Course Listing

* = core course

PHIL 1010 Introduction to Logic*
PHIL 1017 Honors Logic*
PHIL 1020 Introduction to Ethics*
PHIL 1027 Honors Ethics*
PHIL 1030 Ethics and the Health Sciences*
PHIL 1037 Honors Ethics and the Health Sciences*
PHIL 1040 Business Ethics*
PHIL 1100 Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 3050 Aesthetics
PHIL 3110 Symbolic Logic
PHIL 3160 Philosophies of Human Nature
PHIL 3300 Philosophy of Religion
PHIL 3330 History of Philosophy I: Ancient and Early Medieval
PHIL 3340 History of Philosophy II: Late Medieval and Early Modern
PHIL 3350 History of Philosophy III: Recent and Contemporary
PHIL 3400 Medieval Philosophy
PHIL 3420 British Empiricism
PHIL 3440 Continental Rationalism
PHIL 3450 Philosophical Perspectives of Scientific Revolution
PHIL 3500 Epistemology
PHIL 3520 Pragmatism
PHIL 3540 Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 3600 Political Philosophy
PHIL 3620 Philosophical Foundations of Communism
PHIL 3640 Philosophy of Law
PHIL 3700 Metaphysics
PHIL 3720 Process Philosophy
PHIL 3740 Existentialism
PHIL 3970 Special Topics
PHIL 4500 Philosophy of Science
PHIL 4520 Analytic Philosophy
PHIL 4540 Phenomenology
PHIL 4620 Modern Ethical Theories
PHIL 4700 Plato
PHIL 4750 Aristotle
PHIL 4780 Kant and Transcendental Idealism
PHIL 4960 Readings in Philosophy
PHIL 4967 Readings for Honors in Philosophy
PHIL 4997 Honors Thesis
PHIL 6950 Seminar

Reminder of some upper level Fall philosophy courses! Please keep in mind that courses rotate more slowly on the Semester system, so for some of you this will be your last chance to take some of these courses. If you are at all interested, please sign up as soon as possible, as the window of opportunity may close at some point.

History of Philosophy I: Ancient & Early Medieval ( Phil 3330) Long. 11:00-12:15 TR

In this course, we will think with and through the arguments of such philosophers as Parmenides, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Plotinus, and Augustine. Our focus will be primarily, though not exclusively, on such issues as knowledge and meaning, causation and agency, reductionism and the unity of the self.

Modern Ethical Theories (Phil 4620) White. 9:30-10:45 TR

This course is a survey of the most important ethical theorists of the 20th century including: G.E. Moore, H.A. Pritchard, John Dewey, Charles Stevenson, R.M. Hare, Bertrand Russell, John Mackie, etc. Students will explore some of the main problems in intuitionist, prescriptivist, emotivist, utilitarian, relativist, hedonist, and deontic approaches to the problem of moral value. And students will be given the opportunity to explore some contemporary moral issues relating to feminism, environmentalism, abortion, welfare reform in applied ethics.

Philosophy of Mind (Phil 3540) Marcus. 2:00-3:15 TR

Recently, there has been a resurgence of philosophical interest in the phenomenon of consciousness. This is in part because consciousness appears to pose special problems for the prevailing approaches to understanding the mind, and in part just because consciousness can seem to be deeply mysterious. In this course, we will focus on each of these sources of philosophical interest in consciousness. Ultimately, we will consider what the prospects are for a philosophically satisfying account of consciousness.

Philosophy of Law (Phil 3640) Elfstrom. 12:30-01:45 TR

This course is designed to introduce the student to some of the major philosophical issues relevant to the workings of the legal system of the United States. The issues are of roughly two sorts. One is conceptual, that is, questions regarding the fundamental concepts which are important for law. These include the concept of law itself and also the concepts of freedom, rights, responsibility, and justice. The second set of issues are moral, that is, questions of right and wrong which are relevant to law. These include controversies regarding the proper limits of personal freedom of action, matters of the proper range of freedom of speech, the justification (or lack thereof) for affirmative action, and the justification for punishment (to include capital punishment) .

Analytic Philosophy (Phil 4520) Watkins 2:00-2:50 MWF

This course will look at the question "what is there?" from the perspective of analytic philosophy. And so we will ask whether there are material objects, an objective morality, a god, and so forth? More importantly for the course, we will think about how you might go about answering such questions. Our readings will include long selections from Russell, Carnap, Moore, Quine, and Kripke.

Special Topics–Mind, Body and World (Phil 3970) Jolley. 1:00-1:50 MWF

In this course, students will study two books closely: John McDowell’s Mind and World and Samuel Todes' Body and World. Each book is very Kantian in its way; but McDowell situates his book within contemporary Analytic Philosophy, and Todes his within contemporary Phenomenology. Among the issues to be discussed will be conceptual content, the nature of perception, and metaphilosophy. One of the overarching concerns of the course will be the nature of the "split" between Analytic Philosophy and Phenomenology.

PHIL 1010 Introduction to Logic, Staff

PHIL 1017 Honors Logic, Gerald Elfstrom

PHIL 1020 Introduction to Ethics, Staff

PHIL 1027 Honors Ethics, Roderick Long

PHIL 1030 Ethics and the Health Sciences, Staff

An investigation of the philosophical and ethical problems arising in the area of health care delivery. Topics may include abortion, informed consent in medical treatment and research, ethical issues in clinical testing and animal research, the definition of death and physician-assisted suicide, and patient autonomy and professional obligations.

PHIL 1037 Honors Ethics and the Health Sciences, Jody Graham

PHIL 1040 Business Ethics, Staff

This course examines the major philosophical schools of thought regarding ethics, and then looks at issues in business ethics in the light of those theories. Business-related issues include such topics as: What is the mission of business?; business regulation; hiring, firing, and discrimination; employee rights and responsibilities; advertising; bluffing; international issues in business; social and economic justice; worker and consumer safety.

PHIL 3300 Philosophy of Religion, William H. Davis

This course examines the major topics in the philosophy of religion. These include: the evidences for the existence of God; the relation between faith and reason; the problem of evil; miracles; immortality; mystical experience; religious language; religious existentialism; religion and ethics; the nature of revelation.

PHIL 3330 History of Philosophy I: Ancient and Early Medieval, Kelly D. Jolley

In this course students will read various Presocratic philosophers, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus and Augustine. Along with mastering aspects of these philosophers' activities, students will be asked to consider the following questions: What is philosophy? Is philosophy something that can be said to have a beginning? Can philosophy progress? And, What is the history of philosophy?

PHIL 3450 Philosophical Perspectives of Scientific Revolution, Jan Wojcik

An exploration of the changes in science and worldview that took place from Copernicus to Newton. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between science and religion, issues of continuity and discontinuity, and the broader methodological, cultural and political implications of the scientific revolution. No prerequisites are required (i.e., no prior knowledge of astronomy, chemistry, or physics is assumed.

PHIL 3500 Epistemology, James Shelley

We seem to think that we know we have hands; we seem to think that we know the sun will rise tomorrow. There are powerful arguments, however, that appear to prove that we don't know even these fundamental things. uch arguments, known as skeptical arguments, will be the focus of this course -- the vehicle by which we will approach broader questions regarding the nature of knowledge and justification. First we will concentrate on skeptical arguments themselves, as presented in the writings of Descartes and Hume. Then we will concentrate on comparatively recent responses to them, as contained in the writings of Moore, Wittgenstein, Austin, Putnam, Nozick, Lewis, and others.

PHIL 3540 Philosophy of Mind, Eric Marcus

Recently, there has been a resurgence of philosophical interest in the phenomenon of consciousness. This is in part because consciousness appears to pose special problems for the prevailing approaches to understanding the mind, and in part just because consciousness can seem to be deeply mysterious. In this course, we will focus on each of these sources of philosophical interest in consciousness. Ultimately, we will conider what the prospects are for a philosophically satisfying account of consciousness.

PHIL 3640 Philosophy of Law, Clif Perry

An investigation of philosophical and ethical problems arising within the traditional areas of the law. Special emphasis will be devoted to tort, contracts, constitutional and criminal law in addition to evidentiary and procedural issues. The difference between a legal and ethical analsysis will also be analyzed.

PHIL 4620 Modern Ethical Theory, Steven White

This course is a survey of the most important ethical theorists of the 20th century including: G.E. Moore, H.A. Prichard, John Dewey, Charles Stevenson, R.M. Hare, Bertrand Russell, John Mackie, etc. Students will explore some of the main problems in intuitionist, prescriptivist, emotivist, utilitarian, relativist, hedonist, and deontic approaches to the problem of moral value. Students will be given the opportunity to explore some contemporary moral issues relating to feminism, environmentalism, abortion, and welfare reform.

PHIL 4960 Readings in Philosophy, Staff

PHIL 6950 Seminar, Staff

PHIL 0216 Philosophies of Human Nature, William H. Davis

In this course we discuss at length four prominent philosophies of human nature: behaviorism, existentialism, Christianity, and “secular humanism.” These views are explained, criticized, and contrasted with each other. The course then turns to the topic, “the meaning of life,” which is considered in some detail. Some of the approaches to this question to be considered are nihilism, growth and self-actualization, an aesthetic savoring of life, the making of one“s meaning, the search for God, happiness, etc.

PHIL 1030 Ethics and the Health Care Sciences, Staff

An investigation of the philosophical and ethical problems arising with the area of health care delivery. Special emphasis will be devoted to abortion, euthanasia, and informed consent, in addition to micro and macro allocation issues.

PHIL 1040 Business Ethics, Staff

This course examines the major philosophical schools of thought regarding ethics, and then looks at issues in business ethics in the light of those theories. Business-related issues include such topics as: What is the mission of business? Business regulation. Hiring, firing, and discrimination. Employee rights and responsibilities. Advertizing. Bluffing. International issues in business. Social and economic justice. Worker and consumer safety.

PHIL 3110 Symbolic Logic, Charles D. Brown

This course is a study of proof techniques in modern logic from propositional logic through first-order predicate logic, including the logic of relations and identity. We will give close attention to translations between English and the logical symbolism, to the construction of formal proofs, and to selected philosophical problems in logic. Time permitting, we will also study propositional model logic and some of its applications.

PHIL 3330 History of Philosophy I, Kelly Dean Jolley

In this course students will read various Presocratic philosophers, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus and Augustine. Along with mastering aspects of these philosophers' activity, students will be asked to consider the questions What is Philosophy? Is philosophy something that can be said to have a beginning? Can philosophy progress? And, What is the history of philosophy?

PHIL 3640 Philosophy of Law, Clif Perry

An investigation of philosophical and ethical problems arising within the traditional areas of the law. Special emphasis will be devoted to torts, contracts, constitutional and criminal law in addition to evidentiary and procedural issues. The difference between a legal and ethical analysis will also be analyzed.

PHIL 3740 Existentialism, Ken Walters

We will examine writings from five central philosophers. Each of them made some rather striking proposals. Here are some examples: Kierkegaard — The task of taking myself seriously is the task of my life. Nietzsche — The central problem of life is to develop that interpretation which most frees me for creative, full living, and then to live consistently with that vision. Sartre — Humans are usually busy blurring, disguising, and concealing from themselves the source of all meaning, which is nothing other than human freedom itself. Heidegger — Western humanity fell from an awareness of the inexhaustible richness of the meanings of “to-be” into the restrict edness of thinking of “To-be” as “to-be-a-thing.” Persons are thought of as things- among-other-things. Jaspers — Man never reaches his full being apart from love. Love is found in a decisiveness which remains open. Secretiveness, the unwillingness to be fully present in communication, is the true source of evil.

PHIL 4960 Readings in Philosophy, Staff

PHIL 6950 Seminar, Staff

PHIL 1030 Ethics and the Health Care Sciences, Staff

An investigation of the philosophical and ethical problems arising with the area of health care delivery. Special emphasis will be devoted to abortion, euthanasia, and informed consent, in addition to micro and macro allocation issues.

PHIL 1040 Business Ethics, Staff

This course examines the major philosophical schools of thought regarding ethics, and then looks at issues in business ethics in the light of those theories. Business-related issues include such topics as: What is the mission of business? Business regulation. Hiring, firing, and discrimination. Employee rights and responsibilities. Advertizing. Bluffing. International issues in business. Social and economic justice. Worker and consumer safety.

PHIL 3350 Recent and Contemporary Philosophy, Charles D. Brown

This course begins with Kant’s philosophy, which became the primary touchstone of western philosophy for more than a hundred years. Then, studies of Hegel and Schopenhauer will be followed by those of utilitarians (Bentham and Mill) and other social and scientific thinkers (Marx, Comte, Spencer, Darwin, Mach, etc.), existentialists (e.g., Kierkegaard, Nietzsche),pragmatists (e.g., Peirce, James, Dewey), and various developments within the analytic movement (e.g., Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, Ayer, Quine) and continental philosophy (e.g., Sartre).

PHIL 3700 Metaphysics, Michael Watkins

We will think hard about God, the universe, and everything. Specific topics include the nature of causation, the mind-body problem, freedom and determinism, properties, substance, abstract objects, possibilia, time, and time travel. We will also worry about the study of metaphysics itself. What is metaphysics? How is metaphysics related to physics? And so forth.

PHIL 4540 Phenomenology, Ken Walters

We will examine: William James on radical empiricism; Husserl on knowledge and being; Sartre on the transcendent ego; Heidegger on truth, being, and time; Merleau-Ponty on the lived body and the primacy of perception.

PHIL 4620 Modern Ethical Theories, Steve White

This course is a survey of the most important ethical theorists of the 20th century including: G.E. Moore, H.A. Pritchard, John Dewey, Charles Stevenson, R.M. Hare, Bertrand Russell, John Mackie, etc. Students will explore some of the main problems in intuitionist, prescriptivist, emotivist, utilitarian, relativist, hedonist, and deontic approaches to the problem of moral value. And students will be given the opportunity to explore some contemporary moral issues relating to feminism, environmentalism, abortion, welfare reform in applied ethics.

PHIL 4960 Readings in Philosophy, Staff

PHIL 6950 Seminar, Staff

PHIL 1030 Ethics and the Health Care Sciences, Staff, Graham, Perry, White

An investigation of the philosophical and ethical problems arising with the area of health care delivery. Special emphasis will be devoted to abortion, euthanasia, and informed consent, in addition to micro and macro allocation issues.

PHIL 1040 Business Ethics, Davis, Staff

This course examines the major philosophical schools of thought regarding ethics, and then looks at issues in business ethics in the light of those theories. Business-related issues include such topics as: What is the mission of business? Business regulation. Hiring, firing, and discrimination. Employee rights and responsibilities. Advertizing. Bluffing. International issues in business. Social and economic justice. Worker and consumer safety.

PHIL 3300 Philosophy of Religion, Davis

This course examines the major topics in the philosophy of religion. These include: the evidences for the existence of God; the relation between faith and reason; the problem of evil; miracles; immortality; mystical experience; religious language; religious existentialism; religion and ethics; the nature of revelation.

PHIL 3340 Late Medieval and Early Modern Philosophy, Jan Wojcik

We will begin the course by surveying relevant developments in late medieval and Renaissance thought. We will then attend to some of the major developments in early modern thought, considering different answers to such questions as what one ought to do (a question of ethics), what there is (a question of metaphysics), how one knows what there is (a question of epistemology), and how best to organize the political system (questions of political philosophy), We will approach these topics by reading selections from primary texts in 17th and 18th century thought (specifically, selections from the writings of Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Boyle, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume). We will conclude the course by beginning to consider Kant’s attempted synthesis of rationalism and empiricism in preparation for PA 335.

PHIL 3500 Epistemology, Watkins

This course is about language and thought and the world, and the connections among the three. But then again, what philosophy course isn’t. Concern with reference has preoccupied philosophers for the better part of a century. It is a preoccupation often described as the defining characteristic of analytic philosophy. In this course we will look at the heavy-hitters: Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Quine, Sellars, Kripke and Evans. Grades will be a function of one or two presentations and a final paper.

PHIL 3600 Political Philosophy, Elfstrom

This course will examine the main figures and topics in the Western European tradition. It will touch on the political thought of such figures as Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Marx, and Rawls, and address major issues, including the nature and justification of government, the relation of the individual to the government, democratic vs. Totalitarian government, and human rights and responsibilities.

PHIL 3640 Philosophy of Law, Clif Perry

An investigation of philosophical and ethical problems arising within the traditional areas of the law. Special emphasis will be devoted to torts, contracts, constitutional and criminal law in addition to evidentiary and procedural issues. The difference between a legal and ethical analysis will also be analyzed.

PHIL 4960 Readings in Philosophy, Staff

PHIL 6950 Seminar

PHIL 1030 Ethics and the Health Care Sciences, Staff

An investigation of the philosophical and ethical problems arising with the area of health care delivery. Topics may include the moral status of the fetus, conflicts of interest between fetus and pregnant woman (e.g., abortion, court-ordered surgical interventions, fetal protection policies), and reproductive technologies; the moral status of nonhuman animals and issues regarding their use and care (e.g., in medical research, organ and tissue transplantation); informed consent in medical treatment and research; ethical issues in random clinical testing; the definition of death and issues surrounding withholding or withdrawing medical therapies, physician-assisted suicide, and active euthanasia; and micro- and macro-allocation of health care resources.

PHIL 1040 Business Ethics, Staff

This course examines the major philosophical schools of thought regarding ethics, and then looks at issues in business ethics in the light of those theories. Business-related issues include such topics as: What is the mission of business? Business regulation. Hiring, firing, and discrimination. Employee rights and responsibilities. Advertizing. Bluffing. International issues in business. Social and economic justice. Worker and consumer safety.

PHIL 3110 Symbolic Logic, Charles D. Brown

This course is a study of proof techniques in modern logic from propositional logic through first-order predicate logic, including the logic of relations and identity. We will give close attention to translations between English and the logical symbolism, to the construction of formal proofs, and to selected philosophical problems in logic. Time permitting, we will also study propositional model logic and some of its applications.

PHIL 3330 History of Philosophy I, Kelly Dean Jolley

In this course students will read various Presocratic philosophers, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus and Augustine. Along with mastering aspects of these philosophers' activity, students will be asked to consider the questions What is Philosophy? Is philosophy something that can be said to have a beginning? Can philosophy progress? And, What is the history of philosophy?

PHIL 3540 Philosophy of Mind, Michael G. Watkins

This course will focus on two central questions. First, what is the relationship between our thoughts and the world? Second, what is consciousness? Related issues touch on topics in artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, and the phychophysics of color experience. We will look at some of the most influential contemporary works on these topics, including those of Dennett, Fodor, Churchland, Searle, and Putnam. Since questions about the mind concern all of us, the course should interest students from any discipline, but the course should especially appeal to students interested in philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience.

PHIL 3740 Existentialism, Ken Walters

We will examine writings from five central philosophers. Each of them made some rather striking proposals. Here are some examples: Kierkegaard — The task of taking myself seriously is the task of my life. Nietzsche — The central problem of life is to develop that interpretation which most frees me for creative, full living, and then to live consistently with that vision. Sartre — Humans are usually busy blurring, disguising, and concealing from themselves the source of all meaning, which is nothing other than human freedom itself. Heidegger — Western humanity fell from an awareness of the inexhaustible richness of the meanings of “to-be” into the restrict edness of thinking of “To-be” as “to-be-a-thing.” Persons are thought of as things- among-other-things. Jaspers — Man never reaches his full being apart from love. Love is found in a decisiveness which remains open. Secretiveness, the unwillingness to be fully present in communication, is the true source of evil.

PHIL 4960 Readings in Philosophy, Staff

PHIL 6950 Seminar, Staff

PHIL 0201 Deductive Logic, Jan Wojcik

In this course (which may be substituted for PHIL 0101 to meet Core Curriculum requirements) we will cover deductive methods for both sentential and predicate logic. In each case, we will first learn how to translate ordinary English sentences into logical notation. We will then learn methods of testing for various properties and relationships, with an emphasis on the truth-tree method of ascertaining the validity or invalidity of arguments.

PHIL 1030 Ethics and the Health Care Sciences, Staff

An investigation of the philosophical and ethical problems arising in the area of health care delivery. Special emphasis will be devoted to abortion, euthanasia, and informed consent, in addition to micro and macro allocation issues.

PHIL 1040 Business Ethics, Staff

This course examines the major philosophical schools of thought regarding ethics, and then looks at issues in business ethics in the light of those theories. Business-related issues include such topics as: What is the mission of business? Business regulation. Hiring, firing, and discrimination. Employee rights and responsibilities. Advertising. Bluffing. International issues in business. Social and economic justice. Worker and consumer safety.

PHIL 3050 Aesthetics, Ken Walters

This course considers what major philosophers have said concerning the nature of beauty and art.

PHIL 3300 Philosophy of Religion, William H. Davis

This course examines the major topics in the philosophy of religion. These include: the evidences for the existence of God; the relation between faith and reason; the problem of evil; miracles; immortality; mystical experience; religious language; religious existentialism; religion and ethics; the nature of revelation.

PHIL 3350 Recent and Contemporary Philosophy, Charles D. Brown

This course begins with Kant’s philosophy, which became the primary touchstone of western philosophy for more than a hundred years. Then, studies of Hegel and Schopenhauer will be followed by those of utilitarians (Bentham and Mill) and other social and scientific thinkers (Marx, Comte, Spencer, Darwin, Mach, etc.), existentialists (e.g., Kierkegaard, Nietzsche),pragmatists (e.g., Peirce, James, Dewey), and various developments within the analytic movement (e.g., Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, Ayer, Quine) and continental philosophy (e.g., Sartre).

PHIL 4620 Modern Ethical Theories, Steve White

This course is a survey of the most important ethical theorists of the 20th century including: G.E. Moore, H.A. Pritchard, John Dewey, Charles Stevenson, R.M. Hare, Bertrand Russell, John Mackie, etc. Students will explore some of the main problems in intuitionist, prescriptivist, emotivist, utilitarian, relativist, hedonist, and deontic approaches to the problem of moral value. And students will be given the opportunity to explore some contemporary moral issues relating to feminism, environmentalism, abortion, welfare reform in applied ethics.

PHIL 4960 Readings in Philosophy, Staff

PHIL 6950 Seminar, Staff

PHIL 0201 Deductive Logic, Jan Wojcik

In this course (which may be substituted for PA 0101 to meet Core Curriculum requirements) we will cover deductive methods for both sentential and predicate logic. In each case, we will first learn how to translate ordinary English sentences into logical notation. We will then learn methods of testing for various properties and relationships, with an emphasis on the truth-tree method of ascertaining the validity or invalidity of arguments.

PHIL 1030 Ethics and the Health Care Sciences, Staff

An investigation of the philosophical and ethical problems arising in the area of health care delivery. Special emphasis will be devoted to abortion, euthanasia, and informed consent, in addition to micro and macro allocation issues.

PHIL 1040 Business Ethics, Staff

This course examines the major philosophical schools of thought regarding ethics, and then looks at issues in business ethics in the light of those theories. Business-related issues include such topics as: What is the mission of business? Business regulation. Hiring, firing, and discrimination. Employee rights and responsibilities. Advertising. Bluffing. International issues in business. Social and economic justice. Worker and consumer safety.

PHIL 3340 Late Medieval and Early Modern Philosophy, Jody Graham

We will study selections from the works of several prominent philosophers from the early modern period including Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant. Students will be asked to consider some of the following questions: What is the nature of one’s mind and what is the relation between mind and body? What is the nature of the “external” world? Do we directly perceive it and can we have knowledge of it? Is color merely a sensation or a property of objects. What does Berkeley mean by his claim “to be is to be perceived”? What does Kant mean by his claim that time and space are “pure forms of sensible intuition”?

PHIL 3640 Philosophy of Law, Clif Perry

An investigation of philosophical and ethical problems arising within the traditional areas of the law. Special emphasis will be devoted to torts, contracts, constitutional and criminal law in addition to evidentiary and procedural issues. The difference between a legal and ethical analysis will also be analyzed.

PHIL 3520 Pragmatism, William H. Davis

Pragmatism is a primarily American school of thought. Pragmatism is a theory of meaning which argues that the meaning of hard words and concepts is to be finally determined by the differences made in the world or to be expected in experience based upon those concepts or theories. Pragmatism is also a theory of truth, calling those ideas “true” which meet our wants or needs in the long run. This course examines this line of thought as presented in the works of the classical pragmatists, Peirce, James, F.C.S. Schiller, and John Dewey. Of special interest is James’ doctrine that religious beliefs can be justified by the helpful consequences of such beliefs in people’s lives.

PHIL 3600 Political Philosophy, Gerard Elfstrom

This course will examine the main figures and topics in the Western European tradition. It will touch on the political thought of such figures as Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Marx, and Rawls, and address major issues, including the nature and justification of government, the relation of the individual to the government, democratic vs. totalitarian government, and human rights and responsibilities.

PHIL 3700 Metaphysics, Michael Watkins

We will think hard about God, the universe, and everything. Specific topics include the nature of causation, the mind-body problem, freedom and determinism, properties, substance, abstract objects, possibilia, time, and time travel. We will also worry about the study of metaphysics itself. What is metaphysics? How is metaphysics related to physics? And so forth.

PHIL 4960 Readings in Philosophy, Staff

PHIL 6950 Seminar, Staff

PHIL 0201 Deductive Logic, Jan Wojcik

In this course (which may be substituted for PHIL O101 to meet Core Curriculum requirements) we will cover deductive methods for both sentential and predicate logic. In each case, we will first learn how to translate ordinary English sentences into logical notation. We will then learn methods of testing for various properties and relationships, with an emphasis on the truth-tree method of ascertaining the validity or invalidity of arguments.

There will be four in-class exams, plus a final comprehensive exam, each worth 1/5 of the course grade. In addition, there will be numerous homework assignments which will not be a component of the course grade but which will give students ample opportunity to ascertain their problem-solving abilities prior to the exams.

PHIL 0216 Philosophies of Human Nature, William H. Davis

In this course we discuss at length four prominent philosophies of human nature: behaviorism, existentialism, Christianity, and “secular humanism.” These views are explained, criticized, and contrasted with each other. The course then turns to the topic, “the meaning of life,” which is considered in some detail. Some of the approaches to this question to be considered are nihilism, growth and self-actualization, an aesthetic savoring of life, the making of one“s meaning, the search for God, happiness, etc.

PHIL 1030 Ethics and the Health Care Sciences, Graham, Perry, White, Staff

An investigation of the philosophical and ethical problems arising with the area of health care delivery. Topics may include the moral status of the fetus, conflicts of interest between fetus and pregnant woman (e.g., abortion, court-ordered surgical interventions, fetal protection policies), and reproductive technologies; the moral status of nonhuman animals and issues regarding their use and care (e.g., in medical research, organ and tissue transplantation); informed consent in medical treatment and research; ethical issues in random clinical testing; the definition of death and issues surrounding withholding or withdrawing medical therapies, physician- assisted suicide, and active euthanasia; and micro- and macro-allocation of health care resources.

PHIL 1040 Business Ethics Davis, Staff

This course explores the ethical dimension of business practices. A review of all the major ethical theories is presented. Then in the light of those theories, issues in business ethics are considered. Such topics as the following are examined: What is the purpose of business? The ethics of hiring and firing. Issues in advertising and negotiation. Problems in international business relations. Business as it relates to social and political issues.

PHIL 3330 History of Philosophy I, Kelly Dean Jolley

In this course students will read various Presocratic philosophers, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus and Augustine. Along with mastering aspects of these philosophers’ activity, students will be asked to consider the questions What is Philosophy? Is philosophy something that can be said to have a beginning? Can philosophy progress? And, What is the history of philosophy?

PHIL 3540 Philosophy of Mind, Michael G. Watkins

This course will focus on two central questions. First, what is the relationship between our thoughts and the world? Second, what is consciousness? Related issues touch on topics in artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, and the psychophysics of color experience. We will look at some of the most influential contemporary works on these topics, including those of Dennett, Fodor, Churchland, Searle, and Putnam. Since questions about the mind concern all of us, the course should interest students from any discipline, but the course should especially appeal to students interested in philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience.

PHIL 3740 Existentialism, Ken Walters

We will examine writings from five central philosophers. Each of them made some rather striking proposals. Here are some examples: Kierkegaard — The task of taking myself seriously is the task of my life. Nietzsche — The central problem of life is to develop that interpretation which most frees me for creative, full living, and then to live consistently with that vision. Sartre — Humans are usually busy blurring, disguising, and concealing from themselves the source of all meaning, which is nothing other than human freedom itself. Heidegger — Western humanity fell from an awareness of the inexhaustible richness of the meanings of “to-be” into the restrictedness of thinking of “To-be” as “to-be-a-thing.” Persons are thought of as things-among-other-things. Jaspers — Man never reaches his full being apart from love. Love is found in a decisiveness which remains open. Secretiveness, the unwillingness to be fully present in communication, is the true source of evil.

PHIL 1030 Ethics and the Health Care Sciences, Evans, Graham, Perry, White

An investigation of the philosophical and ethical problems arising with the area of health care delivery. Topics may include the moral status of the fetus, conflicts of interest between fetus and pregnant woman (e.g., abortion, court-ordered surgical interventions, fetal protection policies), and reproductive technologies; the moral status of nonhuman animals and issues regarding their use and care (e.g., in medical research, organ and tissue transplantation); informed consent in medical treatment and research; ethical issues in random clinical testing; the definition of death and issues surrounding withholding or withdrawing medical therapies, physician-assisted suicide, and active euthanasia; and micro- and macro-allocation of health care resources.

PHIL 1040 Business Ethics, Hudson, Davis, Abney

This course explores the ethical dimension of business practices. A review of all the major ethical theories is presented. Then in the light of those theories, issues in business ethics are considered. Such topics as the following are examined: What is the purpose of business? The ethics of hiring and firing. Issues in advertising and negotiation. Problems in international business relations. Business as it relates to social and political issues.

PHIL 3050 Aesthetics, Ken Walters

This course considers what major philosophers have said concerning the nature of beauty and art.

PHIL 3350 Recent and Contemporary Philosophy, Charles D. Brown

Philosophical developments in the 19th and 20th Centuries have hinged upon the remarkable revolution in thought accomplished by Kant at the end of the 18th Century. Accordingly, we will begin this course with an overview of Kant’s philosophy in order to recognize his influence on subsequent philosophical thought. We will study the monumental system that Hegel constructed using his Dialectic, and the ‘corrections’ that Schopenhauer made in Kant’s way of thinking. We will follow the development of social thought from the utilitarian theories of Bentham and Mill to the social utopias of Comte and Marx, and we will see the results of the mingling of philosophy and science in the development pragmatism in America (with the philosophies of Peirce, James and Dewey) and the development of analytic philosophy in Europe (with the philosophies of Moore, Russell, Ayer, and Wittgenstein). And we’ll find that, even one hundred and fifty years removed, Sartre’s ontological and ethical thinking has an unmistakable scent of Kant about it, however categorically Kant would reject Sartre’s whole philosophy.

PHIL 3520 Pragmatism, William H. Davis

Pragmatism is a primarily American school of thought. Its founding fathers are William James and Charles S. Peirce. Pragmatism is a theory of meaning which argues that the meaning of hard words and concepts is to be finally determined by the differences made in the world or to be expected in experience based upon those concepts or theories. Pragmatism is also a theory of truth, calling those ideas “true” which meet our wants or needs in the long run. This course examines this line of thought as presented in the works of the classical pragmatists, Peirce, James, F.C.S. Schiller, and John Dewey. Of special interest is James’ doctrine that religious beliefs can be justified by the helpful consequences of such beliefs in people’s lives.

PHIL 3970 Special Topic: Wittgenstein, Kelly D. Jolley

This class will concentrate on Wittgenstein’s later philosophical work. We will begin by reading sections of The Blue Book and The Brown Book. Then, we will turn our attention to Philosophical Investigations. The class will be writing-intensive: students will be expected to write two short papers, to keep a philosophical notebook and to write a final paper. Each student will present at least one short paper to the class .

PHIL 0201 Deductive Logic, Jan Wojcik

In this course (which may be substituted for PHIL 0101 to meet Core Curriculum requirements) we will cover deductive methods for both sentential and predicate logic. In each case, we will first learn how to translate ordinary English sentences into logical notation. We will then learn methods of testing for various properties and relationships, with an emphasis on the truth-tree method of ascertaining the validity or invalidity of arguments. There will be four in-class exams, plus a final comprehensive exam, each worth 1/5 of the course grade. In addition, there will be numerous homework assignments which will not be a component of the course grade but which will give students ample opportunity to ascertain their problem-solving abilities prior to the exams.

PHIL 1030 Ethics and the Health Care Sciences, Evans, Graham, Perry, White

An investigation of the philosophical and ethical problems arising with the area of health care delivery. Special emphasis will be devoted to abortion, euthanasia, and informed consent, in addition to micro and macro allocation issues.

PHIL 1040 Business Ethics, Abney, Davis, Hudson

This course examines the major philosophical schools of thought regarding ethics, and then looks at issues in business ethics in the light of those theories. Business-related issues include such topics as: What is the mission of business? Business regulation. Hiring, firing, and discrimination. Employee rights and responsibilities. Advertising. Bluffing. International issues in business. Social and economic justice. Worker and consumer safety.

PHIL 3340 Late Medieval and Early Modern Philosophy, Jan Wojcik

We will begin the course by surveying relevant developments in late medieval and Renaissance thought. We will then attend to some of the major developments in early modern thought, considering different answers to such questions as what one ought to do (a question of ethics), what there is (a question of metaphysics), how one knows what there is (a question of epistemology), and how best to organize the political system (questions of political philosophy), We will approach these topics by reading selections from primary texts in 17th and 18th century thought (specifically, selections from the writings of Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Boyle, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume). We will conclude the course by beginning to consider Kant’s attempted synthesis of rationalism and empiricism in preparation for PA 335.

PHIL 3300 Philosophy of Religion, William H. Davis

This course examines the major topics in the philosophy of religion. These include: the evidences for the existence of God; the relation between faith and reason; the problem of evil; miracles; immortality; mystical experience; religious language; religious existentialism; religion and ethics; the nature of revelation.

PHIL 3640 Philosophy of Law, Clif Perry

An investigation of philosophical and ethical problems arising within the traditional areas of the law. Special emphasis will be devoted to torts, contracts, constitutional and criminal law in addition to evidentiary and procedural issues. The difference between a legal and ethical analysis will also be analyzed.

PHIL 4520 Analytic Philosophy, Jolley and Watkins

This course is about language and thought and the world, and the connections among the three. But then again, what philosophy course isn’t. Concern with reference has preoccupied philosophers for the better part of a century. It is a preoccupation often described as the defining characteristic of analytic philosophy. In this course we will look at the heavy-hitters: Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Quine, Sellars, Kripke and Evans. Grades will be a function of one or two presentations and a final paper.