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567a, u, Mathematical Logic I. Sun-Joo Shin
T, Th, 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.
568b, u, Mathematical Logic II. Sun-Joo Shin
T, Th, 11:35 - 12:50
A technical exposition of Gödel’s first and second incompleteness theorems and of some of their main consequences in proof theory and model theory, such as Lob’s theorem, Tarski’s undefinability of truth, provability logic, and nonstandard models of arithmetic.
600a, u, GREK 737 Plato's Parmenides. Verity Harte, Barbara Sattler
W, 3:30 - 5:20
Reading and discussion of Plato's Parmenides, a work central to an understanding of Plato's thought and of Theories of Universals in general, in which a young Socrates faces challenges to his Theory of Forms by an older Parmenides, followed by a dialectical exercise that has attracted the interest of philosophers as diverse as Hegel and Ryle. Background in Greek Philosophy at least equivalent to the Introduction to Ancient Philosophy (125a) or the permission of the instructors. Students wishing to take the course for credit require sufficient knowledge of classical Greek to translate the Parmenides (with the aid of lexicon, grammars where needed). Those without sufficient Greek may audit the class, with permission of the instructors. All Greek discussed will be translated in class.
601b, u, Pleasure in Plato and Aristotle. Verity Harte
W, 3:30 - 5:20
Examination of Plato's and Aristotle's treatments of pleasure, including their opposition to hedonist identifications of pleasure as the good and their eventual concession that some pleasure has a place in the best human life. Consideration of the nature of pleasure, its value, and its place in moral theorizing. Readings in translation.
602b, u, Philosophy of Math in Ancient Greece. Barbara Sattler
Tu, 3:30 - 5:20
The status of mathematical knowledge and of its basic notions and methods of demonstration in Ancient Greek thought. Topics include reasons why geometry rose to a paradigmatic example of a scientific theory and of rationality in general; the relation of geometry and arithmetic; mathematical problems such as incommensurability, and mathematical notions such as infinity and continuity and their influence on the philosophy of the time. Texts from the Pythagoreans, Plato, Aristotle and Euclid.
603b, u, Hume. Kenneth Winkler
T, 3:30 - 5:20
A study of Hume's epistemology and metaphysics and his science of human nature. Topics include our knowledge of space and time; inductive reasoning; the nature and representation of causation; the origin and justification of belief in an external world; personal identity; the normative bearing of naturalized epistemology; the explanation and justification of religious belief; and the attractions and limits of skepticism. Readings in Book I of A Treatise of Human Nature, An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, and Dialogues concerning Natural Religion.
605a, u/PLSC 637, Hegel's Political Philosophy. Steven Smith
T, 9:25 - 11:15
The course will be based on a close reading of Hegel's principal work of political philosophy, the "Philosophy of Right." Special attention is given to this theory of the state, war, and international relations. We also examine Hegel's legacy and some of the main interpretations of his thought, e.g., Marx, Kojeve, Pippin.
625b, u, Topics in Philosophy of Mind. Katalin Balog
T, 1:30 - 3:20
Discussion of the explanatory gap, inverted spectrum and conceivability arguments; different kinds of consciousness; the relationship between consciousness and attention; and physicalist and dualist accounts of consciousness
626a, u, Appearance and Reality. Troy Cross
T, 3:30 - 5:20
An investigation of the nature of ultimate reality and the relations between the fundamental and the derivative. Theories of ultimate reality include physicalism, idealism, atomism, and monism. Dependence relations between the fundamental and the derivative include mereological composition, reduction, supervenience, and emergence.
627b, u, Persistence and Possibility. Michael Della Rocca
Th, 1:30 - 3:20
An examination of what it is for an object to persist through time and to have certain properties necessarily or contingently. Attention to the application of these issues to the identity of persons. Other topics include temporal parts vs. spatial parts, the identity of indiscernibles, the nature of time, counterpart theory, essentialism. Readings drawn from classicl sources (particularly Leibniz and Hume) and from contemporary sources including Kripke, Lewis, Parfit, van Inwagen, Adams and Unger.
628b, u, Intensional Logic. Sun-Joo Shin
T, 3:30 - 5:20
Logical treatment of "intensional" constructions, particularly necessity and possibility. Various propositional and quantified modal systems and possible worlds semantics. Philosophical issues involved in modality, e.g. the identity puzzle, free logic, modal skepticism.
629a, u, Problems in Semantics: Quantification. Itamar Francez, Zoltan Szabo
W, 1:30 - 3:20
Problems of generality, using work on quantification from linguistics and philosophy. Analysis of generalizations such as some, every, no, many, always, never and occasionally. Differences
from the quantifiers employed in first-order logic; philosophical implications with respect to the problems of reference and existence. Topics include adverbial quantifying expressions not associated with particular nominals; constructional resources of various substitutional quantification; plurals, pronouns, unselective binding, domains of quantification, absolute generality, descriptions, and existentials.
630a, u, Personal Identity. Kenneth Winkler
T, 3:30 - 5:20
Discussion of the nature of persons, their unity, and the conditions of their identity over time. Readings in a wide range of classical and contemporary sources, among them Locke, Hume, Shaftesbury, Butler, Reid, Bernard Williams, Derek Parfit, Charles Taylor, Sally Haslanger, and David Lewis. Some consideration of the metaphysics of kinds; social construction; philosophical methodology; and bearing of ethics on metaphysics.
631a, u, Modals and Conditionals. Daniel Rothschild
M, 3:30 - 5:20
An examination of the semantics and pragmatics of modals and conditionals. Topics include: possible-world analysis of modality, different kinds of modality, Lewis-Stalnaker analysis of counterfactuals, indicative conditionals, non-truth-conditional analyses of modals and conditionals, Sobel sequences and reverse-Sobel sequences, scope interactions with modals and conditionals.
650a, u, PLSC 580, Political Theory and Membership. Seyla Benhabib
W, 3:30 - 5:20
Conditions of membership have not been subjected to rigorous philosophical examination in liberal-democratic theory. How can boundaries and borders be justified? In a world of deterritorialized politics, what is the moral justification, if any, for retaining nation-state borders? By focusing on Rawls, Walzer, Habermas, Arendt and contemporary theories of citizenship (Beiner, Carens,Nussbaum, Bauboeck), this course deals with the ethics and politics of membership.
651b, u, Moral Obligation. Stephen Darwall
T, 7:00 - 8:50 pm
The concept, nature, and grounds of moral obligation. Focus on contemporary debates about the normativity of morality; some attention to historically important discussions, especially concerning Kant. Contemporary writings from Strawson, Nagel, Korsgaard, and Darwall.
652a, u, Biology, Evolution, and Culture. Jonathan Gilmore
W, 3:30 - 5:20
A broad investigation into purported evolutionary and biological explanations for such cultural phenomena as language, morals, politics, and art.
653b, u,HSAR 447, The Bavarian Rococo Church. Karsten Harries
M, 1:30 - 3:20
A case study, exploring the relationship of architecture, reason and the sacred. The focus is on the epochal threshold that divides the theatrical culture of the Baroque from our modern world picture.
654b, u, The Moral Theories of Moore and Ross. Shelly Kagan
W, 1:30 - 3:20
Most moral philosophers ground their accounts of ethics and value in matters “external” to ethics – theories of human nature, the human condition, or divine will, or general claims about the nature of reason and rationality. But in the early 20th century a more “autonomous” approach to ethics was common – the appeal to moral intuition was primary – and this approach remains important today. We will study two great classics from this period: G. E. Moore’s Principia Ethica and W. D. Ross’s The Right and the Good. Particular attention will be paid to evaluating the value theories defended by each book.
655a, -1, u, Normative Ethics. Shelly Kagan
W, 1:30 – 3:20
655a - 2, u, Normative Ethics. Shelly Kagan
M, 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). Note: Enrollment in 655a-1 limited to 20. If there is sufficient interest, 655a-2 will be offered on Mondays.
656b, u, Topics in Feminist Philosophy. Rae Langton.
M, 1:30 - 3:20
An examination of some contributions of feminist thinking to the topics of pornography and objectification. The course is mainly in moral and political philosophy, but occasionally touches on speech act theory and epistemology.
657a, u, Recent Work on Justice. Thomas Pogge
T, 7:00 - 8:50 PM
In-depth study of one contemporary book, author, or debate in political philosophy, political theory or normative economics. Depending on student interest, this might be on John Rawls’s work in the 1990s, on Derek Parfit’s Climbing the Mountain, or on G.A. Cohen’s Rescuing Justice and Equality.
658b, u, Philosophy and Politics: Global Health. Thomas Pogge
W, 3:30 - 5:20
The globalization of a uniform monopoly patent regime through the TRIPS Agreement illustrates how strongly the design of global institutional arrangements affects the still vast mortality and morbidity among the poor. With expert visitors from the relevant disciplines, we will explore the problem and ideas toward improving access by the poor to essential medicines.
659b, u, PLSC 609b, Political Philosophy as Education. Steven Smith
M, 1:30 - 3:20
A central theme of the work of all the great political philosophers is the education of the citizens of the future. This class examines three of the seminal modern texts on political education: Locke's "Thoughts Concerning Education," Rousseau's "Emile," and "The Education of Henry Adams." Particular emphasis is given to their views on the relation between political education and democracy. This course includes some short writings by J. S. Mill, Oakeshott, and Strauss on the role of liberal education in a free society. This is NOT a course on public policy.
660a, u, Hermeneutics, Multiculturalism and Cosmopolitan Critique. Lorenzo Simpson
Th, 1:30 - 3:20
Examination of the affinities and conflicts between the philosophical traditions of hermeneutics and Critical Theory, while paying special attention to the dispute between both traditions and that of so-called postmodernism with respect to the issues of humanism and the possibility of cross-cultural dialogue, understanding and critique.
700 a, Philosophy and Politics in Hanah Arendt's Thought. Seyla Benhabib
Th, 9:25 - 11:15
This course examines mainly Arendt’s posthumous work on “The Life of the Mind.” We focus on her readings of Kant, Nietzsche and Heidegger; her theories of judgment and of the will; action, narrative, and interpretation. Readings from Arendt, Heidegger, Kant (Third Critique) and Nietzsche.
701 a, Law and the Reactive Attitudes. Jules Coleman, Stephen Darwall
T, 2:00 - 4:00 (on Law School schedule)
This course explores the extent to which second-personal reasons and reactive attitudes contribute to our understanding of the law, its practices and central organizing concepts including the concept of law itself. Two examples we focus on are the relationship between concepts like blame, indignation and resentment in relationship to punishment, liability and contractual breach; and the general notion of obligation in its relationship to the idea of an authority to demand action and accountability. There will be a paper requirement for the course.
702a, Philosophy of Religion. Keith DeRose
T, 9:25 - 11:15
A study of the problem of evil, in several of the forms in which it presents a challenge to theistic belief, and of several of the most prominent defenses from the problem. The focus will be on work that's been done on the problem relatively recently, in the last few decades.
703b, Epistemology. Keith DeRose
T, 3:30 - 5:20
A study of some prominent issues in current epistemology. Topics may include skepticism,
internalist vs. externalist accounts of knowledge and of justification, the structure of knowledge and
justification (foundationalism vs. coherentism), contextualism in epistemology, and the "relevant
alternatives" account of knowledge.
704a, Thought Experiments, Intuitions, and Examples: Studies in Philosophical Methodology. Tamar Gendler
M, 1:30 - 3:20
An examination of philosophical methodology as practiced within the contemporary Anglo-American tradition. Readings include selections from a number of contemporary philosophers who explicitly or implicitly address issues of philosophical methodology (e.g. Bealer, Nussbaum, Murdoch, Williamson, Sosa), as well as related empirical work in psychology
705a, /CPLT 701a/German 628a, Kant, The Critique of Judgment. Karsten Harries
M, 1:30 - 3:20
706b,/CPLT 699b/ German 666b, Heidegger: Being and Time. Karsten Harries
W, 1:30 - 3:20
707b, Contemporary Critical Theory: Habermas and Beyond. Thomas McCarthy
Th, 1:30 - 3:20
This seminarexamines the central ideas of the leading contemporary critical theorist, Jürgen Habermas, as well as some of the many theoretical debates in which he has been involved.
708a,/CPLT 541a, 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, Joyce, Eliot, Dostoevsky, and others.
709a, A Priori Knowledge. George Bealer
Th, 1:30 - 3:20
The focus of the seminar will be on a priori justification, a priori evidence, and intuition. Along the way, we will consider the phenomenology of intuition; the relationship of conceivability and imaginability to intuitions of possibility; arguments for and against the evidential status of intuitions; explanatory accounts of the evidential status of intuitions and of their reliability.
710a, First year seminar. Keith DeRose, Zoltan Szabo
M, 7 - 8:50 PM
Required and limited to first year students in the philosophy Ph.D. program. Topic varies from year to year. Preparation for graduate work. Reading, writing and presentation skills.
711b, Work in Progress Seminar. George Bealer, Verity Harte
M, 3:30 - 5:20
In consultation with the instructors, each student will present a significant work in progress, e.g., a revised version of an advanced seminar paper or a dissertation chapter. Upon completion of the writing, the student will present the work in a mock colloquium format, including a formal question and answer period.
712b, Punishment. Gabriel Mendlow
T. 1:30 - 3:20
An examination of the nature and justification of legal punishment. Special attention paid to retributive theories of punishment, the moral emotions, and such related issues as forgiveness, mercy, and desert. Readings from historical and contemporary philosophers
713a, Concepts. George Bealer
W, 3:30 - 5:20
In the history of philosophy, three central theoretical roles have been attributed to concepts: to serve as the contents of thought, to serve as the meanings of words, to serve as the constituents of truths and falsehoods (i.e., propositions). But a number of significant problems have been discovered which, taken together, might show that concepts are unsuited to serve one or more of these roles. After surveying these problems, we will explore the prospects for a theory of concepts capable of overcoming them.
750a or b, Tutorial.
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