Philosophy

Associate Professors: Heidi Grasswick (on leave fall semester), Martha Woodruff (chair); Assistant Professors: Lorraine Besser-Jones, Kareem Khalifa, John Spackman, Steve Viner; Emeriti Professors: Stanley Bates, Victor Nuovo; Department Coordinator: Trish Dougherty

Philosophy, one of the oldest and broadest disciplines, is a living intellectual enterprise that belongs at the heart of a liberal arts education. From the Greek, philosophia means 'love of wisdom,' and in that sense of the term, Socrates famously said that philosophy proved necessary for leading 'the examined life.' From its ancient origins to our own times, philosophy has always guided our thinking about difficult and controversial issues by allowing us to question assumptions, to examine arguments, and to think clearly and creatively about the most fundamental questions.  Philosophical commitments lie at the foundation of law, government, science, art, and moral debates. Professors of philosophy at Middlebury represent a diversity of research fields and teaching areas; students benefit from this diversity by studying both classics from across the history of philosophy and a wide range of contemporary topics. Majors in philosophy gain outstanding preparation for graduate study and law school, as well as for medicine, business, and many other professions.

     Non-majors: Most philosophy department courses are open to students who are not majors. Those who have done little or no previous work in philosophy are encouraged to take one of the introductory courses, all of which, whether at the 0100 or 0200 level, are open to students of all classes. Other courses at the 0200 level are introductions to special topics in philosophy or to specific areas in the history of philosophy, and first-year students wishing to take them should consult the instructor. Although 0200-level courses do not generally have prerequisites, students who have done work in pertinent, related areas of the sciences, education, religion, or the arts will benefit from their studies in those areas. Courses at the 0300 level are open to non-majors, but they presuppose a higher level of sophistication than the 0200-level courses. They often have prerequisites or require prior work in philosophy and are not normally open to first-year students.
     Required for the Major: Majors must complete no fewer than 10 courses in the department, to include:
     1. Logic Requirement: PHIL 0180
     2. History Requirement:
       a) PHIL 0201 or CLAS/PHIL 0175
       b) PHIL 0250
     3. Distribution Requirement:
       a) one course in Ethics and Social & Political Philosophy (ESP)
       b) one course in Epistemology, Language, Metaphysics, Mind and Science (ELMMS)
     4. Seminar Requirement: two 0400-level seminars (see below)
     5. Electives: three courses
     Additionally, it is highly recommended that students take either PHIL 0150 or PHIL 0151, preferably early in the program. PHIL 0180 must be completed by the end of the sophomore year. For students going abroad in their junior year, the history requirement should be completed prior to departure. Cognate courses may be substituted for no more than two departmental electives, but will not satisfy the departmental distribution requirement; such substitutions require the prior approval of a major's departmental advisor, and must be at the 0200 level or above. No more than one term of thesis work may count towards the 10 course requirement.
     Seminar Requirement: Majors must take two department seminars (0400-level courses on advanced topics in philosophy). Junior majors should take the seminar currently offered in the spring term; seniors should take the seminar currently offered in the fall term. Students who are abroad during the spring of the junior year must take both seminars in their senior year. This requirement will not be waived for students doing departmental honors. These seminars will not normally satisfy the departmental distribution requirement, but may in exceptional cases by permission of the Chair.
     Departmental Honors: Majors with at least a B+ average in philosophy courses may apply to the Chair to become candidates for departmental honors. To apply, a student must find a faculty member willing to supervise the project and then submit a proposal to that faculty member in writing. If (and only if) the proposal is accepted, the student should then register for two successive terms of PHIL 0700 (normally during the winter and spring terms of their senior year). To receive honors, students must complete a two-term project resulting in a thesis or a set of thematically related papers, give an oral defense (according to departmental regulations), and receive for their work a minimum grade of B+. In addition, they must maintain their B+ average in courses in the department.
     Required for the Joint Major: For the philosophy component of a joint major, students must (1) take eight philosophy courses, including (a) PHIL 0180, to be taken by the end of the sophomore year; (b) one 0400-level seminar to be taken in the last three semesters; (c) One course from the history requirement; and (d) one course from the distribution requirement (ESP or ELMMS). Either PHIL 0150 or PHIL 0151 is also highly recommended, and, like PHIL 0180, should be taken early in the program whenever possible. In addition, students must (2) give evidence of having used the training in both major fields, usually in an independent project or thesis, but sometimes in a seminar paper. Joint majors are eligible for department honors, if they do a two-term thesis.
     Required for the Minor: A total of six courses in philosophy, including PHIL 0180 and at least one course at the 0300 or 0400 level. Minors wishing to take a 400-level seminar must have completed three other philosophy courses first. Enrollment priority in 400-level seminars will be given to majors. Students electing the philosophy minor should arrange to have an advisor in the philosophy department.

Introductory Courses

PHIL 0150 Introduction to the Philosophical Tradition (Spring)
This course will introduce students to fundamental philosophical issues concerning the nature of reality (metaphysics), the possibility of knowledge (epistemology), and the nature of value (ethical theory) through a reading of a number of important primary texts of thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Kierkegaard, Mill, Nietzsche, and Freud. Cannot be taken by students with credit for PHIL 0151. Students should register for a discussion session. 2 hrs. lect., 1 hr. disc. PHL EUR (M. Woodruff)

PHIL 0151 Introduction to Philosophy: Mortal Questions (Fall)
This course is an issue-based introduction to core philosophical questions such as the following:  What is the nature of reality, and can we ever know it?  What is the relation between mind and body, and could computers ever think?  What is the nature of the self?  Do humans have free will?  Is there such a thing as an objective right and wrong?  Can we say God exists in the face of all the evil in the world?  Readings will be drawn from both traditional philosophers (e.g., Descartes, Hume, Locke, Russell) and contemporary reflections on the issues (e.g., Nagel, Searle, Williams).  Cannot be taken by students with credit for PHIL 0150. 2 hrs. lect., 1 hr. disc. PHL EUR (L. Besser-Jones)

PHIL/CLAS 0175 Greek Philosophy: The Problem of Socrates  (Not offered 2009-10)
See Department of Classics for course description. LIT PHL EUR

PHIL 0180 Introduction to Modern Logic (Fall, Spring)
The aim of this course is to provide a sound understanding of the principles of deductive reasoning through the study of modern symbolic logic. Students will learn how to translate natural arguments into the formal languages of propositional and predicate logic and study both natural deduction and truth-functional derivation systems for these languages, as well as learning techniques for analyzing and evaluating natural arguments. Mastery of these methods and techniques will enable students to evaluate the validity of a wide range of arguments. No prior knowledge of logic, formal mathematics, or computer science is presupposed in this course, which does not count towards the PHL distribution requirement but instead towards the deductive reasoning requirement. 3 hrs. lect., 1 hr. disc. DED (K. Khalifa, H. Grasswick)

In addition to the above, the following courses are suitable as first courses in philosophy: PHIL 0205, PHIL 0206, PHIL 0208, PHIL 0212, PHIL 0214,  and PHIL/RELI 0232.

PHIL 0201 Ancient Greek Philosophy (Fall)
This class introduces students to the range and power of Greek thought, which initiated the Western philosophical tradition. We will begin by exploring the origins of philosophy as found in myth (primarily Hesiod) and in the highly original speculation of the Pre-Socratic thinkers (such as Heraclitus and Parmenides). We will then focus on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, examining their transformations of these earlier traditions and their own divergent approaches to ethics and education. We will also consider the influences of Greek philosophy on later thought. 3 hrs. lect. PHL HIS EUR (M. Woodruff)

PHIL 0205 Human Nature and Ethics (Not offered 2009-10)
This course is a historical introduction to ethical theory. We will trace the progress of ethical thought from the ancient period through the modern period, and examine the historical treatment of questions central to our understanding of human nature and morality. These questions include: How is human nature constituted? What is our relationship to the external world? What is the nature of the good life and how do we achieve it? Is there a fundamental principle of morality? Philosophers studied will likely include Plato, Aristotle, Epictetus, Epicurus, Butler, Kant, and Mill. 3 hrs lect. PHL EUR

PHIL 0206 Contemporary Moral Issues (Fall, Spring CW 16)
We will examine a selection of pressing moral problems of our day, seeking to understand the substance of the issues and learning how moral arguments work. We will focus on developing our analytical skills, which we can then use to present and criticize arguments on difficult moral issues. Selected topics may include world poverty, animal rights, abortion, euthanasia, human rights, just and unjust wars, capital punishment, and racial and gender issues. You will be encouraged to question your own beliefs on these issues, and in the process to explore the limit and extent to which ethical theory can play a role in everyday ethical decision making. 2 hrs.lect., 1 hr. disc. Please note a CW section is only offered in the spring.  PHL (S. Viner)

PHIL 0208 Morality & War (Not offered 2009-10)
Are there any Just Wars? What would make a war a Just War? In the first part of this course we will investigate the historical origins of Just War Theory. In the second part, we will analyze contemporary moral perspectives on whether war can be morally justified and if so, what actions in war are morally justified or prohibited. In the final part, we will read articles concerning war and humanitarian intervention and on what actions, e.g. punishment, are morally permissible or demanded after war. Authors will include Augustine, Grotius, Nagel, Walzer, Luban. 3 hrs. lect. PHL 

PHIL 0209 Philosophy of Law (Fall)
In this course, we shall consider a number of questions concerning law and its institution in human society. What is the origin and authority of law? What is legal obligation? What is the connection between law and coercion, between law and morality, and law and rights? Are laws merely conventions or is there a law of nature? What is the role of law in judicial decisions and the effect of these on the law? We shall also consider and evaluate various theories of law: natural law theories, utilitarian theories, analytical philosophy of law, critical legal studies, feminist theories. 3 hrs. lect. PHL (S. Viner)

PHIL 0210 Contemporary Ethical Theory (Fall)
In this course, we shall explore some of the major texts on moral philosophy of the past 30 years. We shall begin with John Rawls's A Theory of Justice, which attempts to develop a substantive theory of justice, considering both his substantive theory and the methodology of the book. We shall then study a series of works that consider whether substantive moral theory is possible, including Bernard Wiliams's Ethics and the Limit of Philosophy and Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue. (No prerequisites, but PHIL 0150, PSYC 0102, or PHIL 0205 would provide useful background.) 3 hrs. lect. PHL (S. Bates)

PHIL 0212 History and Philosophy of Science (Not offered 2009-10)
Conventional wisdom has it that science is one of humankind’s best attempts at rationally uncovering the objective structure of the world. But what exactly is science and in what sense is it rational?  We will familiarize ourselves with the most significant scientific achievements of the last four centuries (the work of scientists such as Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, Darwin, Einstein) in order to stimulate and evaluate philosophical questions about (a) the defining characteristics of the scientific method, (b) the soundness of various forms of scientific reasoning (Bayesianism, hypothetico-deductive reasoning, and inference to the best explanation), and (c) the objectivity of science. 3 hrs. lect. PHL HIS EUR

PHIL 0213 Theories of Scientific Method (Spring)
The scientific method is one of humankind's best attempts at rationally uncovering the objective structure of the world. But what exactly is this method and in what sense is it rational? Studying the work of scientists such as Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, Darwin, and Einstein, we will explore philosophical questions about (a) the defining characteristics of the scientific method; (b) the soundness of various forms of scientific reasoning (Mill's Methods, Bayesianism, hypothetico-deductive reasoning, and inference to the best explanation); and (c) the objectivity of science. (Students who took PHIL 0212 may not take this course.) 3 hrs. lect. PHL (K. Khalifa)

PHIL 0214 Science and Society (Spring)
Scientific theories are not developed in a vacuum. Social circumstances influence the practice of science, and science, in turn, influences how we organize ourselves as a society. This course will investigate both directions of the relationship between science and society. We will ask such questions as: how do the values of society drive scientific research? What do we mean when we claim that science is 'objective' and what do we expect of an objective science? Can there be 'good' politically-motivated science, or does this conflict with the norms of 'good' science? How important is science as a way of bettering society? Do scientists bear an extra burden of responsibility when they generate scientific results of particular social significance (such as the development of the atomic bomb, or the development of techniques of cloning)? We will examine particular cases of socially significant scientific research, and we will consider larger philosophical questions concerning the status of science, given its interconnections with society. 3 hrs. lect. PHL SOC (K. Khalifa)

PHIL 0225 Nineteenth-Century European Philosophy (Spring)
This course examines selected works of five central figures of the nineteenth century: Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. By focusing on certain key themes, we will discover both continuities and contrasts among these diverse thinkers. By examining the philosophical underpinnings of historical movements such as industrialization and secularization, we will learn how nineteenth century Europe leads the way into our own age. Topics of discussion include: spirit and history, science and existence, community and alienation, the will and the creation of the self. (Previous course in philosophy or waiver.) 3 hrs. lect. PHL HIS EUR (M. Woodruff)

PHIL/RELI 0232 Philosophy of Religion (Not offered 2009-10)
The first part of this seminar focuses on philosophical reflections on the existence of God, the relation between religion and morality, the existence of evil, arguments for and against religious belief, and religious experience. We will read texts by Pascal, Hume, Kant, Kierkegaard, William James, and Bertrand Russell. In the second part we will focus on the place of religion in society, considering what it means to live in a secular society, the relation between secularism and modernity, and the resulting modern forms of religious experience and practice. We may read selections from Max Weber, Sigmund Freud, Peter Berger, Charles Taylor and others. 3 hrs. lect. PHL

PHIL 0233 Aesthetics (Not offered 2009-10)
This course will investigate the nature of art and the meaning of aesthetics and aesthetic experience in the history of philosophy. A number of related themes will be examined: the notions of the beautiful and the sublime; taste and judgment; the relation of art and nature; the relation of aesthetics to the ethical, the social and the political; how aesthetic experience affects conceptions of subjectivity, time and truth. This course will acquaint students with influential aesthetic theories in the history of Western philosophy, such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant and Nietzsche, and relate them to more contemporary and postmodern critiques of traditional views of art, such as those of Benjamin, Barthes, Derrida and Lyotard. PHL EUR

PHIL/WAGS 0234 Philosophy and Feminism (Not offered 2009-10)
This course will examine the contributions of various feminists and feminist philosophers to some of the central problems of philosophical methodology, epistemology, philosophy of science, metaphysics, and ethics. Are there gendered assumptions in operation in the way particular philosophical problems are framed? For example, do the politics of gender contribute to accounts of objective knowledge and rationality? Are some philosophical perspectives better suited to the goals of feminism than others? We will also examine the general relationship between feminism and philosophy, and we will reflect on the relevance of theorizing and philosophizing for feminist political practice. PHL CMP

PHIL/HIST 0237 Chinese Philosophy (Not offered 2009-10)
Please see Department of History for course description. HIS PHL AAL

PHIL 0250 Early Modern Philosophy (Spring) 
In seventeenth century Europe, ideas in natural philosophy, theology, political philosophy, metaphysics and epistemology all underwent radical transformation. As the principles and methods of modern science were fashioned, new perspectives were explored, often by the same thinkers, on questions concerning method, the possibility of certain knowledge, the nature of physical reality, the existence of God, and the foundations of morality and the state, with a depth and originality seldom rivaled. Rather than try to cover all this terrain, in this course we will concentrate on the views of a few thinkers in depth: Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley and Hume. 3 hrs. lect. PHL HIS EUR (L. Besser-Jones)

PHIL 0255 Kierkegaard, Marx, and Nietzsche (Not offered 2009-10)
This course will investigate the works of three of the central philosophical and cultural critics of the nineteenth century. All of these thinkers revolted against the apotheosis of Reason that had occurred in the Enlightenment and that reached its culmination in the works of Hegel. We shall read Kierkegaard's Either/Or, Philosophical Fragments, and Concluding Unscientific Postscript; Marx's early essays criticizing Hegel, the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, and other selections concentrating on Marx's philosophical views, not his economic analysis; and Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy, The Use and Abuse of History, Thus Spoke Zarathustra(selections), and The Genealogy of Morals. PHL HIS EUR

PHIL 0260 Twentieth-Century Continental Philosophy (Fall)
In this course we will investigate a number of the most important philosophical developments in France and Germany in the 20th century. These movements will include psychoanalysis (Freud), phenomenology (Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, Levinas), existentialism (Sartre), hermeneutics (Gadamer), critical theory (Habermas), post-structuralism (Foucault), deconstruction (Derrida), feminism (Irigaray) and postmodernism (Lyotard). Particular attention will be given to the nature of human subjectivity and consciousness and the ongoing critique of the cogito ergo sum [I think therefore I am] of Descartes. Most of the central themes of 20th century Continental thought can be traced through Heidegger: the continuation of hermeneutics, existentialism and phenomenology; and the seeds of deconstruction, post-structuralism and postmodernism. The state of consciousness and subjectivity will be examined in terms of a number of interrelated topics: thinking and knowledge, language and writing, power and the individual’s relation to others. (Previous philosophy course or waiver.) 3hr lect./disc. PHL EUR (M. Pacholec)

PHIL/HIST 0273 Confucianism (Not offered 2009-10)
Please see Department of History for course description. HIS PHL AAL

PHIL/CLAS 0276 Roman Philosophy (Not offered 2009-10)
Please see Department of Classics for course description. PHL EUR

PHIL 0302 Philosophy of Plato (Not offered 2009-10)
In this class, we will explore the significance, influence, and development of Plato's thought, paying special attention to the form of the dramatic dialogue and topics such as Platonic love, rhetoric and politics, learning and recollection, and the theory of forms. We will begin with the early period (dialogues such as the Meno and the Apology) focused on the historical figure of Socrates, continue to the middle period (Symposium, Republic), in which Plato develops his own distinctive views; and conclude with the later period (Philebus, Parmenides) in which Plato suggests a critique of Socrates and his own earlier positions. (Previous course in philosophy or waiver) PHL EUR

PHIL 0303 Philosophy of Aristotle (Not offered 2009-10)
In this class we will explore both the original breadth and the contemporary relevance of Aristotle's thought. We will read a diverse selection of his writings, beginning with ethical and political works, continuing to works on art and poetry, the soul, and nature, and concluding with logical and ontological works. We will ask why Aristotelian virtue ethics in particular has enjoyed a recent renaissance and generated special interest in Aristotle's ideas about the ethical role of friendship, the perceptive power of the emotions, and the different kinds of intelligence. (Previous course in philosophy or waiver.) PHL HIS EUR

PHIL 0307 The Philosophy of John Rawls (Not offered 2009-10)
That John Rawls was the most important moral and political philosopher in the English-speaking world, and perhaps in the world, was a common opinion of philosophers in the late twentieth century. We shall read closely Rawls' most important writing to see if this view can be sustained. We'll begin with his attempt to reformulate the Social Contract tradition for moral and political theory in A Theory of Justice, a book that had an enormous impact upon its publication and that underwent some changes in subsequent editions. We'll then read his Political Liberalism, a book that has been interpreted as representing a major change in his fundamental view. We'll conclude our reading of Rawls with The Law of Peoples in which he extends his view to international law. We'll conclude with a consideration of some post-Rawlsian moral philosophers who have attempted to continue and extend his version of Kantian moral theory. (One course in philosophy, or PSCI 0101, PSCI 0317, or PSCI 0318) PHL  

PHIL 0316 Philosophy of Science (Not offered 2009-10)
On a fairly conventional view, science exemplifies humankind's rational inquiry into the true structure of the world. But what exactly is science? In what sense is it rational? Are scientific claims true or merely useful in predicting and controlling our environment? To answer these questions, we will examine scientific activities such as theory construction, explanation, confirmation, and experimentation, and their role in debates concerning the role of rationality and truth in scientific knowledge. (Although this course does not have any specific prerequisites, a background in philosophy or science would be helpful.)  3 hrs. lect. PHL

PHIL/HIST 0319 Readings in the Philosophy of History (Not offered 2009-10)
Please see Department of History for course description.  HIS PHL EUR

PHIL/RELI 0320 Seminar in Buddhist Philosophy: Yogacara Depth Psychology and Philosophy of Mind (Fall)
Please see Department of Religion for course description.  PHL AAL CMP (W. Waldron)

PHIL 0321 Philosophy and Social Criticism (Not offered 2009-10)
What is a good society?  What makes a just society?  In this seminar, we will explore these questions through readings in social and political philosophy as well as social criticism.  We will consider different types of social criticism, the position and authority of the critic, the need for social and political theory, and the sources of and justification for normative standards of criticism.  We will explore specific themes in social criticism such as justice, struggles for recognition, and critiques of technology, instrumental reason, and power.  We will also examine the implications of criticizing one's own society as opposed to criticizing other societies or global society.  (Previous course in philosophy or waiver) PHL SOC

PHIL 0322 Liberalism and Its Critics (Spring)
Liberal political thought is widely touted and accepted in Western societies. In this course, we will take a close look at what liberalism is by investigating the origins of liberalism in the writings of John Locke and John Stuart Mill and by evaluating the thought of contemporary liberal political philosophers, e.g. John Rawls and Will Kymlicka. We will also analyze the arguments of those like Michael Sandel and Yael Tamir who have criticized liberalism as misguided or incomplete. We seek to gain an understanding of the political and moral principles that give priority to liberty and related values or concepts like toleration, autonomy, and fairness. (One course in philosophy or waiver) 3hrs. PHL (S. Viner)

PHIL 0326 Biomedical Ethics (Fall)
The field of biomedical ethics explores ethical issues pertaining to both the practice of medicine and the pursuit of biomedical research. In this course we will explore topics central to biomedical ethics at an advanced level. We will consider topics fundamental to the study of life and death, such as reproductive technologies, physician-assisted suicide, and euthanasia, as well as the micro- and macro- issues specific to medicine and biomedical research, such as consent, confidentiality, and paternalism, experimentation with human subjects, and resource allocation. (Previous philosophy course or waiver) 3 hrs. lect. PHL (L. Besser-Jones)

PHIL 0351 Theory of Knowledge (Not offered 2009-10)
What is knowledge, and what, if anything, can we know? What is the difference between knowledge and opinion, and how can we justify our knowledge claims? Many have understood epistemology as forming the core of the discipline of philosophy. Plato's Theaetetus will set the stage for our investigation of the many problems and themes of epistemology. Our investigations will cover a variety of historical and contemporary approaches, including versions of scepticism, foundationalism, coherentism, and naturalized epistemology. Finally, we will consider the role of epistemology within philosophy today, given the numerous challenges it faces from both inside and outside of Philosophy. (Previous course in philosophy or waiver) PHL

PHIL 0352 Philosophy of Mind (Spring)
What is the nature of the mind, and how does it relate to the body and the physical world? Could computers ever think? Do animals have mental and emotional lives? This course will explore several of the major recent philosophical conceptions of the mind. A central focus will be on evaluating various attempts to explain the mind in purely physical terms, including the project of artificial intelligence (AI). Can these theories give us a complete understanding of the mind? Other key questions will include: What is the nature of thought, and how is it capable of representing the world? What is consciousness, and can it be explained physically? (Previous course in philosophy or neuroscience major or waiver.) 3 hrs.lect. PHL (J. Spackman)

PHIL 0354 Philosophy of Language (Fall)
Speaking a language is a complex form of behavior that plays a rich and varied role in human life. The philosophy of language seeks to give a philosophical account of this phenomenon, focusing on such questions as: How does language gain meaning? How does it differ from animal communication? Is language in some sense innate? Other topics to be addressed include: theories of reference and truth; the relation between language, thought, and reality; and theories of metaphor. Readings from philosophers and linguists will include works by Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Chomsky, and Pinker. (Previous course in philosophy or waiver; PHIL 0180 is also strongly recommended)3 hrs lect. PHL (J. Spackman)

PHIL 0356 Philosophy and the Environment (Not offered 2009-10)
In this course, we will examine several environmental issues from a philosophical perspective. We will be interested in what arguments can be provided to support particular views, but more important, we will try to identify the deep philosophical issues that underlie particular debates. For example, what is the basis for our determinations of value? We will also examine the challenges that large scale environmental issues present for particular philosophical theories. For example, how well can particular ethical theories handle certain environmental problems? Topics may include animal rights, wilderness preservation, biodiversity, attitudes toward nature, over-population, and economic arguments for the protection of the environment. (Previous course in philosophy or waiver) 3 hrs.lect. PHL

PHIL 0360 Consciousness (Not offered 2009-10)
In this course we will focus on recent philosophical issues in the study of consciousness:  What is the nature of our conscious subjective experience?  What is the function of conscious states?  Can we find neural correlates of consciousness, and if so, can consciousness simply be reduced to them?  If not, how does consciousness relate to the physical?  Is there something irreducible about the qualitative features of consciousness (qualia)?  Could computers ever be conscious?  Are animals conscious?  We will consider such questions through the writings of contemporary philosophers and neuroscientists such as Dennett, Chalmers, Churchland, Nagel, Damasio, and Searle.  (PHIL 0352 is strongly recommended but not required). 3 hrs. lect. PHL

PHIL 0362 Philosophy of Psychology (Not offered 2009-10)
In this course we will discuss the philosophical foundations underlying psychology's scientific methodology. We will compare and contrast psychology to more 'mature' sciences, like physics, chemistry, and biology, in areas such as theory construction, hypothesis testing, and explanation. A central focus will be the relation of different levels of psychological explanation, in particular the extent to which psychology's success as a science depends on the reduction of beliefs and desires to brain states. (Previous course in philosophy, neuroscience major, or waiver) PHL


SEMINARS

The department offers several junior and senior seminars each year for its majors, open to other qualified students with a waiver. (See above "Seminar Requirement" for majors.) Topics are determined by the instructors. Some past topics (which may or may not be offered again) include: Love and Friendship in Greek Thought, Social Epistemology, Wittgenstein's Philosophy.

PHIL 0404 Morality and Its Critics (Not offered 2009-10)
In this course we will examine critically the three main methods of morality: consequentialism, deontology, and virtue theory. Questions to be considered include: What should be the aim of a moral theory? To what extent should considerations of the good life enter into a moral theory? Is morality even compatible with the good life? Do moral obligations have to play a central role in moral theory? To what extent should morality be compatible with social psychology? Familiarity with consequentialism, deontology, and virtue theory will be helpful, but not required. 3 hrs sem.

PHIL 0406 Responsibility (Not offered 2009-10)
Moral responsibility is considered one of the defining features of personhood: persons, unlike nonpersons (such as animals, objects, and possibly, some human beings) are moral agents and can be held accountable. We will look in depth at how philosophers have analyzed moral responsibility. What are the necessary conditions of moral responsibility? What role does free will play? Is moral responsibility distinguishable from the ideas of praise and blame? We will also examine attempts to expand the concept of responsibility beyond individuals by considering whether and how we share responsibility for the harms perpetrated by our communities.  (Designed for junior and senior majors; open to others by waiver.) (H. Grasswick)

PHIL 0408 Global Justice (Not offered 2009-10)
In this course, we will investigate questions of justice that arise in global affairs. We will inquire into whether there are moral principles that constrain the actions of states and how these principles support a conception of global justice. Also, we will seek to understand what global responsibilities are entailed by global justice. Specific topics that will be considered include global distributive justice, world poverty, human rights, humanitarian intervention, and the relationship between justice, and national and cultural identity. Authors will include Beitz, Ignatieff, Nussbaum, O'Neill, Pogge, Rawls, Tamir and Walzer. 3 hrs. sem. PHL

PHIL 0411 Kant (Not offered 2009-10)
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is arguably the most important figure in the history of modern western philosophy. His work in philosophy, like Beethoven’s in music, makes both a summation of the past and a transition to the future of his field. Kant’s work ranges over all of the major areas of philosophy—epistemology, metaphysics, ethics and aesthetics. This course will concentrate on a careful reading of his magnum opus, The Critique of Pure Reason, but we shall also discuss his view of morality, and we’ll consider some of the modern critical literature on Kant. (Designed for junior and senior majors; open to others by waiver.) PHL EUR

PHIL 0418 Nietzsche and Greek Thought: Tragedy and Philosophy (Fall)
This seminar explores the profound influence Greek thought wielded upon Nietzsche. We will focus on Nietzsche's understanding of the complex relation between tragedy and philosophy: Greek tragedy is born out of the spirit of music and the twin deities of Apollo and Dionysus; it dies under attack from Socratic rationalism; but it reemerges when philosophy reaches its limits and yields to a tragic insight, as exemplified by the "music-making Socrates." We will ask how this artistic Socrates relates to Nietzsche's own tragic hero, Zarathustra, and why tragedy affirms life and overcomes pessimism. Readings selected from Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, the Pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, and Nietzsche. 3 hrs. lect. PHL EUR (M. Woodruff)

PHIL 0422 Mind and World (Spring)
What is the nature of reality? Does reality exist independently of the mind (realism), or is it dependent on the minds that know it (idealism)? This seminar will consider various responses to the debate between realism and idealism in recent Anglo-American philosophy. Beginning with Bertrand Russell, twentieth century Anglo-American philosophy focused in particular on the issue of whether, and how, language "constructs" the world. We will examine the views of seminal thinkers such as Russell, James, and Wittgenstein, and then consider the shape of the contemporary debate in thinkers such as Davidson, Rorty, and McDowell. An important theme of the course will be recent efforts, stemming from Wittgenstein, to move beyond the traditional realism/idealism dichotomy by developing a new form of realism in which reality itself has subjective characteristics, and subjects are immediately in touch with reality. (Designed for junior and senior majors; open to others by waiver.) 3 hrs. lect. (J. Spackman)

PHIL 0425 Concepts of Explanation (Not offered 2009-10)
In a variety of contexts, we use explanations to further our understanding and knowledge of the world; philosophers have used "inference to the best explanation" to offer solutions to various philosophical problems. But what exactly is an explanation? What makes one explanation better than another? Which uses of explanation yield knowledge rather than mere opinion? In this course, we will examine some of the following: different philosophical analyses of explanation, explanatory coherence as a theory of justification, and defenses and critiques of inference to the best explanation. Familiarity with contemporary theories of knowledge (PHIL 0351) and the philosophy of science (PHIL 0216) is helpful, but not necessary. 3 hrs. sem. PHL

PHIL/WAGS 0434 Feminist Epistemologies (Spring)
In recent years, feminist epistemologies, such as feminist standpoint theories and feminist empiricisms, have been extremely influential in developing social theories of knowledge. They have also served as a crucial intellectual tool for feminist theorists trying to understand the connections between social relations of gender and the production of knowledge. In this course we will investigate some of the major themes and challenges of feminist epistemologies and feminist philosophies of science: How is knowledge socially situated? What does it mean to look at knowledge through a gendered lens? How is objective knowledge possible according to feminist epistemologies? We will work to understand the influence of feminist epistemologies on the fields of philosophy and women's and gender studies. (Approval required; Open to philosophy and women's and gender studies senior and junior majors, this course serves as a senior seminar for both majors. WAGS majors should have previously taken WAGS 0200 and WAGS/SOAN 0191.) 3 hrs. sem. PHL CMP (H. Grasswick)

HIST/INTL/PHIL 0474 Political Theology from St. Paul to John Locke (Spring)
Please see International Studies for course description.  This course will not fulfill the senior seminar requirement. 3 hrs. sem. PHL HIS (P. Monod, V. Nuovo)

PHIL 0500 Independent Study (Fall, Winter, Spring)
Supervised independent research in philosophy. Admission by approval.

PHIL 0700 Senior Research for Honors Candidates (Fall, Winter, Spring)
(See under departmental honors above).