PHILOSOPHY

CRN

 10128

Distribution

 A

Course No.

 PHIL 103

Title

History of Philosophy

Professor

 Garry Hagberg

Schedule

 Tu Th 3:00 pm - 4:20 pm OLIN 203

Related interest: French Studies

A critical examination of the work of some major figures in the history of philosophy, emphasizing historical continuities and developments in the subject. Authors include Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Nietzsche, and Russell.

CRN

 10129

Distribution

 A

Course No.

 PHIL 104

Title

Introduction to Philosophy: Multicultural Perspective

Professor

 Daniel Berthold-Bond

Schedule

 Mon Wed 11:30 am - 12:50 pm OLIN 202

Cross-listed: MES

This course is an introduction to such major themes in the history of philosophy as the nature of reality and our capacity to know it; issues of ethics and justice; and conceptions of how one should live. Readings will include selections from a diverse range of traditions, including Western, Hindu, Buddhist, Chinese, African, Native American, Latin American, Islamic, Jewish, and feminist texts.

CRN

 10130

Distribution

 A

Course No.

 PHIL 230

Title

Philosophy and the Arts

Professor

 Garry Hagberg

Schedule

 Tu Th 11:30 am - 12:50 pm OLIN 202

Cross-listed: Integrated Arts

We will critically investigate a wide range of theories and problems in the philosophy of art, emphasizing issues of artistic meaning. Among the topics to be discussed are whether there exists an aesthetic experience unique to the art world; the nature of representation and mimetic theories of art; the role of expression in artistic definition and criticism; formalism and the form/content distinction; the logic of aesthetic evaluation and its relation to ethical argument; and subjectivity and objectivity in aesthetic perception. We will examine both classical and contemporary theories as they apply to questions arising out of architecture, dance, drama, film, literature, music, painting, and photography.

CRN

 10131

Distribution

 A

Course No.

 PHIL 237

Title

Symbolic Logic

Professor

 William Griffith

Schedule

 Tu Th 10:00 am - 11:20 am HEG 300
The course approaches symbolic logic as the attempt to create symbolic systems to test the validity of deductive arguments expressed in ordinary language. Beginning with the common, informal notion of a valid argument, the course progresses through truth tables; a system of natural deduction for propositional logic, which is proven to be consistent and complete; classical logic, including syllogisms and the square of opposition; Venn diagrams; monadic quantificational theory; and general quantificational theory, relations, and identity, with deductive technique for each. How the latter systems may be developed into higher orders of logic and the foundations of mathematics is outlined. The consistency and completeness of each system is considered, culminating in a brief discussion of Gödel's results and their relevance for mathematics and philosophy.

CRN

 10132

Distribution

 A

Course No.

 PHIL 268

Title

Issues in Bioethics

Professor

 Daniel Berthold-Bond/Michael Tibbetts

Schedule

 Mon Wed 1:30 pm - 2:50 pm OLIN 203

Cross-listed: Biology

This course is an interdisciplinary approach to issues in bioethics, exploring scientific, social, and ethical aspects of topics of contemporary concern. This semester the focus will be on three such topics of current debate: the genome project, cloning, and the development and use of transgenic plants. Readings will cover both theoretical literature as well as case studies. The course is team-taught by a member of the philosophy program and a member of the biology program.

Prerequisite: either a course in philosophy or BIO 201.

Registration will be taken by Prof. Tibbetts

CRN

 10468

Distribution

 A

Course No.

 PHIL 352 Upper College Seminar

Title

The Philosophy of Language

Professor

 Robert Martin

Schedule

 Mon 10:30 am - 12:50 pm OLIN 303
How is it that we can use words to mean something, or express a thought about something? Is there room within a plausible world view for the existence of such things as meanings? What is the connection between language and the world? What is the right analysis of definite descriptions ("the book on the table"), indefinite descriptions ("a book on the table"), and proper names (Moby Dick)? What are speech acts (e.g., making a promise, issuing a warning, asking a question), and how are they related to other kinds of human action? In this course students read and discuss some of the seminal works of the "linguistic turn" of the twentieth century: essays by Frege, Russell, Searle, Kripke, Austin, Tarski, and others.

CRN

 10134

Distribution

 A

Course No.

 PHIL 385 Upper College Seminar

Title

Wittgenstein

Professor

 William Griffith

Schedule

 Wed 10:30 am - 12:50 pm HEG 300

Related interest: German Studies

A first reading of major works of one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth-century, Ludwig Wittgenstein. Readings: Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, The Blue Book, and The Philosophical Investigations. Enrollment limited to 15. Permission of instructor required. Priority for admission will be given to students with upper college standing and/or a previous course in philosophy.