Undergraduate Program,
Courses 2009-2010
Official Yale College program and course information is found in Yale College Programs of Study, available on line at www.yale.edu/yalecollege/publications/ycps.
Introductory Courses
*Philosophy D.S., Introductory Philosophy Lecture
F, 11:30-12:20
Alexander Beecroft
Michael Della Rocca
Mihaela Fistioc
Greg Ganssle
Jonathan Gilmore
Paul Grimstad
Verity Harte
David Larsen
David Possen
Raul Saucedo
Matthew Smith
110a, Introduction to Philosophy. Jill North
T, Th, 1:30 - 2:20, 1 HTBA
An introduction to the character of philosophical thought andreasoning. We will focus on five issues in philosophy, usinghistorical and contemporary readings: skepticism; free will and determinism; laws of nature; time; material constitution.
115a, First-Order Logic. Kenneth Winkler
W, F, 11:35 - 12:25; 1 HTBA
An introduction to formal logic. Study of the formal deductive systems and semantics for both propositional and predicate logic. Some discussion of metatheory as well.
History of Philosophy
125a, Introduction: Ancient Philosophy. Susanne Bobzien
W, F, 1:30 - 2:20; 1 HTBA
An introduction to the main developments in ancient Western philosophy covering the earliest pre-Socratics, concentrating upon Plato and Aristotle, and including a brief foray into Hellenistic philosophy. Intended to be taken in conjunction with Philosophy 126b
126b, Modern Philosophy from Descartes to Kant. Keith DeRose
T, Th, 11:35 - 12:25; 1 HTBA
An introduction to some major figures in the history of modern philosophy with critical readings of Descartes, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Reid and Kant Intended to be taken in conjunction with Philosophy 125a, although 125a is not a prerequisite.
Metaphysics and Epistemology
150a, History and Philosophy of Science, Integrated. William Summers
MW 1:30-2:20; 1 HTBA
History and philosophy of science have a special affinity and one can effectively advance both simultaneously. The common goal of understanding of science can be pursued by dual, interdependent means. This course aims to organize important themes in philosophy of science to illuminate and explicate important historical examples from both the physical and biological sciences. The understanding provided by philosophical analysis applied to historically grounded and contingently developed science will be greater than that obtained without such an integrated perspective.
Ethics and Value Theory
175b, Introduction to Ethics. Shelly Kagan
M, W, 10:30 – 11:20; 1 HTBA
What makes one act right and another wrong? What am I morally required to do for others? What is the basis of morality anyway? These are some of the questions raised in moral philosophy. A careful examination of two of the most important attempts to answer them, the theories of John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant, as well as a briefer look at two other important views, those of David Hume and Thomas Hobbes. Also, consideration of the problem of free will: do we really have control over what we do, or are we merely the puppets of external causes?
178a, Introduction: Political Philosophy. Matthew Smith
T, Th, 11:35 - 12:25; 1 HTBA
A survey of social and political theory from Plato through modern philosophers such as Rawls, Nozick and Cohen. Emphasis on tracing the development of political ideas; challenges to political theories
179a, Life. Shelly Kagan
M, W, 10:30 - 11:20; 1 HTBA
Most of us stumble through life without asking what is really worth having. In this class, we will examine the various possible elements of a good life, and ask which truly have value and why. What should I look for in choosing a career? What is the significance of my decision whether to have children? Why is love so important? What is the value of education? How important is accomplishment? Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. So let's examine.
180a, PLSC 191, Ethics and International Affairs. Thomas Pogge, Markus LaBude
T, Th, 10:30 - 11:20; 1 HTBA
Traditional questions about state boundaries, addressing the traditional questions about state conduct and international relations as well as more recent questions about intergovernmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the design of global institutional arrangements.
181b, Philosophy and the Science of Human Nature. Joshua Knobe
T, Th, 11:35 - 12:25: 1 HTBA
Classical theories of human nature examined in light of recent developments in the social sciences. Possible topics include Plato's discussion of innate ideas and current research on infant development; Aristotle's conception of character and modern research in social psychology; Epictetus's writings on human flourishing and contemporary work on happiness; Nietzsche's genealogy of morals and findings from cognitive science.
Intermediate Courses
History of Philosophy
204a, Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. Jonathan Vogel
M, W, 2:30 - 3:20; 1 HTBA
An examination of the metaphysical and epistemological doctrines of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason.
210a, Eastern Philosophy. Quang Van
T, Th, 1:30 - 2:20; 1 HTBA
An introduction to Eastern philosophy through the study of philosophical and religious texts. Topics include reality and illusion, knowledge, self, right and wrong, nonattachment, meditation, aesthetics, meaning of life , and death.
212b, Ancient Metaphysics. Matt Evans
M, W, 1 - 2:15
Survey of ancient Greek metaphysics from Anaximander to Aristotle, with an emphasis on Plato’s theory of forms and Aristotle’s theory of substances.
260b, American Philosophy. Kenneth Winkler
W, F, 2:30 - 3:45
A survey of American philosophy from colonial times to the middle of the twentieth century. Among the topics: European justifications of colonization and conquest; the spiritualist metaphysics of Berkeley and Jonathan Edwards; slavery and abolition; and transcendentalism (Emerson, Thoreau). Particular attention to classical pragmatism, with readings in Peirce, James, Dewey and their critics. Some discussion of recent reinterpretations of pragmatism by such writers as Quine, Richard Rorty, and Cornel West.
Metaphysics and Epistemology
267b, G, Mathematical Logic. Sun-Joo Shin
T, Th, 1:30 - 2:20: 1 HTBA
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. Prerequisite: Philosophy 115) or permission of instructor.
269a, Philosophy of Science. Jill North
T, Th, 2:30 - 3:20; 1 HTBA
Consideration of central questions about the nature of scientific theory and practice, including what makes a discipline a science, whether science discovers the objective truth about the world, how and why scientific theories change over time, to what extent observation and experiment determine which theories we accept, what constitutes s a good scientific explanation, what laws of nature are, and whether physics has a special status compared to other sciences.
270a, Epistemology. Keith DeRose, Bruno Whittle
M, W, 11:35 - 12:50
Introduction to current topics in the theory of knowledge The analysis of knowledge, justified belief, rationality, certainty, and evidence.
272a, Philosophy of Mind. Katalin Balog
T, Th, 11:35 – 12:25
A survey of contemporary issues in the philosophy of mind. Topics to include arguments for dualism and physicalist responses, mental causation, the nature of intentional states, and the nature of qualitative states.
276b, Metaphysics. Bruno Whittle
T, Th, 1 - 2:15
Examination of some fundamental aspects of reality. Topics include time, persistence, modality, causation, and existence.
281b, Infinity. Zoltan Szabo
M, W, 11:35 - 12:50
The idea of infinity. Traditional and contemporary versions of the paradoxes of space, time, and motion as well as the paradoxes of classes, chances, and truth. Some elementary arithmetic, geometry, probability theory and set theory.
283b, Philosophy of Physics. Jill North
T, Th, 1:30 - 2:20: 1 HTBA
An introduction to the philosophical foundations of physics, with a goal of understanding both the theoretical framework and the quantitative methods of different physical theories. Analysis of conceptual and quantitative problems in classical mechanics, special relativity, and general relativity. Consideration of such issues as Zeno’s paradoxes of motion, the nature and existence of space and time, the possibility of time travel, and the relation between physics and metaphysics.
Ethics and Value Theory
325b, The Philosophy of Law. Scott Shapiro
T, Th, 11:35 - 12:25; 1 HTBA
An introduction to the problems and methods of the philosophy of law. Topics include the nature of law and legal authority; the philosophical bases of various areas of law, including criminal law and the practice of punishment; and the political philosophy of law, including the nature of rights and the obligation to obey laws.
326b, The Philosophy of Religion. John Hare
M, W, 11:35 - 12:25; 1 HTBA
A study of the relation between religion and ethics, traditional arguments for the existence of god, religious experience, the problem of evil, miracles, immortality, science and religion, and faith and reason.
328b, G, European Political Thought From Weber to Derrida. Seyla Benhabib
T, Th, 2:30 - 3:20
A survey of major themes in twentieth-century Continental political thought. Topics include reason and rationalization in modernity; legality, legitimacy, and sovereignty; decline of the public sphere; origins of totalitarianism; and communicative ethics and the inclusion of the "other" in the new Europe. Readings from Max Weber, the Frankfurt school. Walter Benjamin, Hannah Arendt, Martin Heidegger, Carl Schmitt, Jürgen Habermas, and Jacques Derrida.
Seminars
Prerequisites: The following courses generally require a previous course in philosophy. All require the instructor’s permission.
History of Philosophy
*400a, G, Aristotle on Voluntary Action, Choice & Responsibility. Susanne Bobzien, Verity Harte
W, 4:00- 5:50
Close study of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, in Greek. Focus on book III, chapters 1-5, in which Aristotle sets out his theory of the voluntary, practical deliberation, choice (or intention) and responsibility. Prerequisites: PHIL 125a or equivalent and intermediate Greek, or with permission of instructor.
*401b, G, Ancient Relativism. Matt Evans
W, 3:30 - 5:20
Attempts by ancient Greek philosophers to formulate, defend, and attack the view that certain truths or facts are by their very nature relative to something, someone, or sometime. Texts will be drawn from Heraclitus, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and Sextus.
*402a, G, Descartes. Michael Della Rocca
M, 1:30 - 3:20
A close examination of Descartes’s view on skepticism, perception, philosophy of mind, causation, and the nature of the physical world. Consideration of writings from throughout his career as well as influential secondary literature.
*403a, G, Jewish Philosophy in the 20th Century. Michael Morgan
T, 9:25 - 11:15
Examination of the major figures in the tradition of Jewish philosophy in the twentieth century. Consideration of their engagement with the Western philosophical tradition, especially in Europe(Hermann Cohen, Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig) and in postwar America (Emil Fackenheim, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and Joseph Soloveitchik). The impact of the Six Day War and the Nazi Holocaust on American Jewish thinkers (Richard Rubenstein, Irving Greenberg, Eliezer Berkovits).
*404b, G, History and Critique of Semiotics. David Larsen
W, 3:30 - 5:20
Meaning is derived from raw phenomena, relayed through interpersonal communication, and variously engaged in the work of art. And yet it is said to have one vehicle: the sign. This seminar is on the conveyance of meaning in all its aspects, combining an introduction to contemporary semiotic theory with a historical survey of semiotic thought, and experimenting with their uses in contemporary humanistic inquiry.
*405a, Kant's Concepts of Nature. Karsten Harries, Omri Boehm
W, 1:30 - 3:20
Exploration of Kant's views on nature and its value. Readings from his workiin metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics. Topics include the prospects of reducing all sciences to physics, limits of the scientific understanding of nature, the moral significance of natur's beauty and the use of nature's beauty and nature's teleology to support claims for the existence of God.
*406b, G, Kant's Transcendental Idealism. Thomas Pogge
T, 9:25 - 11:15
A close reading of the central parts of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason.
*411a, G, Adorno's Aesthetic Theory. Rainer Nägele.
W, 3:30 - 5:20
Close reading of Adorno's "Ästhetische Theorie". Reading knowledge in German required.
Metaphysics, Epistemology, Logic
*425b, G, Topics in Philosophy of Mind. Katalin Balog
T, 9:25 - 11:15
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.
*426a, G, The Cognitive Science of Morality. Joshua Knobe
T, 7 - 9 PM
Introduction to the emerginig field of moral cognition. Focus on questions about the philosophical significance of psychological findings. Topics will include: the role of emotion in moral judgment; the significance of character traits in virtue ethics and personality psychology; the reliability of intuitions and the psychological processes that underlie them.
*427b, G Vagueness and the Sorites Paradox. Susanne Bobzien
Th, 1:30 - 3:20
A study of some of the main approaches to the Sorites paradox. Examination of what semantics (if any) can be given for vague expresssions and the role that pragmatic considerations ought to play in an account of vagueness.
*428a, G,Recent Work in Metaphysics. Raul Saucedo
W, 1:30 - 3:20
Current debates in metaphysics concerning space and time modality, parts and wholes, and ontological dependence. Readings from the works of Lewis, Fine, Van Inwagen, Sider, Schaffer, and Uzquiano, and others
*429b, G, Direction of Time. Jill North
T, 3:30 - 5:20
Attempts to explain the temporal asymmetries we experience in everyday life—that coffee cools and ice melts, not the reverse; that we have memories of the past and not the future; that we can causally affect the future but not the past—given that the physical laws are symmetric in time. Questions include whether it is possible to have a unified explanation for the different asymmetries and whether time itself has a direction.
*430a, G, Definition and Essence. George Bealer
Th, 1:30 - 3:20
An examine the nature of definition and essence, their relation to one another and to modality, whether one of these notions is definitionally prior to the others, and whether any of them must be taken as an ultimate primitive.
*431a,G, Personal Identity and the Self. Katalin Balog
T, 1:30 – 3:20
A study of the concept of a person. Explanation of whether our conception of what it is to be a human being is historically conditioned and culture-relative and, whether our conception of ourselves is related to our knowledge and understanding of other people. Discussion of the problem of personal identity over time, i.e., what makes a person the same individual at different times. Implications for ethics, psychology and the significance of mortality.
*432b, G, Stoic Logic. Susanne Bobzien
Th, 7 - 8:50 PM
The contributions of Stoic philosophers to various areas of logic, such as speech act theory, theory of meaning, propositional logic, deductive systems, relevance and modal logics, truth theories, and semantic paradoxes.
*433b, G, Computability and Logic. Sun-Joo Shin
T, 3:30 - 5:20
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. Prerequisite: Phil. 267a or permission of instructor.
*434a, G, Recent Approaches to Skepticism. Jonathan Vogel
T, 3:30 - 5:20
Contemporary approaches to the problem of skepticism about the external world. Focus on neo-Moorean arguments, a priori entitlement, and inference to the best explanation accounts.
*435b, G, The Self: East and West. Katalin Balog
M, 1:30 - 3:20
Eastern and Western philosophical approaches to the nature of the self and personal identity. Particular attention to the view that commonsense concepts of the self are somehow defective.
*436a, G, Propositions, Truth and Paradox. Bruno Whittle
T, 1:30 - 3:20
Semantic paradoxes, and the theories of meaning and truth that address them. Focus on the question of whether one can give adequate accounts of propositions and of truth. Topics include varieties of possible worlds, consistent accounts of structures propositions, and languages that contain their own truth predicates.
*437b, G, Philosophy of Mathematics. Bruno Whittle
M, 1:30 - 3:20
Metaphysical and epistemological issues raised by mathematics. Questions concerning the notion of a set; whether one can quantify over absolutely everything; whether there are really infinite sets of different sizes; the significance of Gödel's incompleteness theorems; arguments designed to show that certain mathematical terms are referentially indeterminate.
Ethics and Value Theory
*450a, G, Humanities 338, Biology, Evolution, and Culture. Jonathan Gilmore
F, 1:30 - 3:20
A broad investigation into purported evolutionary and biological explanations for such cultural phenomena as language, morals, politics, and art.
*451b, G Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art. Jonathan Gilmore
F, 1:30 - 3:20
The nature and significance of works of art. Topics include aesthetic judgment; art and morality; depiction and cognition; fictions and emotions; imagination; originality and forgery; depiction and cognition; fictions and emotions; imagination; originality and forgery; intention and interpretation; artistic style; and freedom of expression
*453a, G, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau. Matthew Smith
Th, 1:30 - 3:20
Exploration of the early modern foundations of social contract theory. Close readings of works by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
*455b, G, Normative Ethics. Shelly Kagan
W, 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).
*456a, G, PLSC 307a, John Rawls on Social Justice. Thomas Pogge
T, 3:30 - 5:20
John Rawls is widely hailed as the most important political philosopher of the 20th century. Focusing mainly on his A Theory of Justice, this seminar will critically assess his account of social justice.
*480a or b, Tutorial. Consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
A reading course supervised by a member of the department and satisfying the following conditions: (1) the work of the course must not be possible to do in an already existing course; (2) the course must involve a substantial amount of writing, i.e., a term essay or a series of short essays; (3) the student must meet with the instructor regularly, normally for at least an hour a week; (4) the proposed course of study must be approved by both the director of undergraduate studies and the instructor.
*490a, and 491b Senior Essay. Consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
The essay, written under the supervision of a member of thedepartment, should be a substantial paper; a suggested length isbetween 8.000 and 12,000 words for one-term projects, and between 12,500 and 15,000 words for two-term projects. Students completing aone-term project should register for 490a in the fall or 491b in thespring. Students completing a two-term project should register for both 490a and 491b. The deadline for essays completed in the fall isDecember 1; the deadline for essays completed in the spring, whetherone-term or two-term, is April 20.
