Courses

• PHIL 100 – Appreciation of Philosophy

  This course is designed to introduce students to philosophy and philosophical thinking. The course will focus on the problems that philosophical questions raise and the possible solutions that have been proposed by leading philosophers. In particular, the course will be focused on exploring questions about the value and purpose of philosophy, as well as questions about the nature of knowledge, reality, free will, the mind and body, artificial intelligence, and God.

• PHIL 103 – Moral and Social Problems

  This course is designed to introduce students to philosophy and philosophical thinking, particularly ethics and moral philosophy. The course will be focused on the rational and critical examination of current moral and social problems including hate speech, world poverty and hunger, abortion, the treatment of animals (and possibly euthanasia/physician-assisted suicide, drugs and addiction, immigration, genetic enhancement, same-sex marriage, etc.). We will essentially be raising questions about how we, as members of society, ought to live our lives in regards to each of these issues. What policies should our society adopt in regards to each of these issues? What should we believe about the morality of abortion, the death penalty, physician assisted suicide, etc.? How should we act in regards to eating meat and donating to suffering people in third world countries? What is the right thing to do? To begin answering these questions we will examine several moral theories and how each attempts to explain and justify moral judgments. This theoretical knowledge will serve as a foundation for our later discussions regarding the actual moral issues in our society. For each moral issue, we will be exposed to alternative, often opposing views. It will be our job to analyze and evaluate each moral argument on each issue.