Philosophy

This course offers a historical and systematic analysis of the notion of freedom in its various meanings and dimensions. Topics include: the system of the human condition-- active life and life of the spirit; philosophers and will; concealment and falsification of original phenomena; will as the source of action; freedom and sovereignty; original experiences at the base of the notion of will in the texts of postclassical and premodern tradition-- from Paul the Apostle to Duns Scotus; the cases of Augustine of Hippo and Duns Scotus-- beginning and contingency.

This course aims to equip students with an understanding of the methodology of the philosophy of science, encouraging them to strike a reflective balance between the theoretical perspectives of the philosophy of mind and the empirical evidence of cognitive science. By engaging with original texts in both philosophy and cognitive science, students will enhance their ability to articulate and defend their views clearly while developing strong, disciplined philosophical writing skills.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the history and thought of major Indian Buddhist philosophical schools. It surveys four key traditions of Buddhist philosophy in India, including Abhidharma, Madhyamika, Yogacara, and Buddhist epistemology and logic. No background in Buddhist thought is presumed on the part of the participants. 

Reading assignments will balance primary sources from key moments of Buddhist thought with recent introductory texts. Primary texts covered or sampled in the course include: Treasury of Metaphysics with its auto commentary; Treatise on the Middle Way, Introduction to the Middle Way and its auto commentary; Twenty Verses and its auto commentary; Thirty Verses, Demonstration of the Three Natures, A Compendium of Means of Knowledge, and its auto commentary. Lectures will be combined with in-class discussions, with particular attention paid to the close reading of primary texts.  

This course introduces students to basic ideas and knowledge in formal logic and equips students with a sufficient background for understanding technical arguments containing logical symbols in philosophy literature.  

The course consists of three main parts: (1) Propositional logic, its language, semantics and syntax; (2) Predicate Logic, its language, semantics and syntax; and (3) Some relevant background in basic (non-axiomatic) set theory (including some ideas about classes, functions, and relations) and basic three-valued logic. Together with these lectures on formal logic, some basic topics in the philosophy of logic are also introduced, such as propositions, logical connectives, reference and definite descriptions, etc.  

This course explores the use of ChatGPT, a large language model, as a tool for engaging with philosophical questions and problems. The course instructs how to interact with  ChatGPT to generate responses to philosophical questions and covers a range of topics on the philosophy of space. For instance, the course seeks to answer the questions: Does space exist like a substance in its own right, or is it nothing but spatial relationships between objects? Are there objective facts about the geometry of space, or are they in some way conventional?   
 
Overall, this course aims to develop students' critical thinking and analytical skills by providing them with a unique opportunity to engage with philosophical questions using cutting-edge technology. 

This course explores a selection of topics in Buddhist ethics, using a range of sources from historical contexts and contemporary debate. Themes include ecology and animal rights, human rights (including abortion, euthanasia, and issues of equality), war and peace, and economic ethics. The course begins with an introductory discussion of the foundations of Buddhist ethics, including ideas such as karma and rebirth, and key Buddhist virtues and ideals. Ethical topics are then explored in turn, using a range of sources from a variety of Buddhist contexts, historical and contemporary.

This course examines various ethical theories applied to various health care issues. It covers topics such as drug legalization, euthanasia, abortion, addiction, suicide and mental illness.  

The course takes its starting point in the recurrent discussion on how to manage risks and build security to avoid crises in organizations. The course provides the tools to understand risk management, taking into account perspectives from the social sciences, business administration, and the humanities.

This course is an introduction to political philosophy with a special focus on modern society. Students look at how various political theories of democracy have emerged since the 17th century, and how they are now modified and/or challenged by some contemporary authors.