Philosophy

An historical introduction to the Western philosophical canon that examines the Presocratic origins of Greek Hellenistic schools, as well as the Greek influence on Roman and Byzantine philosophers of later Antiquity.

An introduction to some of the central philosophical problems examined in their historical development from the Pre-Socratic philosophers to Aristotle. Some of the topics examined are: the nature of philosophical inquiry, the problem of human knowledge, the nature of the soul, being and reality, basic issues in moral and political philosophy.

An introduction to some of the central philosophical problems examined in their historical development from the post-Aristotelic schools of philosophy to John Scotus Eriugena. Some of the topics examined are: characteristics of Hellenistic philosophy; Roman philosophy; Neoplatonism; the relationship between Revelation and philosophy as seen by the Fathers of the Church; the early Medieval attempts to lay the foundation for a Christian philosophy.

This first-year course is a historical, problem-oriented introduction to philosophy encompassing four major areas of philosophical inquiry: the philosophy of religion, the philosophy of mind, the theory of knowledge, and ethical theory.

An introduction to philosophical reasoning intended to improve a student’s ability to analyze and evaluate the arguments and assertions commonly met in everyday life. This course focuses on the informal logic of everyday language (the semantics of natural language) but includes some training in elementary formal logic.

Students will consider the meaning and justification of moral claims by critically examining various perspectives on whether morality has an objective basis. Students will be introduced to the standard theories of ethical conduct and will learn to apply these theories to contemporary moral problems.

This course is an introduction to some of the central philosophical problems examined in their historical development from the 1lth century to the Late Renaissance. Some of the topics examined are: the formation of Scholasticism; the problem of universals; the relationship between faith and reason as seen by St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, and Ockham; the spirit of the Renaissance, with a special emphasis on philosophy of nature.

This course will cover the history of modern philosophy—roughly the period that extends from the Renaissance through to Emmanuel Kant (1724-1804). We shall discuss figures such as Descartes, Locke, Hume, and Kant, and concentrate mainly on epistemological and metaphysical issues.

A topical introduction to the philosophy of religion examining the nature and attributes of God, the classical and contemporary cosmological, teleological, and ontological arguments that have been proposed for and against the existence of God, the problem of evil as it is found in its evidential form, and the relation between faith and reason.

This course introduces students to some of the central problems of philosophy in a study of what it is to say that human beings are persons and have freedom and subjectivity.

This course investigates the social, historical and philosophical causes and consequences of technological consumer culture. It takes up the ageless questions concerning the meaning of life and puts them to an age unprecedented in its proximity to the possibility of human extinction. What does it mean to be human at a time when all things, including humanity, seem disposable?

Epistemology is the philosophical study of the nature of knowledge and our ways of acquiring it. This course is intended to offer an introductory treatment of the traditional themes in epistemology. Using classical and contemporary readings, students will examine problems related to the analysis of propositional knowledge, the epistemic justification of beliefs, the nature of truth, and theories describing the foundations of knowledge.

This course offers an introductory treatment of traditional themes in metaphysics, which can be defined as the most general investigation possible into the nature of reality. Using classical and contemporary readings, students will study the following: the mind-body problem, the nature of space and time, determinism, freedom and fatalism, theories of reality, causation, personal identity, the nature and existence of God, and theories of truth.