Philosophy



Philosophy

Course Offerings - Summer 2006

|Phil 3000-01 |Seminar: Philosophy & the Arts - C1 |Devlin |

|M-R |What makes a work of art, art? What is so special about da Vinci’s Mona Lisa? Why do we consider Warhol’s Brillo |

|6:00-8:50 |Boxes a work of art, but not ordinary Brillo boxes? This course will cover these questions, and those related to |

|5/15-6/11 |the meaning and value of art. We will examine whether or not we can (and should) provide an essence to art, and if |

| |so, what would that essence be? We will find the challenges an individual faces in judging and interpreting art, |

| |and what we as members of the audience are doing and assuming when we experience art. Finally, we will explore the |

| |relation of art to nature, as well as the moral value and consequences of art, and how morality relates to our |

| |appreciation of a work of art. |

|Phil 3000-02 |Seminar: Sex/Love/Philosophy - C1 |Goodin |

|M-R |This course will look at the nature of love: the role of physical attraction for love, distinctions among love, |

|1:20-4:10 |sex, infatuation, obsession, and friendship, gender differences in the conception of love and sex, and the various |

|5/15-6/11 |views on promiscuity, perversion, marriage, adultery, monogamy, and homosexuality. The broad topic of philosophy of|

| |sex has been found, in one way or another, throughout the history of philosophy. From Plato's Symposium, Epictetus'|

| |The Discourse and Manual, and Aquinas' On the Truth of the Catholic Faith, through Hume, Kant, Bentham, Mill, Marx, |

| |Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche up to contemporary feminism and gender studies, sex and love have been discussed, |

| |analyzed, dissected, dismissed, and celebrated. As the authors of Philosophy and Sex point out, if the unexamined |

| |life is not worth living, and if sex and love are an undeniable part of that life, then how can the philosopher not |

| |include them as topics for philosophical scrutiny? |

|Phil 3000-04 |Seminar: God/Death/Life - C1 |Bengson |

|M-R |What is the meaning of life? Does God exist? Is there an afterlife? Must there be a God or an afterlife in order |

|1:20-4:10 |for life to be meaningful? What is the meaning of life from an atheistic perspective? As for death, is it |

|6/12-7/09 |something to be feared? Does it rob life of meaning? Why is death so bad, anyway? These are the sorts of |

| |questions that will be asked and, with a bit of luck, answered in this course. |

|Phil 3000-05 |Seminar: Moral Psychology - C1 |Wright |

|M-R |Do you think of yourself and others as honest, compassionate, and generous? Some philosophers and psychologists want|

|8:40-11:30 |to reject the idea that people possess robust character traits (e.g., honesty, compassion) and want to argue, |

|6/12-7/09 |instead, that people's moral (and immoral) behaviors are largely a result of situational influences. Others want to |

| |hold onto the notion that people can possess character traits that lead them to act consistently virtuous, |

| |regardless of situations. This class will review the empirical and philosophical literature on both sides of the |

| |debate – come see which side you end up agreeing with the most! |

|Phil 3320-01 |Eastern Thought – C1 |Devlin |

|M-R |Take a journey to the East and explore the central philosophies and religions of Asia, as we examine four particular|

|6:00-8:50 |religions – Hinduism, Theravada Buddhism, Taoism, and Mahayana Buddhism – and focus on the philosophical |

|6/12-7/09 |significance of these religions. Class discussions will stress analysis of readings and important philosophical |

| |concepts that arise from our Eastern exploration and how they apply to our lives at home in the West. |

Major and Minor information can be found on the Philosophy web site at:



or by contacting the Philosophy Department at 766-3204, Hoyt Hall, Rm 325

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