Philosophy

This course analyzes the identity projects that have sought to define "being Mexican." It begins with the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century and their political and cultural attempt to homogenize the diverse cultural identities of the territory under the category of "Indian." The course examines the history of ideas as well as the epistemic, ontological and phenomenal frameworks that have accompanied this process of identity construction and its consequences throughout the history of Mexico. 

The course focuses on the event of social management. It discusses how to govern the society, country and the world. In Chinese Philosophy, Confucianism and Taoism define the basic value of management principle, while the Book of Change and Book of Talented Person suggest more details. The former points on issues of bureaucrat problems while the later concerns how to look for talented persons. The above schools and Books start their thinking from the meaning of human beings in order to find out the ultimate ideal of people's life. As for the idea to service society, some teaches how to be a good leader, how to do the personnel training, how could be quick-witted, how to recognize one's characteristic, and some even suggests individualism thus could well be used on the management of leisure event and retire life. The course will have enough discussion and the teacher will answer students' questions. Through the Q & A could bring up students' ability to deal with modern social life by renewing those old doctrines. The course will have middle and final examination where the text taught in the classes is the point. Beside with the middle and final examination students should hand over documents telling what they had learned from the course and how they use those ideas to solve their daily problems.

This course examines how people mobilize certain values to think and act while at the same time disagreeing over their definition, ranking, and translation into norms that organize the legal, social, and political world. The course uses political theory to provide concepts, principles, categories, and arguments to navigate through these conflicting normative aspirations. The course addresses questions of how to be coherent while having different values, beliefs, and practices; where to bridge the gap between ideal political principle and current institutions; whether there are acceptable trade-offs between conflicting values or conflicting interpretations of values; and why and how some values are politicized and weaponized.

Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and Blockchain Technology have an increasingly transformative impact on people and society. This course introduces the different ways to theorize emerging technology, reflect on its ethical impacts, and use practical tools to integrate ethical reflection in day-to-day projects. The course consists of three parts. The first part of the course covers the basics: presenting major ethical issues with emerging technologies from a historical perspective, explaining the link between ethical theories and technology, and presenting different ways to think about technological mediation. The second part focuses on ethics of particular types of emerging technologies: of artificial intelligence (e.g. deep learning), artificial life (e.g. genetic modification), and existential machines (e.g. the atomic bomb). The third part contextualizes the ethics of emerging technologies in a discussion of three global challenges: global citizenship and human rights, climate change, and violence. The course uses methods of philosophical reflection, argumentation, empirical and historical research, and applied ethics.

This course presents the political philosophy of John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), the most influential British philosopher of the nineteenth century and a central figure in the liberal tradition of political thought. ON LIBERTY (1859), his most widely known work and one which no student of political philosophy can afford to ignore, is a cornerstone of classical liberal theory; and THE SUBJECTION OF WOMEN (1869) constitutes a pioneering application of the theory—and of Mill's empiricism—to the question of equality between the sexes. The course proceeds in an orderly fashion through all five chapters of ON LIBERTY before turning to a thorough reading of THE SUBJECTION OF WOMEN, making regular pauses to put Mill's thought in broader perspective against the general background of his empiricist philosophy, as well as the historical place of his thought within the liberal tradition.

This course explores key philosophical questions about consciousness as it relates to the world. It discusses the connection between intentionality and phenomenal consciousness, the relationship between object consciousness and self-consciousness, and the link between consciousness and the self. On the basis of central texts in contemporary theoretical and practical philosophy, as well as more historical texts in classical phenomenology, the course addresses questions of personal identity: how the self pertains to personal identity, the nature of personal identity over time, how persons persist despite undergoing physical and psychological changes, and the prudential and moral significance of personal identity. The course involves lectures, oral exercises, and group discussions.