Upper-Division Course Descriptions
Fall 2009
PHIL 3333 (Class #30655)
Room: C 107
Meeting Time: 10:00-11:30 TTH
Metaphysics
This course will survey various classic and contemporary issues in metaphysics. Possible topics include: the natures of existence and identity, the relationship between individuals and their properties, possibility and necessity, causation, the nature of time and persistence, vagueness, and the relationship between material objects and their proper parts.
PHIL 3351 (Class #30661)
Room: C 107
Meeting Time: 13:00 - 14:30 TTH
Contemporary Moral Issues
Prof. Morrison
PHIL 3358 (Class #19156)
Room: C 112
Meeting Time: 10:00 - 11:00 MWF
Classics in the History of Ethics
PHIL 3376 (Class #30658)
Room: C 106
Meeting Time: 11:30 - 13:00 TTH
Philosophy and the Scientific Revolution
In this course we will examine the interaction between philosophy, science, and religion during the 17th century, the century of the Scienfitic Revolution. In particular, we will discuss the debates that arose over the nature of explanation, scientific methodology, the status of natural laws and their relation to miracles, and the status of so-called "occult qualities." All of these issues were joined in the protracted conflict that arose between Continental philosophers and scientists, most prominently Leibniz (1646-1716), and the English Newtonians (Newton: 1643-1727) over the status of gravitational force. This conflict involved a central methodological, debate, pitting the Newtonian "experimental philosophy" against the "mechanical philosophy" favored on the Continent. This conflict, in its many and varied forms, will be discussed in detail, as will the equally vexed debate about the "force of a body's motion" — the so-called vis viva controversy.
We will begin with a brief discussion of the Copernican revolution and the work of Galileo (1564-1642). We will then turn to an extensive examination of the influential version of the mechanical philosophy that was developed by Descartes (1596-1659) and his followers, as well as the objections made against it by Leibniz and Newton, among others. We will also discuss the influential work of the English scientist Robert Boyle (1627-1691), who was in Florence in 1642 when Galileo died in his nearby villa in Arcetri. Boyle quickly became a devotee of Galileo's philosophy and the new approach he advocated for studying the world through mathematics and mechanics. Boyle was a founding member of the Royal Society of London, which became the principal organ of the British scientific community. When Newton became president of the Royal Society in 1703, he used his position to bash his opponents, especially Leibniz, who had been elected a fellow to the Royal Society in 1673. Our final topics of discussion will the be dispute, mentioned earlier, between Leibniz and the Newtonians over the status of gravitational force and the vis viva controversy concerning the "force of a body's motion."
There will be a midterm and a final exam, as well as a 10-12 page term paper on a topic chosen by the student in consultation with the instructor. Graduate students will be required to submit a 20-25 page term paper.
Texts (Required)
- Boyle, Robert. Selected Philosophical Papers of Robert Boyle, edited by M. A. Stewart. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1991.
- Descartes, René. The Philosophical Writings of Descartes, Vol. I, edited and translated by John Cottingham, et al. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985.
- Galileo. The Essential Galileo, edited by Maurice A. Finocchiaro. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2008..
- Leibniz, G. W. Philosophical Essays, edited and translated by Roger Ariew and Daniel Garber. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1989.
- Newton, Isaac. Philosophical Writings, edited by Andrew Janiak. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
- The Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence, edited by H. G. Alexander. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1956.
Texts (Recommended)
- The Cambridge Companion to Descartes, edited by John Cottingham. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
- The Cambridge Companion to Galileo, edited by Peter Machamer. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
- The Cambridge Companion to Leibniz, edited by Nicholas Jolley. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
- The Cambridge Companion to Newton, edited by I. Bernard Cohen and George E. Smith. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
PHIL 3377 (Class #30621)
Room: AH 304
Meeting Time: 14:30 - 16:00 MW
Philosophy of Religion
This is an advanced undergraduate/graduate level philosophy course in which we will conduct an in-depth investigation of fundamental philosophical questions that have arisen with respect to religion in the Western tradition (to this end, we also will study some non-Western philosophers who influenced the Western tradition). It requires prior study of Philosophy and/or Theology. The questions we will examine can be divided into roughly three classes:
- Epistemological questions concerning the relationship between philosophical reasoning and religious belief.
- Metaphysical questions concerning the nature of the divine.
- Ethical and political questions concerning the proper relationship between religion, morality and society.
We will begin with the roots of philosophical reflections on these issues in the writings of ancient and medieval philosophers such as Aristotle, Anselm, Avicenna, Al-Ghazali, Maimonides, Averroes and Aquinas. We will then study some of the most devastating criticisms advanced against traditional views by early moderns such as Calvin, Spinoza and Hume. We will conclude by examining the alternative approaches taken in the 19th – 20th centuries by philosophers like Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and James, as well as more recent articles. Assignments include papers, presentations and regular participation in class discussions.
PHIL 3383 (Class #30651)
Internet Course
History of Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 3395 (Class #30653)
Room: 16 AH
Meeting Time: 16:00 - 17:30 MW
Punishment
This course examines a wide range of philosophical theories of punishment, paying close attention to what these theories presume about human agency and responsibility. Questions to discussed include: What right do we have punish wrongdoers? Should our justification of punishment focus on the benefits it provides for society, or on giving criminals their “just-deserts”? To what extent should we take the background and/or the genetic predispositions of criminals into account? Is it morally wrong to punish likely criminals before they commit their crimes (à la Minority Report)? Throughout the course we will hold the empirical assumptions in leading theories of punishment under scrutiny to see how they cohere with contemporary models of human action in the sciences.