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Department of Philosophy | |
| Spring 2003 Course Descriptions | ||
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Timetable Careful! Check semester! Course Room
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PHIL 001-301 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (FRESHMEN SEMINAR) Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 12:00-1:00 Toomas Puhvel, tpuhvel@sas.upenn.edu An introduction to such topics as our knowledge of the material world, the relation of mind and body, the existence of God, and the nature of morality. Readings from both historical and contemporary sources. ENROLLMENT RESTRICTED TO FRESHMEN GENERAL REQUIREMENT II: HISTORY & TRADITION PHIL 001-302 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (FRESHMEN SEMINAR) Seminar: Monday, Wednesday -- 3:00-4:30 Kok-Chor Tan, tctan@sas.upenn.edu An introductory survey of some central philosophical issues, including: Is there a God? What is the relationship between the mind and the body? Are free will and determinism incompatible? Are there objective moral standards? Readings will be taken from both contemporary and historical sources. ENROLLMEN RESTRICTED TO FRESHMEN GENERAL REQUIREMENT II: HISTORY & TRADITION PHIL 001-303 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (FRESHMEN SEMINAR) Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 3:00-4:30 Toomas Puhvel, tpuhvel@sas.upenn.edu An introduction to such topics as our knowledge of the material world, the relation of mind and body, the existence of God, and the nature of morality. Readings from both historical and contemporary sources. ENROLLMENT RESTRICTED TO FRESHMEN GENERAL REQUIREMENT II: HISTORY & TRADITION PHIL 001-304 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (FRESHMEN SEMINAR) Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 1:30-3:00 Rory Goggins, rgoggins@sas.upenn.edu An introduction to such topics as our knowledge of the material world, the relation of mind and body, the existence of God, and the nature of morality. Readings from both historical and contemporary sources. ENROLLMENT RESTRICTED TO FRESHMEN GENERAL REQUIREMENT II: HISTORY & TRADITION PHIL 004-001 HISTORY OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY Lecture: Monday, Wednesday -- 10:00-11:00 Karen Detlefsen, detlefse@nous.phil.upenn.edu Registration Required for Lecture and Recitation RECITATIONS: PHIL 004-201 Friday - 10:00-11:00 Zermatt Scutt, scutt@sas.upenn.edu PHIL 004-202 Friday - 10:00-11:00 (WATU) Steven Jauss PHIL 004-203 Friday - 12:00-1:00 Steven Jauss, sjauss@sas.upenn.edu PHIL 004-204 Friday - 1:00-2:00 (WATU) Zermatt Scutt PHIL 004-205 Friday - 10:00-11:00 Ece Erdivanli, erdivanl@sas.upenn.edu PHIL 004-206 Friday - 11:00-12:00 (WATU) Ece Erdivanli This course will present a survey of some of the centrally important works of seventeenth and eighteenth-century philosophy. We will focus on metaphysics and epistemology, dealing with such questions as the following. What kinds of substances make up the world, and how do they interact with each other? How do we gain knowledge of the world? Is it even possible to have certain knowledge, or are we limited to beliefs of lesser or greater probability? Is it possible to account for human freedom in a deterministic natural world? What is the relation between God and the natural and human worlds? Our readings will include work from Descartes, Locke, Hume and Kant. GENERAL REQUIREMENT II: HISTORY & TRADITION WATU CREDIT OPTIONAL -- SEE INSTRUCTOR PHIL 005-401 FORMAL LOGIC I Lecture: Monday, Wednesday, Friday -- 11:00-12:00 Scott Weinstein, weinstei@cis.upenn.edu CROSS LISTED WITH: PHIL 505-401 Introduction to truth-functional logic and quantificational logic. Discussion of identity, descriptions, formalized theories, completeness, and decidability. GENERAL REQUIREMENT IV: FORMAL REASONING & ANALYSIS PHIL 006-401 FORMAL LOGIC II Lecture: Tuesday, Thursday -- 10:30-12:00 Scott Weinstein, weinstei@cis.upenn.edu CROSS LISTED WITH: PHIL 506-401 & MATH 570-401 The course covers fundamental results about the model theory and proof theory of first order logic including the compactness theorem, the Goedel completeness theorem, Herbrand's theorem, and the Loewenheim-Skolem theorem. The course also covers the essential undecidability phenomena that form the basis for the study of contemporary computability theory including Church's theorem and the Goedel incompleteness theorems. The emphasis throughout is on connections between logic and topics in computer science, mathematics, and philosophy. PHIL 009-301 WRITING ABOUT MORAL ISSUES Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 9:00-10:30 Myrna Gabbe, mgabbe@sas.upenn.edu Discussion of several contemporary ethical topics such as limitations on freedom of expression, civil disobedience, affirmative action, privacy rights, treatment of animals, euthanasia, health care distribution, informed consent, and obligations to future generations. Readings from philosophical and non-philosophical sources. MAY NOT BE COUNTED TOWARD A PHILOSOPHY MAJOR RESTRICTED TO FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES FULFILLS THE COLLEGE WRITING REQUIREMENT PHIL 009-302 WRITING ABOUT MORAL ISSUES Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 10:30-12:00 Michael Rohlf, msrohlf@sas.upenn.edu Discussion of several contemporary ethical topics such as limitations on freedom of expression, civil disobedience, affirmative action, privacy rights, treatment of animals, euthanasia, health care distribution, informed consent, and obligations to future generations. Readings from philosophical and non-philosophical sources. MAY NOT BE COUNTED TOWARD A PHILOSOPHY MAJOR RESTRICTED TO FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES FULFILLS THE COLLEGE WRITING REQUIREMENT PHIL 009-303 WRITING ABOUT PHILOSOPHY Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 12:00-1:30 Elisabeth Herschbach, elhersch@sas.upenn.edu WAR AND MORALITY In this course we will learn to write argumentative prose: analytical writing that sets forth reasons for and against a position. We will focus our attention on questions about the morality of war. For example: Is war ever morally justified? If so, why, and under what circumstances? What criteria can we use to define what counts as morally permissible conduct in warfare? Using both historical and contemporary philosophical readings as a basis for discussion, we will learn to critically analyze texts, to construct and evaluate arguments, and to express views in clear, well-organized writing. MAY NOT BE COUNTED TOWARD A PHILOSOPHY MAJOR RESTRICTED TO FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES FULFILLS THE COLLEGE WRITING REQUIREMENT PHIL 009-304 WRITING ABOUT PHILOSOPHY Seminar: Monday, Wednesday -- 4:30-6:00 Gary Purpura, gary.purpura@villanova.edu The purpose of this course is to develop students' writing skills while providing a broad introduction to some philosophical issues surrounding the mind. Drawing from contemporary sources, we will explore four topics: the relation between mind and body, consciousness, artificial intelligence, and animal minds. Since this is a writing-intensive course, students are required to write a variety of short papers (1-2 pages each) as well as three longer papers (8-12 pages each). With regard to the longer papers, students are required to submit an initial draft and then a final version revised in light of the oral and written comments of both peers and the instructor. The aim of these writing assignments is to teach students how to write in a clear, comprehensive, concise, and creative manner. MAY NOT BE COUNTED TOWARD A PHILOSOPHY MAJOR RESTRICTED TO FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES FULFILLS THE COLLEGE WRITING REQUIREMENT PHIL 072-001 BIOMEDICAL ETHICS Lecture: Monday, Wednesday -- 11:00-12:00 Kok-Chor Tan, kctan@sas.upenn.edu Registration Required for Lecture and Recitation RECITATIONS: PHIL 072-201 Friday -- 10:00-11:00 David Caswell, dcaswell@sas.upenn.edu PHIL 072-202 Friday -- 1:00-2:00 Susan Mills PHIL 072-203 Friday -- 11:00-12:00 Susan Mills, smills@sas.upenn.edu PHIL 072-204 Friday -- 1:00-2:00 David Caswell The objective of this course is to enable students to think critically and analytically about moral issues that arise in contemporary medical practice and biomedical research. Topics may include: concepts of health and disease, patient rights, informed consent, allocation of scarce resources, euthanasia, abortion, genetic and reproductive technologies, human research, and mental health. DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETY PHIL 077-001 PHILOSOPHY OF LAW Lecture: Monday, Wednesday - 1:00-2:00 Ulrike Heuer, ulrike@sas.upenn.edu Registration Required for Lecture and Recitation RECITATIONS: PHIL 077-201 Friday -- 1:00-2:00 Matthew Lister, mlister@sas.upenn.edu PHIL 077-202 Friday -- 11:00-12:00 Nathan Jun PHIL 077-203 Friday -- 1:00-2:00 Nathan Jun, njun@sas.upenn.edu PHIL 077-204 Friday -- 11:00-12:00 Matthew Lister Introduction to the main philosophical views about the nature of the philosophy of law, human rights, and the authority of the state. Concentrating upon the relation between law and morality, justification of punishment, and the relation between law and democracy. GENERAL REQUIREMENT I: SOCIETY PHIL 212-301 GREEK CONCEPTS OF THE PSYCHESeminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 3:00-4:30 Charles H. Kahn, chkahn@sas.upenn.edu The origins of psychological theory and concepts of psyche in Greek literature and philosophy. Readings will include Homer and other poets, as well as Heraclitus, Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus. PHIL 225-401 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE Seminar: Monday, Wednesday -- 3:00-4:30 Murad Akhundov, akhundov@sas.upenn.edu Cross Listed with: HSSC 255-401 A study of the historical introduction to the philosophy of science from ancient Greek "First Scientific Programs" to modern conceptions. We will especially focus on Aristotle's philosophy of science and on the development of cosmology from Aristotle-Ptolemy to Copernicus. Then we will study the seventeenth-century attacks on Aristotelian philosophy and the development of a new world view: J. Kepler, F. Bacon, G. Galilei. We will discuss the Newton's Mechanical Picture of the Universe and his Methodology of Science. Particular attention will be devoted to rationalism, empiricism and critical idealism (R. Descartes, J. Mill, I. Kant). Some lectures will be devoted to the Crisis of the Mechanical Worldview and the Origin of the Modern Science (A. Einstein, N. Bohr). We will investigate very interesting topics: "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" and "Science and Values" (T. Kuhn, I Lakatos, D. Bloor). GENERAL REQUIREMENT VII: SCIENCE STUDIES PHIL 242-301 FREEDOM OF THE WILL Seminar: Monday, Wednesday -- 3:00-4:30 Ulrike Heuer, ulrike@sas.upenn.edu A discussion of the nature of human freedom and its relation to and compatibility with our understanding of causality, the domain of science, and of the nature of the future tense and time. Concentrating on the relation of freedom and responsibility. DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETY PHIL 244-301 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 4:30-6:00 Gary Purpura, gary.purpura@villanova.edu A survey of the debates surrounding four topics in contemporary philosophy of mind: Metaphysics of mind, Naturalism and mind, Consciousness, and Animal Minds. Among the questions we will consider are: What is a mental state? What is the relation between mental states and physical states? What is it to naturalize the mind, and what are the prospects for naturalizing the mind? Can consciousness be explained in physical terms alone? Do nonhuman animals really have minds? Is a science of animal minds possible? DISTRIBUTION II: HISTORY & TRADITION PHIL 277-001 JUSTICE, LAW & MORALITY Lecture: Monday, Wednesday -- 1:00-2:00 Anita Allen-Castellito, aallen@law.upenn.edu Registration Required for Lecture and Recitation RECITATIONS: PHIL 277-201 Friday -- 1:00-2:00 Joseph Farber, jfarber@sas.upenn.edu PHIL 277-202 Friday -- 11:00-12:00 Joseph Farber The theme of this course will be accountability for private life. The just state, according to the Liberal tradition, lets people alone to live their own lives. It carves out a zone of privacy and private choice. This course examines the law and morality of accountability for personal life. We will read John Stuart Mill's classic essay "On Liberty" and trace its influence on American legal doctrines, toward evaluating the morality and justice of laws regulating sex, reproduction, marriage, childbearing, health, grooming and other felt personal matters. In addition to Mill, assigned readings will include selections from contemporary philosophers and a number of landmark Supreme Court and appellate cases. Students will be asked to write two short papers and one longer final paper on an assigned topic. Attendance at the professor's twice weekly lecture and once weekly discussion section staffed by a teaching assistant is a requirement of the course. DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETY
[Return to top] PHIL 342-301 CONTEMPORARY METAPHYSICS Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 12:00-1:30 James F. Ross, jross@sas.upenn.edu Explorations of some issues concerning properties, qualities, holes, truth, necessity and impossibility, the human mind and animal perception, with a manuscript (by the teacher) and further readings from a recent collection from Duns Scotus and William of Ockham (c.1300). There are three short papers (3-5 pages), one 12-15 page paper on a book or problem to be selected by the student with the teacher's advice, with a take-home final exam based on the assigned readings. Seminar style discussions. PHILOSOPHY MAJORS ONLY PHIL 361-301 ARISTOTLE'S THEORETICAL PHILOSOPHY Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 10:30-12:00 Susan Sauve Meyer, smeyer@nous.phil.upenn.edu A survey of the major non-ethical works of Aristotle. Topics to be covered are mainly metaphysics and epistemology. DISTRIBUTION II: HISTORY & TRADITION PHILOSOPHY MAJORS ONLY PHIL 376-301 JUSTICE Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 1:30-3:00 Samuel Freeman, sfreeman@sas.upenn.edu John Rawls is the most significant political and moral philosopher in the 20th century. This course will mainly focus on Rawls's theory of justice. We also shall consider works by some of his more prominent critics, including libertarian, communitarian and feminist objections to Rawls's liberalism. Other significant works on political justice will be discussed as time permits. DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETY PHILOSOPHY MAJORS ONLY
[Return to top] PHIL 423-301 PHILOSOPHY AND VISUAL PERCEPTION Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 10:30-12:00 Gary Hatfield, hatfield(at)linc.cis.upenn.edu The course will begin with a systematic overview of theories of visual perception and their relation to philosophy, from Ptolemy to Rock, with stops to include lbn al-Haytham, Descartes, Berkeley, Helmholtz, and Koffka. It will then address selected philosophical themes, including the interaction between seeing and knowing (or believing), the metaphysics of seeing, role of imagery in thought. PHIL 443-301 CARNAP & QUINE Seminar: Monday, Wednesday, Friday -- 12:00-1:00 Thomas Ricketts, ricketts@sas.upenn.edu A course contrasting the philosophies of Rudof Carnap and W. V. Quine, with special attention to their views on logic, meaning, ontology, and knowledge. Major texts to be studies are Carnap's books Logical Construction of the World and The Logical Syntax of Language, and Quine's books Word and Object and Ontological Relativity. There will be two 8 page papers, a final examination, and some brief, more informal writing. PREREQUISITES FOR UNDERGRADUATES: PHIL 005 AND TWO COURSES IN PHILOSOPHY ABOVE 301 DISTRIBUTION II: HISTORY & TRADITION PHIL 467-301 ORIGINS OF GERMAN IDEALISM Seminar: Monday -- 3:00-6:00 Rohlf Horstmann The purpose of the course is to discuss the basic metaphysical assumptions of Hegel's philosophy and to inquire to what extent these assumptions guide his conception of a 'system'. The seminar will focus primarily on some of Hegel's early writings and on passages from different versions of Hegel's Logic. Topics that are dealt with include: (1) Hegel's conception of philosophy, (2) the development of his system, (3) the problem of an introduction to his system (Phenomenology of Spirit), (4) Hegel's criticism of traditional metaphysics, (5) his notion of a 'concept' (Begriff), his theory of the Idea. Knowledge of the following texts is useful: -Hegel: The Difference between Fichte's and Schelling's System of Philosophy (Especially the first 40 pages). -Hegel: Science of Logic. (Especially the last part on the Logic of the Concept). -Hegel: Phenomenology of Spirit. (Especially the Preface and the Introduction). -Hegel: Encyclopedia. (Especially 1 - 83, 160 - 244). DISTRIBUTION II: HISTORY & TRADITION DATES: 01/13/03 - 03/07/03 PHIL 471-301 ACTION THEORY Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 3:00-4:30 Claire Finkelstein, cfinkels@law.upenn.edu This course introduces students to the basic problems of the theory of action: What is an action? What makes actions different from (mere) events? How is the notion of action related to what people do intentionally? To what they intend to do? In addressing these questions, we will devote particular attention to the influential writings of Elizabeth Anscombe and Donald Davidson. In this connection we will consider the relation of these questions to the classic debate about whether reasons can be causes. As we shall see, Davidson transformed the theory of action with his suggestion that an event is an action just in case there is a true description of it under which it was someone's doing something for a reason. We will also consider the implications of the Davidsonian approach for moral philosophy, in particular for topics that rely on the notion of responsibility for action. Students will be expected to write four short papers throughout the semester. PHIL 478-301 ANCIENT POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 12:00-1:30 Charles H. Kahn, chkahn@sas.upenn.edu A study of Greek political thought from Homer to Aristotle. After a historical introduction to the Greek political tradition and Athenian democracy (including Aristotle's Constitution of Athens), primary attention will be devoted to major texts in political philosophy by Plato (Gorgias, Republic, Statesman, Laws) and Aristotle (Politics). DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETY
Graduate Courses PHIL 505-401 FORMAL LOGIC Lecture: Monday, Wednesday, Friday -- 11:00-12:00 Scott Weinstein, weinstei@cis.upenn.edu CROSS LISTED WITH PHIL 005-401 Same course description as PHIL 005-401. UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION PHIL 506-401 FORMAL LOGIC II Lecture: Tuesday, Thursday -- 10:30-12:00 Scott Weinstein, weinstei@cis.upenn.edu CROSS LISTED WITH PHIL 006-401, MATH 570-401 Same course description as PHIL 006-401 UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION PHIL 512-301 ARISTOTLE'S ETHICS Seminar: Tuesday -- 3:00-6:00 Susan Sauve Meyer, smeyer@nous.phil.upenn.edu An investigation of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and related texts in the Aristotelian corpus, with particular attention to the question of how Ancient ethical philosophy differs from modern philosophical ethics. DISTRIBUTION II: HISTORY & TRADITION UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION PHIL 525-301 EARLY MODERN PHILOSOPHY AND BIOLOGY Seminar: Thursday -- 12:00-3:00 Karen Detlefsen, detlefse@nous.phil.upenn.edu The important relation between science and philosophy in the early modern period has long been recognized, but science has generally been limited to physics. In fact, many historians of science and philosophy believe that biology was completely subsumed under physics given the "mechanization" of natural phenomena, including the phenomena of life. In this course, we shall study the relation between philosophy and biology considered as an autonomous science in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Even if it is true that biology as a distinct science ceased to exist in the early modern period, this shift was important for the impact it had upon the study of life in subsequent centuries. But in addition to studying this revolution in thinking about living beings, we shall also examine the claim that this revolution resulted in a temporary cessation to an autonomous science of life. This is crucial for a consideration of philosophy in the early modern period for it requires that we rethink basic issues in metaphysics (e.g. the role of teleology, the meaning of mechanism and vitalism, the degree to which Aristotelianism persists), epistemology and method (e.g. the role of commonsense experience and of controlled experiments in gaining knowledge, the impact of advances in the life science upon philosophy, and the impact of philosophical commitments upon practices in science). UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION PHIL 578-301 CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Seminar: Wednesday -- 3:00-6:00 Rahul Kumar, rakumar@nous.phil.upenn.edu TOPIC: RAZ'S LIBERALISM In a series of books and articles, Joseph Raz has, and continues to, articulate an exciting and challenging understanding of both the philosophical foundations of liberalism, and of how the rich resources of the liberal tradition can be marshaled to meet the many distinctive challenges that liberals face in an age of pluralism. This seminar will focus on a close reading of Raz's seminal treatment of liberal political philosophy in his The Morality of Freedom (l986). We will also study some of the important papers Raz has produced since that time, which both explore the implications of his understanding of the foundations of liberalism for important issues in contemporary social and political philosophy, and further refine the general position first advanced in the The Morality of Freedom. DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETY UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION PHIL 613-401 TOPICS IN MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY Seminar: Thursday -- 3:00-6:00 James F. Ross, jross@sas.upenn.edu CROSS LISTED WITH: LAW 618-401 TOPIC: THE NATURAL LAW, LEGAL AND MORAL THEORIES OF AQUINAS AND SCOTUS. This course is for advanced graduate philosophy students and a few upperclass law students, to examine the historically fundamental natural law moral and legal theories of Thomas Aquinas and the modifications to the moral and psychological theory by Duns Scotus--both were 13th Century Latin Philosophers. A significant research paper is required as well as weekly preparation, with written notes, for seminar discussion of the texts and of the substantive issues. This is to be critical and constructive philosophy and jurisprudence, as well as history. PHIL 700-301 DISSERTATION WORKSHOP Seminar: Wednesday -- 6:30-9:00 Gary Hatfield, hatfield(at)linc.cis.upenn.edu Registration required for all third-year doctoral students. Fourth year students and beyond attend and present their work. From time to time, topics pertaining to professional development and dissertation writing will be discussed.
PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS AND ECONOMICS PPE 231-301 HISTORY OF ECONOMIC THEORY Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 12:00-1:30 Waldemar Hanasz, whanasz@sas.upenn.edu This course will examine the development of economic theory from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. It will pay special interdisciplinary attention to some historical (great events, social changes), political (democratization), and philosophical (theories of value, moral and social theories) factors that shaped economic thinking and the economy. Thus, the class will try to distinguish the connections between values and policies, theory and practice. We will study these connections by reading the writings of David Hume, Adam Smith, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Alfred Marshall and others. PPE MAJORS ONLY PPE 271-301 GLOBAL JUSTICE Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 10:30-12:00 Kok-Chor Tan, kctan@sas.upenn.edu This course examines some of the common problems in global justice. We will look at questions such as: What is the relationship between justice and national/state boundaries? Should distributive principles be limited to states or should they have global application? What is a just war? What is the difference between war and terrorism? Do states have the right (or even duty) to intervene in another state to protect basic human rights? What are human rights? Are they universal, or should they be limited by cultural considerations? Readings will be from Thucydides, Kant, Rawls and Walzer, among others. PPE MAJORS ONLY PPE 475-301 EQUALITY, JUSTICE AND LIBERTY Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 1:30-3:00 Stephen Perry, sperry@law.upenn.edu Our central concern in this course is the concept of equality as it figures in contemporary political philosophy. More specifically, we will be examining the role of equality in liberal theories of distributive justice. We will also be considering the question of whether or not there is an unavoidable tension between the ideals of equality and liberty. We will begin by reading Thomas nagel's book Equality and Impartiality. Next we will read an excerpt from Robert Nozick's Anarchy State and Utopia, which sets out the libertarian challenge to egalitarianism: egalitarian and other patterned theories of distributive justice are, according to Nozick, incompatible with individual liberty. We will then consider a number of specific egalitarian theories and critiques of those theories, drawing on the work of, among others, John Rawls, Ronald Dworkin, Amartya Sen, Richard Arneson, Eliabeth Anderson, and G. A. Cohen. Finally, we will read excerpts from Cohen's book Self-Ownership, Freedom and Equality, in which Cohen attempts to answer Nozick's libertarian challenge. PPE SENIOR MAJORS ONLY PPE 475-401 SOCIAL CHOICE AND DEMOCRATIC THEORY Seminar: Friday -- 2:00-5:00 Jack Nagel, nageljh@sas.upenn.edu CROSS LISTED WITH: PSCI 475-401 Originating in economics, philosophy, and mathematics, social-choice theory is the formal study of how individual preferences aggregate to make collective decision. Its best-known applications in politics are to voting and elections. Two radically different depictions of democratic politics have emerged from social-choice theory. If political choice occurs across one dimension (such as the traditional left-right ideological spectrum), then the theory predicts a majority-rule equilibrium at the position flavored by the median voter. This result has powerful practical, normative, and scientific implications. It advises politicians to adopt centrist programs, endorses such policies as democratically desirable, predicts that outcomes in the vicinity of the median will remain stable unless and until voters' preferences shift, and explains political change by looking to forces--typically exogenous to politics--that shift median preferences (e.g., demographics, economics, culture, ideas). On the other hand, if political choices are shaped by multiple, cross-cutting issue-dimensions, then majority voting will rarely produce a stable equilibrium. Politicians can win by manipulating issues opportunistically and sometimes radically. The will of the people becomes a debatable and perhaps empty notion. Political outcomes, unless constrained by institutions, are likely to be unstable, whether or not underlying preferences change; and political explanation depends on close attention to historical sequence and conjunction and to inherently political causes, such as the skill and strategy of leaders. This seminar will explore these findings and their implications for democratic theory. We will pay substantial attention to empirical political science, because the choice between the two images would seem to depend on evidence, and indeed either can be true at different times and places. Some tolerance for technical analysis will be necessary, but our focus will be on implications and applications rather than formal theory per se. The requirements will be active participation in the seminar (including occasional reports or presentations) and a paper requiring substantial independent work. PPE SENIOR MAJORS ONLY [Return to top]COLLEGE OF GENERAL STUDIES PHIL 002-601 ETHICS Lecture: Monday -- 6:30-9:40 Thomas Meyer, tmeyer@nous.phil.upenn.edu Moral issues through the history of ethics from Hobbes through the 20th century, emphasizing such issues as justice, right, good and virtue. FULFILLS GENERAL REQUIREMENT I: SOCIETY PHIL 003-601 HISTORY OF ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY Lecture: Tuesday -- 6:30-9:40 Toomas Puhvel, tpuhvel@sas.upenn.edu This course will examine the writings of the Presocratics (especially Heraclitus, Parmenides, and Zeno), Plato, and Aristotle on topics such as knowledge, the nature of reality, and ethics. Particular attention will be paid to the question of what the various figures to be studies took to be the nature and proper task of philosophy itself. FULFILLS GENERAL REQUIREMENT II: HISTORY & TRADITION PHIL 026-601 PHILOSOPHY OF SPACE AND TIME Lecture: Tuesday, Thursday -- 5:30-7:00 Murad Akhundov, akhundov@sas.upenn.edu This course is an Introduction to the Philosophy of Space and Time. We will consider space and time in Ancient Greek Philosophy: Zeno's Paradoxes, static and dynamic concepts of time, substantial and relational concepts of space (Pythagoras, Democritus, Plato, Aristotle). We will focus on space and time in Medieval Cosmology and Copernican revolution. We will discuss the philosophical problems of space and time in a new Physics and a new Cosmology (j. Kepler, G. Galilei, R. Descartes). We will make philosophical analysis of Non-Euclidean Geometry. We will consider the philosophical conceptions of space and time in Classical Physics, theory of Relativity, Quantum mechanics and Relativistic Cosmology. No previous physics or philosophy will be presupposed, and only high school mathematics will be used. FULFILLS GENERAL REQUIREMENT VII: SCIENCE STUDIES PHIL 028-601 FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY Lecture: Wednesday -- 6:30-9:40 Milton M. Meyer, mwmeyer@nous.phil.upenn.edu Feminist theory grows out of women's experience. In this course we will investigate how some contemporary feminist thinkers' consideration of women's experience has caused them to criticize society and philosophy. Traditional philosophical areas addressed may include ethics, social and political philosophy, aesthetics, philosophy of religion and epistemology. FULFILLS DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETY 10/21/02 |
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Oct 15, 2002 |
  
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