Hum/Pl 40
Right and Wrong
9 units (3-0-6)
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offered by announcement
This course addresses questions such as: Where do our moral ideas come from? What justifies them? How should they guide our conduct, as individuals and as a society? What kind of person should one aspire to be? Topics the course may deal with include meta-ethical issues (e.g., What makes an action right or wrong? When is one morally responsible for one's actions? How should society be organized?) and normative questions (e.g., Is eating meat morally acceptable? What should we tolerate and why? What are society's obligations toward the poor?). In addition, the psychological and neural substrates of moral judgment and decision making may be explored. The course draws on a variety of sources, including selections from the great works of moral and political philosophy (e.g., Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics, Hobbes's Leviathan, Kant's Groundings for a Metaphysics of Morals, and Rawls's A Theory of Justice), contemporary discussions of particular moral issues, and the science of moral thought.
Instructor:
Quartz
Hum/Pl 41
Knowledge and Reality
9 units (3-0-6)
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offered by announcement
The theme of this course is the scope and limitations of rational belief and knowledge. Students will examine the nature of reality, the nature of the self, the nature of knowledge, and how we learn about the natural world. Students will be introduced to these issues through selections from some of the world's greatest philosophical works, including Descartes's Meditations, Pascal's Pensées, Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Berkeley's Principles of Human Knowledge, and Kant's Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics. A variety of more contemporary readings will also be assigned.
Instructors:
Hitchcock, Eberhardt
Hum/Pl 42
Philosophy and Gender
9 units (3-0-6)
|
offered by announcement
This course discusses the metaphysics of gender and explores some of its social and political dimensions. The main intellectual approach is that of analytic philosophy, but source materials from other philosophical traditions and intellectual disciplines will be examined. The first part of the course examines various philosophical answers to the question: What makes someone a woman or a man (or both or neither)? The second part illustrates why the metaphysics matters: views about the nature of gender not only affect individuals' own senses of identity, but also have ramifications for politics, anthropology, history, psychology, and the arts.
Instructor:
Cowie
Hum/Pl 43
Environmental Ethics
9 units (3-0-6)
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offered by announcement
Should we clone mammoths back to life? Is it wrong to cause an extinction, and if so, why? Are some species more valuable than others? In this course, students will become familiar with basic topics in meta-ethics and normative ethics through focus on the subject matter of environmental ethics. An overarching question is the relationship between environmental ethics and traditional philosophical ethics: is there an easy fit, or does environmental ethics represent an extension or challenge to traditional ethics? Subject matter may include the biodiversity crisis, climate change, anthropocentrism and its critics, intrinsic value arguments, deep ecology, animal rights, and rewilding.
Instructor:
Quinn
Pl 90 ab
Senior Thesis
9 units (1-0-8)
Required of students taking the philosophy option. To be taken in any two consecutive terms of the senior year. Students will research and write a thesis of 10,000-12,000 words on a philosophical topic to be determined in consultation with their thesis adviser. Limited to students taking the philosophy option.
Instructor:
Staff
Pl 98
Reading in Philosophy
9 units (1-0-8)
Prerequisites: instructor's permission.
An individual program of directed reading in philosophy, in areas not covered by regular courses.
Instructor:
Staff
Pl/Law 99
Causation and Responsibility
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
This course will examine the interrelationships between the concepts of causation, moral responsibility, and legal liability. It will consider legal doctrines of causation and responsibility, as well as attempts within philosophy to articulate these concepts. Questions to be addressed include: Can you be morally or legally responsible for harms that you do not cause? Is it worse to cause some harm, than to unsuccessfully attempt it? Is it justified to punish those who cause harm more severely than those who attempt harm? When, if ever, can the ends justify the means? What constitutes negligence? Is it worse to cause some harm, than to allow it to happen (when you could have prevented it)?
Instructor:
Hitchcock
Pl 100
Free Will
9 units (3-0-6)
|
first term
This course examines the question of what it means to have free will, whether and why free will is desirable, and whether humans have free will. Topics may include historical discussions of free will from writers such as Aristotle, Boethius, and Hume; what it means for a scientific theory to be deterministic, and whether determinism is compatible with free will; the connection between free will and moral responsibility; the relationship between free will and the notion of the self; beliefs about free will; the psychology of decision making; and the insanity defense in law. Not offered 2016-17.
Pl 102
Selected Topics in Philosophy
9 units (3-0-6)
|
offered by announcement
Prerequisites: Hum/Pl 8 or Hum/Pl 9 or instructor's permission..
Pl 103
Medieval Philosophy
9 units (3-0-6)
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third term
This course examines the philosophy of Western Europe from the decline of pagan culture to the Renaissance, roughly 400-1400 C.E. Material covered will vary, but will likely include a thorough introduction to Late Greek neo-Platonic philosophy as background to reading figures such as Augustine, Boethius, Avicenna, Abailard, Averroes, Maimonides, Anselm, Albert the Great, Aquinas, Olivi, Scotus, and Ockham. Not offered 2016-17.
HPS/Pl/CS 110
Causation and Explanation
9 units (3-0-6)
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second term
An examination of theories of causation and explanation in philosophy and neighboring disciplines. Topics discussed may include probabilistic and counterfactual treatments of causation, the role of statistical evidence and experimentation in causal inference, and the deductive-nomological model of explanation. The treatment of these topics by important figures from the history of philosophy such as Aristotle, Descartes, and Hume may also be considered. Not offered 2016-17.
HPS/Pl 120
Introduction to Philosophy of Science
9 units (3-0-6)
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first term
An introduction to fundamental philosophical problems concerning the nature of science. Topics may include the character of scientific explanation, criteria for the conformation and falsification of scientific theories, the relationship between theory and observation, philosophical accounts of the concept of "law of nature," causation, chance, realism about unobservable entities, the objectivity of science, and issues having to do with the ways in which scientific knowledge changes over time.
Instructor:
Eberhardt
HPS/Pl 122
Probability, Evidence, and Belief
9 units (3-0-6)
|
first term
Philosophical and conceptual issues arising from the study of probability theory and how it relates to rationality and belief. Topics discussed may include the foundations and interpretations of probability, arguments for and against the view that we ought to have personal degrees of belief, rational change in beliefs over time, and the relationship between probability and traditional epistemological topics like evidence, justification, and knowledge.
Instructor:
Eberhardt
HPS/Pl 123
Introduction to the Philosophy of Physics
9 units (3-0-6)
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first term
Prerequisites: Ph 1abc or instructor's permission.
This course will examine the philosophical foundations of the physical theories covered in the freshman physics sequence: classical mechanics, electromagnetism, and special relativity. Topics may include: the goals of physics; what laws of nature are; the unification of physical theories; symmetries; determinism; locality; the reality of fields; the arrow of time. Not offered 2016-17.
HPS/Pl 124
Philosophy of Space and Time
9 units (3-0-6)
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third term
This course will focus on questions about the nature of space and time, particularly as they arise in connection with physical theory. Topics may include the nature and existence of space, time, and motion; the relationship between geometry and physical space (or space-time); entropy and the direction of time; the nature of simultaneity; and the possibility of time travel.
Instructor:
Hitchcock
HPS/Pl 125
Philosophical Issues in Quantum Physics
9 units (3-0-6)
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third term
Prerequisites: Ph 2b or Ph 12b.
This course will focus on philosophical and foundational questions raised by quantum physics. Questions may include: Is quantum mechanics a local theory? Is the theory deterministic or indeterministic? What is the role of measurement and observation? Does the wave function always obey the Schrödinger equation? Does the wave function give a complete description of the state of a system? Are there parallel universes? How are we to understand quantum probabilities? Not offered 2016-17.
HPS/Pl 128
Philosophy of Mathematics
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
An examination of conceptual issues that arise in mathematics. The sorts of issues addressed may include the following: Are mathematical objects such as numbers in some sense real? How do we obtain knowledge of the mathematical world? Are proofs the only legitimate source of mathematical knowledge? What is the relationship between mathematics and the world? How is it possible to apply abstract theory to the world? Views of major historical figures such as Plato, Hume, Kant, and Mill, as well as of contemporary writers are examined. The course will also examine philosophical issues that arise in particular areas of mathematics such as probability theory and geometry. Not offered 2016-17.
HPS/Pl 129
Introduction to Philosophy of Biology
9 units (3-0-6)
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first term
Philosophical and conceptual issues relating to the biological sciences. Topics covered may include the logical structure of evolutionary theory, units of selection, optimization theory, the nature of species, reductionism, teleological and functional reasoning, and ethical issues arising from contemporary biological research. Not offered 2016-17.
HPS/Pl 130
Philosophy and Biology
9 units (3-0-6)
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second term
A selection of philosophical issues arising in the biological sciences. Topics will vary by term.
Instructor:
Quinn
HPS/Pl 132
Introduction to Philosophy of Mind and Psychology
9 units (3-0-6)
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offered by announcement
An introduction to the mind-body problem. The course attempts, from the time of Descartes to the present, to understand the nature of the mind and its relation to the body and brain. Topics to be addressed may include dualism, behaviorism, functionalism, computationalism, neurophilosophy, consciousness and qualia, scientific psychology vs. "folk" psychology, the nature of emotion, knowledge of other minds. Not offered 2016-17.
HPS/Pl 134
Current Issues in Philosophical Psychology
9 units (3-0-6)
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third term
An in-depth examination of one or more issues at the intersection of contemporary philosophy and the brain and behavioral sciences. Topics may include the development of a theory of mind and self-representation, theories of representation and neural coding, the nature of rationality, the nature and causes of psychopathology, learning and innateness, the modularity of mind.
Instructor:
Cowie
HPS/Pl 135
Moral Philosophy and the Brain
9 units (3-0-6)
|
first term
This course will examine the impact of recent advances in neuroscience on moral philosophy. Topics to be addressed include: the evolution of morality and a naturalistic perspective on ethics; the role of brain imaging in adjudicating between deontological vs. consequentialist perspectives on moral decision-making and judgment; the relation between virtue theory and habit systems in the brain; brain imaging of altruism and its implications for egoism, empathy, and moral motivation; moral agency and free will; the neuroscience of distributive justice; the debate regarding the normative significance of neuroscience for moral philosophy. Not offered 2016-17.
HPS/Pl 136
Happiness and the Good Life
9 units (3-0-6)
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second term
This course will critically examine the emerging science of happiness and positive psychology, its philosophical assumptions, methodology, and its role in framing social policy and practice. Topics to be addressed include: the relation between happiness as subjective well-being or life satisfaction and philosophical visions of the good life; the relation between happiness and virtue; the causes of happiness and the role of life experience; happiness and economic notions of human welfare, attempts to measure happiness, and the prospect for an economics of happiness; happiness as a brain state and whether brain science can illuminate the nature of happiness; mental illness and psychiatry in light of positive psychology.
Instructor:
Quartz
HPS/Pl 137
Minds, Brains, and Selves
9 units (3-0-6)
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third term
This course will critically examine the impact of recent advances in psychology, economics, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience on philosophical questions about the nature of the self and self-identity. Topics to be addressed include: the nature of self-awareness; the role of the self in decision-making, reasoning, and planning; the possibility, and accuracy of, self-knowledge; whether the self is unitary, multiple, fragmented, or illusory; self-related emotions; the narrative structure of the self; and how selves are instantiated in neural tissue and whether selves could be instantiated in non-biological substrates (technological singularity).
Instructor:
Quartz
HPS/Pl 138
Human Nature and Society
9 units (3-0-6)
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second term
This course will investigate how assumptions about human nature shape political philosophy, social institutions, and social policy. The course will begin with a historical perspective, examining the work of such political philosophers as Plato, Locke, Rousseau, and Marx, along with such psychologists as Freud and Skinner. Against this historical perspective, it will then turn to examine contemporary views on human nature from cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary psychology and explore their potential implications for political philosophy and social policy. Among topics to be discussed will be the nature of human sociality and cooperation; economic systems and assumptions regarding production and consumption; and propaganda, marketing, and manipulation. Not offered 2016-17.
Pl 150
17th-Century Philosophy: Bacon to Leibniz
9 units (3-0-6)
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second terms
The course will examine the work of one or more philosophers active during the so-called Century of Genius. Although we will focus on the arguments each author brings to bear in support of his or her philosophical position, historical background will be introduced to provide scientific, religious, and political context. The topics will include the limits of human knowledge, the existence and nature of mind, matter, and God, and the relationship between science and philosophy. Philosophers discussed are selected from Bacon, Mersenne, Descartes, Gassendi, Hobbes, Digby, Spinoza, Malebranche, Arnauld, More, Cudworth, Locke, Newton, and Leibniz. Not offered 2016-17.
Pl 151
18th-Century Philosophy: Locke to Kant
9 units (3-0-6)
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first term
The course will examine the work of one or more philosophers active during the so-called Age of Enlightenment. Although we will focus on the arguments each author brings to bear in support of his or her philosophical position, historical background will be introduced to provide scientific, religious, and political context. The topics will include ideas and perception, belief and knowledge, passion and reason, matter and mind, causation and free will, and the relationship between science and philosophy. Philosophers discussed are selected from Locke, Huygens, Leibniz, Newton, Wolff, Berkeley, Rousseau, Hume, Reid, and Kant. Not offered 2016-17.
HPS/Pl 165
Selected Topics in Philosophy of Science
9 units (3-0-6)
|
offered by announcement
Instructors:
Staff, visiting lecturers
HPS/H/Pl 173
History of Chemistry
9 units (3-0-6)
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second term
This course examines developments in chemistry from medieval alchemy to the time of Lavoisier and Dalton. It will examine the real content of alchemy and its contributions to modern science, as well as how to decode its bizarre language; chemistry's long quest for respect and academic status; the relations of chemistry with metallurgy, medicine, and other fields; and the content and development of the chemical theories and the chemical laboratory and its methods. Not offered 2016-17.
HPS/H/Pl 176
History of Alchemy
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
Alchemy, long considered one of history's "losers," has recently acquired a new and very different prominence among historians as a forerunner of experimental science in general and of chemistry in particular. This course surveys the field of alchemy over its main period of development, considering cases from the ancient world, medieval Islam and Christendom, and early modern Europe. The goal is to chart the evolution of alchemical theory and practice from its inception until the period of its decline at the end of the seventeenth century. Not offered 2016-17.
Pl/HPS 183
Bioethics
9 units (3-0-6)
|
offered by announcement
A survey of issues in bioethics. Topics may include: abortion and reproductive rights; euthanasia; cloning; genetic modification of organisms (including humans); moral status of chimeras; stem-cell research; organ transplantation, distribution and sale; cure vs. enhancement; use of human subjects in research; the concept of informed consent; research on non-human animals.
Instructors:
Cowie, Quinn
Pl 185
Moral Philosophy
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
A survey of topics in moral philosophy. The emphasis will be on metaethical issues, although some normative questions may be addressed. Metaethical topics that may be covered include the fact/value distinction; the nature of right and wrong (consequentialism, deontological theories, rights-based ethical theories, virtue ethics); the status of moral judgments (cognitivism vs. noncognitivism, realism vs. irrealism); morality and psychology; moral relativism; moral skepticism; morality and self-interest; the nature of justice. The implications of these theories for various practical moral problems may also be considered. Not offered 2016-17.
Pl 186
Political Philosophy
9 units (3-0-6)
|
offered by announcement
This course will address one or more issues in contemporary political theory and/or the history of political thought. Topics may include the nature of democracy; liberalism; distributive justice; human rights; the moral and legal regulation of warfare; the status of positive law; social choice theory; the relations between the market and the state. The work of figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Hobbes, Mill, Machiavelli, and Rawls will be discussed. Not offered 2016-17.
HPS/Pl 188
The Evolution of Cognition
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
By many measures, Homo sapiens is the most cognitively sophisticated animal on the planet. Not only does it live in a huge variety of habitats, and not only has it transformed its environment in unprecedented ways, but it is also responsible for such cultural artifacts as language, science, religion, and art. These are achievements that other species, however successful they may be in other respects, have not accomplished. This course investigates the cognitive, behavioral, and environmental bases for humans' surprising cultural dominance of our planet. Possible topics include the evolution of language, the evolution of morality, the evolution of religion, the evolution of cooperation, and the advent of technology, math, science, and the Internet. Contact the instructor to find out what the topic in any given term is. Not offered 2016-17.
Published Date:
July 28, 2022