To see a complete list of courses offered and their descriptions, visit the online course catalog.
The courses listed below are provided by Student Information Services (SIS). This listing provides a snapshot of immediately available courses within this department and may not be complete. Course registration information can be found at https://sis.jhu.edu/classes.
Column one has the course number and section. Other columns show the course title, days offered, instructor's name, room number, if the course is cross-referenced with another program, and a option to view additional course information in a pop-up window.
Course # (Section)
Title
Day/Times
Instructor
Room
PosTag(s)
Info
AS.040.109 (01)
Freshman Seminar: The Greeks and Their Emotions
TTh 4:30PM - 5:45PM
Asuni, Michele
Gilman 277
Freshman Seminar: The Greeks and Their Emotions AS.040.109 (01)
This seminar is meant as an introduction to the study of ancient emotions, with a particular emphasis on how the ancient Greeks conceptualized, portrayed and lived their emotions through linguistic, literary and artistic expression. After an analysis of how the ancient Greek emotional experience differs from our own, we shall focus on the phenomenon of emotion as deeply rooted in the physical body, and in light of this we will contemplate (and question) its universality. You will also learn how to research and write a paper. Texts will be read in translation. No knowledge of ancient Greek required.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: TTh 4:30PM - 5:45PM
Instructor: Asuni, Michele
Room: Gilman 277
Status: Waitlist Only
Seats Available: 0/12
PosTag(s): n/a
AS.150.136 (01)
Philosophy & Science: An Introduction to Both
MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Achinstein, Peter (Peter)
Virtual Online Maryland 104
COGS-PHLMND, PHIL-LOGSCI, MSCH-HUM
Philosophy & Science: An Introduction to Both AS.150.136 (01)
Philosophers and scientists raise important questions about the nature of the physical world, the mental world, the relationship between them, and the right methods to use in their investigations of these worlds. The answers they present are very different. Scientists are usually empiricists, and want to answer questions by experiment and observation. Philosophers don’t want to do this, but defend their views a priori. Why? Can both be right? Readings will present philosophical and scientific views about the world and our knowledge of it. They will include selections from major historical and contemporary figures in philosophy and science. The course has no prerequisites in philosophy or science.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Instructor: Achinstein, Peter (Peter)
Room: Virtual Online Maryland 104
Status: Open
Seats Available: 3/22
PosTag(s): COGS-PHLMND, PHIL-LOGSCI, MSCH-HUM
AS.150.136 (02)
Philosophy & Science: An Introduction to Both
MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 9:00AM - 9:50AM
Achinstein, Peter (Peter)
Virtual Online Krieger 300
COGS-PHLMND, PHIL-LOGSCI, MSCH-HUM
Philosophy & Science: An Introduction to Both AS.150.136 (02)
Philosophers and scientists raise important questions about the nature of the physical world, the mental world, the relationship between them, and the right methods to use in their investigations of these worlds. The answers they present are very different. Scientists are usually empiricists, and want to answer questions by experiment and observation. Philosophers don’t want to do this, but defend their views a priori. Why? Can both be right? Readings will present philosophical and scientific views about the world and our knowledge of it. They will include selections from major historical and contemporary figures in philosophy and science. The course has no prerequisites in philosophy or science.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 9:00AM - 9:50AM
Instructor: Achinstein, Peter (Peter)
Room: Virtual Online Krieger 300
Status: Open
Seats Available: 11/20
PosTag(s): COGS-PHLMND, PHIL-LOGSCI, MSCH-HUM
AS.150.136 (03)
Philosophy & Science: An Introduction to Both
MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Achinstein, Peter (Peter)
Virtual Online Krieger 304
COGS-PHLMND, PHIL-LOGSCI, MSCH-HUM
Philosophy & Science: An Introduction to Both AS.150.136 (03)
Philosophers and scientists raise important questions about the nature of the physical world, the mental world, the relationship between them, and the right methods to use in their investigations of these worlds. The answers they present are very different. Scientists are usually empiricists, and want to answer questions by experiment and observation. Philosophers don’t want to do this, but defend their views a priori. Why? Can both be right? Readings will present philosophical and scientific views about the world and our knowledge of it. They will include selections from major historical and contemporary figures in philosophy and science. The course has no prerequisites in philosophy or science.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Instructor: Achinstein, Peter (Peter)
Room: Virtual Online Krieger 304
Status: Open
Seats Available: 2/22
PosTag(s): COGS-PHLMND, PHIL-LOGSCI, MSCH-HUM
AS.150.136 (04)
Philosophy & Science: An Introduction to Both
MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 9:00AM - 9:50AM
Achinstein, Peter (Peter)
Virtual Online Krieger 304
COGS-PHLMND, PHIL-LOGSCI, MSCH-HUM
Philosophy & Science: An Introduction to Both AS.150.136 (04)
Philosophers and scientists raise important questions about the nature of the physical world, the mental world, the relationship between them, and the right methods to use in their investigations of these worlds. The answers they present are very different. Scientists are usually empiricists, and want to answer questions by experiment and observation. Philosophers don’t want to do this, but defend their views a priori. Why? Can both be right? Readings will present philosophical and scientific views about the world and our knowledge of it. They will include selections from major historical and contemporary figures in philosophy and science. The course has no prerequisites in philosophy or science.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 9:00AM - 9:50AM
Instructor: Achinstein, Peter (Peter)
Room: Virtual Online Krieger 304
Status: Open
Seats Available: 7/20
PosTag(s): COGS-PHLMND, PHIL-LOGSCI, MSCH-HUM
AS.150.201 (01)
Introduction To Greek Philosophy
MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Bett, Richard
Virtual Online Krieger 306
PHIL-ANCIEN
Introduction To Greek Philosophy AS.150.201 (01)
A survey of the earlier phase of Greek philosophy. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle will be discussed, as well as two groups of thinkers who preceded them, usually known as the pre-Socratics and the Sophists.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Instructor: Bett, Richard
Room: Virtual Online Krieger 306
Status: Open
Seats Available: 1/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-ANCIEN
AS.150.201 (02)
Introduction To Greek Philosophy
MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, W 1:30PM - 2:20PM
Bett, Richard
Virtual Online Hodson 203
PHIL-ANCIEN
Introduction To Greek Philosophy AS.150.201 (02)
A survey of the earlier phase of Greek philosophy. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle will be discussed, as well as two groups of thinkers who preceded them, usually known as the pre-Socratics and the Sophists.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, W 1:30PM - 2:20PM
Instructor: Bett, Richard
Room: Virtual Online Hodson 203
Status: Open
Seats Available: 12/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-ANCIEN
AS.150.201 (03)
Introduction To Greek Philosophy
MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Bett, Richard
Virtual Online Maryland 104
PHIL-ANCIEN
Introduction To Greek Philosophy AS.150.201 (03)
A survey of the earlier phase of Greek philosophy. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle will be discussed, as well as two groups of thinkers who preceded them, usually known as the pre-Socratics and the Sophists.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Instructor: Bett, Richard
Room: Virtual Online Maryland 104
Status: Open
Seats Available: 2/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-ANCIEN
AS.150.201 (04)
Introduction To Greek Philosophy
MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, W 1:30PM - 2:20PM
Bett, Richard
Virtual Online Gilman 381
PHIL-ANCIEN
Introduction To Greek Philosophy AS.150.201 (04)
A survey of the earlier phase of Greek philosophy. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle will be discussed, as well as two groups of thinkers who preceded them, usually known as the pre-Socratics and the Sophists.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, W 1:30PM - 2:20PM
Instructor: Bett, Richard
Room: Virtual Online Gilman 381
Status: Open
Seats Available: 9/16
PosTag(s): PHIL-ANCIEN
AS.150.219 (01)
Intro to Bioethics
MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
Bok, Hilary
Virtual Online Bloomberg 172
PHIL-BIOETH, PHIL-ETHICS, BEHB-SOCSCI, MSCH-HUM
Intro to Bioethics AS.150.219 (01)
Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g. physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research. Cross listed with Public Health Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g. physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research. Cross listed with Public Health Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g. physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research. Cross listed with Public Health Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, W 3:00PM - 3:50PM
Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g. physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research. Cross listed with Public Health Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, W 3:00PM - 3:50PM
Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g. physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research. Cross listed with Public Health Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 9:00AM - 9:50AM
Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g. physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research. Cross listed with Public Health Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 9:00AM - 9:50AM
Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g. physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research. Cross listed with Public Health Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, W 3:00PM - 3:50PM
Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g. physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research. Cross listed with Public Health Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 4:00PM - 4:50PM
Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g. physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research. Cross listed with Public Health Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 4:00PM - 4:50PM
Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g. physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research. Cross listed with Public Health Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 9:00AM - 9:50AM
Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g. physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research. Cross listed with Public Health Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, W 4:00PM - 4:50PM
Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g. physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research. Cross listed with Public Health Studies.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, W 4:00PM - 4:50PM
What do films and philosophy have in common? Do films express, with their own means, philosophical problems that are relevant to our experience of ourselves and the world we live in? This term we will study such issues with a particular focus on questions of justice, truth, revenge, forgiveness, hope, hate, and fear.
What is a Person? Humans, Corporations, Robots, Trees
TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
Siraganian, Lisa Michele
Gilman 208
What is a Person? Humans, Corporations, Robots, Trees AS.300.402 (01)
Knowing who or what counts as a person seems straightforward, until we consider the many kinds of creatures, objects, and artificial beings that have been granted—or demanded or denied—that status. This course explores recent debates on being a person in culture, law, and philosophy. Questions examined will include: Should trees have standing? Can corporations have religious beliefs? Could a robot sign a contract? Materials examined will be wide-ranging, including essays, philosophy, novels, science fiction, television, film. No special background is required.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
Instructor: Siraganian, Lisa Michele
Room: Gilman 208
Status: Open
Seats Available: 3/20
PosTag(s): n/a
AS.150.235 (03)
Philosophy of Religion
F 11:00AM - 11:50AM, MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Gross, Steven
Virtual Online Krieger 300
PHIL-MIND
Philosophy of Religion AS.150.235 (03)
Can one prove or disprove the existence of God? What is the relation between reason and faith? Are science and religion at odds with one another? We will consider historically significant discussions of these questions as well as important contemporary writings.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: F 11:00AM - 11:50AM, MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Instructor: Gross, Steven
Room: Virtual Online Krieger 300
Status: Open
Seats Available: 3/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-MIND
AS.150.309 (01)
On Alien Thought and Alienated Life
TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
Marom, Itai
Wyman Park N105
PHIL-ETHICS
On Alien Thought and Alienated Life AS.150.309 (01)
There are certain moral truths we hold to be self-evident: that all human beings are created equal, that honesty is a virtue and hypocrisy a vice, that wanton cruelty is heinous. Such things, we think, are not simply true, but necessarily true. Try as we might, we cannot seem to imagine them being otherwise than they actually are, say, that honesty were a vice, hypocrisy a virtue, and wanton cruelty praiseworthy, no more than we can imagine that 2+2 were to equal 5. What is the nature of this self-evidence? Does our inability to imagine things being otherwise simply reflects a psychological limitation of the human mind? Could there be alien life-forms who held such unimaginable things as necessary truths, with the same force of conviction with which we hold our own? If there were, could we trade our own worldview for theirs and live the lives of aliens? And what would become of our lives if we did?
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
Instructor: Marom, Itai
Room: Wyman Park N105
Status: Open
Seats Available: 4/18
PosTag(s): PHIL-ETHICS
AS.150.235 (02)
Philosophy of Religion
F 12:00PM - 12:50PM, MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Gross, Steven
Virtual Online Gilman 381
PHIL-MIND
Philosophy of Religion AS.150.235 (02)
Can one prove or disprove the existence of God? What is the relation between reason and faith? Are science and religion at odds with one another? We will consider historically significant discussions of these questions as well as important contemporary writings.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: F 12:00PM - 12:50PM, MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Instructor: Gross, Steven
Room: Virtual Online Gilman 381
Status: Open
Seats Available: 12/16
PosTag(s): PHIL-MIND
AS.150.235 (04)
Philosophy of Religion
F 11:00AM - 11:50AM, MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Gross, Steven
Virtual Online Maryland 202
PHIL-MIND
Philosophy of Religion AS.150.235 (04)
Can one prove or disprove the existence of God? What is the relation between reason and faith? Are science and religion at odds with one another? We will consider historically significant discussions of these questions as well as important contemporary writings.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: F 11:00AM - 11:50AM, MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Instructor: Gross, Steven
Room: Virtual Online Maryland 202
Status: Open
Seats Available: 8/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-MIND
AS.150.260 (02)
Introduction to Metaphysics
F 3:00PM - 3:50PM, MW 3:00PM - 3:50PM
Taylor, Elanor J.
Gilman 50 Gilman 55
PHIL-MIND
Introduction to Metaphysics AS.150.260 (02)
Metaphysics addresses fundamental questions about the nature and structure of reality. This course will offer an introduction to metaphysics, and a survey of metaphysical debates about topics including free will, possibility and necessity, and arguments for the existence of God.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: F 3:00PM - 3:50PM, MW 3:00PM - 3:50PM
Instructor: Taylor, Elanor J.
Room: Gilman 50 Gilman 55
Status: Waitlist Only
Seats Available: 0/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-MIND
AS.150.321 (01)
Digital Spinozism - Hypertextual Introduction To Spinoza’s Ethics
TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
Staff
Gilman 134
PHIL-MODERN
Digital Spinozism - Hypertextual Introduction To Spinoza’s Ethics AS.150.321 (01)
Digital Spinozism will introduce you to Spinoza with the means of digital media. The global pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of teaching and the usage of digital media for research in the humanities more generally. This seminar uses digital tools to introduce Spinoza’s Ethics as a prime example of digital learning. Spinoza’s Ethics offers the whole spectrum of philosophical inquiry in just about 300 pages. Its content is as daring as it was in 1678 (when it was published): God and nature are the same thing (and that is all there is). Freedom does not exist – everything happens with necessity. The body and the soul are not distinct. We should guide our actions and our politics not according to abstract virtues or norms but according to a rational understanding of emotions. Thus, Spinoza’s philosophy helps us comprehend aspects of our contemporary life, such as emotions and their role in political processes in an interdisciplinary endeavour.
Every week, we will read a package of topic based propositions, accompanied either by scaffolding secondary literature or else by class discussion aimed at framing the new material within preceding readings. We will also learn about various digital tools that are meant to make Spinoza’s writings more accessible to us and discuss our thoughts and questions on a messaging board beyond class time. Most of you are already familiar with some of the digital resources that we will be using (Zoom, pdfs etc.). For those seeking an academic career, familiarity with more advanced tools and the broadening of their capacity to think about approaching text in general will prove invaluable.
However, the training offered in this class is highly applicable not only to other materials in the humanities, but also to concrete and daily digital interactions that we are already engaged in. As we learn about the structure and make up of digital communication, this knowledge becomes applicable not only to Spinoza, but beyond.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
Instructor: Staff
Room: Gilman 134
Status: Open
Seats Available: 11/16
PosTag(s): PHIL-MODERN
AS.150.420 (01)
Mathematical Logic I
TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
Rynasiewicz, Robert
Gilman 288
PHIL-LOGSCI
Mathematical Logic I AS.150.420 (01)
Mathematical Logic I (H,Q) is the first semester of a year long course. It introduces the two notions of validity and provability for both sentential logic and first-order predicate logic, showing in each case that there is a system of derivation such that any argument is valid if and only if the conclusion is provable from the premises. The result is non-trivial since validity is a semantic notion involving the preservation of truth, while a proof is a finite syntactic object whose correctness can be effectively decided. The goal of the course, however, is to learn how to formulate mathematical theories in first-order logic and to explore various of their properties (or lack thereof) such as completeness, decidability, axiomatizability, finite axiomatizability, and consistency. The course concludes with a brief introduction to model theory and the interpretability of one theory in another, which is the basis for relative consistency proofs in mathematics.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
Instructor: Rynasiewicz, Robert
Room: Gilman 288
Status: Open
Seats Available: 7/12
PosTag(s): PHIL-LOGSCI
AS.150.260 (01)
Introduction to Metaphysics
F 1:30PM - 2:20PM, MW 3:00PM - 3:50PM
Taylor, Elanor J.
Gilman 50 Gilman 186
PHIL-MIND
Introduction to Metaphysics AS.150.260 (01)
Metaphysics addresses fundamental questions about the nature and structure of reality. This course will offer an introduction to metaphysics, and a survey of metaphysical debates about topics including free will, possibility and necessity, and arguments for the existence of God.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: F 1:30PM - 2:20PM, MW 3:00PM - 3:50PM
Instructor: Taylor, Elanor J.
Room: Gilman 50 Gilman 186
Status: Open
Seats Available: 6/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-MIND
AS.150.235 (01)
Philosophy of Religion
F 12:00PM - 12:50PM, MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Gross, Steven
Virtual Online Krieger 300
PHIL-MIND
Philosophy of Religion AS.150.235 (01)
Can one prove or disprove the existence of God? What is the relation between reason and faith? Are science and religion at odds with one another? We will consider historically significant discussions of these questions as well as important contemporary writings.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: F 12:00PM - 12:50PM, MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Instructor: Gross, Steven
Room: Virtual Online Krieger 300
Status: Open
Seats Available: 12/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-MIND
AS.150.223 (01)
Formal Methods of Philosophy
TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
Bledin, Justin
Gilman 17
PHIL-LOGSCI, COGS-PHLMND
Formal Methods of Philosophy AS.150.223 (01)
For better or for worse (and we think better), during the last century or so, philosophy has become infused with logic. Logic informs nearly every area of philosophy; it is part of our shared language and knowledge base. Vast segments of literature, especially in contemporary analytic philosophy, presuppose basic competence in logic and a familiarity with associated formal methods, particularly set theoretical. The standard philosophy curriculum should therefore guarantee a minimum level of logic literacy, thus enabling students to read the literature without it seeming like an impenetrable foreign tongue. This course is an introductory survey of the formal methods that a contemporary philosopher should be familiar with. It is not mathematically demanding in the way that more advanced courses in metalogic and specialized topics may be. The emphasis is on basic comprehension, not on mathematical virtuosity.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
Instructor: Bledin, Justin
Room: Gilman 17
Status: Open
Seats Available: 1/25
PosTag(s): PHIL-LOGSCI, COGS-PHLMND
AS.150.434 (01)
Formal Methods of Philosophy
TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
Bledin, Justin
Gilman 17
PHIL-LOGSCI, COGS-PHLMND
Formal Methods of Philosophy AS.150.434 (01)
For better or for worse (and we think better), during the last century or so, philosophy has become infused with logic. Logic informs nearly every area of philosophy; it is part of our shared language and knowledge base. Vast segments of literature, especially in contemporary analytic philosophy, presuppose basic competence in logic and a familiarity with associated formal methods, particularly set theoretical. The standard philosophy curriculum should therefore guarantee a minimum level of logic literacy, thus enabling students to read the literature without it seeming like an impenetrable foreign tongue. This course is an introductory survey of the formal methods that a contemporary philosopher should be familiar with. It is not mathematically demanding in the way that more advanced courses in metalogic and specialized topics may be. The emphasis is on basic comprehension, not on mathematical virtuosity. Co-taught with AS.150.223 Formal Methods of Philosophy.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
Instructor: Bledin, Justin
Room: Gilman 17
Status: Open
Seats Available: 3/9
PosTag(s): PHIL-LOGSCI, COGS-PHLMND
AS.150.433 (01)
Philosophy of Space & Time
TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
Rynasiewicz, Robert
Shaffer 300
PHIL-LOGSCI, MSCH-HUM
Philosophy of Space & Time AS.150.433 (01)
Is space an entity that exists independently of matter (substantivalism), or is it only an abstraction from spatial relations between bodies (relationism)? Is there a lapse of time even when nothing changes, or is time only a measure of motion? Are motion and rest contrary properties or states of a body, or are there only changes in the positions of bodies relative to one another? Philosophers and physicists have disputed these questions from antiquity to the present day. We survey the arguments and attempt to find a resolution. But there are further questions. What is the significance of incongruent counterparts (left hands vs. right hands)? Is there a fact of the matter as to the geometry of space (flat, hyperbolic or elliptical), or as to whether space-like separated events occur at the same time? What is the principle of relativity? Does Einstein’s theory have consequences for the substantivalist/relationist debate? What is the status of spacetime in current physics and cosmology? Why does time but not space have a “direction”? Are past, present and future objective features of reality, or are they merely “stubborn illusions”? Does time flow? If not, how do we account for our sense of the passage of time?
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
Instructor: Rynasiewicz, Robert
Room: Shaffer 300
Status: Open
Seats Available: 3/12
PosTag(s): PHIL-LOGSCI, MSCH-HUM
AS.150.447 (01)
The Logic of Spinoza’s Ethics
F 10:30AM - 1:00PM
Bledin, Justin, Melamed, Yitzhak Yohanan
Gilman 288
PHIL-MODERN
The Logic of Spinoza’s Ethics AS.150.447 (01)
One of the unique aspects of Spinoza’s major work, the Ethics, is its formal or "geometric" structure. The book is written following the model of Euclid’s Elements, with Definitions, Axioms, Propositions, and Demonstrations. In this seminar, we scrutinize the deductive structure of the Ethics and some of its earlier drafts. We consider the role and epistemic status of the definitions and axioms, attempt to provide rigorous reconstructions of some of its key propositions, and also investigate the possibility of alternative routes between these propositions.
This seminar is a close study of Hegel’s major work, the Science of Logic. Among the issues to be discussed are the questions: How should philosophy begin and what - if anything - can it take for granted? We will also attempt to scrutinize Hegel’s attitude toward the law of non-contradiction.
What is value? What is the difference between instrumental and final value? What is the relation of ethical and economic value? This course will explore a range of answers to these questions, with special focus on the role of desire and reason in determining value. Readings will include historical and contemporary authors.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: M 1:30PM - 4:00PM
Instructor: Moyar, Dean
Room: Gilman 288
Status: Open
Seats Available: 1/15
PosTag(s): PHIL-ETHICS
AS.150.451 (01)
Animal Points of View
M 4:00PM - 6:30PM
Brown, Simon Alexander Burns, Phillips, Ian B
Gilman 288
PHIL-MIND, BEHB-SOCSCI, MSCH-HUM, COGS-PHLMND
Animal Points of View AS.150.451 (01)
Are non-human animals conscious? Do they possess a stream of consciousness like our own? This course will explore these questions by asking what it is for an animal to possess a point of view and a temporal point of view in particular.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: M 4:00PM - 6:30PM
Instructor: Brown, Simon Alexander Burns, Phillips, Ian B
Fake news, policing crises, political polarization, and the like challenge us to reevaluate the notion of trust. The course takes up this challenge with the help of both literary and philosophical texts that shall assist us in posing, and trying to answer, questions such as the following: What or whom should we trust (ourselves, others, neither)? Is it possible and sometimes even preferable not to trust? Or should we cultivate trust in society? If so, how? Authors may include ETA Hoffmann, Hegel, Nietzsche, and others.
