Spring 2005 Course Descriptions
Phil. 100.04Intro to Philosophy
Instructor: J. Caleb Clanton
The aim of this course is to introduce students to philosophical thinking by examining and discussing a wide range of material stemming from Ancient Greek thought to 20th Century American thought. We will try to understand some of the more important questions with which major thinkers throughout the Western tradition have struggled. In doing so, we will attempt to adopt these questions as our own so as to take seriously their significance and relevance in our own lives today. How should we live? What is the meaning of life? What is knowledge and can we have it? Does God exist? So what? These are but a few of the sorts of questions we will take up throughout the semester.
Phil. 100.05
Introduction to Philosophy
Instructor: Rob Sharp
In Introduction to Philosophy, we shall examine some of the central texts that have shaped the philosophy. These include the work of Plato, Descartes, and Kant. Once that broad background has been established, we shall examine the work of the Chinese philosopher, Chuang Tzu, in order to get another perspective on the philosophical project. Finally, we return to American philosophy and look at Emerson's work on self-reliance and the importance of the creative, aware individual.
The course is designed to provide a brief overview of what philosophy is like and what its central features are. For more information, email rlsharp@direcway.com.
Phil. 100.06
Introduction to Philosophy
Instructor: Michael Brodrick
E-Mail: michael.brodrick@vanderbilt.edu
At worst, to do philosophy is merely to solve clever puzzles cleverly. At best, it may awaken something vital, a reminder, perhaps, that a good moment is an act of heartening generosity, the brimming over of a prodigal universe, which, in spite of too many abominations, has at least provided for tenderness, has at least made allowances, here and there, for joy. We are all denizens of a shadowgraphic world, as Plato supposed. The way out has not been marked. The old virtues which might have guided us farther have instead lagged behind, and fallen into shadow. May we yet recover them? Is the way out really up in a post-Copernican cosmological setting? Lectures and discussions will stress the emancipatory, the liberatory, the creative, the educative, and the central mythos of the West, which is the journey motif. An important word of caution: this course will be reading-intensive, following materials which are as philosophically luxuriant as they are extremely well-written. A sincere commitment is required.
Phil. 100W.06
Introduction to Philosophy
Insructor: C.J. Boyd
This course offers an introduction to philosophical concepts through a study of historical figures including Aristotle, Maimonides, Descartes, Kant, Nietzsche, and more. We will examine the philosophies of these thinkers with a particular focus on their (direct or indirect) conceptions of philosophy itself. Ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, politics will all be addressed from a number of viewpoints, highlighting their integral connections and separations. Students should expect a rigorous writing schedule, including short and long essays, reading summaries, and critical arguments for and against the readings. This course is intended for the student eager for a challenging approach to standard philosophical issues, with an emphasis on writing philosophical papers. No background in philosophy is required.
Phil. 102.02
General Logic
Instructor: Jason Aleksander
This course is intended to provide an introduction to logic and critical thinking. We will begin by developing critical thinking by studying informal logic. We will then study inductive logic, categorical logic, and propositional logic.
Phil. 105
Introduction to Ethics
Instructor: Henry Teloh
TA’s: Patrick Ahern, Josh Houston, Jonathan Nedeau, Chad Lykins, Pauline Nivens
We will study some short stories by Peter Taylor, The Great Gatsby, A River Runs Through it, and The Stranger in order to see what any of these works have to do with human valuation or the lack thereof. We will also study relativism, subjectivism, utility, rights and the like, and then apply this material to problems such as the treatment of animals, economic justice, affirmative action, and family relationships.
Phil. 115W.28
Bioethics: Conflicting Voices in Medicine & the Life Sciences
Instructor: Larry Churchill
This course is designed to introduce and critically examine moral issues in medicine and the life sciences. Emphasis will be placed on discovering the moral habits and traditions that each of us brings to these issues, and on learning new tools for moral reasoning in order to resolve them. The focus will be on those issues and problems most likely to be encountered as personal issues, or as matters of public policy, such as genetic testing and diagnosis, the ethics of managed are, social justice in the distribution of scarce health resources, and care at the end of life.
Phil. 211.01
Medieval Philosophy
Instructor: Professor L. E. Goodman
A cross-cultural comparison of original philosophical works of Jewish, Christian and Islamic Philosophy. Authors studied include Kindi, Razi, Farabi, the Sincere Brethren of Basra, Avicenna, Anselm, Ghazali, Ibn Tufayl, Maimonides, and Aquinas. These authors address core questions about humanity, ethics, politics society and culture. The Sincere Brethren writing in 10th century Basra, question even the assumption of human superiority. Their celebrated philosophical fable The Case of the Animals vs Man, opens a wide ranging satirical critique of human institutions in general and those of their own culture in particular. Ibn Tufayl’s philosophical tale Hayy Ibn Yaqzan asks what a perfect man would know and how he would live if he had never been encumbered by language, culture, or religious law and ritual. Avicenna and Anselm seek the rock bottom foundations of the idea of God, and Maimonides explores the aims and means of scripture, its poetic license in speaking of the infinitely transcendent, and the meaning of its insights into the problem of evil, the nature of revelation, and the conception and realization of the good life.
Phil. 212.01
MODERN PHILOSOPHY (MWF 10:10-11:00, Furman 109)
Instructor: Jeffrey Tlumak
Modern Philosophy is seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European philosophy. This spring we will examine the methodological innovations and central positions and arguments of three brilliant figures of the period – Descartes, Spinoza, and Hume – tracing their interconnections and impact on subsequent thought on issues such as how to do philosophy and how to achieve genuine knowledge of the nature of and relations between what we call “mind” (and its special features such as consciousness and freedom), “body,” and “God.” We will read Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy (with some objections and replies), Spinoza’s Ethics (with some supplementation from Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect and selected letters), and Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (with some supplementation by the Abstract of A Treatise of Human Nature and the essays ‘Of the Immortality of the Soul’ and ‘Of Suicide’). Course materials will cost approximately $50. Total reading: Approximately 500 pages by featured thinkers, plus a Class Pak of notes by me. Writing requirements: A (average 6-8 page) paper on each of the three philosophers studied. Typical format: Lecture in stages, with ongoing invitation to and prompting of discussion.
Phil. 224.01
Existential Philosophy
Instructor: Diane Perpich
MWF 1:10-2:00, CL 103
This course will consider atheist and religiously-inspired forms of existentialism in twentieth-century French philosophy. Primary readings will be drawn from Sartre, Camus, Marcel and others.
Phil. 244.01
Philosophy and the Natural Sciences
Instructor: José Medina
In this course we will examine what defines scientific knowledge and scientific methodology from a variety of perspectives. Among the central issues we will study are the following: What is the distinction between science and pseudoscience? What are the proper standards of scientific objectivity? How should we interpret science, as a true picture of reality or as a useful instrument for prediction and control? We will consider how the history and the sociology of science can shed light on these issues.
Phil. 245.01
Humanity, Evolution, and God
Instructor: Professor L. E. Goodman
An examination of the impact of the idea of evolution on our ideas about God, human freedom and dignity; the relations of mind, body, and spirit, the worth of the individual and the roles of community and society. Of particular relevance is the choice between reductionism and a philosophy of emergence and creativity in understanding the impact the idea of evolution.
Readings include Darwin’s Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Daniel Dennett’s Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, Roger Pennock’s Intelligent Design Creationism and its Critics, and selections from Professor Goodman’s book in progress, God and Evolution.
PHIL/PSY 256.01
Philosophy of Mind
Instructor: José Medina
This course is a survey of central problems in the philosophy of mind: the relationship between mind and body, the nature of consciousness, the problem of other minds, the status of self-knowledge, and the possibility of artificial intelligence. Especial attention will be given to the complex relationship between personal identity, consciousness, and the unconscious. We will read both historical figures and contemporary authors. We will also consider philosophical assessments of psychological research on mental illness and personality disorders.
Phil. 270.01
Ethics & Medicine
Tues. & Thurs. 11 to 12:15, 337 Calhoun
Instructor: Mark Bliton
The course is designed to help students understand the many ways in which moral issues arise within clinical situations. The course will address the variety of influences that contribute to the complexity of ethical issues raised among the intersections of clinical practice, medical theories, biomedical research, and genetic technology. Focusing on the network of relationships among health care providers and patient/families depicted in clinical situations, specific circumstances will be discussed as occasions for both examining clinical ethics and philosophical reflection.
Examples will be drawn from recent events—for instance, the issues and positions in the current public controversy regarding Terri Schiavo—as well as from on-going controversies associated with reproductive and genetic technologies, including considerations of genetic manipulations and enhancement.
The aim for our conversations is to examine and identify what we recognize as the focal points that make a difference for the ways that we understand ourselves and others in relation to particular moral circumstances and ethical questions.
Interested students can contact Prof. Bliton by phone: 936-2686 Or e-mail: mark.bliton@vanderbilt.edu
Philosophy 272
Ethics and Law
Instructor: Kevin Davis
This course will look at moral problems encountered by lawyers in the practice of their profession. We will read cases of how corporate counsel, criminal defense lawyers, and prosecutors have made moral judgments in the face of situations involving conflicting values and interests. Thematically, we will begin by looking at the nature of a lawyer's relationship with a client and then examine several issues that arise by virtue of that relationship including confidentiality, conflicts of interest, the business terms of a lawyer-client relationship, and ultimately ask whether lawyers have obligations toward people who are not clients. During the semester we will also examine how moral reasoning has been applied to lawyers' conduct through positive codes of attorney ethics and the role of the legal profession itself in the establishing the framework for which moral rules concerning lawyers are debated.
Course readings will consist of actual case histories of lawyers who have found themselves in moral predicaments, as well as essays about legal ethics from attorneys and philosophers.
The class will be primarily a seminar-style discussion course. Students will be asked to write 4 papers (no exams) and to represent, in brief hearings, hypothetical clients who are lawyers accused of morally questionable actions.
Phil. 294B.01- McGill Seminar
Radically rethinking democracy: Oppression and liberation
Instructor: Matt Whitt
In this class we will first explore ideas of oppression and liberation from three perspectives: materialist, pragmatist, and symbolic/linguistic, drawing mainly on the works of Karl Marx, John Dewey, Pierre Bourdieu and Judith Butler. Each of these authors has powerful ideas with which we can begin our own critical examination of power structures operating within democracy.
In the second part of this course, we will discuss less classically ‘academic’ resistance to, and subversion of, international economic, social and linguistic domination. We will read Naomi Klein, Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos, the Notes from Nowhere collective and Arundhati Roy (among others). Here we will focus on the relation of political philosophy to personal political action. Hopefully we will discover a relation through which theory and action inform one another, rather than an asymmetrical dependency.
There are no prerequisites for this course. McGill students receive enrollment priority.
Phil. 294B.02
Forms of and Responses to Evil (MWF 12:10-1:00, Furman 109)
Instructor: Jeffrey Tlumak
We will explore various religious and secular understandings of and responses to evil in the context of choosing how to try to live. We will use a wide variety of philosophical, social scientific, historical, and literary materials, from the Old Testament’s Book of Job to the documentary, Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero. Notable contributors to our journey include Epicurus, Epictetus, Augustine, Bayle, Leibniz, Pope, Voltaire, Hume, Rousseau, Sade, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Nietzsche, Freud, Lewis, Adorno, Arendt and Camus, as well as less well-known, contemporary writers. Our organizing texts will be Susan Neiman’s Evil in Modern Thought, Primo Levi’s The Drowned and the Saved, and Steven Luper’s Invulnerability. Focusing on the past three centuries, Neiman deftly traces two competing stances for grappling with massive human cruelty and the suffering of innocents without impugning or hobbling the means for resisting or ameliorating it – one insists that morality demands that we make evil intelligible (e.g. Leibniz to Arendt), the other that we don’t (e.g. Voltaire to Adorno). She explores what changes in our understanding of the problem of evil reveal about changes in our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. In his last completed work (1987), Levi (an Auschwitz survivor) penetratingly reflects on the nature and significance of the Nazi concentration camp phenomenon, asking what people can do so that ‘in this world pregnant with threats at least this threat will be nullified.’ And Luper compares the prospects and limits of two dominant strategies for living well – striving to optimize satisfaction of our desires versus adapting ourselves to the world that confronts us. Course materials will cost approximately $50. Total reading: approximately 800 pages. Three (average 6-8 page) papers will be required. Class sessions will be significantly discussion-driven.
Phil. 294B.04
Select Topic: Philosophy and Literature
Instructor: Henry Teloh
We will read The Great Gatsby, The Stranger, The Fountainhead, Summons to Memphis, and A River Run s Through It, in order to see the importance to life of these works.
PHIL. 330.01
Kristeva
Mondays 3:10 - 5:00pm (please note the time is wrong in the course schedule booklet)
Furman 106
Instructor: Kelly Oliver
This course is a survey of the works of French Philosopher and Literary Theorist Julia Kristeva. We will read selected texts from her early work in the 1970
Phil. 330.03
Levinas
Instructor: Diane Perpich
W, 7:10-9:00, FM 106
This course will treat Levinas’s work from his groundbreaking essay “Is Ontology Fundamental?” (1951), through Totality and Infinity (1961) to the first version of “Substitution” (1968). Close readings of the texts will be complemented by attention to specific problems that have arisen in connection with Levinas’s thought. These include the problems of the feminine, the relation between ethics and politics, the relation between Jewish and philosophical texts, and the role of language in the articulation of ethical singularity.
Phil. 330.06
Pluralism and Radical Empiricism
Instructor: John Stuhr
This seminar will focus critically on two major metaphysical aspects of the philosophy of William James and, through James, on philosophies of experience (e.g., Bergson, Dewey, Deleuze) in the twentieth century: 1)his radically empiricist account of reality (and rejection of rationalism/empiricism and subjectivism/objectivism dualisms); and, 2)his ontological pluralism (and rejection of monism, especially as set forth by Hegel). Accordingly, the class will focus on explication and critical analysis of James's following major works: 1)Essays in Radical Empiricism; and, 2)A Pluralistic Universe. In addition, we will draw on manuscripts by James, on essays by James's contemporaries (in order to help contextualize James's work), and on essays by recent (primarily American and French) scholars of James and American philosophy (in order to help assess James's work).
Phil. 332.02
German Idealism seminar
Instructor: John Lachs
German Idealism. The aim of the seminar is to lay bare the methods and aims of post-Kantian idealism. We will pay special attention to the development of the notions of reason, dialectic and impersonal subjectivity. Readings include the Teleological Judgment portion of Kant's Critique of Judgment, Fichte's Science of Knowledge (1794 version) and significant portions of Hegel's Science of Logic.
Black Public Intellectuals
Phil 330.05
Thursday 4:10-6:00 Johnson Black Cultural Center 101
Instructor: Lucius Outlaw
This will be an intensive reading, discussion, and writing seminar devoted, first, to close, critical examination of selected writings by several particularly noteworthy engaged public intellectuals of African descent in the United States of America. Throughout the seminar we will explore the following, and other, questions: "What makes a person an 'intellectual'?" "An 'engaged' and 'public' intellectual?" What is the significance of the characterization of such an intellectual as "black" or "of African descent" and "American"? "Has gender mattered, does it still matter--and if so, in what ways, to what extent--to being, and to being considered, an intellectual of African descent?"
Often black thinkers, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries especially, developed their articulations for oral delivery in public settings. We will, then, listen to several examples of articulations from vernacular traditions of expression (blues, spirituals, gospel, rap, folk tales, jazz, speeches, sermons) that are included on the Audio Companion to The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, our primary sourcebook for the seminar. However, many other articulations were worked up in and through writing and shared in written forms, a number of which we will examine. In doing so, we will give consideration to whether publicly available writings (Written by whom? Made available by whom? Made available to whom?) are--or are not--essential to being an intellectual of African descent in the United States of America, and to the development, refinement, and continuation of distinctively African American intellectual practices and traditions.
