A general introduction to the problems, methods, scope and history of philosophical enquiry as exemplified by the course of moral theory. In particular, the major views on human nature and morality are examined in their philosophical and historical contexts, tracing the development of ethics from Socrates through the medieval and the modern eras down into the 20th century. Metaphysical and epistemological issues are treated as needed for the proper exposition and criticism of the various moral theories studied, giving students an introductory knowledge of the full range of philosophical problems and demonstrating their interconnections. An introduction to the principles of valid reasoning designed to develop analytical skills and abilities. Emphasis is placed on the evaluation of arguments through both informal and formal methods.
Topics covered include informal fallacies, syllogisms, inductive logic and probability.
A study of the major philosophical developments in the 19th century. Figures covered include Hegel, Kierkegaard, Marx, Nietzsche, Comte, Mill, Brentano and Frege. We will begin with one or two brief articles as background, and we will hopefully conclude with some articles written near the end of Merleau-Ponty's life, but most of the semester will be devoted to reading and discussion of the Phenomenology . Broadly speaking, I hope to help students to situate Merleau-Ponty's work in relation not only to phenomenology and existentialism, but also to other streams of contemporary philosophy. Of central interest will be Merleau-Ponty's critiques of empiricism and idealism, and his account of embodied subjectivity as an alternative to Cartesian dualism.