Philosophy

Dr. Robert E. Money, Jr., Chair

Philosophy Department Faculty

Full-Time: Michael D. Hartsock, Robert E. Money Jr., Eric S. Roark

The Philosophy Department provides students with a number of different majors and minors to consider. Students should contact a faculty member in the Philosophy Department to discuss in more detail which option is best for them. Options include: 1) Philosophy Major (Traditional Track) 2) Philosophy Major (Pre-Law Track) 3) Ethics Major 4) Philosophy Minor 5) Philosophy Pre-Law Minor 6) Ethics Minor

Note: Students may not major in both philosophy and ethics. Neither may students who major in philosophy or ethics also minor in philosophy, philosophy prelaw, or ethics.

The philosophy major and the ethics major are designed to meet the needs of four classes of students: (a) those who have no professional interest in philosophy but who wish to approach a liberal education through the discipline of philosophy; (b) those who want a composite or interdepartmental major in philosophy or ethics and the natural sciences, behavioral sciences, humanities, business, or creative arts; (c) those who want an intensive study of philosophy or ethics preparatory to graduate study in some other field such as law, medicine, theology, business, or education; and (d) those who are professionally interested in philosophy and who plan to do graduate work in the field and then to teach or write. Students with a professional interest in philosophy are urged by the Department to give early attention to courses in the history of philosophy, metaphysics and epistemology, logic, and ethics.

Philosophy Major

A major consists of a minimum of 30 cr and leads to the B.A. degree. At least 12 cr must be at the 300 level or higher. There are two ways to complete the philosophy major: (1) the traditional track and (2) the pre-law track.

Philosophy Major – Traditional Track (30 cr)

The traditional track ensures exposure to the core areas of philosophy while also providing students with sufficient flexibility to explore areas of philosophical interest. The requirements for the traditional track are as follows:

“Philosophy Core” (15 cr)

Two Required Courses (6 cr): PH113, Logic and Critical Thinking PH400, Seminar in Philosophy

Two of the Following Survey Courses (6 cr): PH210. Freedom and the Self PH214. Philosophy of Religion PH223. History and Philosophy of Science

One of the Following Courses in Ethics (3 cr): PH211. Ethical Theory and Moral Issues PH215. Business Ethics PH217. Bioethics PH219. Environmental Ethics PH311. Ethical Reasoning – Ethics Bowl

“Philosophy Electives” (15 cr) Five electives in philosophy

Philosophy Major – Pre-Law Track (30 cr)

The pre-law track provides students with a rich grounding in key subjects – logic, ethics, legal theory, and legal argument – important to the study and practice of law. In addition, the pre-law track develops the crucial skills that help prepare students for the law school entrance exam (LSAT), the academic challenges of law school, and the intellectual and ethical dimensions of work in the legal profession. The requirements for the pre-law track are as follows:

Six Required Courses (18 cr): PH113. Logic and Critical Thinking PH211. Ethical Theory and Moral Issues PH305. Philosophy of Law PH310. Political Philosophy PH366. Appellate Legal Reasoning – Moot Court PH400. Seminar in Philosophy

One of the Following Survey Courses (3 cr): PH210. Freedom and the Self PH214. Philosophy of Religion PH223. History and Philosophy of Science

Three courses from the following options (9 cr): Any additional philosophy courses (a student can elect to take all 9 cr from philosophy offerings) PO330. Constitutional Law PO334. Civil Liberties and the Constitution

Ethics Major (30 cr)

The ethics major consists of a minimum of 30 cr and leads to the B.A. degree. At least 12 cr must be at the 300 level or higher. The ethics major reinforces and substantially extends Millikin’s emphasis on ethical reasoning and issues of social justice. The requirements for the ethics major are as follows:

Three Required Courses (9 cr): PH113. Logic and Critical Thinking PH211. Ethical Theory and Moral Issues PH400. Seminar in Philosophy

One of the Following Survey Courses (3 cr): PH210. Freedom and the Self PH214. Philosophy of Religion PH223. History and Philosophy of Science

Two of the Following Applied Ethics Courses (6 cr): PH215. Business Ethics PH217. Bioethics PH219. Environmental Ethics

One of the Following Value Theory Courses (3 cr): PH303. History of Ethical Thought PH305. Philosophy of Law PH310. Political Philosophy PH311. Ethical Reasoning – Ethics Bowl

Three Electives in Philosophy (9 cr, 6 cr at the 300 level)

Minors in Philosophy

Three different minors are offered by the Philosophy Department: the philosophy minor (18 cr), the philosophy pre-law minor (21 cr), and the ethics minor (18 cr). Each minor is described below.

Philosophy Minor (18 cr)

The requirements for the philosophy minor are as follows:

One Required Course (3 cr): PH113. Logic and Critical Thinking

One of the Following Survey Courses (3 cr): PH210. Freedom and the Self PH214. Philosophy of Religion PH223. History and Philosophy of Science

Four additional philosophy courses, three of which must be at the 300 level or higher (12 cr, 9 cr at the 300 level).

Philosophy Pre-Law Minor (21 cr)

The philosophy pre-law minor provides students with a quality introduction to key subjects – logic, ethics, legal theory, and legal argument – important to the study and practice of law. In addition, the minor develops the crucial skills that help prepare students for the law school entrance exam (LSAT), the academic challenges of law school, and the intellectual and ethical dimensions of work in the legal profession. The requirements for the philosophy pre-law minor are as follows:

Four Required Courses (12 cr): PH113. Logic and Critical Thinking PH211. Ethical Theory and Moral Issues PH305. Philosophy of Law PH366. Appellate Legal Reasoning – Moot Court

One of the Following Applied Ethics Courses (3 cr): PH215. Business Ethics PH217. Bioethics PH219. Environmental Ethics

Two Courses Approved by the Chair of the Philosophy Department (one course may be outside the Philosophy Department) (6 cr, 3 cr at the 300 level)

Ethics Minor (18 cr)

The ethics minor reinforces and extends Millikin’s emphasis on ethical reasoning and issues of social justice. The requirements for the ethics minor are as follows:

One Required Course (3 cr): PH211. Ethical Theory and Moral Issues

Two Courses in Applied Ethics (6 cr): PH215. Business Ethics PH217. Bioethics PH219. Environmental Ethics

Three courses from the following options (9 cr): Any additional applied ethics course offered by the Philosophy Department (i.e., PH215, PH217, PH219) PH300. Ancient Philosophy PH303. History of Ethical Thought PH305. Philosophy of Law PH310. Political Philosophy PH311. Ethical Reasoning – Ethics Bowl PH366. Appellate Legal Reasoning – Moot Court PH400. Seminar in Philosophy (if content appropriate and with approval of the Chair) Any one course outside the Philosophy Department focusing on ethics, including: BI414, The Human Side of Medicine; CO307, Argument and Advocacy; CO308, Communication Ethics and Freedom of Expression; HM470, Understanding Professional, Public, and Personal Ethics; SO312, Restorative Justice; or another course in ethics outside the Department and approved by the Chair of the Philosophy Department.

Philosophy Courses (PH) (Credits)

PH113. Logic and Critical Thinking (3)

The goal of this course is to foster sound reasoning. Logic, as the art of reasoning, teaches us how to draw inferences, formulate arguments, and evaluate the thinking of ourselves and others. This course will cover many different 'types' of logic including deductive, inductive, and critical thinking, all of which are intimately related and are mutually supportive in the development of good reasoning skills. The materials and concepts that we will cover can help you to become a better thinker, writer, and a more effective communicator. From logical puzzles to Venn diagrams to symbolic proofs, this course is also an excellent preparation for the GRE, LSAT, or MCAT. It requires both quantitative thinking and facility with language.

PH210. Freedom and the Self (3)

This course introduces students to a number of specific content areas of philosophical investigation: metaphysics, epistemology, history of philosophy, and social-political value theory. The course is arranged by topics that are related to freedom and the self, both broadly construed. Topics may include the nature of knowledge and the issue of what, if anything, the self can know; the nature of the relation between mind (consciousness) and body (brain); free will and determinism; the persistence conditions for persons over time; the nature and value of political liberty; etc. The course will include a discussion of the views of historical and contemporary thinkers.

PH211. Ethical Theory and Moral Issues (3)

In this course, we will examine issues in ethical theory, including such foundational issues as the relationship between ethical behavior and rational behavior, the relationship between ethics and theology, and the issue of whether ethical principles are objective or subjective, absolute or relative. We will examine both actioncentered as well as character-centered approaches to the resolution of ethical dilemmas. Finally, we will turn our attention to the practical application of theory. Readings may include Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Hume, Kant, and Mill. Ethical theory may be applied to such issues as abortion, capital punishment, suicide, lying, and sex.

PH214. Philosophy of Religion (3)

In this course we will examine some of the central issues in the philosophy of religion. We will begin by examining some of the most influential arguments for the existence of God, including the ontological argument, the cosmological argument, and the teleological argument. We will examine the problem of evil as well as various replies by theists to the problem of evil. We will also examine the claim that the religious life is a matter of faith, not reason. Readings may include Anslem, Augustine, Aquinas, Leibniz, Paley, Hume, Kant, Kierkegaard, Adams, Swinburne, Hicks, Mackie, Plantiga, and others.

PH215. Business Ethics (3)

This course will critically examine the role of ethics within a business environment. We will examine both ethical relationships within a business such as employers and employee relations as well as ethical relationships between business and broader society such as business and consumer relations. Possible issues or topics of examination include: corporate social responsibility; rights and obligations of employees and employers; justice and fair practice; distributive justice; and advertising marketing and the consumer, among others. Issues and topics will be examined by considering both historical and contemporary texts and case studies.

PH217. Bioethics (3)

This course will focus on issues that come about as a result of the interaction between medicine and modern technological advances. Biotechnologies span issues of health from birth until death, including ethical debates concerning: cloning, genetic screening, invitro fertilization, and physician assisted suicide, to name a few. Bioethics quite clearly encompasses the entire life course. Issues or topics that may be investigated include: justice and autonomy in health care; life and death; biomedical research and technology; and public health, among others.

PH219. Environmental Ethics (3)

This course will focus on ethical issues related to our natural environment. It is a truism that all persons live, work, and play within the confines and richness of the natural environment. For this reason there is simply no separating the natural environment and its ethical status from the well-being of people. Further, our present ethical relationship with our natural environment is uniquely important as it has the strong potential to impact the well-being of later generations. Not only does our treatment of the environment impact those living now but it also impacts human beings that will live in fifty or even five hundred years. Issues and topics that may be investigated include: who counts in environmental ethics: animals, plants, ecosystems; is nature intrinsically valuable; frameworks of environmental ethics; sustaining, restoring, and preserving nature; and the environment and social justice including intergenerational justice, among others.

PH223. Scientific Revolutions: History and Philosophy of Science (3)

This course sketches the evolution of views of nature and how best to study and explain it. We will begin with the ancient world and investigate how the ideas and beliefs of the ancients shaped how the medievals viewed science and nature. We will then study the so-called scientific revolution that gave birth to modern science. We will look at what changed -- and what didn't -- about how we conceive of and study nature. We will also look at contemporary ``revolutions'' in science that have fundamentally changed the way we think about the world and our place in it. This course fulfills the historical studies requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences.

PH260. Topics in Philosophy (3)

Course offerings vary based on specialized topics.

PH300. Ancient Philosophy (3)

A contemporary philosopher said, “All of philosophy is a footnote to Plato.” Certainly, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics are the keys to understanding much of the intellectual roots of the Western tradition. We will read some of the major texts of these philosophers in their historical context as they attempt to answer such questions as: Who am I and what is the nature of the Good and the Right? What is my role in society? What is knowledge and how do we acquire it? What is a well-run state? What is real? How should I live? This course fulfills the historical studies requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences.

PH301. Modern Philosophy (3)

In this course, we will examine the attempts by modern philosophy to answer two central questions. The first is the epistemological question of what human beings can know. In particular, we will examine the issue of whether human beings can justifiably claim to know that there is a mind-independent external world. The second central question with which modern philosophy struggles is the metaphysical question concerning the place of consciousness (mind) in a material universe. What is the relation between mind and matter, between mind and body? Is the mind distinct from the body? Or is the mind identical to the body? What is the self? Readings may include Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant with attention to their historical context. This course fulfills the historical studies requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences.

PH303. History of Ethical Thought (3)

This course will explore the history of ethical thought including but not limited to: ideas from the Ancient World (including Greek, Roman, and Indian ideas), Middle Ages and Christian Era, Modern Era, and Contemporary Era. The focus of the course will be on the most important and influential ideas that have served to shape the current landscape of ethical theory and application. By appreciating the origin of ethical ideas, we can better see how history and past practice have contributed to our contemporary notions of the right and the good. This course fulfills the historical studies requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences.

PH305. Philosophy of Law (3)

In the first part of the course, we will examine various theories concerning the nature of law. Of particular interest will be the issue of how these theories view the connection between law and morality. Is there a connection between law and morality? If there is such a connection, is it a necessary connection? Theories of law to be examined include legal positivism, natural law, and legal realism (critical legal studies). We will employ Peter Suber’s fictional work, The Case of the Speluncean Explorers, to examine how these theoretical issues intersect with legal adjudication. In the second part of the course, we will focus on issues surrounding theories of judicial interpretation. Of particular interest will be constitutional interpretation. Questions to be considered include the following: How should judges interpret the constitution? What role (if any) should moral principles play in their adjudication? What is the role of judges in relation to democratically elected legislatures? In hard cases, do judges create law (legislate from the bench) or do they work to discover the correct answer (apply the law to the case before them)? Interspersed with these more theoretical readings will be excerpts from actual legal cases. We will be interested in seeing how the theoretical issues identified above get played out in actual legal decisions.

PH310. Political Philosophy (3)

In this course, we will examine attempts by philosophers within the Western philosophical tradition to answer the following three questions. First, what justification (if any) can be given for the existence of the state? Second, what reason is there (if any) for preferring one kind of state to another? Third, what justification is there (if any) for placing limits on the power of the state to intervene in the lives of its citizens? Readings may include Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Mill, Berlin, Taylor, Nozick, Rawls, and others. This course fulfills the historical studies requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences.

PH311. Ethical Reasoning – Ethics Bowl (1-3)

This course prepares students to compete at the regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl competition. This course covers the essential elements of ethical reasoning and involves in-class Ethics Bowl matches, which are designed to strengthen students’ reasoning and oral communication skills. The course is designed around the Regional Ethics Bowl cases, which are supplied each fall by the Association for Professional and Practical Ethics. This course requires no outside research, but requires careful analysis and argumentation regarding the ethical issues raised in the aforementioned cases.

PH312. Minds and Persons (3)

In this course, we will examine the nature and relationships between minds and persons. Some central questions include: What is a person? What is the mind and what is its relationship to the brain and to the self? What is consciousness, how is it possible, and why do we have it? What makes a person at two different times one and the same person? These and other related questions may be approached from a variety of philosophical perspectives, including, historical texts, the philosophy of psychology and science, cognitive science, and contemporary philosophical work.

PH313. Ways of Knowing (3)

In this course we will examine the nature, value, and acquisition of knowledge. Some central questions include: What is knowledge? What can I know? What is the nature and value of scientific knowledge? How can I know? What is the value of knowledge, in general? What justifies a knowledge claim? Is it morally wrong to believe something without justification? Texts may include historical and contemporary sources.

PH360. Topics in Philosophy (3)

Course offerings vary based on specialized topics.

PH366. Appellate Legal Reasoning – Moot Court (1-3)

The course will rely heavily on a simulation model in which we conduct mock appellate hearings in class. Students will role-play as both attorneys and/or judges. The course will employ the closed case method that is used at most moot court competitions. Each closed case file will include numerous items, including: a statement of the facts of the case, the rulings by the lower courts, select court case precedents, and specific federal and/or state statutory and/or constitutional language. The course involves no research that goes beyond the materials provided in the closed case file. On the basis of these materials only, students will complete a range of assignments designed to engage students in the central aspects of appellate legal reasoning including legal brief writing, oral argumentation, and judicial opinion writing. Students have the opportunity to apply their learning by participating in the annual Moot Court Competition held as part of the Model Illinois Government simulation.

PH391, 392, 393, 394. Independent Study in Philosophy (1-3)

PH400. Seminar in Philosophy (3)

In this course, students will examine at an advanced level a specific philosophical topic, issue, period, or philosopher. Course content will be determined by the faculty member teaching the course. All students will compose a substantive research thesis. For philosophy majors, this research thesis will serve as their capstone philosophy thesis. In addition, all philosophy majors will provide an oral defense of their thesis. The oral defense will be open to all Philosophy Department faculty as well as Philosophy Department majors and minors. Pre-requisite: philosophy major with junior or senior standing, or consent of the Department Chair.