PHIL 5523a / GMAN 5030a, The Frankfurt School  Jacob McNulty and RAHEL JAEGGI

The Frankfurt School of Critical Theory was (is) a group of eclectic interdisciplinary Marxist philosophers and social scientists, active from the 1920s to the present. Most were German Jews born around the turn of the twentieth century. The Frankfurt School were a group of thinkers in almost perpetual exile. Simultaneously critical of American capitalism and of Soviet communism, they were expelled from their native Germany in the wake of Hitler’s rise to power. They also often lacked any intellectual safe haven, finding themselves at odds much philosophical and social-scientific orthodoxy (positivism, neo-Kantianism, “value-free” social science etc.). The critical theorists of the Frankfurt School sought to re-actualize ideas from the philosophical tradition, especially from Kant and Hegel, in order to address the complex realities of modern society: mass culture; fascism, totalitarianism, and authoritarianism; world war; imperialism; secularization; irrationality, sexuality, and aggression; and so on. This class looks at critical theory from a philosophical perspective, focusing on its claim to fuse traditional philosophy and radical social science. We begin with Max Horkheimer’s “Traditional and Critical Theory,” the school’s founding document which announces a break with the received “objectifying” approach to science and philosophy and inaugurates another based on the conviction that knowledge-production is continuous with economic production. We then consider the elusive worldview of Walter Benjamin, a fusion of religious mysticism and historical Marxism which would be so influential for the school. During the bulk of the course, we read two landmark works of first-generation critical theory. The first, Adorno and Horkheimer’s Dialectic of Enlightenment develops a universal history and fundamental anthropology that understands the human being as seeking relief from fear by assimilating the unfamiliar to the unfamiliar. It places the legacy of the Enlightenment in question laying responsibility for the horrors of the twentieth century at its door. We also read Adorno’s Minima Moralia, a more personal, reflective work which foregrounds other less overtly political preoccupations of the institutes, e.g. modernism in literature and the arts; subjectivity, consciousness, and erotic desire; childhood, the family, and self-formation. We conclude by taking up Habermas’s attempt to revive the Enlightenment project together with a version of Kant’s transcendental project based on “the linguistic turn.” In this unit, we focus on selections from Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere and Theory of Communicative Action. Prerequisite: at least one prior course in philosophy, preferably in Kant or political philosophy.
M 1:30pm-3:20pm

PHIL 5567b, Mathematical Logic  Sun-Joo Shin

An introduction to the metatheory of first-order logic, up to and including the completeness theorem for the first-order calculus. An introduction to the basic concepts of set theory is included.
MW 1pm-2:15pm

PHIL 5570a, Epistemology  Daniel Greco

Introduction to current topics in the theory of knowledge. The analysis of knowledge, justified belief, rationality, certainty, and evidence.
MW 2:30pm-3:45pm

PHIL 6233a, Growing Up, Growing Old: Philosophy of Age and Aging  Robin Dembroff

This course examines the philosophical dimensions of age and aging, exploring questions of identity, justice, and the passage of time. How do we understand childhood, adulthood, and old age? What role do social norms play in shaping our experiences and perceptions of aging? Is aging a mere biological process, or does it have deeper ethical and existential significance? Drawing from metaphysics, ethics, feminist philosophy, and critical age studies, we interrogate the ways age structures power, personhood, and our understanding of a life well lived.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

PHIL 6251a or b / LING 7910a or b, Topics in Semantics: Questions in American Sign Language  Staff

This course bridges introductory courses (LING 2630, LING 2640) and advanced seminars in semantics. It explores selected topics in some detail, allowing students to appreciate the nuances of semantic argumentation while at the same time emphasizing the foundational issues involved. The goal of this course is to allow students, within a structured format, to become comfortable engaging with open-ended problems and to gain confidence in proposing original solutions to such problems. Topics vary across semesters. Prerequisite: LING 2630/LING 6630 or permission of instructor.
HTBA

PHIL 6340b, Philosophy of Hobbes  Claudia Dumitru

This is a seminar on Hobbes’s theoretical and practical philosophy. We discuss his wider metaphysical and methodological commitments, his account of mind and human nature, and classic themes from his political philosophy. Particular attention is devoted to Hobbes’s conception of a science of politics against the backdrop of his general theory of science. Prerequisite: two courses in philosophy (preferably one in the history of philosophy).
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

PHIL 6605a, Racial Inequality, Racial Injustice  Stephen Darwall and Robert Gooding-Williams

In this seminar we examine several contemporary, philosophical approaches to the themes of racial inequality and racial injustice, focusing on the relations between racial inequality and the metaphysics of race; between racial injustice and racial integration; between racial inequality and intimate injustice; and between racial inequality and the operations of caste and class hierarchies. Readings include writings by Sally Haslanger, Elizabeth Anderson, Tommie Shelby, Andrew Valls, Shatema Threadcraft, Stephen Darwall, Lionel McPherson, and Adolph Reed. Prerequisite: at least one previous course in philosophy, preferably in moral, social, or political philosophy.
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

PHIL 6616b, Philosophy of Spinoza  Michael Della Rocca

An in-depth study of Spinoza's philosophy with attention to his major work, the Ethics, as well as his political writings, the Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect, the letters, and other writings. Focus not only on Spinoza's metaphysics, but also on his views on philosophy of mind, teleology, action, and emotion. Some attention also to competing methods for interpreting works in the history of philosophy.
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

PHIL 6625b, Topics in Epistemology  Keith DeRose

A survey of some recent work in epistemology, with an emphasis on connections between formal approaches to epistemology and traditional epistemological questions. We explore the power and limitations of Bayesian approaches to epistemology; the relationship between credence on the one hand, and belief and knowledge on the other; higher-order knowledge and probability; and other topics.
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

PHIL 6626b, Cognitive Science of Morality  Joshua Knobe

Introduction to the emerging field of moral cognition. Focus on questions about the philosophical significance of psychological findings. Topics include the role of emotion in moral judgment; the significance of character traits in virtue ethics and personality psychology; the reliability of intuitions and the psychological processes that underlie them.
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

PHIL 6627b, Computability and Logic  Sun-Joo Shin

A technical exposition of Gödel’s first and second incompleteness theorems and of some of their main consequences in proof theory and model theory, such as Löb’s theorem, Tarski’s undefinability of truth, provability logic, and nonstandard models of arithmetic.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

PHIL 6650b, The Problem of Evil  Keith DeRose

The evils of our world can seem to present strong reasons for disbelieving in the existence of God. This course examines the main forms that this problem for theism takes, and some of the proposed ways of solving, or at least mitigating, the problem.
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

PHIL 6655b, Normative Ethics  Shelly Kagan

A systematic examination of normative ethics, the part of moral philosophy that attempts to articulate and defend the basic principles of morality. The bulk of the course surveys and explores some of the main normative factors relevant in determining the moral status of a given act or policy (features that help make a given act right or wrong). Brief consideration of some of the main views about the foundations of normative ethics (the ultimate basis or ground for the various moral principles).
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

PHIL 6657b / PLSC 6110, Recent Work on Justice  Thomas Pogge

In-depth study of one contemporary book, author, or debate in political philosophy, political theory, or normative economics. Depending on student interest, this might be a ground-breaking new book, the life’s work of a prominent author, or an important theme in contemporary political thought.
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

PHIL 6664a, Justice, Taxes, and Global Financial Integrity  Thomas Pogge

This seminar studies the formulation, interpretation, and enforcement of national and international tax rules from the perspective of national and global economic justice.
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

PHIL 6668b, Metaethics  Stephen Darwall

A study of moral theorizing and moral discourse. The linguistic role of words like good, bad, right, and wrong; whether propositions that use these terms can be true or false. What ethical claims mean, if anything, and what kinds of reasoning or evidence might justify such claims.
W 7pm-8:50pm

PHIL 6669b / LING 6750b, Pragmatics  Simon Charlow

Context-dependent aspects of meaning and inference. Speech act theory, presupposition, implicature. Role of pragmatics in the lexicon and in meaning change. The semantics-pragmatics distinction from different perspectives; the position of pragmatics in linguistic theory.
MW 2:30pm-3:45pm

PHIL 6683b / CLSS 7909b, Plato’s Metaphysics  Tim Clarke

A broad look at central topics in Plato’s metaphysics followed by in-depth study of the conception of reality underlying the classificatory method at work in his Sophist, Statesman, and Philebus. Prerequisite: previous study of ancient philosophy, Plato’s philosophy.
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

PHIL 7705a, First-Year Seminar  Michael Della Rocca and Jacob McNulty

Required of and limited to first-year students in the Philosophy Ph.D. program. Topic varies from year to year. Preparation for graduate work. Reading, writing, and presentation skills.
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

PHIL 7706b, Work in Progress I  Lily Hu

In consultation with the instructor, each student presents a significant work in progress, e.g., a revised version of an advanced seminar paper or a dissertation chapter. Upon completion of the writing, the student presents the work in a mock colloquium format, including a formal question-and-answer period.
M 1:30pm-3:20pm

PHIL 7718b, Political Philosophy and Race  Robert Gooding-Williams

This course is a graduate seminar in political philosophy and race devoted to the study of several already influential, field-shaping books by contemporary political philosophers and political theorists. Very roughly, the course comprises six two-week modules, with each module devoted to the work of one contemporary theorist. During the first week of a given module, seminar discussion focuses on a particular theorist’s book, and on supplementary writings relating to that book’s central arguments. During the second week, the seminar hosts the author of the book we discussed the previous week, so that we can continue our discussion with them. The six philosophers and theorists that are discussed are Shatema Threadcraft, Tommie Shelby, Derrick Darby, Lionel McPherson, Ron Sundstrom, and Juliet Hooker. Prerequisite: previous courses in philosophy.
T 9:25am-11:15am

PHIL 7719a, Faith and the Will  John Pittard

An investigation of questions concerning the nature of religious faith, the relationship of faith to the will and to desire, and the merits of various prudential, moral, and existential arguments for and against religious faith. Questions to be treated include: Is faith in some sense “meritorious” (to use Aquinas’s language)? Do the commitments of faith essentially involve believing propositions? Can belief be voluntary? Can trust or hope be voluntary? Should we hold religious beliefs to the same epistemic standards that apply to more mundane beliefs? Or should we persist in faith even if these beliefs do not meet conventional rational standards? We explore these questions through writings by Aquinas, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, James, Freud, Wittgenstein, and various contemporary philosophers.
W 1:30pm-3:20pm

PHIL 7731b, Theological Predication and Divine Attributes  John Pittard

An exploration of philosophical debates concerning the nature of theological language and the nature of God. Topics include theories of analogical predication, divine simplicity, God’s relation to time, divine impassibility, the nature of God’s love, divine freedom, the compatibility of foreknowledge and human freedom, and theories of providence.
HTBA

PHIL 7750a, Tutorial  Staff

By arrangement with faculty.
HTBA

PHIL 8850a, Prospectus Tutorial  Staff

Prospectus tutorial for Philosophy Ph.D. students.
HTBA

PHIL 8886a / CLSS 7923a, Aristotle: Physics 2  Brad Inwood and Tim Clarke

The class reads and discusses the Greek text of Aristotle's Physics book 2, which sets out the foundational concepts of his natural philosophy, with particular focus on his theory of causal explanation. This book is also important for its discussion of the nature of chance or luck and teleology. This is a core course for the combined Ph.D. program in Classics and Philosophy. It is open to all graduate students in Philosophy or Classics who have suitable preparation in Attic Greek and some prior knowledge of ancient philosophy. Others interested in taking or attending the class must have prior permission of the instructors.
W 3:30pm-5:20pm