Philosophy (PHL)
PHL 110. Introduction to Philosophy. 3 Credit Hours.
As a writing instructional course, this course introduces students to the practice of philosophy and to some of the central questions, modes of inquiry, and forms of analysis and argumentation that distinguish philosophy from other ways of understanding ourselves and our world. Organized around the themes of "the human condition" and "the examined life", the course engages students in reflective dialogue about central concepts that define the human condition (e.g., knowledge and understanding, beauty and value, justice and community, transcendence and the divine, etc.). By linking rigorous analysis with engaged reflection on the concrete task of living an examined life, PHL 110 exemplifies the core value of Le Moyne's Jesuit educational mission of educating both the hearts and minds of our students.
Prerequisite: WRT 101 or permission of the department chair.
Cross-listed Courses: HON 110
PHL 210. Moral Philosophy. 3 Credit Hours.
This course investigates the philosophical foundations of normative ethics in an effort to clarify the status of moral values in human life. Drawing upon classical as well as contemporary texts in moral theory, the course will consider issues such as: What does it mean to be a moral being or a moral agent? Are moral values grounded in human nature, the natural order, the divine? What are the methods and possible limits of reasoning about moral values? Is moral philosophy (merely) descriptive of the practices and values of various groups or can it be prescriptive; can it, that is, tell us what we ought to do? How might we understand the historical development of moral theory and the diversity of systems of value? How might conflicts between these systems of thought be understood, assessed, and/or resolved? Sections capped at 30.
Prerequisite: PHL 110 or HON 110 or permission of the department chair.
Cross-listed Courses: HON 215
PHL 310. Critical Reasoning. 3 Credit Hours.
This class will help students become better critical thinkers through a non-technical study of arguments. Students will learn what an argument is, how to distinguish arguments from explanations and other non-argumentative uses of language, and how to both recognize and understand the structure of arguments. Students will also practice identifying weaknesses in arugments offered by others, and will consider argument forms that occur frequently in the media, politics, the academy, and everyday life. Finally students will hone their skills at crafting strong arguments, which contain relevant and persuasive evidence, clear definitions, and effective methods of reasoning. Prerequisite(s): PHL 110, PHL 210, HON 110 or HON 215.
Fulfills: Logic/Writing requirement.
PHL 311. Introduction to Formal Logic. 3 Credit Hours.
Students will have the opportunity of discovering and exploring the structure and interrelations of the various kinds of propositions that occur in deductive reasoning. Logic will be presented as applying to the actual world incidentally, but to possible types of order explicitly. Propositional logic, predicated logic, classes and relations will be part of its content. Quantified expressions will be studied. Some attention will also be given to the non-deductive processes of the scientific method and the analysis of probabilities. Throughout the course there will be a wide selection of problem-solving challenges.
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210 OR HON 215.
Fulfills: Logic/Writing requirement.
PHL 320. Ancient and Medieval Philosophy. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is an introduction to ancient and medieval philosophy. The course covers a variety of topics, e.g. happiness, nature, knowledge, and God, through engagement with Plato, Aristotle, and other major philosophers of these periods. In addition to addressing philosophical topics of perennial interest, this course seeks to cultivate an appreciation of philosophical inquiry in its intellectual and historical context by considering developments such as the emergence of philosophy from traditional Greek wisdom, the challenge of the Sophists, the encounter between Greek philosophy and Christianity, etc.
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills: History requirement.
PHL 321. Philosophy & Making of the Mod. World. 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines, in historical context, the philosophical ideas ingredient to the emergence of the modern world. Attention will be paid to theories that undergird major developments of the early modern period, e.g. in science, politics religion, or art. Themes covered may include, for example, the increasing emphasis on epistemology (rationalism & empiricism) at the expense of metaphysics, the subjectivist birth of the modern idea of the self, and the modern transformation of approaches to moral and ethical questions. Texts will be drawn from (among others) works of Descartes, Locke, Hume, Rousseau and Kant.
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills: History requirement.
PHL 322. Kant Through Contemporary Thought. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is a survey of Western philosophy from the nineteenth century until today. It begins with the rise of German idealism (Kant, Fichte, Schelling, Hegel) and its nineteenth century critics, for example, the "dialectics of suspicion" concerning the transcendental subject as elaborated by Marx, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche, or the utilitarian tradition. Depending on student or faculty interest, the course may continue with a study of existentialism and phenomenology ( for example, the analysis of lived experience and intersubjectivity), logical positivism and analytic philosophy (for example, the linguistic turn, or philosophical reflections on science and scientific method), and/or critical theory, poststructuralism and postmodernism (e.g., critiques of positivism and metanarratives, as well as the introduction of the relational subject).
PHL 324. Philosophies of Judaism. 3 Credit Hours.
An examination of a variety of Jewish philosophical tendencies as responses to fundamental crises and challenges. The course will focus on several paradigmatic philosophies of Judaism in terms of the following: (a) the human person (philosophical anthropology); (b) revelation and obligation; (c) theology; and (d) Jewish identity and existence. The influence and importance of gender and culture in the development of these philosophies will also be stressed.
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Cross-listed Courses: REL 383
PHL 325. Asian Philosophy. 3 Credit Hours.
An examination of the main philosophical traditions of India and the Far East: Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. This course will focus upon mysticism as a primary determinant of Eastern thought and will seek to place these philosophies in their historical and cultural setting.
PHL 327. Phil in the United States. 3 Credit Hours.
This course examines the development of philosophical thought in the United States from the colonial period to the middle of the twentieth century. The main emphasis falls upon the rise of pragmatic philosophy, as exemplified in the writings of Charles Sanders Pierce, William James and John Dewey. Other traditions such as Puritanism and Transcendentalism are considered, along with readings dealing with race and gender issues.
PHL 329. Freud and Philosophy. 3 Credit Hours.
An investigation of Freud's contributions to philosophy. The course will be divided between an intensive examination of texts from the founder of psychoanalysis (The Interpretation of Dreams, Beyond the Pleasure Principle, Moses and Monotheism, etc.) and readings of philosophical interpretations and evaluations of Freud. Topics covered may include the therapeutic claims of psychoanalysis, Freud and politics, psychoanalysis and the arts (literature, etc.) and psychoanalysis and feminist theory.
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills: Ways of Knowing/Metaphysics.
PHL 340. Philosophy of Art. 3 Credit Hours.
Why do we call some things beautiful and others not? And why do we often disagree? Is "This is beautiful" never more than an opinion, or can it be true? If it can't be true, then are works of art meaningless? If they aren't meaningless, how do we know what they mean? This course will examine these and related questions through careful reading and discussion of classic and contemporary writings in the philosophy of art. Visual artists, musicians, dancers, actors, and creative writers should find it especially valuable, as will anyone who likes to think about art. Fulfills Core Requirement(s):Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills: Value Theory.
PHL 341. Philosophy and Literature. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will explore the various literary and philosophical dimensions of the imagination in order to appreciate how poets, novelists and philosophers have interpreted the world we live in through the ages. Representative works from the English Renaissance to the present will be analyzed and discussed.
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills: Value Theory.
PHL 343. Data, Privacy, and Computing Ethics. 3 Credit Hours.
Computing technologies have opened exciting new possibilities for how we work, communicate, and live, but have also created corresponding ethical challenges due to risks of misuse, injustice, and harm. This course will explore some of these challenges, a task which is urgent because the development of new technologies outpaces effective legislation and regulation of them. One central challenge concerns the value of privacy, and what ethical obligations privacy places upon those who engineer, promote, and use these technologies. Another challenge is that types of bias and discrimination are embedded in technologies that are widely used and entrusted with very important decisions. Both of these challenges are even more pronounced because of the role played by autonomous learning systems, which can refine their own problem-solving strategies in ways that may be opaque to their designers. Finally, there are challenges about the public goods at stake in a society that is increasingly dependent upon computing technologies, such as freedom of speech and misinformation.
Prerequisite: PHL 210.
PHL 344. Environmental Ethics. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will explore philosophical issues regarding humanity's impact on the natural world. It begins by asking: to whom do we owe ethical consideration and respect? While some approaches to this question emphasize human beings, other approaches broaden ethics to encompass animals, plants, ecosystems, and species. This disagreement accordingly challenges our understanding of many central ethical concepts, such as well-being, rights, justice, respect, interests, and obligation. In light of this challenge, the course will reconsider several more familiar debates about the environment. Should our diets and lifestyles radically change? Is it acceptable to take away liberty or intentionally cause harm in order to forestall environmental disaster? When do economic considerations outweigh the importance of clean air and water? How should population growth be handled? Do we have a duty to be sustainable? Students will be encouraged to adopt a reflective, critical attitude to the trade-offs these debates force us to make.
PHL 345. Issues in Medical Ethics. 3 Credit Hours.
Using a practical, context-specific approach that is sensitive to the philosophical, scientific, social, legal and economic dimensions that shape and define the field of bioethics, this course is devoted to a detailed study of ethical issues debated in the health professions. Specific topics will vary, but may include some of the following: death and dying, the medicines, choices in reproduction, presymptomatic testing for genetic disease, AIDS and social justice, allocation of medical resources and access to health care. Open only to students in the Physician Assistant Program.
PHL 346. Ethics and the Nurse. 3 Credit Hours.
Using a practical, context-specific approach that is sensitive to the philosophical, scientific, social, legal and economic dimensions that shape and define the field of bioethics, this course is devoted to a detailed study of ethical issues in nursing. Specific topics will vary. Open only to students in the Bachelor's of Science in Nursing program.
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS).
PHL 347. Crisis Ethics: War, Pandemic and Social Collapse. 3 Credit Hours.
Questions of ethics are difficult enough in periods of relative calm. In times of crisis, where literally thousands of lives (or more) are at stake and time to deliberate is short, contemplating the finer points of morality can seem a luxury one can ill afford. And yet, times of crisis are when we would like to see our best ethics put into practice. This course will consider the ethics of extreme and dire circumstances such as war, pandemics, and social collapse. We will consider skeptical challenges which claim questions of ethics during a crisis are either irrelevant or are reducible to single metrics (e.g., lives saved/lost). Conversely, we will also engage with views which promote the strictest ethical standards and accountability for those times when our decision making matters the most. Additional topics include group deliberation, collective responsibility, and restorative justice.
Prerequisite: PHL 210.
PHL 348. Social & Polticial Philosophy. 3 Credit Hours.
This course investigates central issues in social and political philosophy historically and/or analytically. Specific issues may vary but will include some of the following: Attempts to provide a moral justification for the actions of the state, or the transformations and reforms in the state apparatus; the relation between moral and political/legal practices; foundations and critical analysis of state legitimation of rights (including property, individual, and social rights); and, moral obligation to obey or disobey state laws. Current issues will be examined in light of the theories discussed, e.g., dissent and consensus, the scope of citizenship and the rights of immigrants, class structures, racism, and women's rights, colonial and neo-colonial situations, etc. Prerequisites PHL 110 or HON 110 and PHL 210 or HON 215.
PHL 349. Ethics and Public Policy. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is an advanced applied ethics course taught with a focus on specific case studies created by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics for a regional debate competition each year. Students will have the opportunity to engage with ethical problems on wide-ranging topics, such as social and political ethics (e.g. gun control; national health care), global issues (e.g., economic globalization; climate change), civic responsibility (e.g., local activism; voter rights), and academic concerns (e.g., plagiarism; academic freedom), to name only a few possibilities. Work on the case studies will allow students to improve not only their research and writing ability but their oral communication skills as well. Much of the course will involve structured, in-class debate.
PHL 350. Philosophy of Law. 3 Credit Hours.
This is not a course in the study of law. It is a course designed to afford students who have an interest in the law (not necessarily professional) an opportunity to reflect on the philosophical presuppositions of the law and the philosophical problems that arise within the general domain of jurisprudence. Based on readings (historical and contemporary) written by both philosophers and jurists, the course typically addresses general theories of law, law and morality, judicial reasoning and crime and punishment. Students should expect to do a great deal of linguistic analysis as well as some case study.
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills: Value Theory.
Cross-listed Courses: LGS 350
PHL 351. The Virtues of Good Business. 3 Credit Hours.
Many ethicists endorse a character-based approach to business ethics. This approach includes a focus on the development of particular traits of character amenable to virtuous business practices. one point in favor of character-based approaches is that, while the ethically acceptable actions in business are largely agreed upon, the personal motivation to act is sometimes deficient. The virtues of business seek to remedy, among other things, this deficiency. While character-based approaches to business ethics have clear connections to classical virtue ethical views, the character and psychology of the virtuous business person takes its own distinct form. This course will examine various character-based approaches to business, its critics, and the prospect of actually implementing a robust virtue ethical framework in a business.
Prerequisite: PHL 210.
PHL 352. Digital Technology & Ways of Knowing. 3 Credit Hours.
Since the mid-20th Century, digital technology has repeatedly and thoroughly revolutionized human life. Indeed, it may be more accurate to see the digital as the ground for an overall change in the way that we know and experience reality. Topics covered in this course will include the origins of the digital revolution, media and information, artificial intelligence and its challenges, the simulation hypothesis, the digital and human values, and digital technology and the future of the planet.
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills: Ways of Knowing/Metaphysics.
PHL 355. Philosophy and Erotic Love. 3 Credit Hours.
Drawing on both classical and modern sources (including Plato, Emerson, Freud, and Mann), this course examines important views of the nature of erotic love and the complex relationships between erotic love and individual ethical developlment, the pursuit of wisdom, and the human relation to the divine.
Prerequisites: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills: Value Theory.
PHL 356. Happiness and Meaning in Life. 3 Credit Hours.
Drawing on both historical and contemporary sources, this course critically examines important philosophical accounts of two central ideals that guide many human lives--happiness and meaning. The course aims to reach a better understanding of each of these ideals, to explore connections and relationships among them, and to consider how they might be related to the aim of living an ethical or moral life.
PHL 357. The Social Production of Space. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is an introduction to the work done in philosophy, geography and cultural studies that addresses the social production of space. In contrast to modern conceptions of space as a pre-given, homogenous and infinite grid of possible locations, the idea of a social production of space leads to a conceptualization of space as deeply textured, often conflicted, and historically produced and reproduced. Key concepts to be covered are: abstract space, time-space compression, the decorporealization of space, the impact of everyday practices on spatial production, multiple spaces, raced spaces and spaces of resistance.
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills: Value Theory.
Cross-listed Courses: GWS 323
PHL 358. Philosophy of Race. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is designed to familiarize the student with the historical discourse and contemporary debates concerning race, racial identity, and racism in philosophy. The discipline of philosophy has traditionally viewed the philosophical enter- prise as an investigation into a universal human condition. To this extent, the philosophical salience of race and thinkers whose main concern was to understand race and racism has been obscured within the tradition. This course will examine the history of the concept of the race, discussions of race and race consciousness, as well as the formation and viability, or lack thereof, of racial identities. These discussions bring to the forefront the need for a critical perspective on how we understand race and racialized identities today.
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills: Ways of Knowing/Metaphysics.
PHL 359. Ethics of Medical Technology. 3 Credit Hours.
This class will introduce students to ethical debates regarding modern medical technologies, such as gene therapy, in-vitro fertilization, and cloning. These debates expose deep problems in our assumptions about individual choice, personal liberty, and fairness and equality in a whole society. Despite not fitting neatly into traditional categories of applied ethics or political philosophy, debates about medical technologies raise urgent questions, such as the limits of our obligations to one another in a technologically sophisticated marketplace and the extent to which an individual's body counts as the sort of thing with respect to which he has an unassailable right. In this way, the class will be relevant to law, business, technology, medicine, and many other fields. Students will learn how to adopt positions for more standard debates in applied ethics and political philosophy. Furthermore, students will learn how to defend their positions with rational argument and how to address criticism effectively.
Prerequisite: PHL 210 or HON 215.
Fulfills: Value Theory.
PHL 362. Theory of Knowledge. 3 Credit Hours.
The adequate appreciation and mastery of any intellectual discipline demands that the individual have a firm grasp of scope, operation, structure and limitations of human knowledge. This course intends to provide the student with a grasp of what knowledge is, how it is acquired, how it is evaluated, what distinguishes valid from invalid knowledge, evidence, theory construction, etc. Special attention is given to the theory of cognitive paradigms, i.e., the position that different theoretical models generate different sets of facts and different descriptions of reality. The course is recommended for philosophy and psychology majors and should be of particular interest to students majoring in the natural or social sciences.
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills: Ways of Knowing/Metaphysics.
PHL 363. Analytic Philosophy. 3 Credit Hours.
A presentation and examination of selected texts in the analytic tradition from J. S. Mill and Frege to Kripke. Focus is on topics such as reference, naming, predication, necessity and truth with an emphasis on their import for questions concerning the meaning of existence. (C,E)Fulfills: Ways of Knowing/Metaphysics.
PHL 364. Philosophy of Science. 3 Credit Hours.
This is a meta-mathematical/meta-scientific course in philosophical analysis. The concepts to be investigated are drawn from the fields of mathematics, physics and cosmology (e.g., number, shape, gravity, force, energy, matter, space, time, infinity, singularity). Focused attention will be given to the traditional "paradoxes" associated with the attempt to understand these concepts as well as to the more contemporary "anomalies" brought to light in the investigations of physics and astrophysics. (E)
Prerequisite: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills: Ways of Knowing/Metaphysics.
Cross-listed Courses: GWS 355
PHL 365. Philosophy of Mind. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will teach students to become more rigorous, careful thinkers by exploring questions about the nature of mind, questions which are especially significant in light of advancements in psychology, psychiatry, neurology, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence. The main focus of the course will be the "mind-body problem": can the existence of minds and mental states be reconciled with a thoroughly materialistic or physical view of the world? A second, closely connected focus will be: can mental states be implemented on a computer? With these foundational questions as background, students will further hone their argumentative skills on a variety of contemporary philosophical debates, including the nature and function of consciousness, whether animals have minds or consciousness, how can one know the contents of another person's mind or of one's own mind, and the nature of desire, emotion, and perception.
Prerequisite: PHL 110.
PHL 369. The Experience of Time. 3 Credit Hours.
Is time something "out there" - a part of nature and the universe - or is it something felt, so that we cannot imagine time passing without someone or something (a god) to experience it? The ancient physicists pictured time as a measure of motion or change. That picture raised for early Christian theologians the question whether time was created with the universe, and if so, whether God could do anything before there was time in which to do it. In our era, some philosophers have argued that time, properly understood, is unreal. But we might wonder whether such arguments can touch our experience of time. We speak of time as tyrannical, always moving forward, and finite for each of us. But it also moves fast or slowly, is full or empty. We travel through time thanks to the gift or curse of memory. And music can shape time beyond what physics can account for. This course will explore, through discussion of classical and contemporary readings in philosophy and science, literature, music and film, a range of attempts to understand our concept and experience of time. Fulfills: Ways of Knowing/Metaphysics.
Prerequisites: PHL 110, HON 110, PHL 210, or HON 215.
Fulfills Core Requirement(s): Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS).
PHL 370. Philosophy of Religion. 3 Credit Hours.
This course is a systematic introduction to the philosophy of religion. Topics covered may include the following: arguments for (and against) the existence of God, the rationality of religious belief and the nature of belief in general, the divine attributes, the status of religious claims, and the opportunities and challenges of religious pluralism. This course may also examine the claims of particular theistic traditions using the methodology of philosophical theology. This course will draw upon both classical and contemporary texts from a variety of philosophical perspectives. Prerequisite(s): PHL-110 or HON- 110 and PHL-210 or HON-215. Junior standing required.
Fulfills: Ways of Knowing/Metaphysics for Philosophy majors.
Cross-listed Courses: REL 370
PHL 389. Special Topic: Self-Care and Philosophy. 3 Credit Hours.
Self-care is a popular topic. The world is stressful, and caring for oneself seems to be important, but it is hard to figure out just what "self-care" means and how to go about it. It is also hard to figure out the balance between what is necessary or valuable and what is self-indulgent. The idea of caring for the self turns out to have a very long history; it is almost as old as Western philosophy. This class will bring together explorations of self-care in ancient history, recent history (from the 1970s onward), and contemporary use. It will also bring together theory and practice. The ideal result will be both a clearer and more deeply grounded understanding of self-care, which might even make a wider range of skills available to students working to care for themselves. These outcomes are in keeping with the philosophy department's aim to orient students in the development of critical and speculative thought, under conditions of intellectual and affective freedom, and with a sense of openness towards alternative visions of life-experience. In the readings from ancient philsophy, we find that self-care is always a part of ethical practice. In the recent historical contexts, and at the values that are foundational in practices. Self-care is necessarily care of the whole person, and we will also find that a person is not whole in isolation. Because we will be reading philosophical texts, with their particular challenges, you must have passed at least one philosophy course prior to taking this one.
PHL 390. Independent Study. 3-6 Credit Hours.
Independent Study is intended for any student wanting a program of study in philosophy for which there is no existing couse in the department. A student who wishes to pursue an independent study project for academic credit must submit, prior to registration, a proposed plan of study that includes the topic to be studied and goal to be achieved, the methodology to be followed, schedule of supervision, end product, evaluation procedure and number of credits sought. The proposal must be approved by the supervising faculty member, the department chair and the academic vice president and dean. It will be kept on file in the dean of arts and science's office.
PHL 420. Advanced Argumentative Writing. 3 Credit Hours.
The purpose of this seminar is to guide students through the difficult process of bringing a philosophical argument to life. Over the course of the semester, students will work on refining and presenting a piece of philosophical writing [approximately 15-20 pages]. Students will review the rudiments of philosophical prose, and they will be guided through the proces of revising, getting feedback, and revising yet again. They will practice presenting their work to others, as well as giving feedback on the work of others. Thus, students will learn what it means to work independently in a community of other philosophers. At the discretion of the Philosophy CHair, a student may substitute this course for the first semester of the two-semester philosophy honors project (PHL 490). The student must secure permission for this substitution at the time of registration. DOES NOT FULFILL OLD CORE REL/PHL SEMINAR REQUIREMENT.
Prerequisites: PHL 110 and PHL 210.
Fulfills: Logic/Writing.
PHL 490. Research in Philosophy. 3-6 Credit Hours.
An upper-class philosophy major who wishes to write a substantial philosophical essay on a topic already studied in a philosophy elective should submit a proposal to this effect prior to registration. The proposal, indicating the topic to be researched, the number of credits sought and the schedule of supervision, must be approved by the research director, the department chair and the academic dean. The proposal will be kept on file in the academic dean's office. (F).