Philosophy @ UConn

Philosophy is unique both in its methods and in the nature and breadth of its subject matter. It pursues questions in every dimension of human life, and its techniques apply to problems in any field of study or endeavor. It seeks to establish standards of evidence, to provide rational methods of resolving conflicts, to create techniques for evaluating ideas and arguments, and to combine the discoveries of other disciplines to create a coherent world view. Philosophy develops the capacity to see the world from the perspective of other individuals and other cultures; it enhances one’s ability to perceive the relationships among the various fields of study; and it deepens one’s sense of the meaning and varieties of human experience.

Majoring in philosophy provides excellent training for further study in a variety of professional fields. It is particularly appropriate for further study in law, theology, linguistics (indeed a joint major in Linguistics and Philosophy is offered at UConn), and of course philosophy; it is also a good background for such diverse fields as medicine and business. Most majors who continue their study of philosophy at the graduate level intend to teach at a college or university, but some pursue careers in fields as diverse as artificial intelligence and government service.

For a current listing of all undergraduate philosophy courses, please see the university catalog.

Spring 2025

Tue. January 21st – Sat. May 10th

PHIL 2208: Epistemology

Prof. Michael Lynch, TuTh 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM

Theories of knowledge and justification. Topics may include skepticism, induction, confirmation, perception, memory, testimony, a priori knowledge.

PHIL 2215: Ethics

Prof. Paul Bloomfield, TuTh 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

Judgments of good and evil, right and justice, the moral 'ought' and freedom; what do such judgments mean, is there any evidence for them, and can they be true?

PHIL 2217: Social and Political Philosophy

Prof. Nicholas Smith, TuTh 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM

How can we best live together? Does living well with others require individuals to give up some of their freedom? Or does social life enable individuals to realize their freedom more fully? Is the exercise of power by some over others ever justified? What, if anything, justifies power exercised by the State? Under what circumstances, if any, is civil disobedience or rebellion against the State called for? What are our responsibilities for making the world fairer or better?

PHIL 2222: Early Modern European Philosophy

Mark Dickson, MWF 10:10 AM – 11:00 AM

Central philosophical issues as discussed by philosophers such as Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant.

PHIL 2410: Know Thyself

Prof. Dorit Bar-On, TuTh 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Nature, value and limitations of self-knowledge; introspection, unconscious phenomena, self- deception, affective forecasting, interaction of neurophysiological and psychological explanations of behavior. Western as well as non-Western (specifically Buddhist) perspectives on the self. Readings from classical and contemporary sources.

PHIL 3212E: Philosophy and Global Climate Change

Prof. Thomas Bontly, MWF 1:25 PM – 2:15 PM

Climate change is arguably the most consequential problem facing human beings today, and also one of the most complex. For good reason, it has been called “a super wicked problem”, “a perfect moral storm”, and “the public policy problem from hell”. The science is complicated; the politics are rife with misinformation, partisanship and ideology; and the ethical response unclear.

This course aims to analyze the ethical, epistemological, and conceptual dimensions of the climate problem. While the questions are philosophical, the larger goal is however practical: to combat denial with understanding, to counter anxiety with action, and to help prepare us (students and instructor alike) for the hard but necessary work of moving this country toward a just and sustainable future. No prior knowledge of science or philosophy will be presupposed. Some of the readings will be technical and challenging, but we will tackle them together. Required work will include multiple quizzes, an engagement project, a term paper, and sustained participation.

Here is a rough outline of the questions we will tackle along the way. The first part of the course will introduce some basic climate science and the philosophy thereof: what (and how) does the scientific community know about the causes and consequences of global heating? Where is the climate headed in the future, and how confident are those projections? Can individual events (e.g., a hurricane, a heatwave, an extreme rainfall event) be attributed to global warming? How are humans and nonhumans affected? What drives the rampant denial of climate science? Etc.

The second part of the course will focus on climate justice and policy. How does climate change contribute to (and result from) global injustice and inequality? What should be done about these linked problems? Can we solve our problems with renewable energy and “green growth”? Do we need geoengineering solutions like carbon capture? Or should we abandon capitalism with its fixation on economic growth and move toward a new economic system, such as degrowth eco-socialism?

The third part of the course will focus on climate ethics. Do we owe it to future people to leave them a livable planet? Are we individually obligated to reduce our ‘carbon footprints’? Or to purchase carbon offsets? Or should we become climate activists and take to the streets? And if we do take to the streets, ought we commit to nonviolence, or should ‘uncivil disobedience’ be an option?

Readings will be drawn from philosophy (of course!), climate science, geography, political science, and beyond. Possible texts include Travis Rieder’s Catastrophe Ethics, Kohei Saito’s Slow Down, and Andreas Malm’s provocatively titled How to Blow Up a Pipeline.

PHIL 3214: Symbolic Logic II

Prof. Keith Simmons, Wednesday 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Logical concepts developed in Philosophy 2211 applied to the study of philosophical issues in the foundations of mathematics.

PHIL 3218: Feminist Theory

Prof. Heather Muraviov, Monday 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Philosophical issues in feminist theory. Topics may include the nature of gender difference, the injustice of male domination and its relation to other forms of domination, the social and political theory of women's equality in the home, in the workplace, and in politics.

PHIL 3228: American Philosophy

Prof. Julian Schloeder, TuTh 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM

American pragmatism is a distinct approach to philosophy that emerged in America in the late 19th century. It begins with the claim that a belief is nothing else than a rule for action. From this, pragmatists derive the nearly all-encompassing doctrine that to understand something one must attend to its practical purposes. For example, pragmatists claim that to understand an abstract idea we should not look to fundamental metaphysics, but to our own needs and purposes that involve the idea. We will discuss both historical and contemporary figures in pragmatism, focusing on topics such as truth, reality, and morality.

PHIL 3298: Variable Topics

Prof. Keith Simmons, Tuesday 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

PHIL 4297W: Senior Thesis in Philosophy

Prof. Paul Bloomfield, by arrangement

Fall 2024

Mon. August 26th – Sun. December 15th

PHIL 2208: Epistemology

Prof. Julian Schloeder, TuTh 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

Theories of knowledge and justification. Topics may include skepticism, induction, confirmation, perception, memory, testimony, a priori knowledge.

PHIL 2211Q: Symbolic Logic I

Prof. Marcus Rossberg, TuTh 3:30 – 4:45 PM

The course introduces formal proof systems and semantics of classical truth-functional and first-order logic. These systems are tools for reasoning and analysis. They are the basis of contemporary philosophy, linguistics, computer science, cognitive science, and other disciplines. Towards the end of the course, we will look at alternatives to classical logic (intuitionistic logic and multi-valued logics).

PHIL 2212: Philosophy of Science

Prof. Thomas Bontly, TuTh 9:30 – 10:45 AM

Issues concerning the nature and foundations of scientific knowledge, including, for example, issues about scientific objectivity and progress.

PHIL 2217: Social and Political Philosophy

Prof. Tracy Llanera, Wednesday 6:00 – 8:30 PM

How can we best live together? What ideals, values, and institutions should we adopt to respond to our basic, changing, and multifarious human needs in the modern world? How can we identify, negotiate, and transform relations of power in our communities? In this course, we will philosophize about these questions through the lens of hate and extremism, oppression and double-binds, anger and cruelty, misogyny and racism, propaganda, solidarity, utopia, and bad faith, among other themes.

PHIL 2221: Ancient Greek Philosophy

Prof. Lionel Shapiro, Monday 6:00 – 8:30 PM

Greek philosophy from its origin in the Pre-Socratics through its influence on early Christianity. Readings from the works of Plato and Aristotle. May include related ancient philosophical traditions.

PHIL 2222W: Early Modern European Philosophy

Prof. Lionel Shapiro, MoWe 2:30 – 3:45 PM

Central philosophical issues as discussed by philosophers such as Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant.

PHIL 3202: Data Ethics

[To Be Determined], MWF 11:15 AM – 12:05 PM

Ethical and epistemological questions encountered in collecting, interpreting, inferring from and acting upon data—including when these activities are automated or carried out on large observational data sets. Issues may include data privacy and ownership; informed consent; algorithmic bias, equity, and transparency; the theory-ladenness of data; the logic of scientific inference; corporate and institutional responsibility; and implications for democratic and other social values.

PHIL 3218: Feminist Theory

Prof. Ting-An Lin, TuTh 12:30 – 1:45 PM

This course provides a survey of various feminist frameworks for thinking about philosophical issues. Feminism is an intellectual commitment and a political movement with the goal of ending gender-based oppression. Bearing this goal, feminist philosophers have intervened in conventional areas of philosophical research. Throughout this course, we will investigate feminist perspectives on diverse issues in the areas of metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, ethics, and social and political philosophy.

PHIL 3224: Nineteenth-Century Philosophy

Prof. Nicholas Smith, Wednesday 6:00 – 8:30 PM

A close reading of one of the great texts of nineteenth-century philosophy: Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit. Topics include the nature of truth, freedom, and modern alienation. Hegel’s relation to other key thinkers of the nineteenth century (Marx, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Dewey) is also discussed.

PHIL 3226: Philosophy of Law

Prof. Paul Bloomfield, TuTh 2:00 – 3:15 PM

The nature of law; law's relation to morality; law's relation to social facts; the obligation to obey the law; interpreting texts; spheres of law; international law; the justification of state punishment; the good of law; related doctrines of contemporary theorists such as Herbert Hart and Ronald Dworkin.

PHIL 3241: Philosophy of Language

Prof. Lynne Tirrell, TuTh 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

Philosophical issues raised by language. Topics may include the nature and functions of language; theories of meaning, reference, and truth; speech acts; the evolutionary origin of language; and language's relation to thought, gender, race, and politics.

Spring 2024

Tue. January 16, 2024 – Sat. May 4, 2024

PHIL 2208: Epistemology

Prof. Julian Schloeder, MWF 1:25 – 2:15 PM

Theories of knowledge and justification. Topics may include skepticism, induction, confirmation, perception, memory, testimony, a priori knowledge.

PHIL 2211Q: Symbolic Logic I

Prof. Keith Simmons, Wednesday 5:30 – 8:00 PM

PHIL 2217: Social and Political Philosophy

Prof. Nicholas Smith, TuTh 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

We begin the course by considering how these questions are posed and answered in some of the classical theories of freedom (Constant, Rousseau and Kant). We then look at some of the main dangers facing contemporary democracies and what might be done to avert them. Here we focus on recent work by four prominent social and political philosophers: Alasdair MacIntyre, Iris Marion Young, Charles Taylor and Nancy Fraser.

PHIL 2221: Ancient Greek Philosophy

Prof. Elena Comay del Junco, Wednesday 6:00 – 8:30 PM

This course will introduce students to a wide range of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, from the earliest works of "pre-Socratic" philosophy through late antiquity, with special attention to Plato and Aristotle. We will read texts that investigate topics including: the nature of philosophy; knowledge (what we know and how); the relationship between the mind and body; the natural world and the place of humans in it; the relationship between the the individual and society; the nature of happiness and the good life; and more.

PHIL 2222: Early Modern European Philosophy

Prof. Elena Comay del Junco, TuTh 2:00 – 3:15 PM

Around the beginning of the 17th century, European philosophy entered a period of creative upheaval during which central features of previous thinkers' worldviews were widely rejected. We will investigate some of the most prominent alternative views of nature, and our place in it, that came to be defended by "modern" philosophers. What kinds of things exist? How do minds relate to material things? What is causation? What capacities do we have for knowledge? We will examine approaches to these questions in writings by René Descartes (1596-1650), Elisabeth of Bohemia (1618-80), Anne Conway (1631-79), John Locke (1632-1704), George Berkeley (1685-1753), David Hume (1711-76), and Immanuel Kant (1724-1804).

PHIL 2410: Know Thyself (Honors)

Prof. Dorit Bar-On, TuTh 3:30 – 4:45 PM

We normally take ourselves to be in a privileged position to tell what state of mind we are at any given moment – whether we feel tired, have a headache, want a cup of tea, are nervous about tonight’s date, or are thinking about tomorrow’s exam; and so on. This kind of basic self-knowledge seems effortless by comparison to the knowledge we have of others’ mental states. It also seems much easier by comparison to the ‘lofty’ self-knowledge we may aspire to achieve through deep self-examination, or therapy. In our own case, we don’t appear to have any need to consult evidence, observe our own behavior, or engage in interpretation or analysis. At the same time, basic self-knowledge seems more secure than knowledge of others’ minds. When you say how you feel or what you’re thinking, you seem to be both more certain and much less open to challenge or correction than when you pronounce on the mental states of others. But how can that be? Our aim in this course will be to understand the effortless character of basic self-knowledge and the source of its apparently privileged status from both a philosophical and a scientific point of view. We will first consider philosophical problems associated with self-knowledge, and then examine some answers proposed by both philosophers and scientists, assessing their merits and weaknesses.

PHIL 3202: Data Ethics

Profs. Marcus Rossberg, Thomas Bontly, TuTh 9:30 – 10:45 AM

PHIL 3216E: Environmental Ethics

Prof. Christopher Rahlwes, MWF 10:10 – 11:00 AM

Ethical questions concerning human interaction with the natural world. Topics may include the moral standing of animals, plants, species, and ecosystems; the value of wilderness and biodiversity; obligations to future generations; environmental racism and justice; ecofeminism and deep ecology; and ethical dimensions of environmental policy.

PHIL 3225W: Analysis and Ordinary Language

Prof. William Lycan, MoWe 4:40 – 5:55 PM

The "Analytic" period in Western philosophy, ca. 1880-1960, comprising Logical Atomism, Logical Positivism, and "Ordinary Language" philosophy. The "linguistic turn" characteristic of that period. Readings from Frege, Russell, Moore, Ayer, Wittgenstein, Strawson, Ryle, Austin, and Quine.

PHIL 3226: Philosophy of Law

Prof. Paul Bloomfield, TuTh 12:30 – 1:45 PM

PHIL 3241: Philosophy of Language

Prof. Dorit Bar-On, Tuesday 5:30 – 8:00 PM

Language has often been claimed to be the “Rubicon” that no animal could ever cross – that which separates humans from all nonhuman animals. In this course, we will explore questions such as: What is unique about human linguistic communication? How is it different from bee dances, bird songs, dolphin and whale whistles, apes’ gestures, and animal alarm calls? What do the differences tell us about the nature of the human mind and about the place of humans in nature? We will be looking at analyses of linguistic communication offered by linguists, psychologists, biologists, and philosophers, as well as at exciting recent findings about animal communication systems that have been alleged to challenge the “Rubicon” claim.

PHIL 3250: Philosophy of Mind

Prof. Christopher Rahlwes, MWF 11:15 – 12:05 PM

Contemporary issues in the philosophy of mind. Topics may include the nature of the mental; the mind-body problem, the analysis of sensory experience, the problem of intentionality, and psychological explanation.

PHIL 3263: Asian Philosophy

Prof. Christopher Rahlwes, MWF 2:30 – 3:20 PM

The historical, religious, and philosophical development of Asian systems of thought.

Mon. August 28, 2023 – Sun. Dec 17, 2023

PHIL 2208: Epistemology

Prof. Gregory Doukas, TuTh 9:30 – 10:45 AM

Theories of knowledge and justification. Topics may include skepticism, induction, confirmation, perception, memory, testimony, a priori knowledge.

PHIL 2210W: Metaphysics

Prof. William Lycan, TuTh 2:00 – 3:15 PM

Fundamental questions about the nature of everything. Topics may include: idealism vs. realism about the physical world; the persistence of physical objects and persons through time and change; minds and their relation to bodies; free will and determinism; the existence of God; universals, numbers, and particulars.

PHIL 2211Q: Symbolic Logic I

Prof. Marcus Rossberg, MWF 9:05 – 9:15 AM

PHIL 2215: Ethics

Prof. Paul Bloomfield, TuTh 3:30 – 4:45 PM

Judgments of good and evil, right and justice, the moral 'ought' and freedom; what do such judgments mean, is there any evidence for them, and can they be true?

PHIL 2217: Social and Political Philosophy

Prof. Nicholas Smith, MWF 2:30 – 3:20 PM

How can we best live together? Does living well with others require individuals to give up some of their freedom? Or does social life enable individuals to realize their freedom more fully? Is the exercise of power by some over others ever justified? What, if anything, justifies power exercised by the State? Under what circumstances, if any, is civil disobedience or rebellion against the State called for? We examine such questions through a reading of some of the key thinkers of modern social and political philosophy.

PHIL 2221: Ancient Greek Philosophy

Prof. Elena Comay del Junco, TuTh 12:30 – 1:45 PM

PHIL 2222: Early Modern European Philosophy

Prof. Lionel Shapiro, MW 2:30 – 3:45 PM

PHIL 2410: Know Thyself

Prof. Julian Schloeder, MWF 1:25 – 2:15 PM

Nature, value and limitations of self-knowledge; introspection, unconscious phenomena, self-deception, affective forecasting, interaction of neurophysiological and psychological explanations of behavior. Perspectives on the constitution of the self. Readings from classical and contemporary sources. CA 1.

PHIL 3216E: Environmental Ethics

Prof. Thomas Bontly, TuTh 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

PHIL 3224: Nineteenth-Century Philosophy

Prof. Nicholas Smith, MWF 11:15 AM – 12:05 PM

Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit (1807) contains some of the most enduringly interesting arguments in the history of modern philosophy. The opening arguments of Hegel’s book provide a critique of empiricism that anticipates key ideas of twentieth-century philosophers such as Wittgenstein, Austin and Rorty. The famous ‘master-slave dialectic’ and the crucial role it accords to ‘recognition’ inspired key developments in Marxist philosophy, existentialism, and critical theory. The critique of Kant in the central sections of the book provides a template for much subsequent thinking about the limits of Kantian ethics and liberal political philosophy based on it. Hegel’s analyses of the ‘unhappy consciousness’ and the ’beautiful soul’ are also justly famous, as is the account of the relation between philosophy, art and religion that concludes the book. The course will examine these and other key arguments of Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, with special attention given to the uptake of Hegel’s ideas in contemporary philosophy

Tues. January 17, 2023 – Fri. May 6, 2023

PHIL 2212: Philosophy of Science

Prof. Thomas Bontly, MWF 1:25 – 2:15 PM

This course explores the nature of science: what it is, how it works, and to what extent (if any) does it enable us to know about the world. We will take up a number of controversial questions: What distinguishes genuine science from pseudo-science? How do scientific theories explain? Under what conditions does an observation or experimental result confirm a theory? Is it rational to believe that our current best theories are true? Is science objective and/or value-free? Does the social context in which science takes place make a difference to the eventual outcome? We will examine these questions as they arise in a variety of scientific contexts, but no knowledge of any science is presupposed.

PHIL 2215: Ethics

Prof. David Slutsky, TuTh 3:30 – 4:45 PM

PHIL 2221: Ancient Greek Philosophy

Prof. Elena Comay del Junco, TuTh 2:00 – 3:15 PM

PHIL 2222: Early Modern European Phil

Prof. Lionel Shapiro, MW 5:00 – 6:15 PM

PHIL 2410: Know Thyself (Honors)

Prof. Dorit Bar-On, Tu 6:00 – 8:30 PM

We normally take ourselves to be in a privileged position to tell what state of mind we are at any given moment – whether we feel tired, have a headache, want a cup of tea, are nervous about tonight’s date, or are thinking about tomorrow’s exam; and so on. This kind of basic self-knowledge seems effortless by comparison to the knowledge we have of others’ mental states. It also seems much easier by comparison to the ‘lofty’ self-knowledge we may aspire to achieve through deep self-examination, or therapy. In our own case, we don’t appear to have any need to consult evidence, observe our own behavior, or engage in interpretation or analysis. At the same time, basic self-knowledge seems more secure than knowledge of others’ minds. When you say how you feel or what you’re thinking, you seem to be both more certain and much less open to challenge or correction than when you pronounce on the mental states of others. But why is that?

The effortless yet secure character of basic self-knowledge seems especially puzzling if we embrace the contemporary scientific perspective on ourselves. According to that perspective, human minds are an integral part of the natural world, nothing more than brains and central nervous systems, which appears to imply that the commonsense idea that we have privileged knowledge of our own states of mind is due to some kind of an illusion. After all, we are not presumed to be in a special position to know things about chemical processes in our stomachs; why should we be in such a position with respect to neural processes in our brains? Our aim in this course will be to understand the character of basic self-knowledge and the source of its privileged status from both a philosophical and a scientific point of view. We will first consider philosophical problems associated with self-knowledge, and then examine some answers proposed by both philosophers and scientists, assessing their merits and weaknesses.

PHIL 3200: Phil Issues Contemporary Life

Prof. Nicholas Smith, TuTh 2:00 – 3:15 PM

This course examines a range of philosophical issues arising from the role of work in contemporary life. What exactly is work and how should we value it? Is work something we do just for the wages? Or does work have a value beyond that? How does work affect our identity? Should the availability and quality of work be left to the job market? Or does the state have responsibilities to provide decent work? What can be done to make the world of work more just? In the first section of the course, we look at how some of the great philosophers of the past (such as Aristotle, Adam Smith, Hegel, Karl Marx and Hannah Arendt) answered such questions. Then we consider in detail some major practical proposals for dealing with these problems, such as the introduction of a Universal Basic Income, a shorter working week, and the democratization of work.

PHIL 3212E: Philosophy and Global Climate Change

Prof. Thomas Bontly, MWF 11:15 AM – 12:05 PM

Climate change is arguably the most consequential problem facing human beings today, and also one of the most complex. For good reason, it has been called “a super wicked problem”, “a perfect moral storm”, and “the public policy problem from hell”. The science is complicated, the projections uncertain, the politics fraught with partisanship and ideology, and the ethical response unclear.

Our goal in this course will be to analyze and understand the ethical, epistemological, and conceptual sources of these difficulties. The first part of the course will introduce some basic climate science, focusing on the role of models in scientific explanation. What are climate models? Can they be tested (and if so, with what evidence)? Can climate models be true, or should we regard them merely as useful tools for making predictions? Can they explain individual events, such as the European heat wave of 2022?

The second part of the course will focus on decision-making under uncertainty. What are the sources of uncertainty in projections of future climate change? Can the uncertainty be reduced or managed? How should policymakers deal with such uncertainty? Can we reasonably estimate the costs of climate change? And how should we deal with the possibility of (hopefully improbable) catastrophic outcomes, such as the collapse of civilization or the extinction of our species?

The third and longest part of the course will take up questions of climate ethics and climate justice. How should the costs of mitigation and adaptation be distributed? Does justice require that affluent industrial societies foot the bill? Do we owe it to future people to leave them a livable climate? Are individuals obliged to limit their use of fossil fuels, or does the obligation to decarbonize fall only on corporations or nation-states? How should liberal democracies deal with ideologically motivated climate denial?

No prior knowledge of any science will be presupposed. Some of the readings will be technical and challenging, but we will tackle them together. Students will not be expected to understand everything on their own.

PHIL 3214: Symbolic Logic II

Prof. Marcus Rossberg, TuTh 9:30 – 10:45 AM

This course is a sequel to Philosophy 2211, Symbolic Logic I. The course will begin with a brief review of classical logic. We will then look at some modal logics and their application in view of a range of philosophical issues. This will include an implementation of the techniques of modal logic in deontic logic (the logic of moral obligations) and epistemic logic (the logic of what is knowable). The last module will introduce a variety of nonclassical logics and their philosophical uses, for example, in the study of paradoxes.

PHIL 3218: Feminist Theory

Prof. Ayanna Spencer, TuTh 12:30 – 1:45 PM

What is feminist theory? Why should anyone care about feminist theory when theory doesn’t guarantee action that leads to meaningful change to end gender oppression and sexual domination? What is cisheteropatriarchy? And seriously, what is intersectionality and what are we supposed to do with this buzzword exactly?

In this course, we examine these questions, and more, to unpack feminism, feminist theories, and the role of feminist theories for feminist movement building. This is an interdisciplinary course, although we will employ a philosophical approach to feminism. In other words, we will question theoretical and political attempts to understand and combat gender oppression through materials from multiple academic disciplines (like Philosophy, Sociology, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) and sources beyond academia (like podcasts, TikTok, and feminist organizations’ websites).

There are two required texts for this course: (1) Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (1984) by bell hooks and (2) Black Trans Feminism (2022) by Marquis Bey. Additional readings will be provided via HuskyCT.

PHIL 3219W: Topics in Phil & Human Rights

Prof. Lynne Tirrell, TuTh 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM

This course will explore the human right to health, with special focus on the social and economic determinants of health. We’ll begin with a study of the philosophical foundations of human rights, with an emphasis on dignity, autonomy, liberty, and welfare. To see what a human right to health entails, we first need to understand what health is (not simply absence of disease) and what it requires. In particular, we’ll ask which other rights must be met in order for this right to be met. In examining the complex demands of the human right to health, we will focus on the social determinants of health, including inequality and discrimination. Some issues that intersect with health: climate change, food insecurity, housing insecurity, disability (both broadly and with respect to schools and workplaces), freedom of movement and freedom of expression.

PHIL 3241: Philosophy of Language

Prof. Lynne Tirrell, TuTh 9:30 – 10:45 AM

This course is an introduction to some of the core issues in the philosophy of language, with special attention to language used in everyday life. This semester we are focusing on ordinary language philosophy, with special attention to the role of norms and practices. We will start by studying some crucial classics: Wittgenstein, Austin, Lewis, Grice, and Brandom. Along the way, we will look at everyday conversations and issues concerning the nature of communication. Then we will turn to particularly harmful uses of language, such as slurs, toxic speech, and propaganda, with the aim of understanding how language practices are tied to social phenomena such as power and subordination.

PHIL 3264: Classical Chinese Phil & Cult

Christopher Rahlwes, MWF 2:30 – 3:20 PM

Classical Chinese philosophy from the pre-Qin or Han period. Readings may include Confucian, Daoist, Mohist, Legalist, or Syncretist texts.Topics may include metaphysics, ethics, language, personal identity, proper governance, thriving (both socially and individually) and the Way (dao) as well as their influence on Chinese culture.

PHIL 3298: Variable Topics

Prof. Keith Simmons, W 6:00 – 8:30 PM

Phil 3298 is a Philosophy course about paradoxes. Paradoxes have been a driving force in Philosophy since the 5th Century B.C. They force us to rethink old ideas and conceptions. Plato and Aristotle famously said that Philosophy begins in wonder - and they had in mind the kind of deep puzzlement that paradoxes generate.

In this seminar, we will study a wide range of paradoxes: Zeno's paradoxes about space, time and motion, moral paradoxes, Sorites paradoxes about vagueness (such as the paradox of the heap), paradoxes of rationality (Newcomb's paradox and the Prisoner's dilemma), paradoxes of belief (including paradoxes of confirmation, and the surprise examination paradox), paradoxes about time travel, and logical paradoxes (Russell's paradox about classes and the Liar paradox about truth).

As we explore these paradoxes, we will wrestle with some central philosophical questions: What is the nature of space, time and motion? Are there genuine moral dilemmas? Is the world a fully determinate place? What is it to act rationally? When is a belief justified? Are the foundations of mathematics secure? What is the nature of truth?

The paradoxes are not just important - they are fun too. They encourage us to think creatively, in new and surprising ways. In this seminar, you will be given the opportunity to tackle the paradoxes yourselves, through group discussions and frequent written assignments. Philosophy is best viewed as a practice, as something that one does. By actively engaging with the paradoxes, both orally and in your written work, you will develop the intellectual skills that make philosophical progress possible.

Mon. August 29, 2022 – Sun. December 18, 2022

PHIL 2205: Aesthetics

Prof. Lynne Tirrell, TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM

PHIL 2208: Epistemology

Prof. Julian Schloeder, MWF 1:25PM - 2:15PM

Epistemology is the study of knowledge. You, I presume, hold many different beliefs. Some are very well justified, but some others perhaps are not. Some of these justifications you could present should I ask you, others perhaps not. Some of your beliefs, no matter how well justified they are and how eloquently you can present their justifications, may still be false. Among your true beliefs, however, there lie those special things that you don't just believe, but that you *know*. But what, if anything, is so special about those beliefs that we call knowledge? In this course we will dig very deep into this question by deeply engaging with classic and contemporary works in analytic philosophy. Topics will include skepticism, the nature of justification, the value of knowledge, the relationship between knowledge and assertion, some puzzles and paradoxes of knowledge, and epistemic injustices.

PHIL 2211Q: Symbolic Logic I

Prof. Marcus Rossberg, TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM

This course is an introduction to propositional and quantificational logic. Logic is the study of good and bad arguments (pieces of reasoning). In a deductively good argument, the conclusion follows from the premises: if all premises are true, the conclusion is guaranteed to be true as well. The deductive goodness of an important class of arguments rests on patterns in the way these arguments use notions such as not, and, or, and if (in propositional logic), and all and some (in quantificational logic). We'll represent such patterns symbolically, and give a precise theory of which patterns ensure deductive goodness. If time permits, we'll look at some rivals to this "classical" logic.

PHIL 2215: Ethics

Prof. Paul Bloomfield, TuTh 12:30PM - 1:45PM

This is an upper-level introduction to some of the main issues in theorizing about morality and ethics. We will concentrate on the three most traditional, Western theories, reading original texts and secondary literature. These three are utilitarian consequentialism, Kantian deontology, and ancient Greek virtue theory.

PHIL 2221: Ancient Greek Philosophy

Prof. Lionel Shapiro, M 6:30PM - 9:00PM

This course serves as an introduction to some of the major ideas, arguments and methods of ancient Greek philosophy, based on a close study of selected works by Plato (427-347 BC) and Aristotle (384-322 BC). We will focus on topics in ethics (especially virtue and its relation to knowledge) and metaphysics (especially views of causal explanation). The emphasis will be on understanding the reasoning behind what may be very unfamiliar positions on issues that remain central to philosophical reflection. Where the issues are ethical, we will consider the influence of Socrates (469-399 BC). Where the issues are metaphysical, we will consider some of the pre-Socratic background.

PHIL 2222: Early Modern European Phil

Prof. Lionel Shapiro, MW 2:30PM - 3:45PM

PHIL 3216E: Environmental Ethics

Prof. Thomas Bontly, MWF 11:15AM - 12:05PM

Environmental ethics investigates our moral obligations regarding the natural environment. Do we have, for instance, an obligation to protect biodiversity? To preserve wilderness? To prevent (further) anthropogenic climate change? If so, what grounds these obligations? Are they based entirely on human interests, including perhaps the interests of future generations? Or do we have obligations to nonhuman nature as well – to animals, plants, ecosystems, or the even the entire biosphere?

The first half of the course focuses on moral theory. We examine mainstream moral theories insofar as they address environmental issues (which sadly isn’t far). We also examine recent attempts to extend, revise, and/or replace mainstream theories to bring the environment into the ambit of ethics, along with criticisms of those attempts. The second half of the course focuses on specific environmental problems (e.g., climate change) and their bearing on issues of social justice.

PHIL 3218: Feminist Theory

Prof. Elena Comay del Junco, W 6:00PM - 8:30PM

This course will take a philosophical approach to feminism, understood as a theoretical and political attempt to understand and combat gender oppression. Topics of discussion will include: the idea of "feminist philosophy"; the nature and origins of gender inequality and oppression; the concept of patriarchy; the relationship between gender and sexuality; "woman" and the gender binary; race and gender in the American and global context; class, labor, and "women's work"; pornography; gendered violence; MeToo and other contemporary feminist movements and reactions to them.

We will read a variety of authors, both historical and contemporary, writing in different contexts and with different backgrounds. Our guiding assumption will be that all of these authors offer important insights *and* that our task is to read them critically, to ask what they do not say and what is omitted from their arguments. The syllabus will include some or all of: Gloria Anzaldúa, Simone de Beauvoir, Talia Mae Bettcher, Angela Davis, Christine Delphy, Andrea Dworkin, Shulamith Firestone, Marie de Gournay, Audre Lorde, John Stuart Mill, Catherine McKinnon, Gayle Rubin, Barbara Smith, Sandy Stone, Monique Wittig, Mary Wollstonecraft.

PHIL 3241: Philosophy of Language

Prof. William Lycan, TuTh 2:00PM - 3:15PM

That certain kinds of marks and noises have meanings, and that we grasp those meanings without even thinking about it, are very striking facts. A philosophical theory of meaning should explain what it is in virtue of which a string of marks or noises has the distinctive meaning it does. We will examine several surprisingly different and competing theories. Further topics will include: denotation or reference (how it is that a linguistic expression such as a name refers to a particular thing or kind of thing in the world); “speech acts” such as asserting, asking a question, commanding, and promising; ways of implying or otherwise communicating something other than what one has explicitly said; expressive speech, including irony, sarcasm and pejorative expressions such as slurs; and metaphorical usage.

PHIL 3250W: Philosophy of Mind

Prof. Gordon Stevenson, MW 4:40PM - 5:55PM

How can the nature of conscious experience and sensory perception be best explained? We will consider a range of historical and contemporary philosophical work on the mind/body problem, consciousness, artificial intelligence and sensory perception. An inter-disciplinary approach will be pursued in an effort to further our understanding of the place of mind in nature.

PHIL 3295: Special Topics | Introduction to Jewish Philosophy

Prof. Stewart Shapiro, Th 1:30PM - 4:00 PM

This is a general introduction to major figures, thoughts, and movements in ancient, medieval, and contemporary Jewish philosophy. After a brief introduction to Judaism, we will take up Philo Judaeus, from the ancient world, Moses Maimonides, from the medieval period, and Joseph Soloveitchik, from the present. If time permits, we will cover some of the early literature on Zionism.

Evaluation will be based on a series of short essays, group discussions, class participation, a term paper, and a take home essay-type final examination.

PHIL 3298: Variable Topics | Philosophy of Color Lines and Borderlands

Prof. Nelson Maldonado-Torres, M 1:30PM - 4:00 PM

This course explores the constitutive role of color lines and the formation of spatial, cognitive, as well as psychological borderlands in the making of Western modernity. The writings of figures such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Frantz Fanon provide a conceptual map to understand the drama and possibilities of colonized and racialized subjectivities in the modern world. The course also explores how the movement generated theory of the Combahee River Collective, the Ejercito Zapatista para la Liberación Nacional (EZLN), La Colectiva Feminista en Construcción, and Decolonize This Place serves to reorient and reframe questions about emancipation that are usually reduced, problematically, to matters of diversity and inclusion in our present time.

Tues. Jan 18, 2022 – Sun. May 8, 2022

PHIL 2208: Epistemology

Prof. Julian Schloeder, MWF 1:25PM - 2:15PM

Course Modality: In Person

PHIL 2210: Metaphysics

Prof. Benjamin Nelson, TuTh 9:30AM - 10:45AM

Course Modality: In Person

This course provides students with an introduction to metaphysics through some of the great thinkers and problems in Western philosophy. Two of our leading questions can be expressed rather simply: (1) What are you? (2) What do you think you’re doing? More carefully, (1) is asking a question about Personal Identity—it is asking about what kind of thing you are and what, if anything, causes you to be the same thing through time. Question (2) is hinting at the problem of free will by asking you to consider whether and how your actions are free, which simultaneously requires reflection on the fairness of our systems of praise and blame. Additional topics may include things like causation, time, and purpose.

PHIL 2211Q: Symbolic Logic I

Prof. Keith Simmons, Wed 6:00PM - 8:30PM

Course Modality: In Person

This course is an introduction to propositional and quantificational logic. Logic is the study of arguments, good and bad. In a deductively good argument, the conclusion follows from the premises: if all premises are true, the conclusion is guaranteed to be true as well. The deductive goodness of an important class of arguments rests on patterns in the way these arguments use notions such as not, and, or, and if (in propositional logic), and all and some (in quantificational logic). We'll represent such patterns symbolically, and give a precise theory of which patterns ensure deductive goodness. We’ll also prove metalogical results about these logical systems, connecting the notions of truth and proof.

PHIL 2215: Ethics

Prof. David Slutsky, Tu 6:00PM - 8:30PM

Course Modality: In Person

This course explores ethics with a focus on international contexts. Does ethics permit or require us to treat compatriots and foreigners the same or differently? Do principles of equality apply globally or domestically? Is it right or wrong to use clothing and electronics produced under allegedly unjust or exploitative labor conditions? In what ways are modern democracies more or less like families and friendships, or violent gangs and organized crime syndicates? Do parts of the global order such as international financial institutions harm or help global poverty? How can we defend and/or object to ordinary affluent consumer behavior? We will investigate positions and arguments in ethics that connect and provide answers to these and related questions.

PHIL 2221: Ancient Greek Philosophy

Prof. Elena Comay del Junco, TuTh 2:00PM - 3:15PM

Course Modality: In Person

PHIL 2222: 17^th & 18^th Century Philosophy

Prof. Benjamin Nelson, TuTh 3:30PM - 4:45PM

Course Modality: In Person

This course provides students with an introduction to some of the great thinkers in Western philosophy from the Early Modern period including: Descartes, Spinoza, Hume, and Kant. We will confront questions and competing claims about knowledge and its limits, the fundamental nature of reality and our access to it, along with a healthy dose of skepticism about things like causation and induction. Through close readings of the texts and participation in class discussions, students will learn to identify and analyze complex philosophical arguments while developing skills in critical thinking and effective communication. Assignments and exams will provide students the opportunity to demonstrate their grasp of the material and make a contribution to these ongoing discussions.

PHIL 2410: Know Thyself

Prof. Mitchell Green, TuTh 11:00AM - 12:15PM

Course Modality: In Person

The Delphic Oracle is said to have had two premier injunctions: Nothing in excess, and Know thyself. This course will be an examination of the latter injunction. Our central questions fall into two categories. First What is it? We shall inquire into just what self-knowledge is: Is it a form of inner perception, somewhat like proprioception, by virtue of which our minds (and hearts) have internal scanners of their own states? Or should we construe self-knowledge in a way not crucially relying on a perceptual model? In that case, what other model might we use? Second, Why is it such a big deal? We shall inquire into the question why self-knowledge should be thought so important. Just what, if anything, is missing from a person lacking in self-knowledge that makes her significantly less wise, virtuous, or able than others who have this capacity? Our exploration will take us into research in Western philosophy, psychoanalysis, current personality and social psychology, neuroscience, aesthetics, and Eastern, particularly Buddhist philosophy as well. In aid of these investigations we will become students of our own dreams, and cultivate some meditative practices. Course requirements are two papers, a midterm and final examination, and active participation in discussion section.

PHIL 3216E: Environmental Ethics

Prof. Thomas Bontly, MWF 11:15AM - 12:05PM

Course Modality: In Person

PHIL 3218: Feminist Theory

Prof. Elena Comay del Junco, Th 6:00PM - 8:30PM

Course Modality: In Person

We will read a variety of authors, both historical and contemporary, writing in different contexts and with different backgrounds. Our guiding assumption will be that all of these authors offer important insights *and* that our task is to read them critically, to ask what they do not say and what is omitted from their arguments. The syllabus will include some or all of: Gloria Anzaldúa, Simone de Beauvoir, Talia Mae Bettcher, Judith Butler, Angela Davis, Andrea Dworkin, Shulamith Firestone, John Stuart Mill, Catherine McKinnon, Christine de Pizan, Gayle Rubin, Ida B. Wells, Monique Wittig, Mary Wollstonecraft, Susan Stryker. Readings will be made available online.

PHIL 3220W: Phil Foundations Human Rights

Prof. Lynne Tirrell, TuTh 11:00AM - 12:15PM

Course Modality: In Person

Human rights are often invoked to press governments to treat their citizens with more respect. In this sense, they can be seen as pre-legal rights that are not conferred by law but rights based in human nature. We will examine questions about the nature of human rights, various justifications for their use in advocacy, and some skeptical arguments about the very concept. We will examine guiding concepts for the moral foundations of human rights: dignity, agency, interests, and needs, and will look at various practitioner discussions as examples of commitments to each of these. We will study the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to see the wide range of rights articulated there and to think more carefully about which rights are most central to protecting human life and promoting flourishing. We will also address particular cases of human rights abuses and remediation.

PHIL 3225W: Analysis and Ordinary Language

Prof. William Lycan, TuTh 12:30PM - 1:45PM

Course Modality: Distance Learning

The "Analytic" period in Western philosophy, ca. 1880-1890, comprising Logical Atomism, Logical Positivism, and "Ordinary Language" philosophy. The "linguistic turn" characteristic of that period. Readings from Frege, Russell, Moore, Ayer, Wittgenstein, Strawson, Ryle, Austin, and Quine.

PHIL 3231: Philosophy of Religion

Prof. Tracy Ann Llanera, Tu 6:00PM - 8:00PM

Course Modality: Distance Learning

This course on philosophy of religion tackles the existential problem of nihilism. Loosely defined, nihilism can be understood as the malaise of lostness, disorientation, and despair in modern life. It is rooted in the claim that "life is meaningless", that is, that human life has no deep meaning, fundamental value, or authentic purpose. This claim about human life, according to some philosophers, can be overcome by way of seeking a higher power, discovering new ways of living, or making meaning. Other philosophers have their doubts.

Two perspectives inform this course's engagement with the malaise of nihilism: Western philosophy and Black existentialism. From the perspective of the former, students can expect to read the work of modern European continental philosophers (primarily Nietzsche and Heidegger, plus commentators on their work) and the contemporary debates on nihilism as expressed in the works of Taylor, Rorty, Dreyfus, Tartaglia, and Llanera. From the perspective of the latter, students will engage the key writings of Fanon, West, and Gordon and current debates on Black nihilism and Afro-pessimism.

PHIL 3263: Asian Philosophy

Prof. Alexus McLeod, MWF 10:10AM - 11:00AM

Course Modality: Distance Learning

PHIL 5397: Proposal, Prospectus, and Dissertation Writing Seminar

Prof. Heather Battaly, M 11:30AM - 2:00PM

Course Modality: In Person

This course is designed to help students who are writing the Proposal, Prospectus, or Dissertation. Students will write and circulate drafts, practice presenting, and get feedback. Philosophy students working on a proposal, prospectus, or dissertation on any topic are encouraged to register. Students working on philosophical theory outside the department are also welcome. This is a 3 credit course (for a grade). The course will count toward overall credits earned at UCONN. It will not count as a seminar ‘content course’ in the Philosophy department.

Mon. Aug 30, 2021 – Sun. Dec 19, 2021

PHIL 2211Q: Symbolic Logic 1

Prof Marcus Rossberg, TuTh 11:00a – 12:15p

Course Modality: Distance Learning

PHIL 2212: Philosophy of Science

Prof Marcus Rossberg, TuTh 2:00p – 3:15p

Course Modality: Distance Learning

Science is the most reliable and successful means of obtaining systematic knowledge about the world. This course explores the nature of science: what it is and how it works. We will discuss the distinction between genuine science and pseudo-science, and what characterizes “the scientific method”. Moreover, we tackle questions such as: How do scientific theories explain? Under what conditions does an observation or experiment confirm a theory? Is it rational to believe that our current best theories are true? What is the role of logic and mathematics in science? We will look at these questions as they arise in a variety of scientific contexts, but no knowledge of any science or mathematics is presupposed.

PHIL 2215: Ethics

Prof Thomas Bontly, MWF 11:15a – 12:05p

Course Modality: In Person

Are there universally valid principles for distinguishing right from wrong, good from bad? What makes a human life go well? What is virtue? Are human beings morally responsible for their choices, and if so, under what conditions? These are a few of the questions to be pursued in this course. The main focus is on ethical theory – the systematic attempt to formulate basic principles of right and wrong. We will examine several historically important moral theories (consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics), supplemented by contemporary critiques and perspectives (e.g., feminist ethics of care). We will also investigate questions about the nature and objectivity of morality (meta-ethics) and take up a few contemporary moral issues as time allows. Required work will include presentations, papers, and a final exam.

PHIL 2217: Social & Political Philosophy

Prof Tracy Llanera

Course Modality: Online

How can we best live together? What kind of society enables our flourishing as individual and social beings? What ideals, values, and institutions should we adopt to respond to our basic, changing, and multifarious human needs in the modern world? How can we identify, negotiate, and transform relations of power in our communities? This course on social and political philosophy surveys the most influential answers to these interrelated philosophical questions.

The course opens with a discussion of the distinction between political philosophy and social philosophy as well as the social contract tradition. The second part of the course focuses on the central figures of modern western political thought: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Rawls. It analyses their versions of ideal political theory in terms of their justifications of the state, their defenses of individual liberty, and their understandings of political community. The third part of the course outlines the critical responses of modern social philosophy to ideal political theory. It pays particular attention to issues at the intersection of race, gender, and social inequality.

PHIL 2221: Ancient Greek Philosophy

Prof Lionel Shapiro, Tu 6:00p – 8:30p

Course Modality: In Person

This course serves as an introduction to some of the major ideas, arguments and methods of ancient Greek philosophy, based on a close study of selected works by Plato (427-347 BC) and Aristotle (384-322 BC). We will focus on topics in ethics (especially virtue and its relation to knowledge) and metaphysics (especially views of causal explanation). The emphasis will be on understanding the reasoning behind what may be very unfamiliar positions on issues that remain central to philosophical reflection. Where the issues are ethical, we will need to take account of the influence of Socrates (469-399 BC). Where the issues are metaphysical, we will need to consider some of the pre-Socratic background.

PHIL 2222: Early Modern European Philosophy

Prof Lionel Shapiro, TuTh 12:30p – 1:45p

Course Modality: In Person

Around the beginning of the 17th century, European philosophy entered a period of creative upheaval during which central features of previous thinkers' views of the world were widely rejected. The aim of this class is to investigate some of the most prominent alternative views of nature and our place in it that came to be defended by "modern" philosophers. What kinds of things exist? How do minds relate to physical things? What is the nature of causation? What capacities do we have for knowledge? We will examine approaches to these questions in writings by René Descartes (1596-1650), Elisabeth of Bohemia (1618-80), Anne Conway (1631-79), John Locke (1632-1704), George Berkeley (1685-1753), David Hume (1711-76), and Immanuel Kant (1724-1804).

PHIL 3220W: Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights

Prof Lynne Tirrell, TuTh 2:00p – 3:15p

Course Modality: In Person

PHIL 3225W: Analysis and Ordinary Language

Prof Lynne Tirrell, TuTh 9:30a – 10:45a

Course Modality: In Person

Late twentieth and current theories and issues in philosophy of language with an emphasis on ordinary language and non-ideal language. Speech acts, hate speech, insinuation, and other topics. Wittgenstein, Strawson, Austin, Grice, Brandom, and recently published work.

PHIL 3247W: Philosophy of Psychology

Prof Julian Schloeder, MWF 9:05 - 9:55 AM

Course Modality: Distance Learning

In this course we explore questions about the possible mechanisms underlying human (and possibly non-human) cognition. Modern artificial intelligences are implementing mechanisms that solve many problems we previously thought to be the sole territory of human cognition. But we do not consider them conscious. This is oftentimes expressed as the claim that computers cannot have beliefs or representations; neither can they love or hate, intend or desire anything -- in short, they lack cognition. But why is that? What is the difference between intelligent behavior and behavior that merely appears intelligent? Required work will include reading research papers, submitting discussion questions, active participation in class discussions, and completing writing assignments (including a final essay).

PHIL 3250: Philosophy of Mind

Prof William Lycan, MW 4:40 - 5:55 PM

Course Modality: In Person

What are minds and how are they related to bodies? We will survey the traditional answers to that question, and then move on to more specific topics: How is it that we are able to think about things, including things that do not exist? What is the structure of sensory experience? What makes a mental state a conscious state? What is the "subjectivity" of the mental?

PHIL 3295: Special Topics

Professor Ayanna Spencer, TuTh 2:00p – 3:15p

Course Modality: In Person

Discussion of various forms of gendered violence in the United States and in a global context. Physical, sexual, emotional and structural violence; social, political and personal meanings of gendered violence; special emphasis on women.

Tues. Jan 19, 2021 – Sun. May 9, 2021

PHIL 2211Q: Symbolic Logic 1

Prof Simmons, Tu 5:00p – 7:30p

Course Modality: Distance Learning

This course is an introduction to propositional and quantificational logic. Logic is the study of arguments, good and bad. In a deductively good argument, the conclusion follows from the premises: if all premises are true, the conclusion is guaranteed to be true as well. The deductive goodness of an important class of arguments rests on patterns in the way these arguments use notions such as not, and, or, and if (in propositional logic), and all and some (in quantificational logic). We'll represent such patterns symbolically, and give a precise theory of which patterns ensure deductive goodness. We’ll also provemetalogical results about these logical systems, connecting the notions of truth and proof.

PHIL 2215W: Ethics

TBD, MWF 12:15p – 1:05p

Course Modality: Distance Learning

This class will be an upper-level introduction to issues in normative ethics and metaethics. In metaethics, we concentrate on the issues with normative facts.. In normative ethics, we will deal with Kantian ethics, utilitarianism, and right-based theory.

PHIL 2217: Social & Political Philosophy

TBD, TuTh 3:30p – 4:45p

Course Modality: Distance Learning

This course is an exploration of two aspects not often addressed in American courses in social and political philosophy: (1) the social and (2) the political. We will discuss these two concepts through examining some classic works of political philosophy and contextualize them through exploring several recent political debates from a variety of perspectives ranging from liberal through conservative, Marxist, feminist, critical race, Indigenous, decolonial, and global southern political thought.

PHIL 2222: Early Modern European Philosophy

Prof Tizzard, TuTh 12:30p – 1:45p

Course Modality: Distance Learning

This course will explore central questions and themes guiding the evolution of Early Modern European Metaphysics and Epistemology in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Our course will study three different movements from the era, beginning with Rationalist views that champion the power of reason, emphasizing mind over body and positing the existence of innate, a priori ideas which allow us to know ourselves and the world. We will then move on to Empiricists who question the elaborate systems built by their predecessors, suggesting we must focus on the nature of sense experience and dispense with unnecessarily abstract thought in order to find philosophical truth. Finally, we will read the work of Immanuel Kant, a late 18th century philosopher widely thought to be a great unifier who synthesizes the best of both Rationalism and Empiricism. Issues to be discussed include the foundation and source of our knowledge of the world, the nature of substance and causality, the Self as a locus of consciousness and action, God’s role in the universe, and the possibility of scepticism about these things.

PHIL 2410H: Know Thyself

Prof Crerar, TuTh 5:00p – 6:15p

Course Modality: Distance Learning

Here are two platitudes about self-knowledge. First: it is easier to know things about yourself than to know things about others. If I want to learn about your likes and dislikes, your beliefs and commitments, your skills and shortcomings, then I might need to do some investigative work. If I want to learn about my own likes, beliefs, and commitments – well, it seems like that’s the kind of thing that I would just know! Second: knowing yourself is distinctively valuable. As we have learned from the self-help industry, it is important to ‘get to know the real you’, to try and ‘find yourself’, to undertake journeys of ‘personal discovery’. In this course, our aim will be to investigate both these platitudes. We will ask what self-knowledge is, how we get it, and why it matters. We will also consider the tension between these platitudes – since, on reflection, we might well wonder why self-knowledge would take on such importance if it really was so easy to come across. A significant portion of the course will therefore be spent looking at the personal and societal barriers to self-knowledge. Our approach to these questions will be mainly philosophical, but we will likely also draw upon resources from sociology and psychology.

PHIL 3218: Feminist Theory

Prof Tirrell, TuTh 9:30a - 10:45a

Course Modality: Distance Learning

PHIL 3220W: Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights

Prof Tirrell, TuTh 11:00a – 12:15p

Course Modality: Distance Learning

PHIL 3226: Philosophy of Law

Prof Bloomfield, Tu 3:00p-5:30p

Course Modality: Distance Learning

PHIL 3241: Philosophy of Language

Prof Shapiro, TuTh 9:30a – 10:45a

Course Modality: Distance Learning

This course is an introduction to some of the core issues in the philosophy of language, approached through a study of influential texts from the “analytic” tradition inaugurated by the work of Gottlob Frege in the late 19th century. Among the many questions we will address are the following: How does language allow us to communicate and gain knowledge? What role does the relation between language and thought play in answering that question? Are there such things as “meanings,” and if so, what are they? Is what our words mean determined in part by our surroundings, or is meaning “in the head”? What are the relations between meaning, truth and reference? Can understanding a language be a source of a priori knowledge? What is the relation between understanding a language and knowledge about what’s necessary? How is language-use tied to social phenomena such as power and subordination? How should we understand harmful uses of language, such as slurs and propaganda?

PHIL 3250: Philosophy of Mind

Prof Lycan, TuTh 2:00p – 3:15p

Course Modality: Distance Learning

What are minds and how are they related to bodies? We will survey the traditional answers to that question, and then move on to more specific topics: How is it that we are able to think about things, including things that do not exist? What is the structure of sensory experience? What makes a mental state a conscious state? What is the "subjectivity" of the mental?

PHIL 3264: Classical Chinese Philosophy

Prof Culbertson, TuTh 8:00a – 9:15a

Course Modality: Distance Learning

In this course we will look at the formative philosophical thought of the early Chinese tradition, primarily in the Warring States Period and the Western Han Dynasty. We will look at multiple schools and texts, including Confucian, Daoist, Mohist, Legalist, and Syncretist texts. Topics covered will include virtue, human nature, proper governance, thriving, knowledge, the “Way” (dao), and the nature of truth. We will also study the historical context in which these theories developed, looking at important events and figures in the period, including Qin Shi Huang and the unification of the Warring States in 221 BCE, the dispute surrounding the Huainanzi between Emperor Wu of Han and Liu An in the mid 2nd century BCE, and the rise of Wang Mang in the opening years of the 1st century CE.

We will read selections from a wide range of primary texts, including: Lunyu (The Analects of Confucius), Xunzi, Mozi, Zhuangzi, Hanfeizi, Jia Yi’s Xinshu, Huainanzi, Sima Qian’s Shiji, and Ban Gu’s Han Shu.

PHIL 3298: Africana | M 5:00 - 7:30 PM | Lewis Gordon | Distance Learning

Prof Gordon, M 5:00p - 7:30p

Course Modality: Distance Learning

Africana philosophy is also called “African diasporic philosophy.” It is a modern form of philosophy addressing problems of what could be called the “underside of Euromodern philosophy,” problems often avoided in Euromodern philosophy and thus paradoxically become more central in significance than many Euromodern philosophers may realize. We will examine these problems, across African American philosophy, Afro-Caribbean philosophy, and African philosophy, through three guiding questions: (1) What does it mean to be human in a world that challenges one’s humanity? (2) What is freedom in a world governed by colonialism, enslavement, exploitation, and other forms of dehumanizing practices? And (3) is reason legitimate or justified in a world that uses it to rationalize injustice and misrepresentations of reality? These questions will be examined through writings from Africana analytical, dialectical, existential, feminist, phenomenological, and pragmatist thought. This class will be distanced learning synchronous.

This class meets concurrently with PHIL 5325 and the instructor's permission is required.

Mon. Aug 31, 2020 – Sun. Dec 20, 2020

PHIL 2208: Epistemology

Prof Battaly, TuTh 3:30p – 4:45p

Do you know that you are reading a course description right now? Prior to our exposure to philosophy, most of us would have answered with an emphatic “Yes!” What is this knowledge, and how can we defend ourselves against the skeptic who denies that we have it? Does every true belief constitute knowledge, or must our beliefs also be justified? What makes a belief justified? Philosophy 2208 is an advanced course in epistemology – the theory of knowledge and justified belief. This course focuses on contemporary analytic epistemology. We will grapple with the challenge of skepticism, evaluate competing theories of justified belief, and debate the merits of internalism and externalism. We will also examine a new approach to knowledge, Virtue Epistemology, which claims that knowledge depends on intellectual virtues—open-mindedness, intellectual humility, intellectual perseverance. Finally, we will address Vice Epistemology, focusing on the intellectual vices of closed-mindedness, epistemic injustice, and BS.

PHIL 2210: Metaphysics

Prof Baxter, MWF 10:10a – 11:00a

Topics will likely be Universals, Time, Space, Identity, Causation, Free Will, and perhaps others. The text will be van Inwagen and Zimmerman, eds., Metaphysics: The Big Questions (Blackwell). The course will be of most benefit to motivated students who are willing to examine problems in depth and are patient with subtleties.

PHIL 2211Q: Symbolic Logic I

Prof Shapiro, TuTh 12:30p – 1:45p

This course is an introduction to propositional and quantificational logic. Logic is the study of good and bad arguments (pieces of reasoning). In a deductively good argument, the conclusion follows from the premises: if all premises are true, the conclusion is guaranteed to be true as well. The deductive goodness of an important class of arguments rests on patterns in the way these arguments use notions such as not, and, or, and if (in propositional logic), and all and some (in quantificational logic). We'll represent such patterns symbolically, and give a precise theory of which patterns ensure deductive goodness. If time permits, we'll look at some rivals to this "classical" logic.

PHIL 2215: Ethics

Prof TBD, MWF 12:20p – 1:10p

PHIL 2217: Social & Political Philosophy

Prof Gordon, Tu 5:00p – 7:30p

PHIL 2221W: Ancient Greek Philosophy

Prof TBD, MWF 1:25p – 2:15p

This course will introduce students to a wide range of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, from the earliest works of "pre-Socratic" philosophy through late antiquity, with special attention to Plato and Aristotle. We will read texts that investigate topics including: the nature of philosophy; knowledge (what we know and how); the relationship between the mind and body; the natural world and the place of humans in it; the relationship between the individual and society; the nature of happiness and the good life; and more. Readings will be made available online.

PHIL 2222: Early Modern European Philosophy

Prof Baxter, TuTh 9:30a – 10:45a

The course is partly a survey of the metaphysics and epistemology of some of the following: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Topics will include God, the self, external objects, mind, matter, and causation. Additionally the course will consider contributions from thinkers whose work has been ignored in recent times, including women and philosophers of color, on these topics or others in moral and political philosophy. The text will be Eugene Mills and Susanne Sreedhar, eds., A New Modern Philosophy (Routledge).

PHIL 3216: Environmental Ethics

Prof Bontly, MWF 11:15a – 12:15p

PHIL 3220W: Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights

Prof Tirrell, TuTh 11:00a – 12:15p

PHIL 3263: Asian Philosophy

Prof McLeod, TuTh 8:00a – 9:15a

The historical, religious, and philosophical development of Asian systems of thought. Possible topics include the Analects of Confucius, the Daoist text Zhuangzi, the early Buddhist Suttas, and the Bhagavad Gita.

Tues. Jan 21, 2020 – Fri. May 1, 2020

PHIL 2208: Epistemology

Prof Battaly, TuTh 11:00a – 12:15p

PHIL 2211Q: Symbolic Logic I

Prof Shapiro, TuTh 5:00p – 6:15p

This is an introduction to so-called formal logic. The focus is on logical consequence, a relation that holds just when one or more things logically entail(s) another thing. What does that mean? The course aims to answer that question (among others). We will work through the mainstream account of logical consequence (so-called classical logic), and then, time permitting, look at rival accounts of logical consequence.

PHIL 2212: Philosophy of Science

Prof Rossberg, MWF 10:10a – 11:00a

Science appears to be the most reliable and successful means of obtaining systematic knowledge about the world. This course explores the nature of science: what it is and how it works. We will discuss the distinction between genuine science and pseudo-science, and what characterizes “the scientific method”. Moreover, we tackle questions such as: How do scientific theories explain? Under what conditions does an observation or experiment confirm a theory? Is it rational to believe that our current best theories are true? What is the role of mathematics in science? What would a satisfactory philosophy of mathematics itself look like? We will look at these questions as they arise in a variety of scientific contexts, but no knowledge of any science or mathematics is presupposed.

PHIL 2215: Ethics

Prof Nelson, MWF 1:25p – 2:15p

This class will be an upper-level introduction to main issues in normative ethical theory. We will concentrate on the three most traditional ethical theories, reading original texts and secondary literature. These theories are Kantian deontology, utilitarian consequentialism, and virtue theory.

PHIL 2217: Social and Political Philosophy

Prof Llanera, MWF 10:10a – 11:00a

How can we best live together? What kind of society enables our flourishing as human beings? What ideals, values, and institutions should we adopt to respond to our basic, changing, and multifarious human needs in the modern world? This course on social and political philosophy surveys the most influential answers to these interrelated philosophical questions. The course opens with a discussion of the distinction between political philosophy and social philosophy as well as the social contract tradition. The second part of the course focuses on the central figures of modern western political thought: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Rawls, and Mill. It analyses their versions of ideal political theory in terms of their justifications of the state, their defenses of individual liberty, and their understandings of political community. The third part of the course outlines the critical responses of modern social philosophy to ideal political theory. It pays particular attention to issues at the intersection of race, gender, and social inequality.

PHIL 2221: Ancient Philosophy

Prof McLeod, TuTh 8:00a – 9:15a

We will read selections from ancient Greek philosophers ranging from the pre-Socratics to the post-Aristotelians, with special attention to Plato and Aristotle. Topics will include Fate and Freedom, Reason and Emotion, Knowledge and Skepticism, Motion, the Forms, Cause, Time, the Best Life, and Society and the State. The text will be Julia Annas, ed., Voices of Ancient Philosophy (Oxford University Press).

PHIL 2222: 17th and 18th Century Philosophy

Prof Nelson, MWF 11:15a – 12:05p

PHIL 3214: Symbolic Logic II

Prof Lycan, TuTh 2:00p – 3:15p

This course is a sequel to Philosophy 2211, Symbolic Logic I. It is aimed at philosophy majors more than at math majors, though all are welcome. It will begin by quickly reviewing Fitch-style natural deduction and model-theoretic semantics for classical quantification theory, and proceed to prove metatheorems: soundness, completeness and undecidability. We will then look at quantified modal logic and its model theory, and survey a few philosophically important appropriations of it such as epistemic logic and deontic logic. We will further consider "deviant" or nonclassical systems, Relevance logic and Paraconsistent logic. Along the way we may attend to a few of the interesting semantic paradoxes.

PHIL 3216: Environmental Ethics

Prof Bontly, MWF 9:05a – 9:55a

PHIL 3225W: Analysis and Ordinary Language

Prof Tirrell, TuTh 12:30p – 1:45p

PHIL 3261W: Medieval Philosophy

Prof McLeod, TuTh 9:30a – 10:45a

Readings from the principal philosophers between the fourth and fourteenth centuries.

PHIL 3299: ECOM Independent Studies

Prof Bar-On

This course will be linked to activities and events of the Expression, Communication, and Origins of Meaning (ECOM), as well as to Bar-On’s Mind and Language seminar (W1:30-4). Students will be guided through research and writing on an interdisciplinary ECOM-related topic. Course plan and requirements will be individually tailored. Please contact the instructor for more details.

Mon. Aug 26, 2019 – Fri. Dec 6, 2019

Undergraduate course descriptions for Fall 2019 (Storrs campus only)

PHIL 2210: Metaphysics

Prof Nelson, MWF 11:15a – 12:05p

Metaphysics is the field of philosophy that examines the nature of reality. In this course, we will examine questions such as the following. Does God exist? Is it rational to believe in God’s existence? Is the present the only time that exists, or do all times equally exist? Does time pass? If so, what is the nature of the passage of time? Do human beings have free will or are all of our actions already determined? Are you the same person today that you were ten years ago? If so, what makes you the same person? Do we perceive the world as it really is or do we “create” the world through our experience? Are colors real properties of objects or are they just a product of our way of experiencing the world? What really exists—concrete objects, abstract objects? How do science and metaphysics influence each other (and how should they influence each other)?

PHIL 2211Q: Symbolic Logic I

Prof Beall, Wednesdays 6p – 8:30p

This is an introduction to so-called formal logic. The focus is on what’s called “logical consequence”, a relation that holds just when one or more things logically entail(s) another thing. What does that mean?! The course aims to answer that question (among others). We will march through the mainstream account of logical consequence (so-called classical logic), and then, time permitting, look at rival accounts of logical consequence.

PHIL 2221: Ancient Philosophy

Prof Nelson, MWF 10:10a – 11:00a

PHIL 2222W: Early Modern Philosophy

Prof Tizzard, MWF 2:30p – 3:20p

PHIL 2410: Know Thyself

Prof Crerar, MWF 5:00p – 6:15p

You probably think you know lots of things about yourself. For a start, you probably think you know how old you are, whether you’re wearing socks, and whether you’re a comfortable temperature. You probably also think you know various things about your aptitudes: that you’re a good listener, for example, or bad at basketball. Perhaps you even think you know things about your relations with others: that you’re a good judge of character, or that you’re leading a life in which, for the most part, you’re not really complicit in harming anyone else. In this course, we’ll examine which - if any - of these forms of self-knowledge are possible, and what barriers we face when trying to acquire knowledge of ourselves. For the most part our focus will be epistemological, though we’ll likely also touch upon issues in psychology and the philosophy of mind. Probable topics include, amongst others, the nature of self-knowledge, introspection, epistemic virtues and vices, cognitive biases, and the nature and prevalence of ignorance.

PHIL 3220W: Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights

Prof Tirrell, TuTh 11:00a – 12:15p

PHIL 3228: American Philosophy

Prof Bloomfield, MW 4:40p – 7:10p

We will be studying the emergence and the development of a family of philosophical theories called "Pragmatism" which developed in the mid-19th century America, flourished in the first 3 decades of the 20th century, and has had a renaissance since the 1980's. We will spend most time on the second two of these three phases, focusing on the relation of pragmatism to truth, as well as to ethics. Philosophy 1101 is recommended as a prerequisite.

PHIL 3241: Language: Meaning and Truth

Prof Shapiro, TuTh 12:30p – 1:45p

We use language so frequently and so skillfully that it is easy to lose sight of how mysterious our abilities are. But there is something deeply puzzling about language: how is it that just by making a series of noises, or bodily movements, or marks on paper, we are able to tell each other in such rich detail about any topic we choose? Here, we’ll take a look at this question through a philosophical lens, although linguistics and logic will also turn up in places. (No background in linguistics or logic is assumed, although students with such background might choose to put it to use in certain assignments.)

In the first half of the course, we will take a bit of a whirlwind tour through some basic tools that have proved useful for thinking about how it is that we manage to communicate through language. In the second half of the course, we’ll look at some particular kinds of language that seem to resist any simple understanding: slurs (nasty words for kinds of people or groups of people) and conditionals (“if … then” constructions).

PHIL 3250: Philosophy of Mind

Prof Lycan, TuTh 2:00p – 3:15p

What are minds and how are they related to bodies? We will survey the traditional answers to that question, and then move on to more specific topics: How is it that we are able to think about things, including things that do not exist? What is the structure of sensory experience? What makes a mental state a conscious state? What is the "subjectivity" of the mental?

PHIL 3264: Classical Chinese Philosophy and Culture

Prof McLeod, TuTh 8:00a – 9:15a

Tues. Jan 22, 2019 - Fri. May 3, 2019

Undergraduate course descriptions for Spring 2019 (Storrs campus only)

PHIL 2208: Epistemology

Prof Crerar, Mondays 5p – 7:30p

This course explores a range of questions within contemporary epistemology, which is the branch of philosophy that focuses on issues to do with knowledge. The first part of the course primarily addresses theoretical topics. We will ask, for example, what knowledge actually is? How is it different from merely believing something that is true? What does it mean to describe a belief as ‘justified’? And should we be worried about skepticism, the claim that acquiring knowledge is impossible? The second half of the course will turn to explore a range of more applied issues to do with our lives as knowers and thinkers. These might include such topics as the nature of intellectual virtues (open-mindedness, diligence) and vices (arrogance, dogmatism), the prevalence of ignorance about important issues, feminist approaches to epistemology, and the various ways that we can inflict distinctively epistemic injustices upon one another.

PHIL 2210W: Metaphysics

Prof Fazekas, TuTh 2p – 3:15p

PHIL 2211Q: Symbolic Logic I

Prof Rossberg, TuTh 12:30p – 1:45p

We will study truth functional logic, and then quantificational logic, and develop techniques for establishing validity and invalidity in both these systems. We will also study the translation of English into these formal systems. As time allows, we will also explore some or all of these topics: the semantical and set-theoretical paradoxes, Russell’s theory of descriptions, and modal logic (the logic of possibility and necessity).

PHIL 2215: Ethics

Prof Bloomfield, MW 3:35p – 4:50p

PHIL 2217: Social and Political Philosophy

Prof Llanera, TuTh 3:30p – 4:45p

The first half of the course surveys some of the most influential figures in western political thought: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Rawls. We will focus primarily on their justifications of the state, their defenses of individual liberty, and their understandings of political community. The second half of the course will address topics in the present-day global context, paying particular attention to issues in the intersections of race, gender, and social inequality.

PHIL 2221W: Ancient Philosophy

Prof Nelson, TuTh 6:30p – 7:45p

We will read selections from ancient Greek philosophers ranging from the pre-Socratics to the post-Aristotelians, with special attention to Plato and Aristotle. Topics will include Fate and Freedom, Reason and Emotion, Knowledge and Skepticism, Motion, the Forms, Cause, Time, the Best Life, and Society and the State. The text will be Julia Annas, ed., Voices of Ancient Philosophy (Oxford University Press).

PHIL 2222: 17^th and 18^th Century Philosophy

Prof Tizzard, TuTh 5p – 6:15p

Around the beginning of the 17th century, European philosophy entered a period of creative upheaval during which central features of the previously dominant worldview were widely rejected. The aim of this class is to investigate some of the most prominent alternative views of nature and our place in it that came to be defended by "modern" philosophers. What kinds of things exist? How do minds relate to physical things? What mind-independent features do physical things have? What is causation? What capacities do we have for knowledge? We will examine approaches to these questions and others in texts by philosophers including Descartes (1596-1650), Locke (1632-1704), Berkeley (1685-1753), Hume (1711-1776), and Kant (1724-1804).

PHIL 3250: Philosophy of Mind

Prof Lycan, TuTh 11a – 12:15p

Could a computer think? Do animals feel pain? And just what is it like exactly to be a bat, experiencing the world through echolocation? Questions such as these—questions about the nature of thought and experience, of consciousness and subjectivity—are the focus of this course. Topics include dualism and materialism as accounts of conscious experience; the subjectivity and privacy of the mental; the nature of introspection; our knowledge of other minds; the mind’s ability to direct itself upon the various objects of thought (“intentionality”); the problem of mental causation, and the nature of psychological explanation. The course will include a mix of discussion and lecture. Required work will include presentations, papers, and final exam.

Prerequisite: at least one 2000-level or above, three-credit philosophy course.

PHIL 3263: Asian Philosophy

Prof McLeod, TuTh 8a – 9:15a

PHIL 3298: Variable Topics – Kripke’s Naming and Necessity

Prof Simmons, Wed 5:45p – 8:15p

This course is centered on a modern classic, Saul Kripke's Naming and Necessity, first published as a book in 1981. Kripke's enormously influential book ties together, in a remarkably unified way, themes from philosophy of language, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind. We will also study closely related work by other philosophers, including Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Strawson, Searle, Plantinga, Evans, Smart, Nagel, and Jackson.

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Phone:	(860) 486-4416
E-mail:	philosophy@uconn.edu
Address:	University of Connecticut Department of Philosophy 344 Mansfield Road, Unit 1054 Storrs, CT 06269-1054