Philosophy

Grapple with the moral issues we encounter in our private, as well as public, lives—abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, the moral status of nonhuman animals, the environment, climate change, inequality—from a philosophical point of view. This course introduces ethical approaches such as Kantianism, utilitarianism and value pluralism.

Ancient Greek philosophy is not only the basis of the Western and Arabic philosophical traditions, it is central for understanding Western culture in general, including literature, science and religion. We focus on Socrates, Plato and Aristotle but also examine the work of the pre-Socratics and the Sophists.

How do you get someone to do what you want? Threatening violence, bribery, begging or providing an argument? This course explores the use of “argument”: an appeal to evidence in the support of a conclusion and “logic”: the study of what makes some arguments successful and some not.

How is looking at a painting different from looking at a photograph or watching a film or, for that matter, just looking at the world? What is the role of art in our lives? Does it change how we see? This course examines the experience of looking at art and images through an epistemological lens.