SEARCH CORNELL:

Pages People more options

Introductory Courses - Open to Freshman. No prerequisites.

PHIL 101 - Introduction to Philosophy
Matti Eklund
The course aims to give a broad introduction to philosophy – the different types of questions about ourselves, the world, and the relation between ourselves and the world that traditionally have been the focus of philosophy. Among the topics we will consider are questions about the nature of knowledge, the nature of our minds, the existence of free will and the existence of God.

PHIL 212 - Modern Philosophy
Andrew Chignell
A survey of Western philosophy in the 17 th and 18 th centuries: Descartes, Locke, Spinoza, Leibniz, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.  We will focus largely on epistemology (ideas, skepticism, belief, knowledge, science) and metaphysics (bodies, minds, God, causation, natural laws, afterlife, personal identity). Some of the ethical implications of these systems will also be mentioned in passing. Best taken in conjunction with Phil 211 (Ancient Philosophy), although this is not a prerequisite.

PHIL 217 - 19th and 20th Century European Thought
Michelle Kosch
Survey of European social theory from Hegel to Foucault (via Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Weber, and the Frankfurt School).

PHIL 231 - Introduction to Deductive Logic
Harold Hodes
The logic of truth-functional connectives, identity, and the universal and existential quantifiers; a formal language; translation between it and English; constructing worlds and models; and constructing proofs. We will use a textbook accompanied by a software package, Language, Proof and Logic by Barwise and J. Etchemendy.

PHIL 241 - Ethics
Nicholas Sturgeon
An introduction to the philosophical evaluation of moral theories and moral arguments. Ethical relativism, ethical egoism, ethical skepticism, utilitariansim and duty-based theories; some application to controversial contemporary issues.

PHIL 242- Social and Political Philosophy
Karen Bennett
Description to be listed

PHIL 245 - Ethics and Health Care
Neelam Sethi
An introduction to the philosophical study of ethical problems that arise from the practice of medicine as such or that arise in response to developments within medicine and the larger world.

PHIL 251 - Introduction to Philosophy of Art
Staff
Description to be listed

PHIL 261 - Knowledge and Reality
Nico Silins
An introduction to philosophical questions about the nature of knowledge and reasonable belief, about sources of knowledge and reasonable belief such as perception, memory, reasoning and testimony, and about the extent and source of our knowledge about our own minds.

PHIL 264 - Introduction to Metaphysics
Karen Bennett
Description to be listed.

---

Intermediate or Advanced Courses - Some courses have prerequisites.

PHIL 308 - Hellenistic Philosophy
Tad Brennan
An examination of the doctrines of the Greek philosophers working in the three centuries after the death of Aristotle.  Emphasis on Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Skepticism.

PHIL 311 - The Rationalists
Andrew Chignell
A mid-level look at the epistemology and metaphysics of some classical continental rationalists. Readings from some (but not all) of the following: Descartes, Malebranche, Spinoza, Leibniz, Wolff, the early Kant. Prerequisite: One previous course in Philosophy is required, and Phil 211 or something comparable is recommended.

PHIL 331 - Deductive Logic
Brian Weatherson
The syntax and model-theory of classical propositional logic and classical predicate logic, including proofs of the soundness and completeness of Natural Deduction formalizations of these logics, with some attention to related material.

PHIL 347 - Global Justice
Richard Miller
A study of the leading debates over the nature of justice among governments and people throughout the world. What are the obligations of people in rich countries to help the foreign poor? What principles of fairness should be observed in international economic arrangements? To what extent do governments have a right to control their territories without foreign intervention? What kinds of wars are just and what conduct in war is morally permissible? What is the moral significance of nationality, patriotism and national self-determination? How should international institutions operate, and what is their proper role in global governance? Readings will include work by political philosophers, political scientists, and economists, and will sometimes involve specific case studies.

PHIL 381 - Philosophy of Science: Knowledge and Objectivity
Richard Boyd
Description to be listed.

PHIL 382 - Consciousness and Physicalism
Derk Pereboom
Description to be listed

PHIL 387 - Philosophy of Mathematics
Harold Hodes
This course will consider several philosophical topics raised by Mathematics, attending to the discussion of these topics in the course of the last 120 years; special attention to: the relationships between Mathematics and Logic, and the semantics of mathematical discourse. Prerequisite: two courses in Philosophy; Recommended: at least one course in Logic.

---

Advanced Courses and Seminars - Primarly for major and graduate students.

PHIL 409 - German Philosophical Texts
Andrew Chignell
Reading and translation of philosophical texts in German. Pre-requisites: Basic reading (not necessarily speaking) knowledge of German.

PHIL 410 - Latin Philosophical Texts
Scott MacDonald
Reading and translation of philosophical texts in Latin. Pre-requisites: Basic reading (not necessarily speaking) knowledge of Latin.

PHIL 419 - Mid 20th Century Philosophy
Matti Eklund
An overview of central issues in mid-20th century analytic philosophy. Among the authors we will discuss will be Quine, Carnap, Geach and the later Wittgenstein. The emphasis will be on foundational issues in metaphysics and epistemology. Prerequisite: two previous philosophy courses or permission of instructor.

PHIL 437 - Problems in the Philosophy of Language
Wylie Breckenridge
Description to be listed

PHIL 446 - Topics in Political Obligation
Erin Taylor
Description to be listed

PHIL 460 - Epistemology
Nico Silins
Prerequisites: at least one course in philosophy. Testimony and Disagreement. The focus of this course is on how we can gain, or lose, knowledge and reasonable beliefs through discourse with others. We will first look at when and how we can come to know that something is true on the basis of somebody’s saying that it’s true. We will then look at whether and how we should revise our beliefs when we learn that someone else, apparently as intelligent and well-informed as us, disagrees with us.

PHIL 611 - Grad Seminar: Ancient Philosophy
Tad Brennan
A study of Aristotle's Posterior Analytics in the context of his other writings on logic, epistemology, and the philosophy of science.

PHIL 612 - Medieval Philosophy
Scott Macdonald
A topic in medeival philosophy. Prerequisite: graduate student in philosophy or permission of instructor

PHIL 665 - Metaphysics
Richard Boyd and Karen Bennett
Description to be listed.

PHIL 641 - Ethics and Value Theory
Michelle Kosch
Description to be listed.