PHIL - Philosophy (PHIL)

Exploration of basic issues in philosophy through study of primary sources. Topics approached thematically and historically.

The development of western philosophy from its origin with the ancient Greeks to 1450 A.D., as seen against the background of the history of the Western culture.

The development of modern western philosophy, considered in its complex interrelations with the scientific, social and ideological transformations of the 600 years from the Renaissance to the present.

Nature of thinking, truth and validity. Uses of language. Concepts and propositions. Deductive and inductive reasoning. Fallacies.

The functions and methods of moral philosophy. A comparison of the major ethical theories. Analysis of a wide range of common moral issues.

This course considers ways in which the critical analysis of gender-related issues might contribute to the discipline of philosophy, including in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, and ethics.

This course will contain an examination of some of the most important questions in the central fields of philosophy through the medium of film.

Overview of important moral, social and political issues involving the business world at large. Emphasis on the application of traditional ethical theories to business practices.

This course will examine various ethical issues arising from advances in biological and medical practices and technologies. Topics may include: healthcare administration, end-of-life decision making, human and animal research, the human genome project, the design and use of reproductive technologies, stem cell research, and resource allocation and distribution.

Propositional logic; predicate logic; modal logic. Topics in the philosophy of logic.

Review of the major philosophies of the ancient world from the pre-Socratics to the Stoics. Emphasis on Plato and Aristotle.

Survey of the history of ancient philosophy after Aristotle. The main movements to be covered are Stoicism, Epicureanism, Skepticism, and Neo-Platonism. Time permitting, other movements, like the revival of Aristotelianism, may be covered as well.

The transition from late antiquity to the medieval period; Christianity, Neoplatonism and Gnosticism; readings from the major philosophers of the Middle Ages, (e.g., Augustine, Anselm, Bonaventure, Aquinas), as well as Jewish and Islamic thinkers of the period.

The development of philosophy through the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, with emphasis upon the distinctively modern approaches to central issues in epistemology, metaphysics and political theory. The nature of modernity and its contemporary legacy.

Examination of the major theories about the mind, such as dualism, materialism, behaviorism and cognitive theiroes that refer to internal psychological states. Includes consideration of artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the nature of psychology.

Reflection upon the meaning of the good life through study of selected classical and contemporary thinkers. Emphasis upon the concept of the good life in a contemporary American context.

Examination of the wide range of theories and perspectives that constitute feminism today. Three main parts: historical overview of the development of feminist thinking; analysis of major feminist theories; and examination of the intersections between traditional philosophy and feminist thinking. Prerequisite: One of the following: PHIL 1101, 1104 or 1105.

Examination of current theoretical and practical issues in the field of environmental ethics, among them, obligations to future generations, human relationships to nature and pollution.

Critical assessment of the nature of Western political thought. What is political philosophy? What are the differences, if any, among political philosophy, political theory and the history of political thought? How should we read a political text? An in-depth exploration of one or several of the following concepts: authority, liberty, justice, legitimacy, political obligation, anarchy and the concept of the political itself.

Critical assessment of the concept of law. What is the nature of law? Examination of the differences among natural law, legal positivism, legal realism and critical legal studies. Topics covered include legal reasoning, law and morality, law and liberty and constitution law.

The concept of God. The justifiability of religious belief. Faith and reason. Miracles. Death and concepts of life after death. The problem of evil. Religion and science.

Attitudes toward death: acceptance or is it an evil? Cross-cultural and historical. The death of children, parents, spouse; grief and bereavement; role of the mortician; suicide and euthanasia; old age and the art of dying; the Hospice movement; immortality.

Historic and thematic study of theories of aesthetics, including those of Greece. Emphasizes modern and contemporary views of beauty and art in the variety of individual and social expression.

In this course we study normative philosophy and approaches to philosophical argumentation and then take what we have learned to help critically analyze and debate current issues in applied ethics.

Lives and works of Marx, Engels and Lenin. Analysis of their main ideas; recent developments in Marxist philosophy in America, Latin America and abroad. Evaluation and application.

The nature and scope of knowledge. Knowledge and belief. The problem of skepticism. Empiricism, rationalism and pragmatism. Foundationalism and its critics.

Investigation of the nature of scientific knowledge and truth. An in-depth exploration of one or several of the following concepts: confirmation, explanation, evidence and the status of scientific laws. Evaluation and criticism of the challenge presented by the history of science to positivist and empiricist accounts of scientific inquiry.

Focuses on a particular philosophical theme, topic or thinker chosen by instructor.

Focuses on a particular philosophical theme, topic, or thinker chosen by instructor. 3 credits.

Reflection on the meaning of human existence and our place in reality. Consideration of the nature of the real and our ability to know it. Primary focus on contemporary thinkers who have dealt with these questions.

Study of a specific philosophy or philosophical theme, not studied or not studied in depth in the regular philosophy courses. (Under guidance of a faculty member and with permission of chair).

Study of a specific philosophy or philosophical theme, not studied or not studied in depth in the regular philosophy courses. (Under guidance of a faculty member and with permission of chair).

A seminar on selected issues in Plato's philosophy through a close reading of one or more of his works. Prerequisites: 6 credits of philosophy at the 2000 level.

A seminar on selected issues in Aristotle's philosophy through a close reading of one or more of his works. Prerequisites: 6 credits of philosophy at the 2000 level.

A close reading and analysis of selected works by Kant will serve as the basis for a critical discussion of his answers to three major questions: What can I know? What should I do? For what may I hope? Prerequisites: 6 credits of philosophy at the 2000 level.

n this course we will begin by outlining the prominent features of the ¿postmodern condition¿ as they emerge from ¿radical¿ critiques of modernity. We will then examine and critically evaluate normative responses to the postmodern condition and highlight the impact of these movements on Christian ethics and the Catholic intellectual tradition. Cross-listed with CORE 3593 Engaging the World

Primarily for philosophy majors. Intensive study revolving around topic/theme chosen by instructor. Prerequisites: 6 credits of philosophy at the 2000 level.

T.his seminar will focus on a major philosopher or theme in ethics, meta-ethics, and/or applied ethics

Explores the relationship between faith and reason, theology and philosophy, revelation and natural knowledge. Considers whether faith and reason are similar, separate, opposed or complementary. Prerequisites: 6 credits of philosophy at the 2000 level.