Spring Term Schedule
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Spring 2023
| Number | Title | Instructor | Time |
|---|
|
PHIL 101-1
Paul Audi
MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
|
|
Philosophers ask questions about a vast variety of topics, including what really exists, what we can know, how we should live, how we should treat each other, whether there is a God or a life after this one, how can we have free choices, and what it means to be a human with a particular identity. Philosophers seek answers to such questions by thinking carefully about them, using experience, reason and argumentation, and taking into account contributions of the sciences, literature, and other fields. This course will introduce students to some of the most interesting and exciting parts of philosophy.
|
|
PHIL 102-1
Michael Carrick
MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
|
|
This course is an introduction to basic issues in the philosophical investigation of ethics. Topics include general theories of the nature of right and wrong and theories of the functions of ethical language. Classes are in the lecture and question format.
|
|
PHIL 103-1
William FitzPatrick
TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM
|
|
An introduction to moral philosophy as applied to current topics. Some questions to be explored: What sorts of socioeconomic principles are morally justifiable? Does the history of racial injustice in the U.S. create a moral demand for reparations, and if so, what is the best argument for this? What is the relation, if any, between morality and religion? Do animals have moral rights? How should we understand the meaning and value of human life and death? Can abortion sometimes be justified, and if so, how? Is it okay to destroy embryos for stem cell research? Is active euthanasia ever permissible? Is capital punishment justifiable in principle? In practice? Is torture morally permissible in the fight against terrorism? How far does our moral duty to aid distant strangers extend? We will also explore related general questions: Is it always possible for a good enough end to justify bad means? Are there objective facts about right or wrong, or is morality ultimately relative to cultures or times? Are there situations in which every available action is wrong? Can we be morally assessed even for some things that are largely a matter of luck?
|
|
PHIL 110-1
Mark Povich
TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM
|
|
Symbolic logic through first-order quantification theory. Skill in deductive inference is strengthened through construction of proofs and other methods of a rigorously defined artificial language.
|
|
PHIL 120-1
Randall Curren
TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM
|
|
Codes of ethics developed by the engineering profession refer to integrity, competence, leadership, commitment to enhancing the quality of life in the society and across the world, and protecting the natural and built environment. In this course we will explore these dimensions of professionalism and acquire a toolkit for principled decision-making, communication, and professional flourishing. We will focus on the value judgments that are integral to the engineering design process, while also examining the ways in which institutional settings influence decision-making. The pedagogy, written work, and evaluation in this course will be strongly oriented to case-based analysis.
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|
PHIL 201-1
Lawrence Philpot
MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM
|
|
Survey of the origins of Western philosophy, from the Presocratics through Hellenistic philosophy six centuries later. The great philosophers of the Classical period, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, are studied in detail.
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PHIL 215-1
Paul Audi
MW 11:50AM - 1:05PM
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PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required This course is an introduction to metalogic. Topics covered include basic elements of set theory, and the model-theoretic treatment of sentential and first-order logic (completeness, compactness, and Lwenheim-Skolem theorems).
|
|
PHIL 220-1
Earl Conee
TR 4:50PM - 6:05PM
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|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required In this course we investigate critically three approaches to morality: consequentialism, virtue theory, and Kantian ethics. We also look into philosophical work on the questions of whether there are insoluble moral dilemmas and whether moral evaluations are necessitated by some empirical facts.
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|
PHIL 225-1
William FitzPatrick
TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required. Philosophical analysis of ethical issues in medicine and biotechnology, such as problems arising in connection with the relations between physicians and patients, the challenges of cultural diversity, practices surrounding human and animal research, decisions about end of life care, embryonic stem cell research, genetic engineering, biotechnological human enhancement, and social justice in relation to health-care policy. Papers will focus on analyses grounded in case studies.
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PHIL 225W-1
William FitzPatrick
TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM
|
|
Fulfills upper level writing requirement for the major. Philosophical analysis of ethical issues in medicine and biotechnology, such as problems arising in connection with the relations between physicians and patients, the challenges of cultural diversity, practices surrounding human and animal research, decisions about end of life care, embryonic stem cell research, genetic engineering, biotechnological human enhancement, and social justice in relation to health-care policy. Papers will focus on analyses grounded in case studies.
|
|
PHIL 226-1
James Otis
TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One Previous Philosophy course required In recent years, the U.S. legal system has been beset by claims of overcriminalization, racially discriminatory enforcement, and inadequate or unequal protection of individual civil rights. What should we make of these claims, and what, if anything, would be implied by their truth? In seeking to answer these questions, this course will examine the nature of the law and its enforcement. We will begin by discussing the issue of criminalization and whether the expansion of the criminal law is or is not problematic. From there, we will turn to the foundational questions of what, precisely, the law is, and what its connection to morality is or should be. Are we obligated to obey the law, and if so, why? Finally, we will ask whether it is possible for the law to remain neutral with regards to morality and politics, and whether the supposed “neutrality” of the law may itself be an instrument of oppression. If the legal system lacks the kind of neutrality that many legal theorists claim for it, what (if anything) does that license us (as citizens) to do? (Offered every spring)
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PHIL 226W-1
James Otis
TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM
|
|
In recent years, the U.S. legal system has been beset by claims of overcriminalization, racially discriminatory enforcement, and inadequate or unequal protection of individual civil rights. What should we make of these claims, and what, if anything, would be implied by their truth? In seeking to answer these questions, this course will examine the nature of the law and its enforcement. We will begin by discussing the issue of criminalization and whether the expansion of the criminal law is or is not problematic. From there, we will turn to the foundational questions of what, precisely, the law is, and what its connection to morality is or should be. Are we obligated to obey the law, and if so, why? Finally, we will ask whether it is possible for the law to remain neutral with regards to morality and politics, and whether the supposed “neutrality” of the law may itself be an instrument of oppression. If the legal system lacks the kind of neutrality that many legal theorists claim for it, what (if anything) does that license us (as citizens) to do? (Offered every spring)
|
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PHIL 235-1
Jonathan Herington
MW 11:50AM - 1:05PM
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One Previous Philosophy course required This course focuses on a number of questions that arise in the design, development and deployment of machine learning algorithms. Topics include: Bias in algorithms (e.g., how should we measure unfairness in algorithms that determine who gets bail, parole, a job, or a loan? What about bias in health analytics?) Values disagreement and algorithms (e.g., how should self-driving cars or diagnostic algorithms make decisions, given that we disagree about the good?) Algorithms, social media, and public life (e.g., what is the impact of social media algorithms on public discourse and the future of democracy?) Algorithms and the future of work (e.g., how should we structure our society when many basic tasks will be performed by machines? How should we distribute the benefits of machine productivity?)
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|
PHIL 235W-1
Jonathan Herington
MW 11:50AM - 1:05PM
|
|
This course focuses on a number of questions that arise in the design, development and deployment of machine learning algorithms. Topics include: Bias in algorithms (e.g., how should we measure unfairness in algorithms that determine who gets bail, parole, a job, or a loan? What about bias in health analytics?) Values disagreement and algorithms (e.g., how should self-driving cars or diagnostic algorithms make decisions, given that we disagree about the good?) Algorithms, social media, and public life (e.g., what is the impact of social media algorithms on public discourse and the future of democracy?) Algorithms and the future of work (e.g., how should we structure our society when many basic tasks will be performed by machines? How should we distribute the benefits of machine productivity?) This course fulfills the upper level writing requirement.
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PHIL 250-1
Lawrence Philpot
MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required An avalanche barrels down a mountainside; a demolition expert lights the dynamite: In both cases a building is destroyed; but in one case, this destruction merely happens, and in the other, it is done—an action is performed. In this course we'll try to understand what's distinctive of action, especially human action or agency. We'll examine concepts such as intention, reason for action, desire, practical knowledge, and free will. Topics may include: What kind of aiming, directedness, or intention is required for action? How are actions motivated? What is the relationship between practical knowledge and moral action? How can we explain failures of agency, like weakness of will? What is it to act freely?
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PHIL 250W-1
Lawrence Philpot
MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required An avalanche barrels down a mountainside; a demolition expert lights the dynamite: In both cases a building is destroyed; but in one case, this destruction merely happens, and in the other, it is done—an action is performed. In this course we'll try to understand what's distinctive of action, especially human action or agency. We'll examine concepts such as intention, reason for action, desire, practical knowledge, and free will. Topics may include: What kind of aiming, directedness, or intention is required for action? How are actions motivated? What is the relationship between practical knowledge and moral action? How can we explain failures of agency, like weakness of will? What is it to act freely?
|
|
PHIL 252-1
Mark Povich
TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required Survey of primarily metaphysical questions about science: Must the entities posited by a scientific theory exist for it to be successful? Do laws of nature govern the world or simply articulate patterns? How are lower and higher level scientific theories related to one another? Is scientific explanation primarily concerned with laws, with causes, or with something else?
|
|
PHIL 252W-1
Mark Povich
TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required Survey of primarily metaphysical questions about science: Must the entities posited by a scientific theory exist for it to be successful? Do laws of nature govern the world or simply articulate patterns? How are lower and higher level scientific theories related to one another? Is scientific explanation primarily concerned with laws, with causes, or with something else? Fulfills upper level writing requirement for the major.
|
|
PHIL 311-1
Richard Dees
F 12:00PM - 2:40PM
|
|
Seminar on a limited number of changing topics in biomedical ethics. PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required
|
|
PHIL 321-1
Richard Dees
R 2:00PM - 4:40PM
|
|
Death poses a number of philosophical puzzles which we will examine in this class: What does it mean to die? Am I harmed when I die? I don’t experience my death or being dead, so why would it be bad for me? Is it appropriate, then, to fear my death? Is it wrong to kill myself? Can I be harmed after I die? If dying is bad, would it be better if I never died, if I lived forever? Does the fact of that we will die change the way we should live? Does death shape the meaning of our lives? (Offered every other spring, in odd numbered years)
|
|
PHIL 393-1
Earl Conee
TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM
|
|
Capstone seminar for majors. Explores a limited number of philosophical topics in depth, and serves as the main writing course for the major. This year, the seminar will focus on two topics that we will select together. Limited to students with concentrations and majors in philosophy.
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PHIL 396-1
William FitzPatrick
–
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|
Those wishing to pursue an Honors thesis track must first confirm with the Undergraduate Adviser that they meet the eligibility requirements, discuss how the other Honors requirements will be met, and secure the agreement of a Philosophy faculty member to serve as the thesis adviser. Then, in consultation with the thesis adviser (typically at the end of junior year), they will assemble a list of relevant texts in the area of thesis research and begin reading through the materials in the summer before senior year. In fall of senior year, they will enroll in PHIL 396, for which they will meet regularly with the adviser throughout the semester to discuss the texts and to hone the thesis topic and outline. (Registration for Independent Study courses needs to be completed thru the instructions for online independent study registration.) |
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PHIL 397-1
William FitzPatrick
–
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No description |
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PHIL 398-1
William FitzPatrick
–
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No description |
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PHIL 399-1
William FitzPatrick
–
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After taking PHIL 396 to conduct research on the thesis topic, Honors thesis students enroll in PHIL 399 to continue the project, completing the writing of the thesis and then taking an oral examination (conducted by the thesis adviser and a second faculty reader) at least two weeks after submission of the final version of the thesis. (Registration for Independent Study courses needs to be completed thru https://secure1.rochester.edu/registrar/forms/independent-study-form.php |
|
PHIL 399-2
Richard Dees; Rosa Terlazzo
–
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|
After taking PHIL 396 to conduct research on the thesis topic, Honors thesis students enroll in PHIL 399 to continue the project, completing the writing of the thesis and then taking an oral examination (conducted by the thesis adviser and a second faculty reader) at least two weeks after submission of the final version of the thesis. (Registration for Independent Study courses needs to be completed thru https://secure1.rochester.edu/registrar/forms/independent-study-form.php |
Spring 2023
| Number | Title | Instructor | Time |
|---|---|
| Monday and Wednesday | |
|
PHIL 101-1
Paul Audi
|
|
|
Philosophers ask questions about a vast variety of topics, including what really exists, what we can know, how we should live, how we should treat each other, whether there is a God or a life after this one, how can we have free choices, and what it means to be a human with a particular identity. Philosophers seek answers to such questions by thinking carefully about them, using experience, reason and argumentation, and taking into account contributions of the sciences, literature, and other fields. This course will introduce students to some of the most interesting and exciting parts of philosophy. |
|
|
PHIL 102-1
Michael Carrick
|
|
|
This course is an introduction to basic issues in the philosophical investigation of ethics. Topics include general theories of the nature of right and wrong and theories of the functions of ethical language. Classes are in the lecture and question format. |
|
|
PHIL 250-1
Lawrence Philpot
|
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required An avalanche barrels down a mountainside; a demolition expert lights the dynamite: In both cases a building is destroyed; but in one case, this destruction merely happens, and in the other, it is done—an action is performed. In this course we'll try to understand what's distinctive of action, especially human action or agency. We'll examine concepts such as intention, reason for action, desire, practical knowledge, and free will. Topics may include: What kind of aiming, directedness, or intention is required for action? How are actions motivated? What is the relationship between practical knowledge and moral action? How can we explain failures of agency, like weakness of will? What is it to act freely? |
|
|
PHIL 250W-1
Lawrence Philpot
|
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required An avalanche barrels down a mountainside; a demolition expert lights the dynamite: In both cases a building is destroyed; but in one case, this destruction merely happens, and in the other, it is done—an action is performed. In this course we'll try to understand what's distinctive of action, especially human action or agency. We'll examine concepts such as intention, reason for action, desire, practical knowledge, and free will. Topics may include: What kind of aiming, directedness, or intention is required for action? How are actions motivated? What is the relationship between practical knowledge and moral action? How can we explain failures of agency, like weakness of will? What is it to act freely? |
|
|
PHIL 215-1
Paul Audi
|
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required This course is an introduction to metalogic. Topics covered include basic elements of set theory, and the model-theoretic treatment of sentential and first-order logic (completeness, compactness, and Lwenheim-Skolem theorems). |
|
|
PHIL 235-1
Jonathan Herington
|
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One Previous Philosophy course required This course focuses on a number of questions that arise in the design, development and deployment of machine learning algorithms. Topics include: Bias in algorithms (e.g., how should we measure unfairness in algorithms that determine who gets bail, parole, a job, or a loan? What about bias in health analytics?) Values disagreement and algorithms (e.g., how should self-driving cars or diagnostic algorithms make decisions, given that we disagree about the good?) Algorithms, social media, and public life (e.g., what is the impact of social media algorithms on public discourse and the future of democracy?) Algorithms and the future of work (e.g., how should we structure our society when many basic tasks will be performed by machines? How should we distribute the benefits of machine productivity?) |
|
|
PHIL 235W-1
Jonathan Herington
|
|
|
This course focuses on a number of questions that arise in the design, development and deployment of machine learning algorithms. Topics include: Bias in algorithms (e.g., how should we measure unfairness in algorithms that determine who gets bail, parole, a job, or a loan? What about bias in health analytics?) Values disagreement and algorithms (e.g., how should self-driving cars or diagnostic algorithms make decisions, given that we disagree about the good?) Algorithms, social media, and public life (e.g., what is the impact of social media algorithms on public discourse and the future of democracy?) Algorithms and the future of work (e.g., how should we structure our society when many basic tasks will be performed by machines? How should we distribute the benefits of machine productivity?) This course fulfills the upper level writing requirement. |
|
|
PHIL 201-1
Lawrence Philpot
|
|
|
Survey of the origins of Western philosophy, from the Presocratics through Hellenistic philosophy six centuries later. The great philosophers of the Classical period, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, are studied in detail. |
|
| Tuesday | |
| Tuesday and Thursday | |
|
PHIL 103-1
William FitzPatrick
|
|
|
An introduction to moral philosophy as applied to current topics. Some questions to be explored: What sorts of socioeconomic principles are morally justifiable? Does the history of racial injustice in the U.S. create a moral demand for reparations, and if so, what is the best argument for this? What is the relation, if any, between morality and religion? Do animals have moral rights? How should we understand the meaning and value of human life and death? Can abortion sometimes be justified, and if so, how? Is it okay to destroy embryos for stem cell research? Is active euthanasia ever permissible? Is capital punishment justifiable in principle? In practice? Is torture morally permissible in the fight against terrorism? How far does our moral duty to aid distant strangers extend? We will also explore related general questions: Is it always possible for a good enough end to justify bad means? Are there objective facts about right or wrong, or is morality ultimately relative to cultures or times? Are there situations in which every available action is wrong? Can we be morally assessed even for some things that are largely a matter of luck? |
|
|
PHIL 120-1
Randall Curren
|
|
|
Codes of ethics developed by the engineering profession refer to integrity, competence, leadership, commitment to enhancing the quality of life in the society and across the world, and protecting the natural and built environment. In this course we will explore these dimensions of professionalism and acquire a toolkit for principled decision-making, communication, and professional flourishing. We will focus on the value judgments that are integral to the engineering design process, while also examining the ways in which institutional settings influence decision-making. The pedagogy, written work, and evaluation in this course will be strongly oriented to case-based analysis. |
|
|
PHIL 226-1
James Otis
|
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One Previous Philosophy course required In recent years, the U.S. legal system has been beset by claims of overcriminalization, racially discriminatory enforcement, and inadequate or unequal protection of individual civil rights. What should we make of these claims, and what, if anything, would be implied by their truth? In seeking to answer these questions, this course will examine the nature of the law and its enforcement. We will begin by discussing the issue of criminalization and whether the expansion of the criminal law is or is not problematic. From there, we will turn to the foundational questions of what, precisely, the law is, and what its connection to morality is or should be. Are we obligated to obey the law, and if so, why? Finally, we will ask whether it is possible for the law to remain neutral with regards to morality and politics, and whether the supposed “neutrality” of the law may itself be an instrument of oppression. If the legal system lacks the kind of neutrality that many legal theorists claim for it, what (if anything) does that license us (as citizens) to do? (Offered every spring) |
|
|
PHIL 226W-1
James Otis
|
|
|
In recent years, the U.S. legal system has been beset by claims of overcriminalization, racially discriminatory enforcement, and inadequate or unequal protection of individual civil rights. What should we make of these claims, and what, if anything, would be implied by their truth? In seeking to answer these questions, this course will examine the nature of the law and its enforcement. We will begin by discussing the issue of criminalization and whether the expansion of the criminal law is or is not problematic. From there, we will turn to the foundational questions of what, precisely, the law is, and what its connection to morality is or should be. Are we obligated to obey the law, and if so, why? Finally, we will ask whether it is possible for the law to remain neutral with regards to morality and politics, and whether the supposed “neutrality” of the law may itself be an instrument of oppression. If the legal system lacks the kind of neutrality that many legal theorists claim for it, what (if anything) does that license us (as citizens) to do? (Offered every spring) |
|
|
PHIL 252-1
Mark Povich
|
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required Survey of primarily metaphysical questions about science: Must the entities posited by a scientific theory exist for it to be successful? Do laws of nature govern the world or simply articulate patterns? How are lower and higher level scientific theories related to one another? Is scientific explanation primarily concerned with laws, with causes, or with something else? |
|
|
PHIL 252W-1
Mark Povich
|
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required Survey of primarily metaphysical questions about science: Must the entities posited by a scientific theory exist for it to be successful? Do laws of nature govern the world or simply articulate patterns? How are lower and higher level scientific theories related to one another? Is scientific explanation primarily concerned with laws, with causes, or with something else? Fulfills upper level writing requirement for the major. |
|
|
PHIL 225-1
William FitzPatrick
|
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required. Philosophical analysis of ethical issues in medicine and biotechnology, such as problems arising in connection with the relations between physicians and patients, the challenges of cultural diversity, practices surrounding human and animal research, decisions about end of life care, embryonic stem cell research, genetic engineering, biotechnological human enhancement, and social justice in relation to health-care policy. Papers will focus on analyses grounded in case studies. |
|
|
PHIL 225W-1
William FitzPatrick
|
|
|
Fulfills upper level writing requirement for the major. Philosophical analysis of ethical issues in medicine and biotechnology, such as problems arising in connection with the relations between physicians and patients, the challenges of cultural diversity, practices surrounding human and animal research, decisions about end of life care, embryonic stem cell research, genetic engineering, biotechnological human enhancement, and social justice in relation to health-care policy. Papers will focus on analyses grounded in case studies. |
|
|
PHIL 393-1
Earl Conee
|
|
|
Capstone seminar for majors. Explores a limited number of philosophical topics in depth, and serves as the main writing course for the major. This year, the seminar will focus on two topics that we will select together. Limited to students with concentrations and majors in philosophy. |
|
|
PHIL 110-1
Mark Povich
|
|
|
Symbolic logic through first-order quantification theory. Skill in deductive inference is strengthened through construction of proofs and other methods of a rigorously defined artificial language. |
|
|
PHIL 220-1
Earl Conee
|
|
|
PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required In this course we investigate critically three approaches to morality: consequentialism, virtue theory, and Kantian ethics. We also look into philosophical work on the questions of whether there are insoluble moral dilemmas and whether moral evaluations are necessitated by some empirical facts. |
|
| Wednesday | |
| Thursday | |
|
PHIL 321-1
Richard Dees
|
|
|
Death poses a number of philosophical puzzles which we will examine in this class: What does it mean to die? Am I harmed when I die? I don’t experience my death or being dead, so why would it be bad for me? Is it appropriate, then, to fear my death? Is it wrong to kill myself? Can I be harmed after I die? If dying is bad, would it be better if I never died, if I lived forever? Does the fact of that we will die change the way we should live? Does death shape the meaning of our lives? (Offered every other spring, in odd numbered years) |
|
| Friday | |
|
PHIL 311-1
Richard Dees
|
|
|
Seminar on a limited number of changing topics in biomedical ethics. PREREQUISITE: One previous Philosophy course required |
|