Philosophy

This course takes the most influential ethical theories and insights of the last 250 years (and particularly the last 50 years) and applies them to the current challenges that face contemporary societies in Europe and America. It explores three broader topics: an individual as a moral subject; justification of a government and an individual as a moral actor in a state; and the concept of justice as a regulatory and an inspirational goal. In each topic, the course examines the groundwork of modern ethical inquiries (such as Kant, Hobbes and Marx) and proceeds through the philosophical tradition, exploring its challenges. Accounts of a rational subject are contrasted with the problems of irrationality, the question of good with the reality of evil, ideas of justice with problems of everyday injustice. Thinkers discussed include Nietzsche and Freud as well as more contemporary ones such as Arendt, Havel, Fromm, Berlin and Rawls. The course applies theoretical concepts to the most urgent ethical issues of our day in Europe, the United States and beyond. The topical themes explored include those emerging from the tension between liberalism and socialism (tax policies, health care, public/private education and media, etc.), those emerging from the tension between religious and secular society (abortion, animal rights, gender issues, environmentalism and climate change, etc.), and those posed by the recently ascendant movements of nationalism and authoritarianism (including racism, xenophobia, delegitimization of journalism and parliamentary debate, etc.). Ultimately, the course considers anew the core pillars of the Western philosophical and democratic tradition and new ways to strengthen them.

This course introduces moral and political philosophy based on writings of Rousseau. It is divided into two parts: the first part focuses on moral philosophy and the second part on political philosophy. This theoretical path engages Rousseau in a dialogue with the philosophical positions to which he opposes or which oppose him, including after the publication of his writings, in order to address the major problems and concepts of moral and political philosophy.

This course introduces the main issues in contemporary philosophy of religion. Topics include (other topics may also be considered): arguments for the existence of God (cosmological, ontological, teleological), argument for atheism (problem of evil), religious pluralism, nature of mystical experiences, the nature of miracles, and the nature of religious language.

This course provides an intellectual and philosophical perspective on political activity and the conduct of citizens and politicians. Topics include: ethics and politics; law and political power; freedom, equality, and fundamental rights; obedience to law and civil disobedience; political models-- democracy, nationalism, and cosmopolitanism.

This is an intermediate-level course designed to introduce students to the burgeoning field of Applied Epistemology. Students use philosophical theories about knowledge, justification and belief-formation to explore pressing societal issues. Topics vary from year to year, but may include: When other well-informed people disagree with us, should this make us less confident in our beliefs? What can epistemology tell us about online ‘echo chambers’? What, if anything, makes conspiracy theories epistemically worse than official theories? How should feminism affect the way we think about knowledge and belief?

This course examines works by various philosophers who present dramatically different conclusions concerning the following questions. Is knowledge merely justified true belief? Could it be that we are living in the Matrix? Are we really justified in believing in the way the world is? Do I have a soul that can be separated from my body? Is my mind just my brain? Is my mind merely something like a computer program? Can there be perfect zombies, which are not distinguishable from normal human beings by their appearance and behavior but somehow have no minds? Does a perfect robot (which is indistinguishable from normal human beings by its appearance and behavior) have a mind? Are we free to make choices? Does the total past and present determine the future? If so, are we free to make choices or to bring about different futures? If not, what’s the point of scientific prediction about the matters like whether it will rain tomorrow? Is it possible to travel back into the past and kill your grandfather before he gave birth to your father? Is it morally wrong to tell a lie to make other people happy when there is no negative consequence in any way?