The tools and techniques of philosophical reasoning: reading argumentative prose; analyzing conceptual models; writing critical essays. Problems of knowledge: the criteria of reliable knowledge; the formulation and justification of beliefs the sources and limits of knowledge; beliefs about the physical world, the past and future, and other minds. Critical standards applied to related metaphysical issues: theism, mind and self-identity, determinism.
The philosophical tradition from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century. Emphasis on new scientific models of human knowledge and human nature formulated in reaction to scientific and social revolutions. Positions of thinkers such as Descartes, Hume, Kant on basic questions: Can anything be known with certainty? Are there any justifiable moral principles? Is there any purpose to existence?
A course in practical reasoning. How to distinguish between reasons that are rational and those that are not. Methods of evaluating arguments that will lead to truth.
The study of logical relationships by way of models and procedures in a symbolic system. The concept of proof and the demands of formal proofs. Methods of demonstrating logical relationships, including truth tables, derivations in sentence and predicate logic, and semantic interpretations. The relation between conventional languages and symbolic encodings. A selection of related theoretical topics, including proofs of soundness and consistency of the calculi, and elementary set theory.
An examination of such questions as: Are there conditions under which value judgments can be rationally defended? If there are such grounds, what are they? If not, what consequences, if any, follow from ethical skepticism? Can value judgments about individuals or societies be justified on rationally acceptable grounds? Application of theories to moral problems.
The tools and techniques of philosophical reasoning: reading argumentative prose; analyzing conceptual models; writing critical essays. Problems of knowledge: the criteria of reliable knowledge; the formulation and justification of beliefs the sources and limits of knowledge; beliefs about the physical world, the past and future, and other minds. Critical standards applied to related metaphysical issues: theism, mind and self-identity, determinism.
An examination of such questions as: Are there conditions under which value judgments can be rationally defended? If there are such grounds, what are they? If not, what consequences, if any, follow from ethical skepticism? Can value judgments about individuals or societies be justified on rationally acceptable grounds? Application of theories to moral problems.
An examination of such questions as: Are there conditions under which value judgments can be rationally defended? If there are such grounds, what are they? If not, what consequences, if any, follow from ethical skepticism? Can value judgments about individuals or societies be justified on rationally acceptable grounds? Application of theories to moral problems.
Survey of the origins, development, and current status of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender reform and liberation movements in the United States, with particular emphasis since WWII. Includes the lives, communities, organizations, and resistance movements created by LGBT peoples from diverse racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds.
The political, social, artistic, and cultural history of the African American people in the United States from the Civil War to the 21st century. HIST 41B covers the Reconstruction to the present.