The issue of prediction was also raised by economist Donald McCloskey who, in 1988, asked his fellow economists, "If you're so smart, why ain't you rich?" How can it be known and pursued? Furthermore, they share the conviction that the most important components of a successful life are within the control of the individual human being. In discussions and writing, we will explore the diverse visions of modernity and of politics offered by such thinkers as Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, Mill, and Freud. We start with some of the Hindu views about the self and the mind and consider their ethical implications. Key ideas and concepts such as the death of god, the use and abuse of history, the eternal recurrence, will to power, and master and slave morality will be addressed. Authors will include Plato, Anselm, Aquinas, Pascal, Paley, Hume, Kant, Kierkegaard, and several contemporary philosophers. The first portion of the course will be devoted to considering general theories of justice as well as alternative conceptions of justice specifically within the health care context. Walsh, 55, died from multiple stab wounds at the scene despite attempts by ambulance officers to revive him. This seminar will try to establish, with as much accuracy as the subject allows, what are the central tenets of American Pragmatism, how they have shaped contemporary epistemology and the philosophy of science, and finally, to what extent are pragmatist approaches to human knowledge philosophically sound and fruitful. The goals of this course are to improve the critical thinking of the students, to introduce them to sentential and predicate logic, to familiarize them with enough formal logic to enable them to read some of the great works of philosophy, which use formal logic (such as Wittgenstein's Tractatus), and to examine some of the connections between logic and philosophy. Phil Walsh played 122 games for Collingwood, Richmond and the Brisbane Bears between 1983 and 1990. 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. Williams, Bernard. [more], Very few people believe that everything is water, that we knew everything before birth, that philosophers ought to rule the state, or that the earth is at the center of the cosmos. Thus, Plato described the philosopher as "the one who beholds all Time and all Being." of subjectivity, the scope of reflexivity, the nature of perceptual presence, etc. Is a sentence's relation to previously uttered sentences similar to its relation to extra-linguistic events? (There will be optional, supplementary opportunity to engage with the Latin text for interested students with some facility with Latin.) How much inference goes into interpreting what's said? metaphysics, epistemology, moral and political philosophy, philosophy of mind. We will read classic works (such as John Stuart Mill, On Liberty and H. L. A. Hart, The Concept of Law), contemporary articles, and United States Supreme Court cases. and Why do we value it? In the first part of this course, we are going to focus on what this following-from business amounts to, and ask whether there is a special sense of following-from that characterizes logic? Rings of harmony surround you. [more], There are three grains of sand on my desk. action, ethics and moral psychology. As we read through these plays, we will also examine a number of philosophical works about tragedy. Logicians and mathematicians have done a good deal of work developing extensions of and alternatives to classical logic. [more], Political liberalism has been both celebrated and lamented. It is not enough for it merely to be about a character who happens to be a philosopher; nor is it just that philosophical positions are reviewed in the narrative, as in Gaarder's Sophie's World. What if they are biased, unbeknownst to us? Or is it a supreme illusion, a dream-like escape, the domain in which the viewer's unconscious wishes are magically fulfilled? If they are conscious, will AI's have dignity and rights? Assigned works will include Booker T. Washington. Near the end of the semester, we'll also examine some evolutionary explanations of religious belief. The seminar will be structured around a close, critically engaged reading of the Confessions (in English translation) and will give attention to its historical context and significance as well as to its philosophical and theological ideas. In this course we will examine traditional philosophical approaches to understanding death and related concepts, with a special focus on the ethical concerns surrounding death and care for the dying. Readings will include work by Plato, Hobbes, Kant, Mill, Nietzsche, and contemporary authors. We will look at relativism with respect to reason and truth in general as well as with respect to science, religion, and morality. [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 form of government best serves the people? Does freedom require leading (or avoiding) a political life? Are there metaphysical and ideological assumptions in contemporary psychiatry, and if so, could and should they be avoided? As the music wails in the background, we will study the classic pragmatists: William James, C. S. Peirce, and John Dewey. Why should one obey the law (if one should)? Schick, Theodore and Lewis Vaughn. [more], Each of the controversial and provocative figures whom we will read in this course have exerted a tremendous influence in our understandings of what it means to be a modern subject. (Foot also invented the infamous trolley car thought experiment.) Science is only "true" for some people, agnosticism is the only alternative to foolish superstition, and moral relativism and, consequently, nihilism are obvious. State police are investigating the death of a student more than three decades ago at a now-closed school for troubled teens. In some weeks, students will be asked to choose from a small set which case they would like to address; in others the case will be assigned. use tab and shift-tab to navigate once expanded, Covid-19 is an ongoing concern in our region, including on campus. Of course, this question cannot really be answered, nor is there any value in trying to answer it, and any "answer" will only be "true" for you. Does philosophy yield knowledge? [more], In this course, we follow the Indian philosophical conversation concerning the self and the nature of consciousness, particularly as they are found in its various Yogic traditions. Phil was stabbed to death by his son, who habitually used hallucinogenic drugs, in one of the most shocking tragedies in . So, some relationships with other people--such as friendships, familial ties, love, patriotism--seem to be ethically desirable, central to the quality of our lives, and yet prima facie in tension with the widely held belief that morality requires impartiality and equal treatment of all human beings. Does it advance our thinking and increase our knowledge of the world? The question of this course is whether these values are in conflict. Political parties. About 3,000 people flocked to an Adelaide Crows training session as the emotional aftermath to the death of coach Phil Walsh continues. Furthermore, philosophers have continued to revisit the existential questions vividly raised by Greek tragedy. It will be very helpful, though not absolutely necessary, for you to have some familiarity with logic and some experience in reading philosophy. Students who have take PHIL 203 will have a good background for this class, but students who are generally comfortable with formal systems need not have taken PHIL 203. The real question, then, seems to be whether, and how, free choice is possible amidst all of these influences. Phil, miss you and wish I had the chance to say goodbye. 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. What makes an individual's life go well? We will focus our study on Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit and Marx's early writings. Why should one obey the law (if one should)? But is the best conclusion we can come to with respect to our intellectual endeavors that skepticism always carries the day and that nothing at all is true? They have three adult children: Shevaun, Jessica, and Cameron. [more], No thinker has done more to shape the Western intellectual tradition than Augustine (354-430 CE), and no book displays Augustine's dynamic vision of reality more compellingly than the Confessions. Ms. Sydney Walsh-Wilcox 83 P23 (Sibling), Mr. John C. Walsh (decd) 54 P99 85 83 (Parent). This course will offer a selective overview of the debates that characterized philosophy of film since the early 20th century. In fact, it seems like you can't change a heap of sand into something that isn't a heap of sand by removing one grain of sand. make requests, establish rules, utilize power, issue protests, and much more. We got it anyway . What sorts of things can be true or false? Is rationality relative to cultural norms? Hegel and Karl Marx. The reason for this is that there are two underlying structures that the original sentence can realize. PHIL 119 - 01 (S) SEM Justice, Democracy and Freedom Division II Writing Skills. We conclude by considering some of the later Hindu holistic views of the self as responses to the Buddhist critique. Understanding later Wittgenstein is thus vital for engaging in contemporary philosophy, but neither the interpretation nor the evaluation of his thought is straightforward or easy. An example might be helpful. Right? Who are the people, anyway? How does film generate meaning? [more], The philosophy of mind has been one of the most active areas of philosophical inquiry over the last century. The Wittgenstein of the Tractatus is known as the "earlier Wittgenstein," the Wittgenstein of the Investigations is known as the "later Wittgenstein." Class will be primarily driven by discussion, often preceded by brief lectures. Furthermore, many of the issues that Aristotle takes up in these books remain of central importance in contemporary philosophy. How did you develop your character? [more], "Faith is a fine invention," according to Emily Dickinson's poem, "when gentlemen can see; but microscopes are prudent in an emergency." [more], From questions about contact tracing apps to racial and age disparities in health risk and outcomes, the COVID-19 pandemic has foregrounded the importance of ethics as a key concern in public health policies and activities. Is democratic rule always best? Safety measures are in place, and campus community members and guests are additionally advised to take personal precautions. Authors will include: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. [more], Although Kant initially planned for his magnum opus to comprise theoretical and practical chapters, his metaphysics and epistemology take up all of his Critique of Pure Reason while his ethics is spread out over a series of works--Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Critique of Practical Reason, Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason, and The Metaphysics of Morals. We can learn a lot about logic, language, epistemology and metaphysics by thinking through and attempting to resolve paradoxes. [more], Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Amelie Rorty, and Cora Diamond all challenged the prevailing philosophical tenets of their times. Some of them explicitly engage meta-philosophical debates; others exemplify particular philosophical styles and methods. Always asking what practical difference would it make, our authors investigate the central questions and disputes of philosophy, from epistemology and metaphysics to ethics and religion. We will examine several different approaches in depth, including realism, constructivism, expressivism, and skepticism. In this course, we will study the most important and influential chapters of the Critique with the help of some secondary literature. We will also pay close attention to the way in which each of these thinkers takes the practice of philosophy to play a key role in our realization of the good human life. In this course we take up questions such as the following: What sorts of subjects do we find in modern Western societies? [more], This course involves Independent Study under the supervision of a member of the department. In fact, Socrates seems to have been thought of as a kind of intellectual saint in the Hellenistic world. Unsurprisingly, philosophers have proffered a variety of answers to these questions, prompting one philosopher to remark, half-jokingly, that "there are as many definitions of philosophy as there are philosophers." How is political power generated and exercised? that we have a clear sense of what that involves? this tutorial, we'll read portions of Rawls' major works. Is a sentence's relation to previously uttered sentences similar to its relation to extra-linguistic events? in a different order--check the stove, say "I didn't leave the stove on", then say "I might've left the stove on"--and something's gone quite wrong. Why read the history of philosophy? this course, we will consider the relationship between freedom and social order. Pleasure? What are space and time? If not, should this concern us? Are we capable of disinterested altruism, or are we motivated solely by self-interest? Some maintain that these issues are solely the provinces of philosophy, using traditional a priori methods. Topics to be considered include the nature of freedom (both individual and social), the master/slave dialectic and subject constitution, self-consciousness and double consciousness, the stages of history, and racial capitalism [more], Any critical theory presupposes an account how both individual and social subjects come into being. A number of things follow from this happy assumption. How can we reconcile this faith with the persistence of domination today? The course will begin with the "received view" of science, advanced by logical empiricists, which assumes the objectivity and the rationality of science and argues that induction is the main scientific method. Pascal's wager is a different approach: it argues that even though proof of the existence of God is unavailable, you will maximize your expected utility be believing. 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