Mar 29, 2024  
Catalogue 2018-2019 
    
Catalogue 2018-2019 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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PHIL 105 - Philosophical Questions

Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)
Topic for 2018/19a and b: Personhood: Subjectivity, Identity, Difference. In this course we consider philosophical questions around personhood by inquiring into concepts of the self, personal identity, moral and political agency, and categories of race and gender. What constitutes the identity of a human self? Are only humans persons? What about non-human beings? And how do categories of race, gender, and ability inflect human personhood? With readings spanning early modern philosophy, philosophy of race, feminist philosophy, and political theory— alongside a film or two—  we explore who or what counts as a person with special attention to the roles race and gender play in human personhood. Your active participation is required and solicited through bi-weekly written homework assignments, in-class discussion, and seminar-style projects. Oli Stephano.

Topic for 2018/19b: Truth & Value. This course is an introduction to a selection of major themes in the philosophical tradition, with no particular historical focus. 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: 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 the meaning of life. This course includes an open unit that is selected by student vote: in the past we have covered topics including the nature of time, the ethics of comedy, and love. 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.

Topic for 2018/19b: Life & Death. In this course we study, evaluate, and develop a set of interconnected puzzles, claims, and philosophical arguments about the nature of life and death and their ethical significance. People die. But what, exactly, is death? What is a person? What is it for a person to cease to be? How drastically can a person change without ceasing to be? Why do we value our continued existence? Is death a harm to the person who dies? If so, what does the harm consist in? Should we prefer never to die? Can changing our views about what persons are change our attitudes towards death? These questions lead us from the theoretical domain to the practical. We can and do bring persons into existence. Should we? What considerations are relevant to deciding? Is it permissible to end a person’s life? If so, in what circumstances? Do we owe things to the dead? Do we owe things to persons who are not yet alive? In pursuing answers to these questions, our purpose is also to master the art of philosophical debate: to reconstruct and assess arguments charitably, precisely, and clearly, and to formulate good objections and counterarguments. Work consists in in­class discussion and short essay assignments, with particular attention to the goals and norms of argument-­driven writing. Matthew Moss.

Two 75-minute periods.



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