speaker, and the poet. In the dialogues we examine in this section of the class there emerge the outlines of distinctive positions in ethics, moral psychology, political philosophy, epistemology, and metaphysics. In the second part of the course we examine the full flowering of these positions in the dialogues which set forth the "classical Platonism" of the theory of Forms. In the third part of the course we will look at what can be called Plato's "critical turn," in which he considers objections to the theory of Forms and wrestles with the figure he thought was his most formidable predecessor: Parmenides. In these last two-thirds of the course, though our main concern will be with the philosophical positions Plato develops and his characters' arguments for them, we will continue to keep an eye on the self-definition of philosophy that is a constant bass line in the Platonic corpus.
Phil. 654: Philosophy of Mind (Prof. John Bricke, 1:00 - 2:15 TR, 4011 Wescoe)
We shall examine the following central topics: the nature of consciousness; the relation of the mental to the physical; the character of perceptual awareness; the nature of propositional attitudes (thoughts); the relation between thought and language; the analysis of action and intention; the prospects for a scientific psychology; and (if time permits) personal identity. We shall use an introductory text (Colin McGinn’s The Character of Mind, 2nd edition) to provide a framework for our investigation, but shall also read closely, and discuss, a fair number of representative (and difficult) essays by such philosophers as Hilary Putnam, Donald Davidson, Jerry Fodor, Daniel Dennett, and Thomas Nagel (essays contained in David Chalmers (ed.), Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings).
Phil. 668: Political Philosophy and Pol. Sci. 501: Contemporary Political Thought (Rex Martin (Philosophy) & Paul Schumaker (Political Science), 11:00 - 11:50 TR, 114 Blake, Discussion Section 1:00 - 1:50 T, 3097 Wescoe)
This course will be offered on a team-taught basis by the two instructors named above and can be taken under either of the two course numbers listed there. The joint class will meet twice a week, TuTh at 11-11:50 a.m. (in 114 Blake), for lectures. Besides the lecture class, there will also be three discussion sections available for students to choose from (one in 3097 Wescoe at 1-1:50 pm on Tu; and two sections in Blake, one at 2:30-3:20 pm on Tu and the other at 2:30-3:20 pm on Th). Philosophy students should plan to enroll in the discussion session in Wescoe (taught by RM), if that is convenient; if not, they should plan to enroll in one of the two sections in Blake (taught by PS).
There will be two one-hour examinations during the course. There will also be a paper, due at the end of the term (on the last day of class).
The catalogue description for Philosophy 668 reads as follows: "(3) H. A systematic analysis of the concepts of politics, with reference to representative political theories. Prerequisite: A course in philosophy and a course in political science." (Note: if there is any problem in this matter of prerequisites, please see the instructor.)
Textbooks for the course (see below) will be available for purchase from the Book Store. In addition, some xeroxed readings and readings from books and articles on library reserve will be assigned.
Course Themes: This course will focus on a variety of developments in political theory since the end of World War II. We will begin with some broad issues that have concerned theorists during the contemporary period, and will show how these have influenced political thought within the liberal, conservative, and Marxist traditions.
The defining moment in contemporary political theory was the publication in 1971 of John Rawls’s A Theory of Justice. We will read a considerable portion of Rawls’s masterpiece, using the revised version which he published in 1999. Then we will consider libertarian, communitarian, and other criticisms of (and alternatives to) A Theory of Justice, and Rawls’s response to these critics.
In the last part of the course we will turn to one of the more important developments in political theory since the end of World War Two: the emergence of what is often called a ‘culture of human rights.’ This culture has provided an important dimension to both constitutional development within individual countries and to international law and politics.
In addition to purchasing Rawls’ A Theory of Justice (revised edition, 1999), you should purchase:
Will Kymlicka, Contemporary Political Philosophy (2nd ed., 2002) and
James W. Nickel, Making Sense of Human Rights (2nd ed., 2007)
In sum, this course, in the Fall semester 2007, will take up the following topics:
a. course introduction
b. Rawlsian political liberalism
c. other themes in contemporary political theory: utilitarianism, libertarianism, Marxism, communitarianism, citizenship theory, multiculturalism, feminism
d. human rights
Phil. 820: Topics in the History of Philosophy: Nietzsche's Later Philosophy (Prof. Scott Jenkins, 3:00 5:00 M, 3097 Wescoe)
This course will examine the principal writings of Nietzsche's later period, including The Gay Science, Beyond Good and Evil, and On the Genealogy of Morals. While we will devote some time to Nietzsche's famous doctrines of will to power and eternal recurrence, the course will focus on Nietzsche's views on self-knowledge, moral psychology, value, and philosophical methodology. Secondary sources will include some Continental philosophy as well as recent work by Anglo-American philosophers such as Bernard Williams. The course will presuppose some acquaintance with Kant and post-Kantian German philosophy.
Phil. 884:
Topics in Social and Political Philosophy: An Overview of Rawls's Theory of Justice--Its Development and Main Changes. (Prof. Rex Martin, 2:30 - 4:20 R, 3097 Wescoe)
The class is scheduled to meet on Thursday afternoons, 2:30 - 4:30 (roughly), in 3097 Wescoe. The course will be conducted on a seminar basis, with student paper presentations and discussion almost every time. For each seminar where there is a student presentation, the paper (intended for discussion that day) will be distributed to the entire group, by advance E-mail. (This paper should be rather short, 2,000 or so words.) There will also be a term paper (focusing on the material of the course but with choice as to specific topic); this paper (of not more than 5,000 words in length) will be due on the first day of exam week (Monday, 10 December 2007), before 4:30 pm in 3090 Wescoe.
In the thirty-five or so years since its original publication in 1971, Theory of Justice (TJ) by John Rawls (1921-2002) has been the dominant theory of justice in the English-speaking world and in much of western Europe. Somewhere in the 1980's (and clearly so by 1985) Rawls had begun to reconfigure rather radically the theory of justice found in TJ.
This new theory was given its fullest statement in Rawls's book Political Liberalism (PL: 1993/paperback edition 1996), and was summarized and developed further in his "The Idea of Public Reason Revisited" (1997). The very last book published by Rawls, Justice as Fairness (JasF, 2001), although substantially completed in the period just before PL, incorporates many features of PL and tries to describe, if you will, the arc of Rawls’s thinking from TJ through PL. Finally, it should be noted that Rawls revised the text of TJ itself in 1999.
My focus in this course is on the main changes Rawls’s introduced into his theory in the various reworkings he did of TJ, as noted in the preceding paragraph. I am of the view that these changes were fairly substantial but were well motivated, designed to meet problems in TJ and to improve its argument and exposition. For the most part I see the changes as improvements, but they leave us with a quite different theory in the end, from where we started. So we’ll want to assess the overall credibility and argumentative force of this revised version of Rawls’s political theory.
The seminar will take up the following topics in Fall 2007.
The main books in this course (see list below) will be available for purchase at the Bookstore. All of these should be purchased. Be sure to purchase the revised paperback edition of Theory of Justice (1999), the expanded edition in paperback of Political Liberalism (2005); it contains material not found in the earlier editions of PL (of 1993, 1996) and there is some difference of pagination as well. Please bring all four books to the first meeting of the seminar.
Copies of other relevant readings will have been placed on reserve in the Watson Library at the Reserve Book Desk. In addition, readings from xeroxed handouts will be assigned. At the first meeting of the class, further lists of relevant books and articles will be discussed or distributed.
Prerequisites: Philos. 555 or 668 or 674 or any advanced course in ethics (e. g., 672). If there is any problem on this matter of student preparation, please see the instructor before or at the first meeting of the class.
Students who have read parts of Theory of Justice in other courses or who have read parts (or all) of some of Rawls's other writings might, nonetheless, find this course of interest. They are cordially invited to enroll. They are welcome to consult with me before doing so, if they'd prefer.
On Reserve (along with other items, including TJ 1971):
For information about or suggestions
for this account please
contact the web page manager: Webmaster
© 1998-2007
