Paradoxes

This course surveys a wide range of paradoxes and bizarre brain-twisters drawn from all corners of philosophy.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level in PHIL, COSC, or MATH, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA or BSc.

PHIL494, PHIL444

History of Philosophy

This course introduces you to the philosophy of the early modern period. We shall pay particular attention to the epistemological and metaphysical questions addressed by Descartes in his Meditations and by Hume in Book 1 of his A Treatise of Human Nature. We also study Hume’s moral theory in Bk. III of the Treatise, Locke’s epistemology and Berkeley’s metaphysics. Topics covered include rationalism and empiricism, dreaming, scepticism, proofs of the existence of God, mind-body dualism, idealism, the nature of self, personal identity, causation, reason and the passions. Is knowledge based on reason or experience? Can I be sure that I’m not dreaming? Can I be sure of anything? What, in any case, is this ‘I’? What is the relationship between mind and body? What is it to remain the same person over time? Does the external world exist and, if so, what is its nature? Can ‘ought’ be derived from ‘is’? Is morality based on reason or the passions?

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from PHIL, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

Meaning, Mind, and the Nature of Philosophy

Do we think in words? If I say 'I'm in pain', do you really know what I mean? How can we talk about what doesn't exist - tomorrow, Harry Potter, or the possible world where you win $1 million on Lotto? Can machines have concepts? Why does every attempt to solve a philosophical problem simply raise more problems, sometimes even worse ones? We look at central philosophical problems through the eyes of some of the greatest and most challenging philosophers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from PHIL, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA or the BSc.

PHIL464, PHIL497