101C Introduction to Philosophy Reg #170287
MWF  10:00--10:50 AM  Clemens 119
Timothy O. Connolly

General topics in various areas of philosophy showing different sides of issues; develops critical thought and philosophical method.

In this section, we will be engaged with a few of the fundamental texts in the Western tradition, with the goal of grasping some of the main issues and movements in the history of philosophy. In all cases, readings will come from individual primary texts rather than from a textbook. Grades will be based on attendance, three short but rigorously formulated essays, a midterm, and a final.

101D Introduction to Philosophy Reg #419094
TTh  8:00--9:20 AM Clemens 17
Patricia Diaz-Herrera

General topics in various areas of philosophy showing different sides of issues; develops critical thought and philosophical method.

The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard said: "There are many people who reach their conclusions about life like schoolboys: they cheat their master by copying the answer out of a book without having worked the sum out themselves." Philosophy is, from this point of view, an examination of our basic beliefs. How many of our beliefs are just prejudices? How many of them are we really prepared to defend? One of the goals of this course is to identify and develop your own ideas about some of the central questions of human experience. We will address issues such as the problem of knowledge and skepticism, the existence of God and the meaning of life.

There will be short assignments, presentations, and a final exam.

101O Introduction to Philosophy Reg #021663
TTh  8:00--9:20 AM  Baldy 101
David Rodriguez

General topics in various areas of philosophy showing different sides of issues; develops critical thought and philosophical method.

An introduction to philosophy with emphasis on philosophical distinctions from metaphysics, logic, and epistemology. The main goal of this course is to provide students with a rich philosophical vocabulary and with fundamental conceptual tools, which will enable them to better understand challenging questions and to participate in intellectual discussions not only in philosophy, but also -and perhaps more importantly- in their own fields of study and regarding their own non-academic interests. As an introduction to philosophy, one of the purposes of the course is also to give students an idea of what is philosophy, what its goals are, and what kinds of methods it uses. To answer these questions we will consider some of the distinctive features of philosophy with regard to other theoretical disciplines and we will provide a general overview of the main subfields of philosophy.

A motivation for the study of philosophy is to understand how this discipline contributes to obtaining a holistic, enlightening, and meaningful education. Accordingly, we will begin the course by considering some questions from one of the most relevant -although usually neglected- subfields of philosophy, namely, the philosophy of education. Philosophical distinctions covered in the class will include: Dogmatism/Skepticism; Possible/Probable/Certain; Necessary/Contingent; Essence/Accident; Nominal/Real Definition; Induction/Deduction; Necessary/Sufficient Conditions; Logic/Semantics/Pragmatics; Context of Discovery/Context of Justification; A Priori/A Posteriori.

Requirements for the course will include: two exams, class participation, and a brief review of a philosophical article or portion of a book.

101R Introduction to Philosophy Reg #260844
TTh  8:00--9:20 AM  Baldy 108
Ernesto Rosen

General topics in various areas of philosophy showing different sides of issues; develops critical thought and philosophical method.

On a hot summer day I was drinking an ice-cold glass of fresh lemonade. While guzzling the refreshing drink, I woke up. I was in bed. The experience was a dream. I said to myself, "it felt so real." Was my belief that I was drinking lemonade false? Who was experiencing the pleasure? Dreams, optical illusions, fantasies, fiction and our imagination can lead us to ask the question: What is the nature of reality? How do we distinguish dream states, waking states and deep sleep? Where are pleasures and pains located? In this course we will work toward providing some clear logical answers to these metaphysical questions on what exists so we can try and put ourselves in a position where we can discriminate between truth and falsity, real and fake. We express our experiences and thoughts to others through our body, face and eyes but also through uttering words and sentences. What is a word? What makes a sentence true? How does language relate with the world? How can we know a belief of ours is true? We will examine answers to these questions asked in the areas of epistemology and philosophy of language. This introductory course will also grapple with issues concerning race, ethnicity, affirmative action and the ethical question why should I be good when no one is looking?

107C Ethics  Reg #398452
MWF  9:00--9:50 AM  Clemens 119
Eric Chelstrom

Introduces value theory, good and bad, justification of obligations to others, relationship of free choice and determinism, and contemporary moral problems analyzed by ethical principles.

We generally take certain people's actions or behaviors to be morally right or wrong. But, what is it that we mean when we claim that something is morally right or morally wrong? Are we merely stating a personal preference or a cultural standard? Or, are we saying something more? Amidst a variety of viewpoints and positions is their one standard, and if so, what is it. Ethics is that area of philosophy that seeks to answer questions like these, in addition to other important questions. Ethics is further complicated by the numerous moral issues which often spark heated exchanges such as abortion, physician-assisted suicide, etc. But, simply having a view is not often enough when challenged by someone who disagrees. Ethical issues are not issues that we are generally comfortable to agree to disagree about; it seems that there should be some answer.

The course will examine perennial issues facing philosophical ethics (egoism, relativism), major approaches to ethics (virtue theory, deontology, and utilitarianism) in addition to examining a number of issues in contemporary moral debate.

108 Knowledge & Reality  Reg #499863
MWF  9:00--9:50 AM  Baldy 110
Kah Kyung Cho

Introduces epistemology, metaphysics, knowledge as a reflection of the real world's properties and its relation to different viewpoints, the world as material objects, the mind and matter, and the role of scientific and technical knowledge in today’s world.

Two prominent philosophical issues, "knowledge" and "reality," will be discussed at the introductory level under the following topics:
1. The Question of Knowledge - (a) The Way of Reason, (b) The Way of Experience, (c) The Problem of Certainty
2. The Question of Reality - (a) The Idea of Form, (b) Mind and Matter, (c) Materialism

In a somewhat lesser scope, the question of religious experience and the question of morality will be also included in the discussion.

Text: Ed. L. Miller & Jon Jensen, QUESTIONS THAT MATTER, 3rd Shorter Edition, McGraw-Hill 2006

110 Philosophy of Human Nature  Reg #032622
TTh  8:00--9:20 AM  Baldy 110
Audrey Anton

Introduces philosophical views of being human and consequences of these for thought, action, and emotion.

Regardless of the disciplines we study, the fact that it is US studying them means that there is a human perspective we cannot avoid. But what does it mean for something to have a human perspective? What does it mean to be human anyway? We often defer to our nature when explaining, describing, or perhaps excusing our behavior. We remind ourselves that we are only human when we feel we are overextending our expectations of ourselves. We consider certain vices part of human nature. But are we really clear on what we mean when we say these things?

This course addresses three basic questions: Is there a human nature? If there is, what is it? If there is a human nature, what are its implications? While this course is philosophical in structure and inquiry, it will also encompass elements of psychology, biology, evolution, politics, ethics, and economics. Some key figures in philosophy that will be discussed are Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Marx, Freud, Rand, and Sartre.

115C Critical Thinking  Reg #085238
MWF  9:00--9:50 AM  Baldy 101
Nathan Heberlig

Examines techniques of problem solving, decision making, and evaluating pros and cons of an issue; organizing data; forming strategies and giving reasons; perceptual, cultural, emotional, intellectual, and expressive blocks to thinking; and simple inductive reasoning and statistical fallacies.

How should one decide what to believe? This course examines certain techniques involved in the identification and evaluation of arguments, while alerting students to the dangers involved in mere passive reading or listening, merely giving voice to disagreement, common fallacies, and damaging ambiguity or vagueness. Such techniques are applied to real-world examples. This course will stress the view that 'critical thinking' is not a simplistic algorithm to be mechnically-applied without fail; rather, such techniques are part of a general attitude involving both open-mindedness and critical, no-holds-barred questioning.

115N Critical Thinking  Reg #286504
MWF  10--10:50 PM  Baldy 101
Amy Cedrone

Examines techniques of problem solving, decision making, and evaluating pros and cons of an issue; organizing data; forming strategies and giving reasons; perceptual, cultural, emotional, intellectual, and expressive blocks to thinking; and simple inductive reasoning and statistical fallacies.

This course is an introduction to the concept of thinking and writing critically and logically. We will examine various argument forms, and practice writing in ways that demonstrate use of those forms. We will also critique newspaper, magazine, and journal articles according to the argument forms, with the purpose of recognizing errors in reasoning.

This course will be both reading- and writing-intensive. Grades will be based on a combination of take-home writing assignments, homework, quizzes, one midterm, and one final exam. Attendance and participation are required.

137 Reproductive Ethics Reg #247701
TTh  6:30--7:50 PM  Cooke 127A
Elisa Ruhl

Social and personal ethical issues of reproduction raised by medical, legal, religious, and philosophical sources and traditions; issues arising from reproductive and reproduction-affecting technology.

In this course we'll examine the issues surrounding the ethics of human reproduction, especially (1) the philosophical arguments in favor of and in opposition to specific technologies, and (2) several feminist perspectives on reproduction. When does a developing life form become a human being with rights? What are the moral implications of birth control, assisted reproduction, stem cell research, and cloning? How can we find a balance between the right of an individual to control her own body and the duty of society to protect all human lives?

There are no prerequisites for this course. Students from all departments are welcomed, especially those interested in well-reasoned debate.

162 Law, Morality and Authority  Reg #391342
TTh  11:00 AM--12:20 PM  Norton 210
Kenneth M. Ehrenberg

This course is a survey of key texts in moral and political philosophy with the object of understanding the foundations of legal and political authority.

215B Introduction to Deductive Logic  Reg #419629
TTh  9:30--10:50 AM  Park 146
James R. Beebe

Definition, formal and informal errors of reasoning, and principles of deductive reasoning; the Aristotelian tradition.

This course is an introduction to the principles of logic. Students will learn to recognize arguments and to understand their basic elements. Students will also learn to evaluate the validity and soundness of arguments.

215D Introduction to Deductive Logic  Reg #066542
MWF  11:00-11:50 AM  Park 148
Leigh Duffy

Definition, formal and informal errors of reasoning, and principles of deductive reasoning; the Aristotelian tradition.

This course is an introduction to the principles of logic and deductive reasoning. We will review concepts from PHI 115: validity and soundness, fallacies, argument diagrams, etc. Using these skills, we will then evaluate and translate arguments into symbolic form and look at truth tables and Venn diagrams.

Grading for this class will rely heavily on homework assignments.

215K Introduction to Deductive Logic  Reg #385322
TTh  9:30--10:50 AM  Park 141
John Kearns

Definition, formal and informal errors of reasoning, and principles of deductive reasoning; the Aristotelian tradition.

In this class, we will try to get an understanding of arguments which involve reasoning from premises to conclusions. We will develop our ability to recognize arguments and analyze their structures. We will consider which criteria are appropriate for evaluating different kinds of argument. And we will develop some relatively simple logical systems. There will be frequent homework assignments, midterm and final exams, but no term paper.

221 Introduction to Philosophy of Science  Reg #007596
TTh  6:30--7:50 PM  Fronczak 454
Neil E. Williams

Explores the philosophy and methodology of science, scientific experimentation, the problem of induction, nature of scientific explanation, basis of probability, and fundamental characteristics of scientific theories.

This course is a general introduction to the main problems in the philosophy of science. We will consider four philosophical topics concerning science.

Demarcation: What is the difference between science and nonscience? Most of us are happy to accept that astronomy is a science, and astrology is not; but if both offer theories about the world, what makes it the case that the theories of one are scientific and the other are not?

Causation and Explanation: What is it we do when we seek to provide scientific explanations? How do explanations in the sciences differ from other types of explanations? What is the connection between laws of nature and explanations? Do explanations have to be true to explain?

Theories and Entities: Scientists are in the business of providing theories about the world around us. What is the nature of those theories, and what should we say about the entities posited by those theories?

Induction and Confirmation: Can scientific theories be proven true? How rigorous must testing be for us to accept scientific theories? What do we do if to theories are equally supported by the scientific evidence?

No prior background in philosophy or science is assumed or required, but students of those disciplines (and also students of psychology, cog sci, and the social sciences) are likely to find the course of interest, and of use.

244 Negotiating Identities in Art, Literature and Philosophy (Honors Seminar) Reg #206757
W  6:00--8:50 PM  Park 141
Jorge J. E. Gracia

How do groups of people who have been uprooted from their homeland think about themselves and about those who surround them in the place to which they have moved or been moved? What kinds of feelings--love, nostalgia, resentment, and so on-and thoughts-memories, fantasies about returning, schemes--do they have? And when they think about themselves and engage in various creative activities, how do their intellectual creations reflect these feelings and thoughts? What is the role of memory in these situations, and how is memory affected by the experience of distance, exile, and alienation from a homeland? Do these experiences enrich or thwart creativity? Do they help these groups flourish or do they embitter and frustrate them? Do they produce a greater understanding of humanity or do they tend to isolate the groups from others? To what extent are these products idiosyncratic or universal? Are there modes of expression and particular concepts that are constant across groups which have been subjected to these kinds of experiences? And does the particular character of the experience affect substantially how the groups react?

The number of people who are uprooted from their original homelands grows exponentially every year and throughout the world, making these questions and the problems to which they point important. Indeed, these questions are critical in contemporary society.

In this seminar, we will try to explore the way in which immigrant groups negotiate their identities, particularly in the work of philosophers, artists, and writers. We will begin with philosophy by making explicit various conceptual issues that come up in this context, such as the nature of identity. What is a group identity? How should we conceive it? What is the relation of self conception and the identity in question? How are identities formed? How do these identities manifest themselves and how do they interact? What elements do these identities involve? Do they contain racial factors? Ethnic factors? Cultural factors? And in each case, in what do these factors consist? How do we come to know these identities? And how do these identifies influence action, morality, and the way in which people think and value themselves and others?

After posing these questions we will move to the discussion of how particular members of these displaced groups have addressed these issues. Do they address them differently, depending on the group? Or are there general common ways in which all groups consider them? This is where we will begin to consider Cuban Americans, for they are an important immigrant group in the US that makes an interesting case study through which many of the problems encountered by these groups can be illustrated.

From philosophy we will move to art and literature. Art is a form of expression which does not use a linguistic medium. Indeed, many believe that art is not conceptual at all, but has to do with the emotions. Whether they are right or not is not the question we will address here. Rather, we will try to look at art and see how it raises issues that are particular to the experience of dislodged groups, exile, and memory. After art we will turn to literature. This is a half-way house between philosophy and art. Here language is the medium, but the aim ceases to be pure conceptual analysis in order to become something richer and closer to art. Fact and fiction are mixed in most literary works in ways that challenge the approaches used by both philosophers and artists.

Requirements: Students will be required t to write two short 5 page papers, and to make a short presentation in class. In addition, they will be expected to attend all classes and to participate actively in discussion.

Format: The class format will be that of a seminar, in which we meet to discuss materials that everyone is supposed to have read ahead of time.

Webpage: The class will have the advantage of a webpage with relevant materials that has been prepared for an NEH Summer Seminar that will take place in June of 2006 at the University at Buffalo. In the webpage, students will be able to find bibliographical resources, interviews with artists, philosophers, and writers, and images of relevant art works.

page last updated November 14, 2005