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Course Criteria
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1.00 Credits
A study of the philosophical background of existentialism and of a number of principal existentialistic texts by such writers as Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Camus and Sartre. 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.25 Credits
How we treat nature is, in some measure, a function of how we conceive it. Should we be concerned with protection of the natural environment because we are dependent upon it for the quality of our lives Or, does nature merit respect and protection for its own inherent value quite apart from its utility to human beings Are human beings, in some relevant sense, the rightful rulers of nature and thereby entitled to use it in any manner that serves their ends Or, is the natural environment more appropriately viewed as the property of all creatures that live within it, as something that human beings have an obligation to share with their nonhuman counterparts Is life limited to the individuals that constitute the organic world, the world of plants and animals Or, can we sensibly regard ecosystems, including the entire planet, as living entities in their own right (as in the so-called Gaia hypothesis) Efforts to answer these and a wide range of related questions form the subject matter of this course. 1.25 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
A discussion of some of the philosophical problems that arise out of reflection on religion; the nature of religion and its relation to science, art, and morality; the nature of religious and theological language, the concept of God; the problem of evil; and the justification of religious belief. 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
Explanations of human nature take several forms. Some philosophers ask, what is the nature of man, implying that there is a single human nature e.g., man is a rational animal shared by all men (and women). Others ask what is the nature of man and of woman, taking gender as essential to human nature (or natures). Men and women may differ genetically, hormonally, or socially. Most recently, questions of human nature focus on intelligence as the supreme mark of humanity; here gender, race and class are all relevant issues. We may be rational animals, but some of us are more rational than others. In this course, we shall explore a variety of issues. Can there be a model of human nature which is neutral to gender Do men and women have different natures if so, what is the evidence for their difference(s) Is intelligence the highest mark of humanity and, if so, can it be measured without cultural bias This course will include readings such as: Plato, Republic; Aristotle, Politics; Locke, Essay On Human Understanding; Rousseau, Emilie; J.S. Mill, On the Subjection of Women; Marx, The German Ideology; S. de Beauvoir, The Second Sex; A. Fausto-Sterling, Myths of Gender; and S.J. Gould, The Mismeasure of Man. (May be counted toward Women, Gender, and Sexuality.) 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
No Course Description Available. 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
This course will examine ancient accounts of the individual in the context of both the city and the cosmos. We shall consider the writings of Hesiod, Aeschylus, and Plato insofar as they take up the themes of fate, freedom and necessity, especially as they affect political relations between the gods and mortals, men and women, parents and children. (May be counted toward Classics and Political Science.) 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
An inquiry into the diverse ways in which the theory of evolution has influenced philosophy. The course will begin with a brief history of the idea of evolution. Subsequent topics will include a comparison of chimpanzee and human behavior, evolutionary ethics, the notion of a self-organizing, self-reproducing system, the concepts of evolutionary game theory and programming, the transformation of our understanding of language, disease, war, sexuality, altruism, and other concepts when given evolutionary explanations. 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
This course will survey and critically assess arguments in favor of the existence of human rights, arguments about the legitimate scope of such rights (who has human rights and against whom such rights can legitimately be claimed), and arguments about which rights ought to be included in any complete account of human rights. Specific topics will include (but not necessarily be limited to) the philosophical history of human rights discourse, cultural relativist attacks on the universality of human rights, debates concerning the rights of cultural minorities to self-determination, and controversies concerning whether human rights should include economic and social rights. 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
The course outlines the general characteristics of Indian philosophy and examines the Vedas, Upanishads, and the Gita as the formalizing structures of Indian philosophical thought. A comparative analysis and critique of the various schools of philosophy--Western, African, Eastern--will be introduced to identify Indian philosophy as a unique strand of speculative thought. Philosophers such as Sankara, Ramanuja, Aurobindo, and Radakrishan, together with the various schools and systems of interpretation, will be examined. The spiritual nature-psychological basis of metaphysics, however, will remain the central theme of analysis. 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
This course surveys different philosophical, literary, and artistic representations and conceptions of death in the 20th century. Our material will be drawn from different disciplines and cultural contexts. 1.00 units, Lecture
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