Advent 2006

Note: All 100- and 200-level courses except Logic (Phil. 201) meet the general distribution requirement in Philosophy.

PHILOSOPHY 101A: GOD, DEATH, AND THE MEANING OF LIFE (CONN)

This course examines of the existence of God, the finality of death, and the meaning of life. We will begin by examining the traditional, theistic conception of God. Once we have determined what God is supposed to be like, we will attempt to identify and evaluate the best reasons for thinking that this being does or does not exist. We will subsequently take up the question of whether it is reasonable to hope for life after death. This will require us to take up the mind/body problem, i.e., the problem of determining what the relationship is between us, our minds, and our bodies. In the final segment of the course we will examine questions pertaining to the meaning of life. What, if anything, makes a life meaningful? Is there an objective way to decide whether is a given life is meaningful, or is this relative in some significant way? Is the meaning of life contingent upon the existence of God and an afterlife? We will examine both theistic and nontheistic approaches to these questions. This course is appropriate for students who are eager to think philosophically about the existence and nature of God, and about the implications of God's existence (or non-existence) with regard to our own existence and nature as human beings. It is designed both for students with some prior coursework in philosophy and for students with none. Although this course is a First Year Program courses, five seats are reserved for non-freshman interested in a small, Writing-Intensive seminar.

PHILOSOPHY 101B: CLASSICAL THEORIES AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES (GARLAND)

We will study in detail selected works of Plato, Descartes, and Nietzsche, and we will look at the basic ethical principles proposed by Mill, Kant, and Aristotle. Then we will see how these philosophical theories can illuminate contemporary debates on equality and discrimination, globalization, animal rights, the environment, and war and terrorism. We will also view films with philosophical themes, such as "Field of Dreams," "The Matrix," and "Unforgiven." There will be two hour-exams, several short papers, a final exam, and weekly journals. There will also be class debates on the views of the classical thinkers.

PHILOSOPHY 101C: WHY BE MORAL? (MOSER)

We typically suppose that there are some things we ought to do, other things we ought not to do; that some people, characters, and actions deserve our praise while others do not; and that some lives are better or more meaningful than others. These are all suppositions about ethical demands and ideals operating in our lives. But what gives these demands and ideals their authority? Why should we take them seriously? In other words, why be moral? We'll look at various ways of making sense of that question, as well as various attempts, classical and contemporary, to address it. Readings will include Plato's Republic, Kant's Grounding of the Metaphysics of Morals, and Nietzsche's The Genealogy of Morals. Students will be expected to engage critically with the views we discuss in several short papers and writing assignments.

PHILOSOPHY 101D: THE ETHICS OF HONOR (PETERMAN)

What is honor? Why be honorable? What relations does Sewanee's honor code have to standard accounts of honor? The ideal of honor has had a long history in ethical thinking across cultures and traditions. Even though today we sometimes speak of a person behaving honorably or dishonorably, we most often do so in special contexts, such as combat in war. This class will immerse students in reading, discussing, and analyzing key texts of the western tradition that have something to say about honor (Homer's Iliad, Plato's Republic, Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, Cowboy western movies, such as High Noon and Unforgiven, and contemporary philosopher Peter French's Cowboy Metaphysics). Our examination of these texts and films will proceed by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments for and against the various versions of honor that we encounter. Beyond learning about the debates, students will develop strategies for clarifying philosophical views and developing and defending their own philosophical views. At the end of the semester students will use their knowledge of key debates about honor to develop a personal statement and philosophical defense of their emerging view of honor. This course is appropriate for students eager to think philosophically about fundamental issues of ethics. It is designed both for students with some prior coursework in philosophy and for students with none. Although this course is a First Year Program courses, five seats are reserved for non-freshman interested in a small, Writing-Intensive seminar.

PHILOSOPHY 202: ETHICS (GARLAND)

This course is an introduction to significant alternatives in ethical theory and to the application of these theories to contemporary moral issues. We will read selected works in ethical theory from Aristotle, Kant, and Mill, and then apply these theories to current moral issues, such as capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia, war and terrorism, animal rights, and environmental concerns. We will also view movies such as "Dead Man Walking" and "Good Morning, Vietnam." Class sessions will incorporate lectures, class discussions, and class debates. There will be two hour exams, two short papers, and a final exam, as well as weekly journals on the reading material.

PHILOSOPHY 203: ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY FROM HOMER TO AUGUSTINE (PETERS)

This course will examine ancient thought from Homer to Augustine. We will study ancient philosophical and literary thought in its historical, cultural and religious setting. We will pay special attention to how ancient thinkers understood human life, the order of the universe, and the limits of human knowledge and reason. In our class sessions, we will have three primary goals: 1) to understand ancient philosophers within their historical context.; 2) to understand their arguments; and (3) to evaluate their arguments. Class sessions will be a mixture of lectures, student discussions and class debates. There will be short critical papers, short personal reflections, a midterm and a final exam.

PHILOSOPHY 210. PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES IN CHRISTIANITY (CONN)

Classical theism makes a number of interesting claims about the nature and purposes of God. Among other things, this tradition tells us that God is a personal being who knows all truths, who can do anything which does not involve a logical contradiction, and who is perfectly good and benevolent to all. This tradition also tells us that God is the self-existing, eternal and immutable creator of the universe. While each of these claims provides ample grist for philosophical reflection, in this course our attention will be focused upon a different question: what, most fundamentally, does Christianity tell us about God's nature, purposes and activities? This question leads us directly to the three central teachings of the Christian Faith, namely, the mysteries of the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Atonement. Briefly, the first states that the one God exists in three divine persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The second states that one of these divine persons-God the Son-became a human being in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. And the third states that this same Jesus suffered and ultimately died upon the cross in order to reconcile us to God, from whom we have been estranged by sin. The primary objective of this course is to examine these mysteries, together with the philosophical problems, questions and debates that attend them.

PHILOSOPHY 215. CHINESE PHILOSOPHY (PETERMAN)

In much the same way that Socrates is the founder of western philosophy, Confucius is often identified as the founder of Chinese Philosophy. They depart, however in fundamental ways. Whereas Socrates defines his project in terms of a quest for truth. Confucius defined his project as a quest for Dao. The basic meaning of 'dao' is path, but might be best understood as action guiding practices. This course will introduce students to early Chinese philosophies that formed around debates over the character of dao. The primary emphasis of the course will be the rise of Confucianism and the critical responses to it. Texts will include: Confucius' Analects, which presents his view of a traditon based ethics designed to revoer lost dao, Mozi, who argues that traditions and practices are too partial to present an objective, universal ethics, and Laozi's Daodejing, which expresses skepticism about the ability of language to describe dao, and Mencius, a follower of Confucius who attempts to respond to these criticisms of Confucianism. Emphasis will be given to the cultural context of these texts and to the evaluation the worldview they articulate. Topics for discussion: the self, the relation of individual to community and family, the difference between a worldview based on Dao and one based on Truth, and whether moral beliefs and practices have or need an intellectual foundation. It is recommended that students taking Philosophy 215 consider enrolling in Tai Chi in the Physical Education Department. Required work: Daily reading, weekly reading responses, plus two formal essays, and a final exam- personal statement on insights contained in Chinese Philosophy.

PHILOSOPHY 306: EPISTEMOLOGY (CONN)

An examination of contemporary theories of knowledge and rational justification of belief. We will begin by discussing the various forms of skepticism and the challenges they pose against the possibility of human knowledge. In light of these challenges, we will spend two sessions on the nature of sense perception and the justification of empirical beliefs. These sessions will be devoted to understanding and (if possible) to deciding between the three main theories of sense perception: direct realism, representative realism, and phenomenalism. We will subsequently spend two sessions discussing doxastic theories of justification, i.e., theories that state that one's justification for a given belief is solely a function of one's other beliefs. After this we will spend two weeks discussing the debate between internalist and externalist theories of justification, i.e., those who affirm and those who deny that the epistemic status of a given belief is solely a function of the cognizer's other beliefs and perceptual states. After this we will begin a detailed reading of William Alston's Perceiving God. Although this book is ultimately concerned with the epistemology of religious experience, it has a great deal to say about epistemic justification in general, and about the justification of empirical beliefs in particular. This course will be conducted as a tutorial. We will meet once a week for lecture and once a week in small groups for tutorial sessions.

PHILOSOPHY 319: NINETEENTH CENTURY PHILOSOPHY (GARLAND)

This course will investigate the emergence of various philosophical movements in the 19th century as a reaction to the rationalism and empiricism that dominated 18th century thought. We will first look at Kant as a representative of 18th century rationalism, and we will see how Hegel and Schopenhauer develop their views of knowledge and reality in response to Kant's position. Mill will serve as our representative of British empiricism and political liberalism, and Marx will serve as our representative of dialectical materialism and socialism. We will turn next to the emergence of existentialism in the works of Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. The course will conclude with an examination of the pragmatism of William James. This course will be conducted as a seminar with an emphasis upon discussion and evaluation of the weekly readings in class. There will be a mid-term exam, a final exam, and a term project. Students will be asked to write weekly journals, and there will be class reports and debates from time to time.

PHILOSOPHY 340: KIERKEGAARD (PETERS)

An examination and evaluation of a variety of Søren Kierkegaard's aesthetic, psychological, epistemological, and theological texts. We will focus on the following dimensions of Kierkegaard's existentialist philosophy. 1) Kierkegaard's theory of stages or modes of existence (the aesthetic, the ethical and the religious) and his existentialist psychology of inwardness. 2) Kierkegaard's religious epistemology and reflections on the religious categories of absurdity, paradox, and offense. 3) Kierkegaard's philosophy of the nature of language and authorship. 4) Kierkegaard's critique of systematic philosophical discourse and the dehumanizing tendencies of mass culture. 5) Kierkegaard's devotional works written near the end of his life in which he undertakes to attack Christendom in the name of Christian faith. Primary texts will include Either/Or, Repetition, Fear and Trembling, The Sickness Unto Death, Concluding Unscientific Postscript, Philosophical Fragments, Training in Christianity, The Point of View, and Attack Upon Christendom.