Philosophy

• PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy: Main Problems
• PHIL 155: Introduction to Mathematical Logic
• PHIL 165: Bioethics

PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy: Main Problems

Offered fall 2013

This course will introduce you to the central problems of philosophy. Our philosophical investigations will be attempts to answer these questions.

1. Freedom and Determinism: Do I have free will, or are my actions causally determined?
2. Skepticism: Can I know that there's an external world, and if so, how? (How can I be sure that all the images and sounds I perceive are caused by external objects rather than by a dream?)
3. The Mind-Body Problem: What is my nature? Am I an immaterial soul, or am I a purely physical being?
4. Personal Identity: What, if anything, makes me the self-same person over time, given that my properties are always changing?

The texts you will read represent some of the main answers philosophers have given to these questions. The authors of these texts will include not only some of the great philosophers of history, but also living philosophers. We want to see what contemporary philosophers have to say about these problems because debates over these problems are very much alive. For example, the explosion of research on the brain and in cognitive science has fueled a great deal of interest in problems about the mind, and the tragedy of Alzheimer's Disease raises questions about personal identity.

As you attempt to understand and reconstruct the views you read, you will begin to develop a map of the various responses. In your written assignments, you will develop your own position, and so place yourself on the map. Doing this will require skills in philosophical reasoning and writing. The main skills the course should help you develop are these:

• understanding philosophical problems by clarifying key questions and concepts
• identifying and reconstructing arguments from passages of text
• assessing arguments
• articulating and defending your own consistent response to a philosophical problem.

Required Textbook

• PHIL 101 Coursepack

You may purchase the textbook at Friday Center Books & Gifts in person, online, or by mailing or faxing in the book order form. Refer to the online ordering site for current book prices. Please see Textbooks for textbook purchase dates.

Course Details

• Instructor: Lindsay Brainard, MA
• Department: Philosophy
• Credit hours: 3
• View a sample course syllabus.

How to Enroll

PHIL 155: Introduction to Mathematical Logic

Offered fall 2013

Mathematical logic is the study of certain precisely specified formal languages. In this course we will study these languages and their applications. Mathematical logic has proven to be extremely useful in a number of different disciplines. First, it are helpful in the study of good and valid reasoning. We will use these formal languages to study valid and invalid forms of reasoning, and how to distinguish them. Secondly, mathematical logic is useful in the study of natural languages, and we will see some illustrative examples of this. Finally, mathematical logic is crucial for computer science and foundational issues in mathematics. Although these latter two areas quickly get into more advanced topics, we will be able to discuss some highlights of these uses of logic.

Required Textbook

• Barwise and Etchemendy, Language Proof and Logic, 2nd edition (2011), ISBN 978-1575866321
  
  A new copy of this textbook must be purchased. The software that is included with the textbook package comes with a password that works only for the initial purchaser.

Course Details

• Instructor: Thomas Hofweber, PhD
• Department: Philosophy
• Credit hours: 3
• View a sample course syllabus.

How to Enroll

PHIL 165: Bioethics

Offered fall 2013

Bioethics is by no means the exclusive domain of philosophers, but our approach is philosophical. Our debates about health-related ethical dilemmas are therefore framed by deeper, more fundamental questions about right action and justice. We also aim to develop philosophical skills, ones that have applications beyond the particular problems we consider this term, to a broad range of issues. The central skills we seek to develop are these:

• understanding ethical problems by clarifying key questions and concepts
• identifying and reconstructing arguments from passages of text
• assessing arguments
• articulating and defending your own consistent response to an ethical problem.

These skills are not easy to develop, and the best way to do it is by reading and thinking about material that is clear but philosophically rich. James Rachels’s work excels in these respects, so we’ll start with his discussion on euthanasia. Other topics we’ll cover include race and gender-based inequalities in health care, and the definitions of disease. In the last few weeks of term, we will discuss current topics of your choice.

This course does not presume any prior acquaintance with philosophy; however, you are presumed to have solid writing and critical reading skills.

Required Textbook

• PHIL 165 Coursepack

You may purchase the textbook at Friday Center Books & Gifts in person, online, or by mailing or faxing in the book order form. Refer to the online ordering site for current book prices. Please see Textbooks for textbook purchase dates.

Course Details

• Instructor: Samuel Reis-Dennis, MA
• Department: Philosophy
• Credit hours: 3
• View a sample course syllabus.

How to Enroll