PHIL 105 - Philosophical Questions

Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)

a. What makes a question philosophical, as opposed to empirical, historical, or spiritual? We seek to answer this question by looking at specific philosophical questions pertaining to personal identity, the existence and nature of God, the rationality of faith, freedom of the will and moral responsibility, and the ethics of killing and letting die. We begin the course by looking at the philosophical questions arising out of the trial and death of Socrates, which will serve as the springboard for more modern philosophical works. The topics in this course are quite abstract, and students need to participate actively in class discussion to do well. Students leave the course with an appreciation for the breadth and scope of philosophical thinking, and learn to think and write arguments clearly. Barry Lam.

Topic for 2017/18a and b: Reality, Knowledge, and Morality. In this course we engage with some of the most fundamental and elusive problems in philosophy. Is there a God? Do we have free will? What makes time different from space? Do we really know anything? What is knowledge? How does consciousness fit into the physical world? Where does morality come from? Why is killing wrong? How should we live our lives? Our primary goal in the course is that you develop a certain set of skills that are vital for tackling questions like these – in particular, the ability to reason and express yourself with clarity and rigor. Marco Dees.

Topic for 2017/18b: Knowledge and Reality. This course familiarizes students with the methods of contemporary philosophy, as well as with a selection of major questions in the field. Such questions include: Does God exist? What, if anything, can we know with certainty? Who are we? Do we have free will? What is time like? Is time travel possible? By taking this class, you develop rigorous and disciplined methods of thinking and writing. Emphasis is especially placed on developing the abilities to extract, present, explain, and evaluate positions and arguments. Li Kang.

Topic for 2017/18b: Truth & Value. This course is an introduction to some major themes in the philosophical tradition. To warm up we start by discussing the existence of God, the problem of evil, and the case for religious belief. We then move on to problems in the study of knowledge. Is there an external world? How do we we know about what there is outside of ourselves? Are there scientific laws? We then talk about what kinds of creatures we are: is my 5-year-old self the same as my adult self? At what point do I cease to be the same person? And - are the kinds of creatures we are imbued with free will? We end by discussing what it means for something to be good for us. The main purpose of the course is to build up philosophical skills, pass on useful philosophical tools, and enable students to tackle difficult topics in writing and group discussion. Emphasis is placed on the reading and interpretation of primary texts and their application to contemporary debates in the field of philosophy. Sofia Ortiz-Hinojosa.

Two 75-minute periods.