[Note: Under the general education requirement, each course is given a PAC (Perception, Analysis, and Communication) category code to indicate its content and the skills it develops. For further information, see the College Catalog.]

Professor Paul Hurley, Department Chair
Professors Atlas3, N. Davis, Erickson, Hurley2, McKirahan, Sontag
Assistant Professors Kung, Thielke3
Visiting Assistant Professor Collier
Lecturer Parker

Philosophy Department courses are designed to enable the student to understand the philosophic tradition and to cultivate critical thinking. The program serves the needs of those interested in philosophy as part of a liberal education, and prepares Philosophy majors for work in graduate programs. Most courses numbered 101 and below are suitable as first courses in philosophy. The Philosophy program is offered in cooperation with the other Claremont Colleges.

Requirements for the Major in Philosophy
The Philosophy major requires a minimum of nine courses, including Philosophy 31 (History of Ethics) or 32 (Ethical Theory); Philosophy 30 (Knowledge, Mind and Existence); Philosophy 60 (Logic); two of the three courses from our core history sequence, Ancient (Philosophy 40), Modern (Philosophy 42) and Continental Thought (Philosophy 43); at least one course from the Philosophy 185 and 186 series; and Philosophy 191 (Senior Thesis, taken over both semester of the senior year). It is recommended that Philosophy majors complete Philosophy 30, 31 or 32, 60, and two of the three courses in our core history sequence (Philosophy 40, 42, 43) before the senior year. The senior exercise in Philosophy is completed by writing a thesis (Philosophy 191).

Requirements for a Minor in Philosophy
Any student who is not a major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), or a special major including coursework in philosophy is eligible for a Philosophy minor. The requirements of such a minor are: the completion of six philosophy courses, including no more than two courses numbered below 10, and at least one course numbered 185 or 186.

Other
Information Students interested in graduate study in Philosophy are strongly recommended to take both History of Modern and Ancient Philosophy. Reading knowledge of French, German, Greek, or Latin is an asset for graduate study. For more specific information concerning particular graduate programs, consult members of the faculty.

Courses
1. Problems of Philosophy. Mr. Collier, Ms. N. Davis. A study of selected problems in philosophy, from such areas as ethics, philosophy of religion, theory of knowledge, and metaphysics. Classical and contemporary readings. Lecture and discussion. Each semester. [PAC 10]

2. The Questions of Philosophy. Mr. Sontag. A study of the major philosophers in the Western tradition. Original source readings are organized according to the central questions with which philosophers traditionally deal. Discussion focuses on the solutions offered to these questions and the student’s present response. Fall 2004. [PAC 10]

3. Philosophy Through Its History. Mr. Erickson. Study of the development of philosophy in the West. Plato, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Nietzsche will be considered. Lecture and discussion. Fall 2004. [PAC 10]

4. Philosophy in Literature. Mr. Erickson. Discussion of various aspects of the human condition, personal and social, as presented in various works of literature. Lecture and discussion. Offered in 2005-06. [PAC 10]

5. Gods, Humans, and Justice in Ancient Greece. Mr. McKirahan. Focus on the fundamental questions in ancient Greek moral thinking, such as the following: What is the best kind of life for a human? Should I be good? Can I be good? Is morality objective, subjective, or relative to one’s society? What is the relation between gods and humans? Are we at the mercy of fate? Readings from Greek literature and philosophy. Identical to Classics 64. Offered in 2005-06. [PAC 10] PI

7. Introduction to Philosophy. Mr. Keeley. This course investigates that value of a philosophical life through a look at history and current state of Western philosophy. Topics may include the nature of justice, the relationship between mind and body, free will, the nature of knowledge, the problem of evil, and arguments for the existence of God. Offered in 2005-06.

30. Knowledge, Mind, and Existence. Mr. Keeley, Mr. Kung. Introduction to some of the central issues regarding the nature of knowledge, the mind, and reality. Topics include skepticism, the analysis of knowledge, mental causation, dualism, reductive and nonreductive physicalism, proofs for the existence of God, and personal identity. Each semester. [PAC 10]

31. History of Ethics. Mr. Collier. Introduction to the major writings of several leading figures in the history of moral philosophy. Focuses primarily on moral philosophy of the modern period. Lecture and discussion. Fall 2004. [PAC 10]

32. Ethical Theory. Staff. Introduction to the central problems of philosophical ethics, including the nature of value, the justification of moral principles, and the psychology of moral choice. Classical and modern readings. Spring 2005. [PAC 10]

33. Social and Political Philosophy. Staff. Survey of conceptual and normative problems in political and social theory, particularly issues involving freedom, equality, and rights. Readings from Locke, Marx, Rousseau, Mill, Rawls, Nozick, and others. Spring 2005. [PAC 10]

34. Philosophy of Law. Mr. Hurley. This course consists of two components. The first focuses on specific issues in the philosophy of law, e.g., Should we punish to incapacitate? to cure? to deter? to exact revenge? to exact retribution? The second component surveys main theories of what, more generally, the law is and ought to be. Fall 2004. [PAC 10]

36. Environmental Ethics. Ms. N. Davis. Concerned with humans’ place in and responsibility for the ‘natural world.’ Topics will include: the moral status of non-human animals and non-animate beings, the environmental consequences of our reliance on industrialized agriculture and biotechnology, the social and psychological factors that stand in the way of our making ‘green’ choices, the desirability and possibility of our formulating a coherent and compelling ‘global ethic.’ Fall 2004.

38. Bioethics. Ms. N. Davis. Focuses on issues and themes that arise in our reflections about the conduct of scientific research and the application of its results, and about the nature and practice of medicine. Specific issues will vary from year to year. One year we may explore the conceptual underpinnings that help us understand and assess the efficacy and morality of medical treatment. Another year, the orientation of the course may be a more policy-centered one. Fall 2004. [PAC 10]

40. Ancient Philosophy. Mr. McKirahan. Origins of Western philosophy through reading and discussion of its classical sources, including the Presocratics, Stoics, Epicureans, Sceptics, Plato, and Aristotle. Lecture and discussion. Fall 2004. [PAC 10]

41. Medieval Philosophy. Mr. Sontag. A wide variety of medieval philosophers/theologians will be considered, from Ancient philosophy to the Modern Age, including the mystical tradition. Original source readings range from Augustine to Ockham. Spring 2006. [PAC 8]

42. Modern Philosophy. Mr. Collier. Major philosophers of the 17th and 18th centuries (e.g., Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Leibniz, and Hume), emphasizing their views on metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of mind. Lecture and discussion. Spring 2005. [PAC 10]

43. Continental Thought. Mr. Erickson. Beginning with a review of Kant, German idealism (Fichte through Hegel), Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Foucault, and Derrida will be considered. Spring 2005. [PAC 10]

47. Socrates. Mr. McKirahan. Through reading of ancient texts and modern interpretations this course will address such questions as the following. Who was Socrates? What do we know about him? What were his views and values, and how did he reach them? Why was he put to death? What is the Socratic Method? Was Socrates a revolutionary or an upholder of traditional values? How was he seen by contemporaries and by posterity? What has been his philosophical influence? Spring 2005; offered alternate years. [PAC 10]

52. Philosophy of Religion. Mr. Sontag. Explores the classical and contemporary settings for the problem of evil and the way in which God is either denied or reconceived as a result. Readings from Augustine, Jung, Suzuki, Kazantzakis, Niebuhr, de Chardin, Otto, Confucius, Wiesel, and Eastern religions, e.g., Zen Buddhism. Letter grade only. Spring 2005. [PAC 10]

54. Existentialism. Mr. Sontag. The origins of existentialism and its impact on philosophy, literature, theology, and psychoanalysis. Extensive source readings in Kierkegaard, Sartre, Camus, de Beauvoir, Tillich, Frankl, and others. Letter grade only. Fall 2005. [PAC 10]

PI 55. Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art. Mr. Keeley. Introduction to philosophical and conceptual issues raised by beauty and art. The primary focus will be issues raised by 20th-century art, including DeChamp, Rauschenberg, Warhol, Pollock, Mapplethorpe, Karen Finney, and others. Offered in 2005-06.

60. Logic. Mr. Atlas, Mr. Parker. Introduction to mathematical logic through the development of proof techniques (natural deduction and semantic tableaux) and model theory for sentential logic and quantification theory. Properties of logical systems, such as consistency, completeness, and decidability. Identical to Linguistics 60. Each semester. [PAC 3]

PI 103. Philosophy of Science. Mr. Keeley. Introduction to topics in philosophy of science, including structure of scientific theories, nature of scientific progress, confirmation of scientific hypotheses, and contemporary critiques of science. Prerequisite: Logic, collegelevel science courses, or permission of instructor. Spring 2005.

PI 123. Perspectives on Mind and Brain. Mr. Keeley. Three different perspectives examined: contemporary philosophy, contemporary brain science, and first-person narratives from people with conditions such as chronic depression, autism, and Tourette syndrome. Prerequisites: One course in Philosophy and one Neuroscience or Psychology course, or permission of instructor. Spring 2005.

PI 130. Monkey Business: Continuing Controversies in Human Evolution. Mr. Keeley, Mr. Moore. Examines the history, concepts, and philosophy behind Darwin’s ideas by exploring the fields of sociobiology, cognitive psychology, and primatology. Consider the relationship between development and evolution to build an understanding of Darwin’s mechanism. Prerequisites: A college-level course in at least one of the following areas: Psychology, Philosophy, Biology, or permission of instructor. Spring 2005.

160. Freedom, Markets, and Well-Being. Ms. Brown and Mr. Hurley. Our society embraces commitments both to safeguarding basic liberties and to facilitating the pursuit of happiness. In this course we take up a range of views concerning the appropriate role of the market in such a society. We then focus upon the challenges involved in bringing these arguments to bear on issues of public policy. Prerequisites: one course in each of philosophy, politics, and microeconomics. Identical to Economics 160, Politics 100, and PPE 160. Fall 2004. [PAC 10]

Courses for Majors and Other Qualified Students
185E. Self, Language, and Imagination. Mr. Erickson. Seminar on recent reflections on continental themes generated by such thinkers as Rorty and Taylor. Emphasis on the role of language and imagination in political and existential discourses. Fall 2004.

185L. Topics in Epistemology, Metaphysics, and the Philosophy of the Mind. Mr. Kung. An examination of various issues in contemporary epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind. Topics may include the nature of consciousness, mental causation, the relationship between the mental and the physical, the nature of epistemic justification, and the status of testimony as a source of knowledge. Spring 2005. [PAC 10]

185M. Topics in Mind and Language. Mr. Atlas. Introduction to contemporary theories of language, cognition, truth, meaning, mind/body and intentionality. Prerequisite: Philosophy 42 or 60, or permission of instructor. Fall 2005.

186E. Heidegger and the Tradition. Mr. Erickson. A selective examination of Heidegger’s understanding of poetry, tradition, and truth. Comparisons with Hegel, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, and Derrida. Discussion. Spring 2005. [PAC 10]

186H. Topics in History of Modern. Mr. Collier. An examination of issues central to 17th–19th-century philosophy. Topics might include the debate between rationalism and empiricism, the limits of reason, the nature of substance and mind, and the nature of human experience. Reading to be drawn from authors from Descartes to Nietzsche. Letter grade only. Prerequisite: Philosophy 42. Spring 2005.

186K. Kant. Mr. Thielke. A detailed examination of the works of Immanuel Kant, focusing on issues that arise from Kant’s transcendental idealism. Topics may include Kant’s account of cognition, the nature and limits of human knowledge, the force of the moral law, and the warrant of aesthetic judgment. Prerequisite: Philosophy 42. Offered in 2005-06.

188. Pro-Seminar in Contemporary Philosophical Issues. Mr. Erickson, Mr. Hurley. Extended discussion of selected topics current in recent philosophical debate. Prerequisites: at least five philosophy courses and permission of instructor. Letter grade only. Each semester.

191. Senior Thesis. Mr. Collier. Senior exercise for the Philosophy major. A year-long sequence leading to the completion of a thesis supervised by faculty members. Students must enroll in 191 both in the fall and spring semester. A prospectus of the project as well as a substantial annotated bibliography will be due in early December; the final thesis must be submitted to the department in late April. Each semester.

191b. Accelerated Senior Thesis. Mr. Collier. Alternate senior exercise for Philosophy majors. Course is intended only for students who wish to complete the senior thesis in the fall semester. A prospectus and bibliography will be due in early October, and the thesis must be submitted to the department in early December. Permission of instructor required. Fall 2004.

198. Summer Research Projects. Staff. Summer reading and research on a topic agreed to by the student and the instructor. Normally, such study involves a set of short papers and/or culminates in a research paper of substantial length. Course or half-course. Each semester. 199.

Independent Study. Staff. Independent reading and research on a topic agreed to by the student and the instructor. Normally, such study involves a set of short papers and/or culminates in a research paper of substantial length. Course or half-course. Each semester.