Philosophy Courses ** 2005-06 ** Interim and Semester II

Interim 2006

 

58-120 Phil. and Literature (Interim Course)
WRI, ALS-L SANTURRI M-F 10:40-12:40
Philosophical issues are implicit in all human activities and expressions, not least in literary works. In this course we analyze formal properties of literary works as aesthetic treatments of philosophical themes such as the metaphysics and ethics of freedom, the problem of evil, and the role of character in choice and action. For example, we relate Camu/ The Plague to the general philosophical themes listed above, and explore specific ideas such as absurdity, lucidity, rebellion, and human solidarity through a study of plot, character, point of view, imagery and symbolism in the novel.


58-147 Death/Meaning of Life (Interim Course)
LANGERAK M-F 1:00-3:00
An introduction to philosophical ideas and methods through reading, discussing, and writing about some basic questions that arise when we reflect on the human condition. What is meant by "meaning" when one asks whether (a person's) life has meaning? How do our beliefs about human nature, religion, and morality affect how we ask or answer the question? What is the role of work and vocation in living a meaningful life? How does the fact that we inevitably will die or that our universe eventually will disappear affect one's outlook? We will analyze classical and contemporary writings -- philosophical and autobiographical--to develop clearer, more informed, and better reasoned views about the questions, if not the answers. Since some important conflicts are likely to arise, we will discuss the ethics of compromise and the difficulties of living a principled and committed life in a pluralistic society that requires appropriate toleration and even respect for views with which one disagrees.


58-250 Biomedical Ethics (Interim Course)
EIN GERVAIS M-F 8:00-10:00
We examine the main moral theories, principles, and approaches current in Western bioethics and apply them to such issues as the health care professional/patient relationship, research with human subjects, neuroscience, human embryo use in stem cell research, the definition of death, end of life decision-making, euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, justice, rationing and access to health care. We distinguish the empirical, metaphysical, conceptual, and normative (i.e., religious, cultural, social, and ethical) dimensions of these issues, seeking to refine our capacities for analysis, reflection, and argument; clarify such concepts as person, autonomy, rights, community, health, life, and death. We relate philosophical and medical discussions central to religious and theological concerns in the Judeo-Christian tradition and discuss how we can combine firm personal commitments on issues in biomedical ethics with appropriate tolerance and respect for the alternative commitments of other members of our pluralistic society.


58-252 Ethics/the Good Life (Interim Course)
EIN MANION M-F 1:00-3:00
This course addresses what morality asks of us (if anything), how we can know what it asks of us, and why we need to comply (if we need to comply). By reading and discussing classical and contemporary sources from the Western philosophical tradition, we will grapple with questions like: What does it mean to be good, morally speaking? Does it entail behaving in a certain way? Does it require having certain attitudes about others and the world? If so, on what are the requirements to act in certain ways or to hold certain attitudes and beliefs based? How do we decide what to do in perplexing cases where different values clash? Can philosophical thinking about morality help us solve problems about issues like euthanasia and genocide? What is the relationship between moral obligation and political obligation? Why, in the end, should anyone be morally good?

Semester II, 2006

58-118 Making Of Modern Mind
HWC LANGERAK T 9:35-11:00, Th 9:30-10:50
We survey the development of historically significant conceptions of reality, knowledge, and ethics from Socrates to Nietzsche. We study the major philosophers in their cultural context, emphasizing how they relate their explanations of the universe to their conceptions of morality and of a meaningful human life. The aim is to understand the historical contributions of philosophy to Western culture as well as their continuing significance. Open to first-year students and sophomores only.

58-119A Moral Psychology
HBS-E GRENBERG MWF 9:05-10:00
58-119B Moral Psychology
HBS-E GRENBERG MWF 10:45-11:40
This course provides an introduction to the discipline of philosophy and philosophical method by focusing on how philosophers, as compared with psychologists, approach the study of moral states of character. A variety of moral states of character will be presented and analyzed from both philosophical and psychological perspectives, including some of the following: respect, self-respect, humility, magnanimity, guilt, shame, self-control, beneficence, gratitude and forgiveness.

58-235A Ancient & Medieval
WRI, HWC HARPER T 11:45-1:10, Th 12:45-2:05
58-235B Ancient & Medieval
WRI HWC HARPER MWF 2:00-2:55
This course surveys the origins and development of Western philosophy from the pre-Socratics to some Medieval attempts to synthesize the Greek philosophical tradition and the Judeo-Christian religious heritage. Students encounter pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, Stoics, Epicureans, Skeptics, Anselm and Aquinas, usually through primary texts.

58-240 Formal Logic & Philosophy
HARPER MWF 11:50-12:45
Students explore propositional and predicate logic and some philosophical issues concerning the metatheory: consistency, completeness, and the interpretation of quantifiers.

58-243 Aesthetics
WRI, ALS-A TALIAFERRO T 11:45-1:10, Th 12:45-2:05
This course will study competing conceptions of art and artists, the nature of creativity, imagination, and the meaning and value of art. We will begin by considering the development of art in the West from Greek culture to the modern era, and then juxtapose this with the theory and development of art in Asia and Africa. While the course will begin with a historical emphasis, its principle goal is the development of a set of critical and appreciative tools by which to understand and engage art today. We will also be concerned with "aesthetics" in the broader sense, which involves the role of beauty, the sublime, and ugliness as these feature in objects and experience. What is beauty and ugliness? Might there be universal standards of beauty or will beauty always be "in the eye of the beholder"? What is the relationship between beauty and ethics? The many art topics we will discuss include the identification and description of works of art (what makes something a work of art?), the difference between art and craft, the relationship between emotions and music, instrumental music and language, art education, the nature of fictitious entities (where are poems?), feminist art theory, environmental art, the nature and significance of artistic intentions, originality, metaphors, laws that protect and control art and the art market, censorship, state sponsored art, the cultural significance of museums, the relationship between different artistic genres, children's art, and the art of the insane.

58-24 Philosophy & Science
NST, WRI SWAIN MWF 12:55-1:50
This course examines a number of questions about the nature of science, scientific methods, and scientific reasoning in order to help students develop an understanding of contemporary science. Among the issues addressed are the objectivity of scientific theories, the status of different kinds of scientific claims and findings, the difference between science and pseudo-science, and the role of social and political factors in shaping the direction of research. The course also examines ways in which science influences contemporary life by providing scientific answers to questions that have important social, personal, and religious implications.

58-245 Philosophy & Feminism
MCS-D GERVAIS T 8:00-9:25, Th 8:00-9:20
This course will be anchored in two large feminist concerns: justice for women under American law (feminist jurisprudence), and social justice for women globally. Topics will include the impacts of legal and societal arrangements on women's opportunities and experiences, with emphasis on forms of oppression and violence that have historically been directed primarily at women: e.g., employment and reproductive roles, rape, domestic violence, pornography, and prostitution. We will inquire into the relation between the oppression of women and of other groups on the basis of race or ethnicity, and we'll explore multiple perspectives on the question of what conditions are necessary for legal justice for women in the U.S. and social justice for women globally. Course requirements: several short papers, leading class discussion on one major reading, and a final position paper.


58-252A Ethics and the Good Life
MANION T 11:45-1:10, Th 12:45-2:05
58-252B Ethics and the Good Life
MANION T 1:20-2:45, Th 2:15-3:35
This course addresses what morality asks of us (if anything), how we can know what it asks of us, and why we need to comply (if we need to comply). By reading and discussing classical and contemporary sources from the Western philosophical tradition, we will grapple with questions like: What does it mean to be good, morally speaking? Does it entail behaving in a certain way? Does it require having certain attitudes about others and the world? If so, on what are the requirements to act in certain ways or to hold certain attitudes and beliefs based? How do we decide what to do in perplexing cases where different values clash? Can philosophical thinking about morality help us solve problems about issues like euthanasia and genocide? What is the relationship between moral obligation and political obligation? Why, in the end, should anyone be morally good?

58-254A Law, Politics, and Morality
EIN RUDD MWF 12:55-1:50
This course considers the relationships between moral principles, law and the practice of governments. Should governments act in accordance with specific moral principles or ideals, or stay neutral between differing views? Topics considered may include the "just war" debate; censorship; property rights and distributive justice; natural law; political liberalism and its critics; the tensions between individual rights and the good of the community; and the role of religion in public life.

58-256 Friendship Love/Good Life
WRI, EIN SWAIN M-F 10:45-11:40
This course is an introduction to ethics and value theory. Moral issues arising in connection with friendship and love are analyzed from the perspective of various classical and contemporary theories of value. Since loving is itself a form of valuing, value theory is approached by investigating philosophical and theological works concerning the basic types of love: philia (friendly love), eros (erotic love), and agape love. The value of love and friendship and their roles in a good life are also investigated from a variety of normative perspectives. Requirements include a short paper, a philosophical journal, one exam, participation in a panel discussion, and a final position paper.

58-257A Environmental Ethics
WRI, EIN TALIAFERRO T 9:35-11:00, Th 9:30-10:50
58-257B Environmental Ethics
WRI, EIN TALIAFERRO T 1:20-2:45, Th 2:15-3:35
Inquiry into ecological and environmental issues including the treatment of nonhuman animals for food, science, and other purposes, pollution policies, conservation and preservation practices, land stewardship, wilderness management, the wilderness experience, the value of biodiversity, agricultural policies, water rights, the Law of the Sea Treaty, the economic and political assessment of natural goods, population growth, the moral relevance of future generations, and ecological sabotage. We will consider the environmental significance of philosophies of nature found in Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism, and other world religions, and we will consider relevant theories of good and evil advanced in utilitarianism, Kantianism, theories of natural law, communitarianism, social contract theory, ecofeminism, and deep ecology.

58-373 Sem.: Ethics/Theory/Value
WRI, EIN LANGERAK T 1:20-2:45, Th 2:15-3:35
This seminar will begin by discussing the challenges to traditional ethical theory raised in Alisdair MacIntyre's seminal book, After Virtue, including his claim that the Enlightenment project not only failed, it had to fail. We will then look at Rawls's recent Political Liberalism, in which he reacts to criticisms of A Theory of Justice and argues for a version of liberalism that is responsive to some of MacIntyre's worries. We will also consider current contributions to the debate, including those of Richard Rorty, Michael Sandel, and Jeffrey Stout. The debate over political liberalism involves discussion about combining personal integrity with the tolerance required in a diverse society: Can we disagree about (our theories of) the good, and still reach consensus on the right? Can we flatly contradict each other on what makes life meaningful and still agree on basic justice? Participants in the seminar will explain and critique, in class presentations and term papers, current ethical thinkers or movements that engage this debate, making use of at least one of the many important recent works that combine analysis current issues with some attention to the historical factors influencing the contemporary debates. A list of books and topics appropriate for a project will be suggested, but students are also encouraged to suggest their own. In short, we will take seriously one of the strongest and most influential challenges to the possibility of developing a reasonable public ethic in a pluralistic world, then discuss the most important effort to do precisely that, and then listen to the critiques and alternatives that are of greatest interest to seminar participants.

58-399 Seminar: Free Will
WRI RUDD M-F 9:05-10:00
Intended as a capstone course for the major, this seminar studies free will, with emphasis on independent research and student presentations in class. May be repeated if topics are different. Prerequisite: upper level philosophy major or consent of instructor.