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PHILOSOPHY Professors Hight, Janowski, Wilson. Chair: Patrick A. Wilson The requirements for a Philosophy major are Philosophy 102, 201, 210, 211 or 212, 304 or 305, 412, 413, and an additional 9 hours in the discipline (30 total hours). Interdisciplinary majors involving philosophy may be developed and pursued with the approval of the departments concerned. For more information about the department, see its web page. PHILOSOPHY 101. (3) CRITICAL THINKING. What exactly is wrong with concluding that a team will be competitive because each of its players is skilled? Or that astrology must work because it’s been practiced for thousands of years? Critical thinking is a tool for analyzing these sorts of fallacies, for sifting fact from nonsense, for learning to think for oneself and about one’s life, and for fully engaging as a well-informed citizen. In a competitive world, the ability to think critically gives anyone a valuable edge over candidates for jobs in almost any field. The course is pitched to the beginning student, with absolutely no prior knowledge presupposed. It involves sustained discussion of examples of good and bad reasoning. Grades are based primarily on quizzes, homework, and tests. There are no papers. The course’s aim is to provide an enjoyable and intellectually stimulating environment in which to hone skills and prepare for a life of independent thinking. Prerequisite: none. Offered: on sufficient demand. PHILOSOPHY 102. (3) INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY. Does God exist? What makes life meaningful? How to explain consciousness? Am I somehow (how?) one and the same being over time? Could a computer think? What makes a person a person? What is the source of morality? And what does morality require of me? If I want to be a good man and good citizen, how should I live my life? This course welcomes students to the practice of philosophy via a careful examination of questions such as these. Be ready to think hard about your basic beliefs—and to be unsettled. Prerequisite: none. Offered: each semester.
PHILOSOPHY 201. (3) LOGIC. The ability to think critically and recognize unsound reasoning is fundamental to a liberal education and valuable in graduate and law school, as well as a wide variety of occupations. This course provides a traditional introduction to propositional logic and proof methods, accompanied periodically by an introduction to categorical and/or predicate logic. Prerequisite: none. Offered: each semester. PHILOSOPHY 210. (3) ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY. Emphasizing the thought of Plato and Aristotle, this course seeks to develop intellectual virtues in students today by examining the views of early western philosophers from the pre-Socratics through the medieval era. The course is typically the second course students take in philosophy but is suitable for any student seeking to improve his critical thinking skills. Prerequisite: none. Offered: fall semester. PHILOSOPHY 211. (3) MODERN PHILOSOPHY: RATIONALISTS. Our contemporary ways of thinking (in science, religion, and elsewhere) are built upon the foundations of early modern thinkers such as Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, and Malebranche. This course examines the philosophy of the early modern tradition known as rationalism, engaging questions about the nature of the mind, whether the material world has empty space, the nature of identity, monads, and more! Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or consent of the instructor. Offered: spring semester of evennumbered years. PHILOSOPHY 212. (3) MODERN PHILOSOPHY: EMPIRICISTS AND KANT. This course examines the philosophy of the early modern tradition known as empiricism, focusing on the work of Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Reid. It concludes by engaging Kant’s response to his predecessors. Topics include personal identity, arguments as to why material substance does not exist, and intriguing discussions about the limits of human knowledge. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or consent of the instructor. Offered: spring semester of odd-numbered years.
