Graduate
Courses: Fall 2008
Some additonal information about this semester's courses can be found at the Arts and Sciences course descriptions page.
2041 Plato
Falcon, Andrea | Tuesdays 6:30-9:00
Combined with CLASS 2314 AND HPS 2673
This course is a study of Aristotle's De motu animalium. The opening lines of the treatise promise a common account of animal motion. This account is common in the sense that it applies to all the types of animal motion that there might be. Later on it becomes clear that this account implies an explanation of how the soul moves the body. This helps us to understand why Aristotle builds his account of animal motion not only on the results achieved in the general treatment of motion offered in the Physics and the study of animal life advanced in his biological works, but also on certain features of the account of the soul presented in the De anima. A careful study of the way in which the argument of the De motu animalium unfolds whill shed some light on the epistemological commitments guiding Aristotle in his investigation of the natural world, as well as on the place that this short but difficult treatise occupies in Aristotle's natural science.
Prerequisite(s): none
This course is offered infrequently.
2130 Leibniz
Rescher, Nicholas | Wednesdays 9:30–12:00
A comprehensive examination of the philosophy of G. W. Leibniz, with primary emphasis on those of his ideas, primarily in logic, metaphysics and epistemology, which exercised a powerful influence upon later philosophers.
Prerequisite(s): Some prior courses in the history of philosophy and graduate status.
2171 Kantian Ethics
Engstrom, Stephen| Thursdays 7:00-9:30
The primary aim of this seminar will be to examine the basic structure of Kant’s moral philosophy as it is expounded in three central texts: the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, the Critique of Practical Reason, and the Doctrine of Virtue (the second part of the Metaphysics of Morals). A principal focus of attention will be Kant’s idea that morality is practical knowledge.
Prerequisite(s): Graduate status.
2180 Hegel
Brandom, Robert | Wednesdays 1:30-4:00
We will read Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, together with the instructor’s written commentary on it. This is a research seminar, but familiarity with Hegel is not a prerequisite. [Research Seminars. These are advanced graduate courses whose topic may reflect the on-going research of the instructor. Some background is presupposed. Such courses are typically completed with term papers.]
Prerequisite(s): This course is intended for graduate students in philosophy. Other students may be admitted to any places remaining but only with the consent of the instructor
2300 Ethics (Core)
Setiya, Kieran | Tuesdays 2:00–4:30
This course will be a survey of core issues in philosophical ethics, under three headings: MORAL THEORY (act- and rulee-utilitarianism, agent-relativity, Kantian constructivism, contractualism and anti-theory), PRACTICAL REASON (internal and external reasons, instrumentalism, rationalism and amoralism) and META-ETHICS (realism, anti-realism, and ethical naturalism).
Prerequisite(s): This course is intended for graduate students in the philosophy department. Other students need the permission of the instructor. Students will be expected to keep up with the required reading.
2305 Topics in Ethics
Otsuka, Michael | Mondays 7:00-9:30
A study of selected topics in ethics. Course may be repeated for credit if material is different. Description available at a later date.
Prerequisite(s): Graduate status or permission from instructor.
2330 Political Philosophy
Thompson, Michael | Mondays 7:00-9:30
This is an intermediate to advanced graduate seminar in political philosophy. The exact contents of the course vary from one occasion to the next. Specifics available from department at a later date.
Prerequisite(s): This course is intended for graduate students in philosophy. Other students may be admitted to any places remaining but only with the consent of the instructor.
2420 Philosophy of Language
| Mondays 1:00-3:00
This is an intermediate to advanced graduate seminar in the philosophy of language, taken almost exclusively by students in the doctoral program, usually during their second or third year of residence. The exact contents of the course vary from one occasion to the next. Specific description available later.
Prerequisite(s): Graduate status or permission from instructor.
2505 Topics in Philosophical Logic (Truth and Paradox)
Gupta, Anil | Thursdays 9:30–12:00
The logical and semantic paradoxes have had a decisive influence in shaping twentieth-century philosophy. They transformed --- some would say, destroyed --- Frege’s logicism. They shaped Russell’s philosophical outlook. And the argumentation found in them lies at the center of the proofs of the celebrated theorems of Gödel and Tarski. The paradoxes continue to be, in my view, a continuing source of logical insights. In this seminar we shall begin with a survey of the main contemporary approaches to the paradoxes --- namely, Hierarchy, Fixed-Point, and Revision Theories. We shall then turn to an examination of some recent ideas. In particular, we shall study the recent work of Hartry Field.
Prerequisite(s): A good familiarity with first-order logic and with basic set theory (up to the theory of ordinal and cardinal numbers).
2510 Topics in Logic
Belnap, Nuel |Tuesdays 9:30-12:00
The hope is that before this course starts, "Facing the Future: Agents and Choices in Our Indeterminist World" (Belnap and Perloff and Xu) will have appeared. If not a pre-publication copy will do. In either case, this will be a working seminar with some instructor-lecturing, but with an emphasis on student reports (e.g. criticisms) and discussion. No examination. Possibly short papers. A term paper will be expected. You can appreciate the topic of the course and of the book by reading the Preface, accessible via www.pitt.edu\~belnap. You can also find copies of a couple of key chapters.
Prerequisite(s): The course presupposes some ability at the art of logic at a level equivalent to that obtained by taking Philosophy 1500: the ability to understand quantifier notation in the context of relations, to translate between English and notation, to follow and construct proofs, to manage elementary concepts such as the validity of an argument and the consistency of a set of sentences, etc. The student without this ability should take Philosophy 1500 before taking Philosophy 2500-2501. The course is appropriate equally for undergraduates or graduates.
2585 Topics in Philosophy of Math
Wilson, Mark |Mondays 4:00-6:30
This class will survey several of the major historical currents in the philosophy of mathematics that arose in the late nineteenth century (Frege, Dedekind, Helmholtz) into the early twentieth century (Russell; Hilbert; Cassirer; possibly Weyl). These philosophical developments will be set against the backdrop of the larger scale changes that affected mathematics during this same time period. The purpose is to provide a general, broad brush portrait of why philosophy of mathematics proved so important to philosophical thought generally. No mathematical background except introductory logic will be necessary. A class presentation and two or three essays will be required, as well as a lot of background reading.
Prerequisite(s): This course is intended for graduate students in philosophy and history & philosophy of science. Other students may be admitted to any places remaining but only with the consent of the instructor.
2600 Philosophy of Science Core Seminar
Combined with HPS 2501
Wilson, Mark |Wednesdays 4:00-6:30
This course will focus on central topics in general philosophy of science: explanation, confirmation, theory change, the meaning of theoretical terms, scientific realism. We shall combine a reading of some of the classic texts along with more recent work.
Prerequisite(s): This course is intended for graduate students in philosophy and history & philosophy of science. Other students may be admitted to any places remaining but only with the consent of the instructor.
2624 Philosophy of Classical & Quantum Mechanics
Combined with HPS 2624
Butterfield, Jeremy|Tuesdays 4:00-6:30
The course has two parts, roughly equal in length. The first part introduces some of the main philosophical topics about classical and quantum mechanics, and also relativity theory. For quantum theory, these will be: (i) the measurement problem, the main strategies for its solution, and the role of decoherence; (ii) quantum non-locality, especially Bell's theorems. To discuss these, the density matrix formalism will be introduced. For classical mechanics and relativity theory, the chosen topics will be: (iv) absolute vs. relational views of space and time; (v) the role of symmetry in mechanics; (vi) modality in mechanics. Here, some elementary differential geometry will be used. The second part will pursue some topics in greater depth. Topics likely to be chosen are: (a) for quantum theory: the Everett interpretation, and the identity of particles; (b) for classical mechanics: symplectic reduction, and chaos; (c) philosophical aspects of emergent phenomena in physics. The elements of classical mechanics, quantum mechanics and relativity theory will be explained as needed.
Prerequisite(s): none
2625 Recent Topics in Philosophy of Science: Emergence
Combined with HPS 2622
Mitchell, Sandra|Thurdays 9:30-12:00
In this seminar we will look at the both the historical and contemporary writings on the character, existence, prevalence, and significance of emergent properties as studied by science. We will begin with the British Emergentists (Mill, Lewes and Broad) and end with the contemporary resurgence of interest in emergence in physics, chemistry and especially biology. Examples of purported emergence have included the liquidity and transparency of water, the Curie point of phase transition when a heated magnet abruptly loses its magnetism, or life itself “emerging” from the behavior of lifeless molecules. We will consider questions: How should we define “emergence”? What sorts of things can be emergent? Is there evidence of emergence in our world, is it objective or subjective? What kind of autonomy do emergent systems, properties, entitles display and what are the consequences for scientific explanation?
Prerequisite(s): Graduate status
