This course provides an introduction to philosophy through a study of issues in ethics and social-political philosophy. Topics may include relativism, justice, rights, obligation, utilitarianism, deontology and social contract theory. Contemporary issues in ethics and politics may also be discussed.

This course provides an introduction to philosophy through a study of issues in metaphysics and epistemology. Topics may include appearance and reality, the nature of knowledge, minds and bodies, personal identity, death and immortality, free will, the nature of God, perception, causation and, space and time.

This course provides an introduction to and survey of Eastern and Asian Philosophies. The course investigates philosophical traditions, including important schools and figures, from the histories of India, China and Japan. This includes a consideration of the Hindu or Brahmanical philosophies of the Vedas and Upanishads, Jainism, Buddhism (including Indian, Chinese and Japanese developments), Confucianism, and Taoism. Topics include the nature of reality, the nature of suffering and desire, the nature of a good life and good government, enlightenment, moral virtues, sageliness, view of Nature, and Eastern conceptions of the self.

In this course, students use elementary methods and principles for analyzing reasoning as it occurs in everyday contexts. Topics may include informal fallacies, introduction to scientific method, elementary statistical reasoning, elementary sentential logic, as well as the study of argument in contemporary debates about issues of social concern.

Metaphysics is the area of philosophy that raises and responds to fundamental questions concerning the nature and structure of reality. In this course, students develop an understanding of metaphysical questions and their significance, as well as critically examine the ways philosophers address these questions and the metaphysical issues associated with them. Topics of study may include appearance and reality, the mind-body problem, metaphysical idealism and realism, freedom and determinism, personal identity, time and space, and universals and particulars.

This course carries out a sustained investigation of Buddhist philosophy. This investigation considers the historical development of Buddhist philosophical thought, beginning with its origin, development, and expansion in India, through its movement into China and then into Japan. The course considers, with the aim of coming to a philosophical understanding, issues such as Buddhist conceptions of suffering, enlightenment, reality, rationality, self, mind, consciousness, meditation and the ethics of compassion. Comparisons with key philosophers and developments in the history of Western philosophy are also discussed. Particular attention is given to philosophies in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition.

Students study the philosophies of China and Japan, focusing on Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese and Japanese Buddhism. This involves, primarily, a consideration of historical movements, figures and schools, although some contemporary figures may also be included. The discussion of Confucianism centers on Confucian Social and Moral Philosophy and issues such as the nature of a good life and good government, sageliness, and Confucian moral virtues. The discussion of Taoism centers on Taoist Metaphysics and issues such as the nature and meaning of the Tao, the principle of wu-wei or no action, and the Taoist understanding of a life lived in accordance with Nature. The discussion of Chinese and Japanese Buddhism focuses on Ch'an or Zen Buddhism (these are, respectively, Chinese and Japanese analogues), but Hua Yen or Kegon Buddhism, and Tien Tai or Nichiren Buddhism may be considered. Issues here center on the Buddhist Philosophy of Mind, and include the nature of enlightenment, self, and rationality.

This course examines basic questions concerning the nature of mind, theories that try to explain the relation of mind and brain, and the issues that these theories raise. The topics of discussion may include Cartesian Dualism, materialism, behaviourism, identity theory, functionalism, qualia, intentionality, artificial intelligence, self and consciousness.

This course is an introduction to modern symbolic logic, including the basic concepts of justification, argument, deduction, validity and soundness; translation of ordinary language into symbolic form; using sentential and predicate designators, carrying out truth functional analyses for validity and invalidity, testing sets for consistency, using rules of inference and equivalence to prove validity of arguments, and using methods of conditional and indirect proof in sentential and quantified forms. Note: Credit can only be obtained in one of PHIL 210 or PHIL 120.

Students study central topics in the theory of knowledge such as truth and rationality, skepticism and the limits of knowledge, self-knowledge and personal identity, relativism and the objectivity of knowledge, and the role of perception, memory and reason as sources of knowledge.

This course is an intensive study of predicate logic with identity. Topics include translation of ordinary language into symbolic form, semantics, tree tests for consistency and validity, derivations in natural deduction systems, mathematical induction, and soundness and completeness. Topics may also include theories of definite descriptions, elementary modal logic, and formal axiomatic systems.

This course provides a survey of ancient philosophy from the Presocratics to the Neoplatonists. Particular emphasis is placed on the works of Plato and Aristotle.

This course provides an examination of the history of modern philosophy through a close reading of some of the major rationalist, empiricist, and transcendental idealist contributors of the period such as Descartes, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant.

This course provides an introduction to twentieth century continental European philosophy through a close reading of some of the century's major philosophical contributors such as Husserl, Heidegger, Levinas, Derrida, Foucault and Badiou. Specific topics may include: phenomenology, hermeneutics, deconstruction, post-structuralism, and materialist dialectics.

This course involves an examination of fundamental questions and theoretical answers in the philosophical discipline of ethics. Through a detailed study of important and influential texts in the philosophy of ethics, students develop the ability to understand and critically assess various philosophical systems of thought concerning moral judgements and ethical obligations.

This course introduces central issues in contemporary philosophy of science. Topics may include theory evaluation, paradigm shifts and theory change, laws of nature, causation and explanation, the rationality of science and its social and historical setting.

This course provides an introduction to social and political philosophy. The course poses the following questions: what is the nature of politics; what is the state; what is civil society; what (if any) are citizens' political obligations and rights? Readings are drawn from canonic philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Spinoza, Rousseau, Hegel and Marx.

Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that studies art, beauty and taste. This course introduces aesthetics through the study of theories of art, aesthetic experience, aesthetic judgement and the role of art in society. Students read classical and contemporary writings in aesthetics and apply them to concrete examples of various media, including visual art, music and literature.

This course is an introduction to existential philosophy. Through close reading of texts, students study some of the main themes of existential philosophy, such as anxiety, authenticity, bad faith, absurdity, the meaning of human life, and the self as finite and situated self-making. Particular attention is paid to the existential conception of philosophy as a truthful explication of concrete experience rather than the theoretical pursuit of abstract truth. Readings are drawn from the works of major figures in 19th and 20th century existential philosophy, such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus and Marcel.

In this topic based course, students study one or more non-Western, particularly Asian, philosophical tradition in comparison with approaches taken in the Western philosophical tradition. Issues for comparison between non-Western and Western philosophies may include methods and aims; the relation between religion and philosophy; views on the nature of reality, truth, the self, morality, justice, suffering, desire, and/or reason.

This course examines the philosophical foundations of psychology, with particular attention to philosophical issues concerning the nature of mind, self, and psychological explanation. Topics may include Subjectivity, Personal Identity, Rationality and Delusion, Private Language, Consciousness, Qualia, Intentionality, Weakness of Will, Freedom of Will, and Artificial intelligence.

This course is a study of the formal theory of rationality, including probability, induction, and elementary decision theory. Rational theories regarding an agent’s choice, both individually and in a group, under ignorance or under risk, and when acting competitively or cooperatively, are examined in detail.

With a view to both theoretical and moral issues, this course engages in a focused study of Plato and his philosophy. Students will engage in close readings of some of Plato's writings and will evaluate secondary literature on Plato. Some consideration may also be given to Academic Platonism and neo-Platonism.

This course engages in a philosophical investigation of love. Through a study of classic works of philosophy, students examine the experience of love, the meaning of love, the value of love, and philosophy's relationship to love. Special attention will be paid to Plato's theory of love as it is expressed in the Symposium.

This course examines the philosophies of such early modern philosophers as Descartes, Malebranche, Spinoza, and Leibniz. Through a close study of the rigorously systematic metaphysics, epistemology, and natural philosophy of these thinkers, this course traces the significant and renowned movement in the history of philosophy known as “Rationalism”.

This course examines the philosophies of such early modern philosophers as Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. For their emphasis on sense experience and sensory perception in their respective philosophical systems of thought, these British philosophers are known as members of the prominent and important movement in the history of philosophy referred to as “Empiricism”.

This course introduces central issues in the philosophy of the environment. Topics include the meaning of Nature, foundational ethical theories as applied to the environment, animal rights, anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, conservationism, sustainability, deep ecology and social ecology, and the aesthetics of natural environments.

Students examine the nature of religious belief, religious experience, and religious life from a philosophical perspective. Specific issues may also include the religious use of language, the existence and nature of God, the self in relation to the divine, the problem of evil, faith and reason, scientific views of religion, and mystical experience.

This course offers a philosophical examination of the nature and significance of death. This includes detailed analysis and critical discussion of such topics as: what death is, emotional attitudes toward death, the badness of death, the value of life, immortality, personal identity, and suicide.

This course examines the philosophical issues, historical and contemporary, involved in specifying the nature of space and time and how we can know such nature. Topics may include the concept of space in antiquity, the historical debates on the nature of space in the Early Modern period, the so-called Newtonian, Einsteinian and quantum mechanical revolutions, the shape of space-time, and the direction, and alleged paradoxes, of time.

Through a study of classic and contemporary texts in political philosophy, this course examines philosophical defenses and criticisms of liberalism. Specific emphasis is placed on political liberalism and its conservative, libertarian or communitarian critics. Course readings may include works by Locke, Kant, Mill and Rawls. In addition to primary texts, students read scholarly studies of classic works.

Through a study of classic and contemporary texts in political philosophy, this course examines the nature of political power. Specific emphasis is placed on sovereignty, ideology and relational power. Course readings may include works by Plato, Bodin, Marx, Althusser and Foucault. In addition to primary texts, students read scholarly studies of classic works.

This course studies the contact between the literary and philosophical in important philosophical works. Students develop strategies for approaching works of philosophy as pieces of literature and apply those strategies to classic texts of philosophy. The course serves as a practical introduction to the hermeneutical approach to philosophy and philosophical scholarship. Focusing on literary subtle works of philosophy, like those of Plato, Rousseau, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, the course asks how literary features, which might otherwise appear to be extraneous to philosophical content, contribute to augment, complicate or obscure the philosophical meaning, argument and purpose of the texts. In asking such questions, students consider elements such as the use of irony, metaphor, drama and myth in philosophy. In addition to primary texts, students read scholarly studies of classic works and produce their own hermeneutical studies of the same.

Through a study of classic and contemporary philosophical writings, this course examines the nature of law. Specific topics may include theories of law, legality and morality, obligation and liberty, rights, legal reasoning and international law. Some emphasis is placed on applying philosophical understanding to concrete cases. In addition to primary texts, students read scholarly studies and produce a major scholarly paper.

This course is an introduction to central issues in bioethics with a specific emphasis on practice of health care. Though students may briefly examine classical moral theories and principles, the bulk of the course examines contemporary discussions and issues in bioethics. The emphasis of the course is on ethical reasoning and moral deliberation involving issues in health care. Topics may include patient autonomy and confidentiality, advanced directives, allocation of medical resources, health care advocacy, integrity, and issues pertaining to disability and end-of-life care. Students may also be introduced to major ethical theories and moral principles. Readings may include case studies, legal cases, scholarly articles and classical sources.

In this seminar course, students study the nature, methods, and aims of philosophy, make seminar presentations, and write a major research essay. This course is open only to Philosophy majors. Note: Students are advised to enrol in this course in the final winter term of their studies.

This seminar course deals with a major figure, issue, or specific period in the history of philosophy. There is a major essay requirement and, in addition to regular seminar participation, students make presentations. The topic in any given year is selected by instructor.

In this seminar course, students study a topic in moral philosophy broadly construed. The specific topic of each section focuses on a significant philosopher, theme or problem in ethical theory, applied ethics, meta-ethics, political philosophy or social philosophy. There is a major essay requirement and, in addition to regular seminar participation, students make presentations. The topic in any given year is selected by instructor.

Students study a topic in depth within Asian Philosophy. The specific topic focuses on a significant philosopher or philosophers, text, school, theme or issue within one or more of the traditions of Asian Philosophy, including Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Taoism. There is a major essay requirement and, in addition to regular seminar participation, students make presentations. The topic in any given year is selected by the instructor.

In this seminar course, students study a topic in contemporary philosophy. The specific topic focuses on a significant philosophical question and the position or positions that one or more contemporary philosophers take and defend in response to that question. There is a major essay requirement and, in addition to regular seminar participation, students make presentations. The topic in any given year is selected by the instructor.

This is a seminar course on the philosophy of René Descartes. In the course, students go beyond the Meditations and read a selection of Descartes’ works and correspondences in order to examine a variety of topics including eternal truths, human physiology, the human being, animals, and the “passions”. Students also read and analyze relevant secondary literature. In addition to regular seminar participation, students make seminar presentations on material from the reading schedule. The major course assignment is an essay on a specific topic of choice from the course material.

In this seminar course, students examine Kant's theoretical philosophy, pay close attention to interpretations of Kant's transcendental idealism of the early critical period, make seminar presentations, and write at least one major essay on a specific topic of their choice.

In this seminar course, students examine Wittgenstein's later philosophy in his Philosophical Investigations, paying close attention to his philosophy of language and philosophy of mind. Students also examine important secondary literature concerned with the same, and complete a seminar presentation on this material and a major essay on a specific topic dealing with the material covered. Areas of focus may include meaning, understanding, determinacy of sense, intentionality, rule-following, the private language argument, sensations, the will, the nature of philosophy, and applications of Wittgenstein's philosophy in the Philosophy of Religion.

This course permits a senior-level student to work with an instructor to explore a specific philosophical topic in depth through directed reading and research in primary and secondary sources. Prerequisites: Consent of the department.