|
|
Department of Philosophy | |
| Spring 2004 Course Descriptions | ||
|
Course
Timetable Check semester! Room
Roster
|
PHIL 001-301 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (FRESHMEN
SEMINAR) Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 3:00-4:30 Robert Thompson, robertth@sas.upenn.edu In this introduction to philosophy, we will explore the philosophical problem of skepticism by considering skepticism about two domains: morality and the external world. We will examine (1) the nature of knowledge (What is knowledge? Under what circumstances can we be said to know something?), (2) the nature of value, morality, or goodness (What things have value and what makes them valuable?), and (3) the nature of the external world (Is there a world that exists apart from how we think about it? Is it like we perceive it to be? How can we be confident that it is as we perceive it to be?) ENROLLMENT RESTRICTED TO FRESHMEN GENERAL REQUIREMENT II: HISTORY & TRADITION
PHIL 001-302 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (FRESHMEN SEMINAR) Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 10:30-12:00 Morgan Wallhagen, morganw@nous.phil.upenn.edu This course is an introduction to philosophy through a study of some of the discipline’s central problems. In particular, we will focus on such questions as: Do human beings enjoy freedom of the will, or are our actions wholly determined by circumstances beyond our control? What is the relation between mind and body? Do we have knowledge of the external world? Does God exist, and can we prove it? What is the nature of morality? In particular, are there objective facts about what is right and wrong? We will examine both historical and contemporary writings on these topics. ENROLLMENT RESTRICTED TO FRESHMEN GENERAL REQUIREMENT II: HISTORY & TRADITION
PHIL 001-303 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (FRESHMEN SEMINAR) Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 10:30-12:00 Staff 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 002-301 ETHICS Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 1:30-3:00 Susan Sauve Meyer, smeyer@nous.phil.upenn.edu An investigation of some of the central questions about the nature of morality: Are moral judgments objective and justifiable? Can moral disagreements be resolved rationally? How are we to understand the idea of a good life, and what is the relationship between a good life and morality? Readings will be from both contemporary and historical sources, and will concern both practical problems (e.g. abortion, euthanasia, or resource conservation) and theoretical issues. ENROLLMENT RESTRICTED TO FRESHMEN GENERAL REQUIREMENT I: SOCIETY PHIL 004-001 HISTORY OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY Lecture: Monday, Wednesday -- 1:00-2:00 Karen Detlefsen, detlefse@nous.phil.upenn.edu Registration Required for Lecture and Recitation WATU Credit Optional - See Instructor RECITATIONS: PHIL 004-201 Friday -- 1:00-2:00 (WATU) STAFF PHIL 004-202 Friday -- 12:00-1:00 STAFF PHIL 004-203 Friday -- 12:00-1:00 (WATU) STAFF PHIL 004-204 Friday -- 1:00-2:00 STAFF PHIL 004-205 Friday -- 11:00-12:00 (WATU) STAFF PHIL 004-206 Friday -- 11:00-12:00 STAFF 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 PHIL 005-401 FORMAL LOGIC I Scott Weinstein, weinstei@cis.upenn.edu Lecture: Monday, Wednesday, Friday -- 11:00-12:00 Cross Listed with: LGIC 010-401, PHIL 505-401 This course provides an introduction to the fundamental ideas of logic. Topics will include truth functional logic, quantificational logic, and logical decision problems. GENERAL REQUIREMENT IV: FORMAL REASONING & ANALYSIS PHIL 008-401 THE SOCIAL CONTRACT Professor Samuel Freeman, sfreeman@sas.upenn.edu Lecture: Monday, Wednesday -- 12:00-1:00 Cross Listed with: PPE 008-401 Registration Required for Lecture and Recitation RECITATIONS: PHIL 008-402 Friday -- 12:00-1:00 STAFF Cross Listed with PPE 008-402 PHIL 008-403 Friday -- 1:00-2:00 STAFF Cross Listed with PPE 008-403 PHIL 008-404 Friday -- 12:00-1:00 STAFF Cross Listed with PPE 008-404 PHIL 008-405 Friday -- 11:00-12:00 STAFF Cross Listed with PPE 008-405 PHIL 008-406 Friday -- 12:00-1:00 STAFF Cross Listed with PPE 008-406 PHIL 008-407 Friday -- 10:00-11:00 STAFF Cross Listed with PPE 008-407 This course examines the role of social contract doctrines in Western thought and culture. We will focus on the political writings of the major modern proponents of social contract theory: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Rawls. We will contrast their views with the utilitarian tradition, as represented by the political and economic philosophy of David Hume and Adam Smith. The relationship between social contract doctrine and the theory of rational choice is also discussed, as well as contemporary libertarianism. The course is designed to provide an introduction to some of the main issues in modern political philosophy. It is a requirement for the PPE major. GENERAL REQUIREMENT I: SOCIETY PHIL 009-301 WRITING ABOUT MORAL ISSUES Staff Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 9:30-10:30 PHIL 009-302 WRITING ABOUT MORAL ISSUES Staff Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 10:30-12:00 PHIL 009-303 WRITING ABOUT MORAL ISSUES Staff Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 12:00-1:30 PHIL 009-304 WRITING ABOUT MORAL ISSUES Staff Seminar: Monday, Wednesday -- 3:00-4:30 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. MAY NOT BE COUNTED TOWARD A PHILOSOPHY MAJOR FULFILLS THE COLLEGE WRITING REQUIREMENT PHIL 032-301 CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY James Ross, jross@sas.upenn.edu Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 3:00-4:30 A reading, writing and discussion course, with 5 papers required, rewrites on first three permitted, focused on some major issues, such as ‘science and the world’ (e.g., Ian Hacking: “Representing and Intervening”, ‘reductive physicalism’ (e.g., Wilfrid Sellars and Paul Churchland), ‘Wittgenstein and how to do philosophy’, and ‘some theories of mind, perception and meaning’. There will be discussion and practice with constructing philosophical arguments and critiques. This course is for serious and ‘performance’ oriented students. Limited to 15 students from the Benjamin Franklin Seminars Program. DISTRIBUTION II: HISTORY & TRADITION BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SEMINAR PHIL 077-001 PHILOSOPHY OF LAW Kok-Chor Tan, kctan@sas.upenn.edu Lecture: Monday, Wednesday - 10:00-11:00 Registration Required for Lecture and Recitation RECITATIONS: PHIL 077-201 Friday -- 10:00-11:00 STAFF PHIL 077-202 Friday -- 12:00-1:00 STAFF PHIL 077-203 Friday -- 10:00-11:00 STAFF PHIL 077-204 Friday -- 11:00-12:00 STAFF 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 080-001 ART AND PHILOSOPHY Paul Guyer, guyer@nous.phil.upenn.edu Lecture: Monday, Wednesday - 2:00-3:00 Registration Required for Lecture and Recitation RECITATIONS: PHIL 080-201 Friday -- 2:00-3:00 STAFF PHIL 080-203 Friday -- 1:00-2:00 STAFF At the beginning of philosophy, Plato challenged the value of art by arguing that works of art are cognitively useless imitations of reality, that the experience of them is emotionally useless or even morally pernicious, and that artistic creation is nothing but a form of madness. Philosophers have been arguing with him ever since. In this course, we will read Plato’s arguments in the Republic and several other dialogues, and then the responses of various modern and contemporary philosophers, such as Rousseau, Kant, Nietzsche, Tolstoy, Collingwood and Danto. From time to time, we will also test the philosophical arguments against our own experience of relevant works of art. Written work for the course will consist of three short papers. GENERAL REQUIREMENT III: ARTS & LETTERS
PHIL 209-301 PLATO Charles H. Kahn, chkahn@sas.upenn.edu Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday - 3:00-4:30 Readings and discussion of Plato’s major dialogues, with special attention to moral philosophy and metaphysics. Topics will include the dialogue form and the relation between literature and philosophy in Plato’s work. Readings include Gorgias, Laches, Euthyphro, Protagoras, Symposium, Phaedo, Phaedrus, Timaeus and passages from the Republic. DISTRIBUTION II: HISTORY & TRADITION PHIL 215-001 PROBABILITY AND STATISTICAL REASONINGZoltan Domotor, zdomotor@sas.upenn.edu Lecture: Monday, Wednesday, Friday -- 1:00-2:00 This course focuses on the philosophical foundations of probability and statistics. We begin briefly with a passage from deductive to probabilistic and statistical reasoning. Then we move on to examine in some detail the frequentist, Bayesian and epistemic interpretations of conditional probability measures. Other topics include: randomness vs. chaos, non-additive probabilities, causal networks, and the representation of beliefs. Finally, the course investigates the classical and Bayesian approaches to hypothesis testing and criteria for statistical model selection. No previous probability calculus or statistics courses are presupposed. PHIL 226-401 PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGY Michael Weisberg, weisberg@phil.upenn.edu Lecture: Monday, Wednesday, Friday -- 11:00-12:00 Cross Listed with: HSSC 266-401 This course consists of a detailed examination of evolutionary theory and its philosophical foundations. The course beings with a consideration of Darwin’s formulation of evolutionary theory and the main influences on Darwin. We will then consider two contemporary presentations of the theory—Richard Dawkins’ and Richard Lewontin’s. The remainder of the course will deal with a number of foundational issues and my include discussions of adaptation, what constitutes a species, whether there is evolutionary progress, and the concept of fitness. We will also discuss the units of selection, the alleged reduction of classical genetics to molecular genetics, and the possibility of grounding ethics in evolutionary theory. PHIL 243-301 TOPICS IN METAPHYSICS Morgan Wallhagen, morganw@nous.phil.upenn.edu Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 3:00-4:30 An examination of several metaphysical issues concerning the nature of consciousness: What is the relationship between consciousness and the physical properties of the brain? Is consciousness something non-physical that emerges from the activity of brains? Or does consciousness reduce to properties of the brain? Or should we understand the relationship between consciousness and the brain in terms of some notion of supervenience? In trying to answer these questions, we will examine several recent attempts to explain consciousness in broadly naturalistic terms. We will also ask whether the concept of the physical is itself well understood. Readings will be largely contemporary, though we will consider some historical sources as well. DISTRIBUTION II: HISTORY & TRADITION PHIL 244-301 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND Robert Thompson, robertth@sas.upenn.edu Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 10:30-12:00 This course will explore the nature of the human mind (and some scientific attempts to study it) from a philosophical perspective. A few of the topics we will examine are the following: the relationship between the mind and the brain (Is the mind a different sort of stuff than physical stuff like the brain? Are mental states simply brain states?); the nature of our own mental states (How can our thoughts represent the world? Why are some of them conscious? What are beliefs, desires, and emotions and how do they contribute to our behavior?); and attempts to compare the mind to a computer (Are reasoning and thinking like computation?). DISTRIBUTION II: HISTORY & TRADITION
PHIL 331-301 EPISTEMOLOGY Steven Gross, gross2@nous.phil.upenn.edu Seminar: Monday, Wednesday -- 3:00-4:30 The topic of this course is “Language and Knowledge”. It examines several issues at the intersection of epistemology and the philosophy of language, including: (1) language-based responses to external world skepticism (Putnam on reference, Davidson on interpretation, Lewis on linguistic contextualism), (2) skepticism about meaning (Quine on the indeterminacy of translation, Kripke on Wittgenstein’s rule-following considerations), and (3) the nature of linguistic knowledge, conscious and unconscious (Chomsky). (This class will not presuppose, and will only very slightly overlap with, last semester’s introduction to epistemology by Thompson). PHILOSOPHY MAJORS ONLY PHIL 342-301 CONTEMPORARY METAPHYSICS James F. Ross, jross@sas.upenn.edu Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 12:00-1:30 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 372-301 TOPICS IN ETHICS: MORALITY AND RESPONSIBILITY Rahul Kumar, rakumar@nous.phil.upenn.edu Seminar: Monday, Wednesday -- 4:30-6:00 This seminar will focus on issues concerning moral responsibility and its relationship to ethical theory. Issues to be discussed include: why does it matter to us that we both understand ourselves as being, and are treated by others as responsible for our conduct? Can our practices of holding one another responsible for what we do be morally justified? Are we responsible for those aspects of ourselves that we do not consciously choose? What sorts of considerations count as mitigating responsibility, and why? What role does luck play in the assessment of individual responsibility? What are the practical implications of responsibility theory e.g. the moral justification of punishment, taking responsibility for the past? Readings will be largely drawn from contemporary sources. Phil 002 (Ethics) is a prerequisite for this seminar. PHILOSOPHY MAJORS ONLY DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETYPHIL 331-301 EPISTEMOLOGY Steven Gross, gross2@nous.phil.upenn.edu Seminar: Monday, Wednesday -- 3:00-4:30 The topic of this course is “Language and Knowledge”. It examines several issues at the intersection of epistemology and the philosophy of language, including: (1) language-based responses to external world skepticism (Putnam on reference, Davidson on interpretation, Lewis on linguistic contextualism), (2) skepticism about meaning (Quine on the indeterminacy of translation, Kripke on Wittgenstein’s rule-following considerations), and (3) the nature of linguistic knowledge, conscious and unconscious (Chomsky). (This class will not presuppose, and will only very slightly overlap with, last semester’s introduction to epistemology by Thompson). PHILOSOPHY MAJORS ONLY PHIL 342-301 CONTEMPORARY METAPHYSICS James F. Ross, jross@sas.upenn.edu Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 12:00-1:30 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 372-301 TOPICS IN ETHICS: MORALITY AND RESPONSIBILITY Rahul Kumar, rakumar@nous.phil.upenn.edu Seminar: Monday, Wednesday -- 4:30-6:00 This seminar will focus on issues concerning moral responsibility and its relationship to ethical theory. Issues to be discussed include: why does it matter to us that we both understand ourselves as being, and are treated by others as responsible for our conduct? Can our practices of holding one another responsible for what we do be morally justified? Are we responsible for those aspects of ourselves that we do not consciously choose? What sorts of considerations count as mitigating responsibility, and why? What role does luck play in the assessment of individual responsibility? What are the practical implications of responsibility theory e.g. the moral justification of punishment, taking responsibility for the past? Readings will be largely drawn from contemporary sources. Phil 002 (Ethics) is a prerequisite for this seminar. PHILOSOPHY MAJORS ONLY DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETYPHIL 331-301 EPISTEMOLOGY Steven Gross, gross2@nous.phil.upenn.edu Seminar: Monday, Wednesday -- 3:00-4:30 The topic of this course is “Language and Knowledge”. It examines several issues at the intersection of epistemology and the philosophy of language, including: (1) language-based responses to external world skepticism (Putnam on reference, Davidson on interpretation, Lewis on linguistic contextualism), (2) skepticism about meaning (Quine on the indeterminacy of translation, Kripke on Wittgenstein’s rule-following considerations), and (3) the nature of linguistic knowledge, conscious and unconscious (Chomsky). (This class will not presuppose, and will only very slightly overlap with, last semester’s introduction to epistemology by Thompson). PHILOSOPHY MAJORS ONLY PHIL 342-301 CONTEMPORARY METAPHYSICS James F. Ross, jross@sas.upenn.edu Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 12:00-1:30 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 372-301 TOPICS IN ETHICS: MORALITY AND RESPONSIBILITY Rahul Kumar, rakumar@nous.phil.upenn.edu Seminar: Monday, Wednesday -- 4:30-6:00 This seminar will focus on issues concerning moral responsibility and its relationship to ethical theory. Issues to be discussed include: why does it matter to us that we both understand ourselves as being, and are treated by others as responsible for our conduct? Can our practices of holding one another responsible for what we do be morally justified? Are we responsible for those aspects of ourselves that we do not consciously choose? What sorts of considerations count as mitigating responsibility, and why? What role does luck play in the assessment of individual responsibility? What are the practical implications of responsibility theory e.g. the moral justification of punishment, taking responsibility for the past? Readings will be largely drawn from contemporary sources. Phil 002 (Ethics) is a prerequisite for this seminar. PHILOSOPHY MAJORS ONLY DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETY
PHIL 407-301 ARISTOTLE Susan Sauve Meyer, smeyer@nous.phil.upenn.edu Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 10:30-12:00 A survey of some of Aristotle’s major writings on language, ontology, epistemology, metaphysics, natural philosophy and psychology. Readings will include Categories, De Interpretatione, Posterior Analytics, Physics, Parts of Animals, On Generation and Corruption, Metaphysics, and On the Soul. PHIL 446-301 PLOTINUS Charles H. Kahn, chkahn@sas.upenn.edu Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 12:00-1:30 An introduction to the thought of the major philosopher of late antiquity, founder of Neo-Platonism. Readings will include generous selections from the Enneads, emphasizing the metaphysical basis for Plotinus’ theory of mystical experience. PHIL 463-301 BRITISH PHILOSOPHY I Karen Detlefsen, detlefse@nous.phil.upenn.edu Seminar: Monday, Wednesday -- 4:30-6:00 In this course, we will study the theoretical philosophy of some of the key thinkers of the Enlightenment (The eighteenth century): Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. These philosophers maintain that all our knowledge derives either from sensations or from reflections on our own thinking, and they extend this general empiricism to their investigations of the natural world. We will study these philosophers’ sciences of human nature and of the external world in general, including their attempts to determine the limits of human cognition, and therefore, the limits of our scientific pursuits. In addition to these general themes, we will also follow the development of issues such as the theory of ideas and personal identity. DISTRIBUTION II: HISTORY & TRADITION PHIL 466-401 KANT II Paul Guyer, guyer@nous.phil.upenn.edu Seminar: Tuesday, Thursday -- 1:30-3:00 Cross Listed with: GRMN 552-401 This course is a detailed study of Kant’s chief works in moral and political philosophy, beginning with his early Lectures on Ethics and then including the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Moral, the Critique of Practical Reason, Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason, and the Metaphysics of Morals. The central theme of the course is Kant’s idea that freedom or “autonomy” is our most fundamental value, and that the fundamental laws of both political justice and personal virtue are the means necessary for the end of preserving and promoting the exercise of human freedom. Written work for the course will include one short paper and one term paper. DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETY PHIL 475-401 PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS AND ECONOMICS Cristina Bicchieri Seminar: Tuesday -- 2:00-5:00 Cross Listed with: PPE 475-401 Much contemporary social science, as well as some branches of moral and political philosophy, view individuals as primarily motivated by narrow self-interest. Yet experimental evidence, as well as personal experience, tells us that individuals cooperate with others, trust, reciprocate, and choose to be fair to strangers in a variety of social situations, even if such behaviors involve some material costs and risks. We will examine several possible explanations for such pro-social behaviors, paying special attention to theories of social preferences, group identity and social norms. [Return to top] Graduate Courses PHIL 505-401 FORMAL LOGIC I Scott Weinstein, weinstei@cis.upenn.edu Lecture: Monday, Wednesday, Friday -- 11:00-12:00 Cross Listed with: PHIL 005-401 This course provides an introduction to the fundamental ideas of logic. Topics will include truth functional logic, quantificational logic, and logical decision problems. UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION PHIL 530-301 OBJECT PERCEPTION AND OBJECTHOOD Gary Hatfield, hatfield(at)linc.cis.upenn.edu Seminar: Thursday -- 3:00-6:00 What is an object? We will examine this question in discussing what it takes to perceive an object. Do we see objects just by having them look some way to us? Or is more content involved? And if it is, what is it? That is: What is an object, that we could perceive or think of it? Readings from among Quine, Burge, Campbell, Dretske, Evans, Hirsch, Spelke, others. UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION PHIL 558-401 TRUTH & CONCEALMENT Jonardon Ganeri, jonardon@liverpool.ac.uk Seminar: Wednesday -- 3:00-5:00 Cross Listed with: SARS 559-401 The aim of this course is to investigate the soundness of the idea that disclosure is a virtue, indeed the cardinal virtue, of truth. With one or two rare exceptions, this idea runs throughout the Indian literature I shall be examining. I shall ask: what conceals the truth from us? Specifically, is this meant to be fact about human beings or a feature of the nature of truth? Why should uncovering that which is hidden be thought to have therapeutic, soteriological, ethical or cognitive value? What is the special status accorded to the disclosure of the truth about ourselves? In virtue of what is sincerity—telling the truth to others—a value? Indeed, is there more to the idea of sincerity than merely telling the truth? Is silence, the concealment from others of a truth one knows, ever itself a value? If so, are there other virtues of concealment? UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION PHIL 572-301 CONTEMPORARY ETHICS Rahul Kumar, rakumar@nous.phil.upenn.edu Seminar: Wednesday -- 12:00-3:00 Joseph Raz’s recent work on the theory of practical rationality and the interdependence of value and social practice constitute what is arguably the most nuanced and sustained investigation of the complex interdependence of reason, value and the will in quite some time. In this seminar, we will critically assess Raz’s understanding of what it is to be a rational animal through the careful study of the papers collected in his recent Engaging Reason: On the Theory of Value and Action, as well as certain other papers that take up important questions concerning the universality of values and the idea of respect for persons. Papers by other contemporary philosophers will also be read in order to situate Raz’s papers in the context of on going debates in contemporary moral psychology and value theory. UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION PHIL 576-301 RATIONALITY, MORALITY & THE LAW Claire Finkelstein, cfinkels@law.upenn.edu Lecture: Monday -- 12:00-3:00 This course will explore the implications of “rational actor theory” for the law. Rational actor theory attempts to explain human behavior as the product of rational deliberation. In particular, it assumes that human beings are rational insofar as they seek to maximize their preferences. Rational actor theory has provided the initial premises of much writing in the economic tradition, as well as some theories in political and moral philosophy. Through the law and economics tradition, it has come to occupy a dominant position in the legal academy as well. But despite the influential nature of this approach to human nature, its central tenets are often assumed rather than carefully explored and defended. What does this model really mean by “rationality?” Does it mean, for example that human beings try to maximize their preferences with each individual choice they make, as economists suppose? Or is it in fact a sign of greater rationality that human beings sometimes restrain themselves in favor of moral rules, institutions, practices or laws with which they wish to comply? Once we are clear about the meaning of “rationality”, we can then ask: What sorts of political societies would rational agents choose to live in? In particular, what kinds of legal institutions would they select? The course will be divided into three parts. First, we will explore various writings on the nature of individual rationality. We will focus in particular on critiques of the economic, maximizing picture of rationality, and consider the merits of the basic economic model. Second, we will survey several of the major theories in the tradition of political and moral contractarianism. We will pay particular attention to contractarian theories that follow in a Hobbesian, rather than a Kantian, tradition, such as those of David Gauthier and John Harsanyi. Third, we will consider what a legal system based on principles of “Hobbesian” contractarianism would look like. Does contractarianism present a plausible alternative to utilitarian theories of law, such as legal economists present? How does it contrast with moral theories of law, such as a deontologist might defend? And what would it suggest about the degree to which consent should govern specific legal doctrines, such as the prohibition on penalty clauses in contracts, the prohibition of certain voluntary markets (involving drugs, pornography, prostitution, or organ and tissue transfers), the laws governing rape, or prohibitions on self-imposed risks? Students will be expected to write three short papers during the course of the semester on assigned topics. Students may write a single longer seminar paper instead, upon consultation with, and upon permission of, instructor. UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION PHIL 578-301 TOPICS IN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY GLOBAL JUSTICE: THEMES IN RAWLS’S “THE LAW OF PEOPLE” Samuel Freeman, sfreeman@sas.upenn.edu Kok Chor Tan, kctan@sas.upenn.edu Seminar: Tuesday -- 3:00-6:00 In this course, we will examine some of the central problems of global justice through a close reading of Rawls’s “The Laws of Peoples” (LP). Using LP to guide our investigation, we will examine topics such as: international realism, democratic peace, human rights, state sovereignty, diversity and the limits of liberal toleration, global economic justice, nationalism, and cosmopolitanism. We hope to get a better understanding of these questions by reading LP and the growing literature inspired by it as well as some of the important works in international relations theory (both historical and contemporary) that informed Rawls’s own work. In turn, we also want to see if the challenge of global justice can tell us anything about the goal and scope of political philosophy. UNDERGRADUATES NEED PERMISSION DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETY PHIL 700-301 DISSERTATION WORKSHOP Samuel Freeman, sfreeman@sas.upenn.edu Seminar: Tuesday -- 6:30-9:00 Registration required for all third-year doctoral students. Fourth year students and beyond attend and present their work.
[Return to top] COLLEGE OF GENERAL STUDIES
PHIL 002-601 ETHICS Susan Meyer, smeyer@nous.phil.upenn.edu Lecture: Tuesday -- 4:30-7:30 An investigation of some of the central questions about the nature of morality: Are moral judgments objective and justifiable? Can moral disagreements be resolved rationally? How are we to understand the idea of a good life, and what is the relationship between a good life and morality? Readings will be from both contemporary and historical sources, and will concern both practical problems (e.g. abortion, euthanasia, or resource conservation) and theoretical issues. GENERAL REQUIREMENT I: SOCIETY PHIL 003-601 HISTORY OF ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY Kevin Tracy, ktracy@sas.upenn.edu Lecture: Wednesday -- 6:30-9:30 A survey of classical Greek approaches to questions about knowledge, the nature of the world, the soul, ethics, and politics. Will focus on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. GENERAL REQUIREMENT II: HISTORY & TRADITION PHIL 026-601 PHILOSOPHY OF SPACE AND TIME Murad Akhundov, akhundov@sas.upenn.edu Lecture: Tuesday, Thursday -- 5:30-7:00 Cross Listed with: HSSC 026-401 This course is an introduction to 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. GENERAL REQUIREMENT VII: SCIENCE STUDIES PHIL 028-601 FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY Milton Meyer, mwmeyer@nous.phil.upenn.edu Lecture: Monday -- 6:30-9:30 Cross Listed with: WSTD 028-601 Feminist philosophy is as wide-ranging as philosophy itself. Feminist philosophers have articulated radical views of philosophy of science, aesthetics, ethics, political philosophy and epistemology. What they all have in common is the belief that each of these traditional areas of philosophy has been deformed by at best, ignoring women and, at worst actively devaluing women and women’s experience. In this introduction to feminist philosophy we will focus on issues in feminist ethical and political theory, though given the nature of the feminist outlook we will also get glimpses of feminist epistemology, social theory and philosophy of science. Feminist political and ethical theories are richly diverse. But all such theories have three common functions. First, the theories attempt to describe the nature of women’s oppression (What is oppression? And how does it manifest itself in the lives of women). Second, they attempt to explain the causes and consequences of that oppression. And finally they attempt to prescribe strategies for ending women’s oppression. We will investigate suggested answers to all three of these questions using contemporary sources. The issues covered will be chosen from among work and family, sexuality, sexual harassment, abortion, date rape, beauty, pornography and affirmative action. Requirements: two short papers (5-6 pages, double-spaced, 30% each), a comprehensive final examination (25%) and regular attendance at the weekly class meeting and conscientious participation in its discussion and exercises (15%). DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETY PHIL 430-640 SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATIONS AND PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES Gary Purpura, gpurpura@sas.upenn.edu Seminar: Thursday -- 6:00-8:40 Contemporary sciences, especially the fields of cognitive psychology, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience, provide a rich starting point for addressing many far-reaching philosophical questions about the mind, including: How does the mind work?; Can the mind be comprehensively described and explained as a complex physical system?; Are humans the only animals with minds?; Are there mental capacities that are uniquely human?; In what sense are minds natural objects?; what is consciousness and can it be adequately explained in terms of physical processes alone?; what is the role of common sense and introspection in understanding what consciousness is?; Are there limits on what the human mind can know?; What is the role of enculturation in the development (acquisition?) of a mind? In this course we will closely examine the attempts of several contemporary philosophers to synthesize diverse scientific frameworks into a single philosophical perspective on various mental phenomena. Our goal will not be so much to arrive at definitive answers but rather to understand how we should go about investigating philosophical questions surrounding the mid. This course will appeal to people with an interest in philosophical issues about the mind and in how science might inform philosophical debates. In addition, people with a background in interdisciplinary science studies should find much of interest here. I presume no prior work in philosophy, either formally or informally. PHIL 578-640 POLITICS OF MULTICULTURALISM: JUSTICE AND CULTURE Kok-Chor Tan, kchtan@sas.upenn.edu Seminar: Wednesday -- 6:00-8:40 This course examines the special problem culture and cultural membership poses for the concept of justice. Justice is supposedly impartial and universal, while cultural claims are often partial and particular. And whereas liberal justice is concerned primarily with the individual, cultural claims are commonly thought to be group-based. How are these conflicting views to be understood? We will examine the problem of culture and justice as it arises in the domestic context (e.g., in the context of the liberal state) and in the global context. Some of the more specific questions we will examine include: Should our conception of justice be influenced by cultural claims? Should cultural differences shape our understanding of human rights? Or should justice transcend culture? What is the relationship between individual freedom and cultural membership? Are there, or should there be, such things as cultural rights? If so, how do we reconcile such group-based rights with individual rights? And, if cultural diversity ought to be tolerated and even celebrated, what, if any, are the limits of cultural toleration? At which point can we rightly criticize a cultural practice or way of life? Are nationalist claims ever justified? We will look at cases involving education and cultural diversity, religious toleration, gender and culture, and the debate on “Asian Values” (the claim made by some leaders of Asian countries that there is a distinctive Asian culture that is incompatible with human rights commonly conceived) to focus our discussion. DISTRIBUTION I: SOCIETY
LOGIC, INFORMATION AND COMPUTATION LGIC 010-401 IDEAS IN LOGIC AND COMPUTATION Scott Weinstein, weinstei@cis.upenn.edu Lecture: Monday, Wednesday, Friday -- 11:00-12:00 Cross Listed with: PHIL 005-401 This course provides an introduction to the fundamental ideas of logic. Topics will include truth functional logic, quantificational logic, and logical decision problems. |
|
| Return to top |
|
Oct 15, 2002 |
  
|