We will also try to get more precise in our understanding of some of the key concepts in logic, such as contradiction, consistency, logical consequence, syntax and semantics. questions by studying the history of controversies in American higher education, concentrating especially on debates about the curriculum. How do logic and language relate? Leibniz wrote his New Essays in 1704 as a critical response to Locke's Essay of 1690. All three have had a profound influence on literature, social theory, and critical theories of the 20th and 21st centuries. We think that there is a difference between a linguistic object's being meaningful and its having a referent. We will examine the wager in its original home of Pascal's Pensees, and look at William James' related article, "The Will to Believe." Tragedy and philosophy were two of the finest achievements of classical Athenian civilization, and each attempts to reveal to the reader something fundamental about our shared human condition. Through an examination of these works, we will try to get some feeling for what Socrates' controversial positions and his arguments for these positions may have been. Do we have any control over our emotions? to that question, and the theoretical assumptions that underlie the answers, differ as well. We will discuss the importance of specific genre conventions and broader contextual matters to the interpretation of literary texts (along the lines suggested by Quentin Skinner); the possibility of using intention to rule out mistaken and arrive at acceptable interpretations, if not a single correct interpretation (a possibility denied by such relativists as Stanley Fish); the use and meaning of metaphors; and the host of questions surrounding the intentional fallacy (the alleged result of invoking authorial intention to determine textual meaning). Can science contribute to our understanding of these issues? In this course we address key themes and figures from two of the most influential movements in twentieth century European philosophy, namely, existentialism and phenomenology, a philosophical approach to which existentialism is indebted. ", Get immediate help for depression or anxiety. If there aren't such things, how do we characterize meaningfulness instead? However, few (haters gonna hate) would say that the expression has a referent. If not, should this concern us? What are the main sources of uncertainty here? We will read Adam Smith and Karl Marx on capitalism, Simone de Beauvoir on gender, and Charles Mills on race. We'll examine these criticisms in depth. Edited by John . Death Date Jul 3, 2015: Birth Sign: Pisces: Phil Walsh Height, Body Info. In this tutorial you will read from a selection of Foucault's texts (books, lectures, interviews) in order to acquire a firm grasp of his method of "critique" and his way of looking at the interconnections between forms of power and the knowledge associated with particular disciplines. Are there ethical considerations that should govern both film production and spectatorship? On the other hand, there is a heap of sand in my backyard. How is political power generated and exercised? of thinking, categorizing, and knowing, we can easily imagine that he might now be questioning different aspects of our contemporary "present" than the ones standardly associated with his name, namely, panopticons and surveillance, discipline, criminalization, the biopolitics of health, the normal and the abnormal, etc. Other philosophers and literary theorists have used some of their ideas recently to throw light on the nature of textual meaning and the interpretation of literary texts. Phil Walsh. What are other models for understanding moral objectivity? How do I know that I am one? Much of the moral philosophy produced in Greece and Rome remains as relevant today as when it was written. But now we have a problem. [more], The nature of consciousness remains a fundamental mystery of the universe. Along the way, we will need to come to grips with the following surprising fact. We also examine the Yogacara school, which offers a process view of reality focusing on the analysis of experience. The Philosophy of Higher Education: College Controversies. In this course we'll examine several influential attempts to provide a rational foundation for morality, along with Nietzsche's wholesale rejection of these efforts. (Foot also invented the infamous trolley car thought experiment.) "Near-Death Experiences." In How to Think About Weird Things. It is a paradox, because I started with seemingly true statements and used valid reasoning to arrive at contradictory conclusions. In this course we will seek to comprehend the dimensions in which Existentialism is a distinctive intellectual tradition. Epistemologists seek answers to the following kinds of questions: When is it rational to have a particular belief? philosophers deeply influenced by pragmatism do not recognize the fact, while, on the other hand, some self-proclaimed pragmatists of our days can hardly be seen as continuing the tradition to which they pledge allegiance. In this tutorial, we'll read portions of Rawls' major works, A Theory of Justice and Political Liberalism, and trace how his theory evolved in response to an array of critics, including libertarians, perfectionists, communitarians, feminist philosophers, and critical race theorists. We will then turn to a variety of more recent attempts to give a clear characterization of causation. We will read works by three of Socrates' contemporaries: Aristophanes, Xenophon, and especially Plato. stagflation of the 1970s, and bursting of the mortgage bubble in 2008. Initial tutorial meetings will focus on theoretical materials that will background later discussions and will include classic readings from the environmental ethics literature (e.g., Leopold, Taylor, Rolston). [more], Epistemology is one of the core areas of philosophical reflection. role does the history of philosophy play in the discipline? Logic is sometimes called the study of reason. Furthermore, they share the conviction that the most important components of a successful life are within the control of the individual human being. We ordinarily claim that sentences are true or false, but are there other entities whose truth and falsity explains the truth and falsity of sentences? Who are the people, anyway? We will concentrate both on making precise the philosophical problem of consciousness and on understanding the role of the relevant neuroscientific and cognitive research. that future is nothing short of an existential threat to human beings. First of all, Greek thinkers, especially Plato and Aristotle, radically shaped the trajectory of western thought in every area of philosophy. As Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh lay bleeding from 20 stab wounds, his wife begged him not to leave her. The pain and suffering of the family is no different.". Does freedom require leading (or avoiding) a political life? To do this we will explore topics that might traditionally be considered "women's issues" in healthcare, such as medicine and body image (e.g., cosmetic surgery, eating disorders), reproductive and genetic technologies, and research on women and their health care needs. For that matter, what are logical theorems even about? Each questioned the emancipatory effect of reason and freedom as well as idealist accounts of moral progress in human history. What distinguishes that kind of life from others? We conclude by considering some of the later Hindu holistic views of the self as responses to the Buddhist critique. In a philosophy of logic class, we think about what we are doing when we do logic. We will examine these and related issues by looking in depth at contemporary defenses of consequentialist, deontological, and contractualist theories. We will consider the ways in which narrative fiction presents and engages its audience in philosophical reflections on personal identity, nature of the self, interpersonal relationships, memory, time, human existence, freedom, and the meaning in life. Mill, W.E.B Dubois, John Rawls, Charles Mills, Jurgen Habermas). We will then turn to contemporary controversies such as campus free speech. One possible answer which we will examine is that, while many philosophers recognize that there are intimate connections between what we believe, feel and do, philosophical argumentation by its very nature appeals to belief alone; narrative art, by contrast, can simultaneously engage our reason, emotions, imagination and will, thus resulting not only in deepening our understanding, but also in transformation of the self. Each book was chosen by and will be introduced by a professor from a different department, and then Professor of Philosophy Steve Gerrard will continue the discussion. How does our experience justify our beliefs? If time permits, we may also look at how the figure of Socrates has been thought about in the works of more modern thinkers. In our attempts to make headway in answering such daunting questions, we investigate recent debates in critical theory concerning subjection and resistance, intersubjective recognition and redistribution, social pathologies and the idea of a political unconscious. Existentialists investigate deeply irrational phenomena of human life, including anxiety, boredom, tragedy, despair, death, faith, sexuality, love, hate, sadism, masochism, and authenticity. Does being virtuous guarantee happiness? Questions about persons are of central importance for a myriad of our theories and practices, and for the ways in which we live our lives. We will read the great 20th century philosopher who saw education as the foundation of democracy: John Dewey. Our subjects will include hate speech, press censorship, pornography, controversial art, sacrilegious speech and campus controversies. (i) You are psyched. College: will be updated: University: will be updated: High Education: Not Available: Degree: How have you already been taught the academic and civic virtues? [more], Twenty-four centuries ago Plato argued for censorship of art. In this course we address key themes and figures from two of the most influential movements in twentieth century European philosophy, namely, existentialism and phenomenology, a philosophical approach to which existentialism is indebted. It is, in fact, quite difficult to get through any course of study in the liberal arts without some familiarity with Plato. How do our thoughts refer to objects? If there are such things--we'll call them propositions--what are they like? of such projects for philosophy, this tutorial will focus on a less emphasized, but equally essential aspect of our lives: emotions. Some of the questions which we will discuss are: What is a person? Tutorial partners will have an opportunity to spend the end of the semester working on a special topic of their choosing including, for instance, consciousness and free will, pain and anesthesia, consciousness and artificial intelligence, or disorders of consciousness. Why then should we spend our time studying people who in addition to having these surprising beliefs have been dead for 2500 years? Our focus will be on recent influential work in this area. While Hegel studies tends to occur in isolation from philosophers in the Africana tradition, many of the above explicitly refer to and take up questions in Hegel. Milan Kundera tried to answer this question by saying that a good philosophical novel does not serve philosophy but, on the contrary, tries to "get hold of a domain that () philosophy had kept for itself. How should we think about the boundaries and methods of theorizing about film? What if they are biased, unbeknownst to us? We will read Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau in seeking answers to these questions. Stoicism and skepticism, however, are wildly divergent schools of thought. By the early 20th century, in the works of Freud, we encounter the idea of the intra-psychic features of subjects and the importance of understanding and regulating psychic forces both within and between subjects in order to adapt to the demands of living at any given time, born as we are both dependent upon and vulnerable to others. Each book was chosen by and will be introduced by a professor from a different department, and then Professor of Philosophy Steve Gerrard will continue the discussion. Science is only "true" for some people, agnosticism is the only alternative to foolish superstition, and moral relativism and, consequently, nihilism are obvious. This theoretically oriented work will provide the background for subsequent examination of specific topics, which may include, among others: justice in health care financing and reform; justice in health care rationing and access to health care, with particular attention to the intersections of rationing criteria with gender, sexuality, race, disability, and age; justice in the procurement and allocation of organs for transplantation; obesity and personal responsibility for illness; and justice in medical research, including "double standards" for research conducted in low resource settings. We doubt, we point out that no one can be certain in what she believes, and we are suspicious of declarations of transcendent reason or truth (unless they are our own). And what present practices and ways of thinking and knowing might be questioned using Foucault's tools, genealogy in particular, for resisting unnecessary constraints on freedom and the perpetuation of unnecessary suffering? Throughout the course, we will consult and discuss the important secondary literature on Wittgenstein, and analyze different philosophical presuppositions and goals that motivate particular readings. Among the authors we will read are: Aristotle, Frege, Russell, Quine, Kripke, Putnam, Field and Fine. Or are some of our beliefs true in virtue of their meanings alone? [more], We often associate modern faith in the prospects of universal human dignity, rational autonomy, the rights of man, individual liberty, democracy, open scientific inquiry and social and political progress with the Enlightenment . We will then discuss philosophies of science which emerged out of various criticisms of this view - especially those of Popper, Lakatos, Kuhn and Feyerabend - and the challenges to the assumptions of scientific objectivity and rationality their works provoked. [more], This course involves Independent Study under the supervision of a member of the department. Despite these rather grim pronouncements, tragic drama has continued to fascinate and educate generations. This will be the only trigger warning for the class; if you don't want to be offended then this course is not for you. What are the forces, and the dynamics between forces (i.e., economic, technological, modes of communication, techniques of social control, biological, psychological) that make certain types of subjects possible influencing both their self-understandings and their forms of life? [more], Bertrand Russell claimed that Ludwig Wittgenstein was "perhaps the most perfect example I have ever known of genius as traditionally conceived--passionate, profound, intense, and dominating." What role do emotional, irrational or unconscious forces play? In this way the goal of the course is significantly different from that of Logic and Language (PHIL 203). Through an examination of these works, we will try to get some feeling for what Socrates' controversial positions and his arguments for these positions may have been. What does it take to realize this fact? arts education by nurturing in students the academic and civic virtues, and their related traits of character." According to the other, every class was well-populated, potentially by different groups. Your email address will not be published. In addition to key concepts of death, dying, and terminal illness, we will develop and refine notions of medical futility, paternalism and autonomy, particularly within the context of advance directives and surrogate decision making. While Hegel studies tends to occur in isolation from philosophers in the Africana tradition, many of the above explicitly refer to and take up questions in Hegel. How can we ensure that AI's will act morally? But how often do we ask: What is freedom? know anything through reason alone? Must it be unaffected by any outside influences? Among the questions that we will address: What is justice? Williams College Catalog Phone Number 413-597-4286 [email protected] We will start by situating Hume's project within the historical tradition in which he thought and against which Treatise was directed. We use language to communicate meanings in order to accomplish a variety of goals: to convey information, make requests, establish rules, utilize power, issue protests, and much more. We will then turn to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. At home? Cy Walsh has asked a court to let him back into the community without supervision, almost six years to the day after killing his father and Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh. While answers to such questions are implicit in historically important accounts of morality, these issues became the topic of explicit, sustained debate in the twentieth and twenty-first century. This is part of a full-year thesis (493-494). Are there things that cannot be put into words? Is rationality relative to cultural norms? The abstract philosophical question before us is, what are animals such that they can be all these things? The Wittgenstein of the Tractatus is known as the "earlier Wittgenstein," the Wittgenstein of the Investigations is known as the "later Wittgenstein." How can we reconcile this faith with the persistence of domination today? Why read the history of philosophy? Who gets to decide the answer to these questions; indeed, who gets to decide what questions to ask? To do this, we will need to become familiar with key ethical theories; think deeply about such concepts as privacy, paternalism and autonomy, exploitation, cost-benefit analysis and justice; and compare the function of these concepts in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic with the way they work in responses to other public health concerns. We will read some representative works from each of these schools of thought to see how each approaches Socrates. We will begin with an analysis of primary texts by Fanon and end by considering how Fanon has been interpreted by his contemporaries as well as activists and critical theorists writing today. Does freedom require leading (or avoiding) a political life? Some critical theorists within the Frankfurt School tradition draw from upon ideas about the constitution of the subject developed in the early 19th century German philosophy of Hegel. One of our guiding questions will be: What makes a thinker an "Existentialist"? His thought influenced the thought of subsequent generations of philosophers. Some maintain that these issues are solely the provinces of philosophy, using traditional a priori methods. And, it's not merely that their answer invokes our freedom to determine our own identities. It turns out, however, to be surprisingly difficult to say what causation is. Some of the questions we will consider are: Are moral standards relative to cultural frameworks? limits of language? Background readings include sources rooted in traditional modes of bioethical analysis as well as those incorporating feminist approaches. We will see how a focus on language affects our understanding of many traditional philosophical questions, ranging from epistemology and metaphysics to aesthetics and ethics. So there is not a heap in my backyard. Its probing and intimate reflections on the meaning of human life, the nature of God and mind, time and eternity, will and world, good and evil, love and sexuality have challenged every generation since Augustine's own. Using resources from philosophy and linguistics, we will study various ways in which literal and non-literal uses of language influence our social lives. to the structure of arguments for and against relativism, as well as to the philosophical motivations and perceived consequences of its endorsement or rejection. Our main goal in this course is to work our way through Aristotle's text which can be extremely daunting, and to reconstruct his central positions and his arguments for these positions. The first portion of the course will address the emergence of the "Ethics of Care," critically assessing its origins in feminist theory, its development within the context of the caring professions, and its potential as a general approach to bioethical reasoning. In the first unit of this course, we will consider the relationship between freedom and social order. Our main goal will be to prove things about this logical system rather than to use this system to think about ordinary language arguments. We then consider a range of Buddhist critiques of these views, focusing more particularly on the Madhyamaka, which radicalizes the critique of the self into a global anti-realist and skeptical stance. We will look at civil disobedience and theories of legal interpretation. 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