PHILOSOPHY

150.111 (H)
(W)

PHILOSOPHIC CLASSICS (3) Moyar   Limit 20 per section   An historical introduction to reading and doing philosophy by way of critically examining selected classic texts in the Western philosophical tradition. Philosophers to be examined include Plato, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Nietzsche.

Lec.

Sec. 01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

MW 11-11:50

F 11-11:50

F 11-11:50 W 12-12:50

F 11-11:50 W 12-12:50

F 1:30-2:20 12-12:50

F 1:30-2:20 12-12:50

W F 1:30-2:20

F 3-3:50 W 1:30-2:20

F 3-3:50 11-11:50

150.201 (H)

INTRODUCTION TO GREEK PHILOSOPHY (3)Bett   Limit 20 per section A survey of the earlier phase of Greek philosophy. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle will be discussed, as well as two groups of thinkers who preceded them, usually known as the pre-Socratics and the Sophists. Cross-listed with Classics

Lec.

Sec. 01

02

03

04

MW 10-10:50

F 10-10:50

W 11-11:50

F 10-10:50

W 3-3:50 11-11:50

150.219 (H)

BIOETHICS (3) Bok   Limit 20 per section  Introduction to a wide range of moral issues arising in the biomedical fields, e.g., physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, abortion, surrogacy, and human subjects research.
Cross-listed with Public Health Studies

Secs. 07 & 10 canceled 9/16/08

Lec.

Sec. 01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

MW 12-12:50

F 12-12:50

F 12-12:50

W 1:30-2:20

W 1:30-2:20

F 1:30-2:20

F 1:30-2:20

W 2-2:50

W 2-2:50

F 2-2:50

F 2-2:50

150.235 (H)

PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION (3) Gross  Limit 20 per section  Can one prove or disprove the existence of God? What is the relation between reason and faith? Are science and religion at odds with one another? We will consider historically significant discussions of these questions (for example, by Plato, Anselm, Aquinas, Pascal, Hume, and Kierkegaard) as well as important contemporary writings (for example, by Adams, Boyer, Plantinga, and Van Inwagen).   Gilman Course in the Humanities

Lec.

Sec. 01

02

03

04

TTh 12-12:50

F 12-12:50

F 1:30-2:20

F 1:30-2:20

F 3-3:50

150.245 (H)

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF MIND (3) Williams (Meredith)  Limit 15 per section    This is an introduction to the key issues and theories in contemporary philosophy of mind.  The focus of the course will be the mind-body problem.  It will examine the development of the problem and purported solutions, beginning with behaviorism and the identity theory (that mental states just are brain states) to functionalism and the computational theory of mind.  It will also address the problem of consciousness and the nature of self-knowledge of others. 

Lec.

Sec. 01

02

03

04

MW 9-9:50

W 10-10:50

W 10-10:50

F 9-9:50

F 9-9:50

150.402 (H)

ARISTOTLE (3) Bett   Limit 25   
A study of major selected texts of Aristotle.  Cross-listed with Classics

Sec. 01

MW 4:30-6pm

150.420 (H,Q)

INTERMEDIATE SYMBOLIC LOGIC (3) Rynasiewicz  This course will include topics covered in 150.218 but with an introduction to meta-theory. Course added 9/03/08

Sec. 01

TTh 3-4:15

150.412 (H)

KANT’S CRITIQUE OF PRACTICAL REASON (3) Förster   Limit 15     A historical and systematic study of Kant’s ethics and philosophy of religion, with special attention to his Critique of Practical Reason. Course canceled 4/25/08

Sec. 01

TTh 9-10:15

150.425 (H)

THE NOMINALISM/ REALISM DEBATE II: THE MODERN DEBATE (3) Förster  
Limit 15   A study of four exemplary modern thinkers with respect to their theories of universals: Locke, Kant (Nominalism), Goether, Hegel (Realism).  Course canceled 4/25/08

Sec. 01

TTh 1:30-2:45

150.426 (H)

KANT'S TRANSCENDENTAL PHILOSOPHY (3) Rosenkoetter Limit 20  This course will focus on how Kant understands his
philosophical method, how he takes it to be different from that of his predecessors, and why he thinks it can solve outstanding philosophical problems. The greatest part of the course will be spent on excerpts from the Critique of Pure Reason, though we will also cover the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals and several short works. Course added 7/28/08

Sec. 01

Th 2:30-4

150.442 (H)

THE PHILOSOPHY OF L. WITTGENSTEIN (3)  Williams, Meredith Limit 20   The philosophy of L. Wittgenstein.  This will be a close reading of Wittgenstein’s two greatest works, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations

Sec. 01

TTh MW 3-4:15

150.468 (H)

SPINOZA AND DELEUZE (3) Melamed Limit 15 Cross-listed with Humanities Course added 8/11/08

Sec. 01

M 4:30-7

150.480 (H)
(W)

PHILOSOPHY AND GEOMETRY IN HISTORY: EPISODES FROM THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD (3)  Holtzman
Limit 20   Students will explore the relationship between philosophy and geometry in the period from Descartes to Kant from 1650 to 1800, through a study of crucial historical episodes. 
Dean’s Teaching Fellowship Course

Sec. 01

MW 3-4:15

360.133 (H)
(W)

GREAT BOOKS: WESTERN TRADITION OR THE HUMANITIES: A TRADITION OF CLASSICS (3) Egginton/Patton/Giarusso  
Limit 10 11 15 per section Freshmen only Others wishing to enroll should contact Prof. Elizabeth Patton (epatton1@jhu.edu) to obtain a waiver. See Interdepartmental for full description
Cross-listed with Classics, the Humanities Center, Music, German and Romance Languages & Literatures, and Interdepartmental

Sec. 04 canceled 5/13/08

Sec. 01

02

03

04

TTh 10:30-11:45

TTh 10:30-11:45

TTh 10:30-11:45

TTh 10:30-11:45

300.344 (H)
(W)

GENOCIDE AS A PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEM (3) Shuster Limit 20 30       
Cross-listed with Anthropology, Jewish Studies, History, Humanities and Political Science      Dean’s Teaching Fellowship Course

Sec. 01

M 1:30-4 4:30-7pm

150.511
(W)

DIRECTED STUDY   
Individual study of special topics, under regular supervision of a faculty member. Special permission is required.

150.551

HONORS PROJECT  
See departmental major adviser.

150.608

TOPICS IN CONTEMPORARY AXIOLOGY AND MORAL THEORY Rosenkoetter  Limit 20  This course will examine, first, alternative conceptions of how value is normative for agents. Should we promote value and increase its amount? Or should we honor and respect instances of value? We will also devote attention to some of the fundamental questions of axiology, focusing on the question of which ontological types have value, states of affairs or persons? This has been a contentious issue between two groups of philosophers, who tend to regard either Moore or Kant as a hero. There will be some attention to Moore and Kant themselves, though the bulk of the reading will be drawn from contemporary authors such as Anderson, Bradley, Chisholm, Darwall, Feldman, Hurka, Kagan, Lemos, Parfit, Raz, Scanlon, Sumner, Velleman, and Zimmerman. Course added 7/28/08

Sec. 01

W 2:30-4:30

150.629

ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY METAPHYSICS AND EPISTEMOLOGY: MEANING, TRUTH AND METAPHYSICS Williams  Limit 15  Contemporary philosophers who lean toward pragmatism generally favor a non representative approach to meaning and a deflationary approach to truth. Such philosophers have also often claimed that these views of meaning and truth offer an exit from traditional metaphysics problems. This course will investigate arguments for and against this “metaphysical quietism”. Readings form Blackburn, Brandon, Gibbard, Price, Sellars, Wright, and others.

Sec. 01

Th 1:30-3:30 1-4:30

150.652

SEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE Hao/Rynasiewicz This course will examine cases from the history of science of the discovery of hypothetical entities, of failed entities, and of discovery in general as a probe for the adequacy of various philosophical views concerning science, reference, meaning, and concepts. Course added 9/03/08

Sec. 01

F 10:30-12:30

150.658

TOPICS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE Gross   Limit 20
An examination of significant recent work in the philosophy of language.

Sec. 01

T 2-3:50

150.810

INDEPENDENT STUDY  
For dissertation students.
Sec. 01 Staff
Sec. 02 Förster
Sec. 04 Moyar
Sec. 05 Rynasiewicz
Sec. 06 Williams (Meredith)
Sec. 07 Bok
Sec. 08 Bett
Sec. 09 Williams (Michael)

150.811

DIRECTED STUDY
Please see 150.810 for section numbers to use when registering.