Philosophy
Connecticut Hall, 432.1665
www.yale.edu/philos/
M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Chair
Michael Della Rocca
Director of Graduate Studies
Karsten Harries (107 Connecticut Hall, 432.1682, karsten.harries@yale.edu)
Professors
George Bealer, Seyla Benhabib, Susanne Bobzien, Jules Coleman, Michael Della Rocca, Keith DeRose, Tamar Gendler, John Hare, Karsten Harries, Verity Harte, Laurence Horn, Shelly Kagan, Thomas McCarthy, Sun-Joo Shin, Zoltán Szabó, Kenneth Winkler
Visiting Professors
David Owens [F], Ian Proops [Sp]
Associate Professors
Katalin Balog, Michael Weber
Assistant Professors
Troy Cross, Jonathan Gilmore, Jill North, Barbara Sattler, Matthew Smith
Lecturers
Itamar Francez, David Miller
Fields of Study
Fields include most of the major areas of philosophy. Please see the Philosophy Web site (www.yale.edu/philos) for the departmental statement.
Special Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree
In the first two years all students must complete a total of twelve term courses. Graduate courses are grouped: (1) metaphysics, theory of knowledge, philosophy of science; (2) ethics, aesthetics, philosophy of religion, political philosophy, and theory of value; (3) history of philosophy. No more than six and no fewer than two courses may be taken in each group. A course in logic must also be taken, although on the basis of previous work a student may petition to have this requirement waived. Two qualifying papers must be submitted, one in history, the other in another distribution area; normally the first of these papers will be submitted by mid-September, the second by December, of a student’s third year. It is expected that these papers will be more substantial and professional than an ordinary term paper. Students must demonstrate competence in at least one of the following languages: French, German, Greek, or Latin, normally by the end of the second year. Students in Philosophy will teach in the third and fourth years. They must have teaching experience in at least two distribution areas. Approval of the dissertation prospectus is expected before the end of the sixth term. Upon completion of all predissertation requirements, including the prospectus, students are admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. Admission to candidacy must take place by the end of the third year of study. The norm for completion of the Ph.D. degree is five to six years.
Master’s Degrees
M.Phil. See Degree Requirements.
M.A. (en route to the PH.D.). An M.A. degree is awarded to students after completion of six term courses with an average grade of High Pass.
Please see Philosophy Web page for information on the program (www.yale.edu/philos).
Philosophy and Classics
Superior students, preferably with a background in Classical languages and literature, may be admitted to a joint Ph.D. program in Philosophy and Classics. Interested students who have been admitted to either department should apply to the interdepartmental committee in charge of the program. Philosophy students enrolled in the program are expected to meet the qualifying paper requirement in Philosophy. Students will be expected to take at least seven term courses in the Department of Philosophy. Two of these must be in the history of postclassical philosophy. Students will also have to satisfy the requirements of the Department of Classics as stated under Classics.
Courses
PHIL 567au,Mathematical Logic I. Sun-Joo Shin.
TTh 11.35–12.50
An introduction to the metatheory of first-order logic, up to and including the completeness theorem for the first-order calculus. An introduction to the basic concepts of set theory is included.
PHIL 600bu,Frege. Susanne Bobzien.
F 1.30–3.20
Reading and evaluation of selected articles by Gottlob Frege: “On Sense and Reference,” “Function and Concept,” “Thought,” and “Negation.” Focus on Frege’s contributions and relevance to modern philosophical logic, as opposed to his contributions to the philosophy of mathematics.
PHIL 601au,The Philosophy of Spinoza. Michael Della Rocca.
W 1.30–3.20
An in-depth study of Spinoza’s major work, the Ethics, with some attention to his earlier writings where helpful. Focus on Spinoza’s views in metaphysics and the philosophy of mind.
PHIL 602au,The Philosophy of Charles S. Peirce. Sun-Joo Shin.
W 3.30–5.20
Peirce’s main ideas—the theory of categories, the theory of signs, induction, abduction, and pragmatism—are examined in the context of his philosophical project to pursue truth. The main focus is on selections of his writings.
PHIL 603au,Intellectual History of the Scientific Revolution. David Miller.
W 3.30–5.20
A study of the philosophical developments in early modern Europe that resulted in the emergence of the modern scientific worldview. Topics include the intellectual traditions leading to the period, such as Platonism, Aristotelianism, and Scholasticism, as well as the work of particular authors during the period, such as Galileo, Descartes, and Newton.
PHIL 604b, Time and Space/Place in Plato and Aristotle. Barbara Sattler.
W 1.30–3.20
In this seminar we focus on the theories of time and space/place in Plato’s Timaeus and Aristotle’s Physics. Main questions include: What are the implications of assuming that time itself is something created (Plato) or uncreated (Aristotle)? What is the relation between time and motion? Are there two different kinds of time, a scientific and a historic one? What is the relation of space to matter? Do the ancients have a theory of space or only of place? Is there one basic structure of time and space/place?
PHIL 605b, Logical Atomism in Russell and Wittgenstein. Ian Proops.
T 7–8.50 P.M.
This seminar examines the distinctive and influential metaphysical position known as “logical atomism” as it is developed in the writings of Russell and Wittgenstein. This work sets the scene for much twentieth-century philosophy of language and metaphysics. The view’s motivations and implications are examined against its wider historical background. Secondary readings from Anscombe, Stenius, Kenny, Sainsbury, Fogelin, Sullivan, Potter, Makin, and others.
PHIL 625au,Personal Identity and the Self. Katalin Balog.
T 1.30–3.20
The central theme of this course is the concept of a person. We explore, among other things, if our conception of what it is to be a human being is historically conditioned and culture-relative and if our conception of ourselves is related to our knowledge and understanding of other people. A related issue to be discussed is the problem of personal identity over time; that is, what makes a person the same individual over time. Implications for ethics, psychology, and the significance of mortality are considered as well.
PHIL 626au,Dispositions and Laws of Nature. Troy Cross.
M 3.30–5.20
An investigation into the metaphysics of laws of nature, dispositions, counterfactuals, causes, and chances. Humeanism and non-cognitivism are contrasted with dispositionalism and primitivism, with the aim of revealing the theory of philosophical explanation embedded in each.
PHIL 627bu,Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics. Jill North.
T 3.30–5.20
Examination of a wide range of philosophical issues as informed by quantum mechanics. How to understand what the quantum mechanical formalism tells us about the world is still very controversial. We evaluate different interpretations of quantum mechanics, comparing their views of the world’s ontology. Issues include the measurement problem, superposition, non-locality, the wave function, configuration space, probability, compatibility with relativity.
PHIL 629au,Realism and Anti-Realism. Zoltán Szabó.
T 3.30–5.20
The topic of the seminar is the debate between realism and anti-realism in philosophy. Although the discussion is general, the primary focus is on debates in metaphysics, and particularly ontology. The first part of the course is devoted to theories of truth, the second to theories of objectivity. Readings include works by Carnap, Quine, Putnam, Lewis, Field, Wright, and Yablo.
PHIL 630bu,The Liar Paradox and Other Challenges to Bivalence. Susanne Bobzien.
W 3.30–5.20
A discussion of the Liar paradox and other linguistic phenomena (with the exception of vagueness) that challenge the basic assumption of classical logic that every sentence is either true or false.
PHIL 631au,The Nature of Modality. George Bealer.
W 7–8.50 P.M.
The aim of the seminar is to examine the nature of metaphysical possibility and metaphysical necessity. Can these notions be defined without circularity? Must they be adopted as fundamental primitives? Does understanding them require positing a special ontology, for example, possible worlds, maximal states of affairs, ante rem universals?
PHIL 632bu,Ontology. George Bealer.
Th 7–8.50 P.M.
The purpose of the seminar is to investigate some central topics in ontology: for example, ontological commitment; ontology as a theory of categories; ontological dependence; nonwellfoundedness; criteria of adequacy for ontological theories.
PHIL 655bu,Normative Ethics. Shelly Kagan.
T 1.30–3.20
A systematic examination of normative ethics, the part of moral philosophy that attempts to articulate and defend the basic principles of morality. The bulk of the course surveys and explores some of the main normative factors relevant in determining the moral status of a given act or policy (features that help make a given act right or wrong). Brief consideration of some of the main views about the foundations of normative ethics (the ultimate basis or ground for the various moral principles).
PHIL 656au,Meta-Ethics. Matthew Smith.
Th 1.30–3.20
Meta-ethics is the study of moral theorizing and moral discourse: what is the linguistic role of words like “Good,” “Bad,” “Right,” and “Wrong”? Should we be realists about the good and the right? Can propositions that use these terms be true or false?
PHIL 657au,Rational Choice Theory. Michael Weber.
T 3.30–5.20
A philosophically sophisticated introduction to the theory of rational choice that underlies orthodox treatments of decision-making behavior in economics, political science, and other social sciences. Some of the paradoxes of rational choice theory are examined, including the Prisoner’s Dilemma, the Allais Paradox, and Newcomb’s Problem, in an attempt to derive conclusions about the nature of practical reason. Topics also include the use and alleged misuse of rational choice theory in the social sciences.
PHIL 658au,Promise and Assertion. David Owens.
M 1.30–3.20
An examination of a number of morally significant speech acts, principally promising and asserting but also consenting, giving, and ordering. The work of Hume, Kant, Scanlon, Raz (and the instructor’s own work) is discussed in some detail, as well as other material both legal and philosophical.
PHIL 659bu,Philosophy of Social Science. Thomas McCarthy.
W 3.30–5.20
This course examines some of the philosophical issues central to the ongoing debates concerning the methodology of the human sciences: explanation and understanding; objectivity and value-neutrality; the linguistic, cultural, and hermeneutic turns; the logic of functional and of rational explanation; social science as social criticism. We then look at several current discussions concerning rational choice theory, participant and observer perspectives, and the interplay of normative and empirical considerations.
PHIL 700b, Work-in-Progress Seminar. George Bealer, Troy Cross.
F 2.30–4.20
In consultation with the instructors, each student presents a significant work in progress, for instance, a revised version of an advanced seminar paper or a dissertation chapter. Upon completion of the writing, the student presents the work in a mock colloquium format, including a formal question-and-answer period.
PHIL 701a, From Weber to Derrida. Seyla Benhabib.
W 3.30–5.20
This course is to be taken in conjunction with European Political Thought (PHIL 328a). Topics discussed include modernity and rationalization; science and the problem of values; the concept of public sphere; decisionism and the friend/foe distinction; Heidegger’s ontology and politics; Derrida on cosmopolitanism; and Habermas and Derrida on terror and philosophy. Also PLSC 606a.
PHIL 702b, Rethinking Sovereignty: Cosmopolitanism, Rights, and Popular Constitutionalism. Seyla Benhabib.
T 3.30–5.20
Recently the “crisis” of sovereignty, the “end” of sovereignty, have been discussed in law, political science, and philosophy. Post-nationalist, cosmopolitan, as well as neo-liberal critics of sovereignty abound. This course discusses alternative models of sovereignty, ranging from democratic iterations to popular constitutionalism, and it considers the implications of these models for the definition and enforcement of rights. Readings include Hobbes, Bodin, Austin, Schmitt, Kelsen, Habermas, Waldron, Pogge, and Aleinikoff. Also PLSC 606a.
PHIL 703a, Aristotle’s Psychology. Susanne Bobzien, Verity Harte.
W 3.30–5.20
The seminar examines some central themes in Aristotle’s psychology through reading and discussing selections from the Greek text of Aristotle’s Parva Naturalia.
PHIL 704b, Epistemology. Keith DeRose.
Th 1.30–3.20
This course is only for graduate students in the Philosophy Ph.D. program. Other students should instead enroll in PHIL 270b. This course seeks to provide a broad introduction to the theory of knowledge by covering many of the most important topics in the area. This should prepare students to take advanced seminars on particular topics in epistemology. The course also seeks to prepare students to be able to teach their own basic epistemology course. Graduate students attend the meetings of the undergraduate class, and also meet once a week in a session only for graduate students, where some more advanced papers in epistemology are covered, and where we discuss effective ways of teaching epistemology to undergraduates. Topics may vary slightly from year to year, but likely include many of the following: skepticism; recent attempts to analyze knowledge; the nature of epistemic justification; the structure of knowledge and of justification: foundationalism vs. coherentism; the project of naturalized epistemology; the conflict between externalism and internalism in epistemology; epistemic contextualism vs. invariantism; and relativism in epistemology.
PHIL 705b, Plato and Aristotle’s Theology. John Hare.
M 3.30–5.20
The purpose of this course is to examine the teaching of Plato and Aristotle about the divine. Texts (in English) include, from Plato, Euthyphro, Apology, Phaedo, Timaeus, and portions of Republic and Laws; and, from Aristotle, passages from Protrepticus, Nicomachean Ethics, Eudemian Ethics, Metaphysics (especially book XII), On the Soul, and On the Generation of Animals. If there is interest, a reading group attached to the class can read some of these texts in Greek. The class is conducted as a seminar; each participant is expected to make one class presentation on the text and to write a final research paper, due at the end of the term.
PHIL 706a, Kierkegaard’s Either/Or. Karsten Harries.
T 9.25–11.15
PHIL 707b, Heidegger: The Origin of the Work of Art. Karsten Harries.
T 9.25–11.15
A critical reading of this central text. Special emphasis is placed on its relationship to Hegel’s Lectures on Aesthetics. Also CPLT 700b.
PHIL 708a, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau. Matthew Smith.
Th 9.25–11.15
A central tradition in political theory is the social contract tradition, which theorizes how the consent of the governed justifies or legitimates political authority. This course explores the works of three of the earliest and most significant early modern proponents of this view: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. We do close readings of Hobbes’s Leviathan and De Cive, Locke’s The Two Treatises of Government, and Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origins of Inequality and The Social Contract.
PHIL 709a, Poetics I: Theory of the Work of Literature. Benjamin Harshav.
M 1.30–3.20
The course presents a comprehensive theory of works of literature as the highest sign-complexes in human culture. From rhythm and sound patterns through metaphor and fictional world to genre and representation, a work of literature combines elements of structure with a network of necessary and possible or contradictory constructs. The seminar develops a conceptual network for the descriptive analysis of individual works of poetry and fiction. The theory focuses on questions of fictionality and art in language, yet goes beyond linguistics and philosophy of language, on the one hand, and narratology, on the other. It is grounded in close readings of poems and narrative texts by Kafka, Eliot, Dostoevsky, and others. Also CPLT 541a.
PHIL 710b, Predication. Itamar Francez.
W 7–8.50 P.M.
Predication plays a crucial role in the organization and composition of sentences and/or propositions. The notion of predication is notoriously difficult to situate in a theory of grammar. This seminar examines the notion of predication in formal semantics and the syntax-semantics interface. We discuss major conceptions of and approaches to predication in semantic theory, and focus on challenges posed by various recalcitrant natural language phenomena such as existential constructions and possessives, and theoretical constructs such as Generalized Quantifiers and events. Also LING 710b.
PHIL 750a or b, Tutorial.
By arrangement with faculty.
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