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Phil, Course Themes
Course Themes (including some Major Questions or Problems):
Meta-Theme: The discipline of philosophy
What is philosophy?
How did it develop over time?
How is philosophy different from other disciplines?
Why should a person become familiar with philosophy?
How have non-Western cultures posed and answered philosophical questions?
How have non-Western and Western philosophical traditions influenced each other?
What can philosophy tell us about popular culture, and vice versa?
Is thinking worth thinking about?
What is an argyle sock and why should a philosopher wear it?
1. Metaphysics and Ontology (being):
Theories about the nature of reality and the external world; What exists and how.
What is reality?
Does reality exist outside of our minds? Can we acquire such knowledge? How?
What is real in an age of copies and simulacra?
Is there intelligent life elsewhere in the universe?
The existence of God
Is there a God?
How can one prove that God exists? … that God does not exist?
Personal identity, the “self”
What is a person?
What does it mean to be a human being?
What challenges does artificial intelligence pose for our notions of identity?
What is freedom and do people have it?
What role does gender play in the definition of personal identity?
How is the self shaped by others?
Is there such a thing as true altruism?
2. Epistemology (knowing): The nature of, and methods of acquiring, knowledge.
What do I know and how do I know it? What can I know?
What is the nature of the human mind?
What is the relationship of the mind to the body?
Can a person have objective knowledge? If so, how?
3. Ethics and Morality (Acting)
How ought I to live? How do I begin to answer this question?
What is happiness?
How does one account for the existence of evil?
Are there any universal truths in ethics or are morals relative to particular cultures?
Why should a person act morally?
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