PHIL 105 - Philosophical Questions

Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)

105a: What is the significance of the different attitudes that we adopt towards other people, towards our surroundings, and towards ourselves? Trust, resentment, forgiveness, love, sentimentality, horror, irony, and awe can shape our lives in profound ways, but their roles are often puzzling. A close consideration of these attitudes serves as an introduction to some fundamental philosophical problems concerning the nature and limits of knowledge, morality, art, and truth. Ms. Church.

105b. Democracies. The word “democracy” is invoked widely today to refer to vastly differently forms of politics. From local, participatory movements to global banking institutions, from the invasion of Iraq to the revolts of the Arab Spring, democracy is more widespread and perhaps more ambiguous than ever today, which makes an investigation of it all the more pressing. This course will explore several of the philosophical questions that underlie these inherently different democracies, including participation, representation, law, human rights, forms of equality, globalization, securitization, and militarization. Mr. Holloway.

Two 75-minute periods.