METHDS/PROB OF PHILOS THOUGHT

Critical introduction to philosophical problems, ideas and methods.

• TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Melissa S Fusco
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

COGNITIVE SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY

COG SCI AND PHILOSOPHY

This course will survey a number of topics at the intersection of cognitive science and philosophy. Potential topics include free will, consciousness, embodied cognition, artificial intelligence, neural networks, and the language of thought.

• TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Juliette C Vazard
  Info
• 3 points

LEADERSHIP AND ETHICS

• 3 points

SYMBOLIC LOGIC

Corequisites: PHILV3413 Required Discussion Section (0 points). Advanced introduction to classical sentential and predicate logic. No previous acquaintance with logic is required; nonetheless a willingness to master technicalities and to work at a certain level of abstraction is desirable.

• TR 7:40 p.m.-8:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Justin Clarke-Doane
  h-index: 10 Info
• 4 points

SYMBOLIC LOGIC - REC

Required discussion section for UN3411 Symbolic Logic

• F 11:10 a.m.-noon
• T 1:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• Instructor: Cornelia Mayer
  Info
• Instructor: Ye Eun Jeong
  Info
• 0 points

PHYSICS AND PHILOSOPHY

Philosophical problems at the foundations of quantum theory, especially those having to do with the uncertainty of relations and nature of quantum mechanical indeterminacy. Exploration of a variety of interpretation and hidden variable theory.

• MW 4:10 p.m.-5:25 p.m.
• Instructor: David Albert
  CULPA: 32 Wikipedia h-index: 40 Info
• 3 points

ETHICS

Prerequisites: one course in philosophy. Corequisites: PHIL V3711 Required Discussion Section (0 points). This course is mainly an introduction to three influential approaches to normative ethics: utilitarianism, deontological views, and virtue ethics. We also consider the ethics of care, and selected topics in meta-ethics.

• MW 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Michele Moody-Adams
  CULPA: 20 Wikipedia Info
• 4 points

ETHICS - REC

Required discussion section for PHIL UN3701 Ethics

• R 1:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• R 9:10 a.m.-10 a.m.
• R 12:10 p.m.-1 p.m.
• Instructor: Sara Wexler
  Info
• Instructor: Anthony D Hejduk
  Info
• Instructor: Tahlia Pajaczkowska-Russell
  Info
• 0 points

POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

Six major concepts of political philosophy including authority, rights, equality, justice, liberty and democracy are examined in three different ways. First the conceptual issues are analyzed through contemporary essays on these topics by authors like Peters, Hart, Williams, Berlin, Rawls and Schumpeter. Second the classical sources on these topics are discussed through readings from Hobbes, Locke, Hume, Marx, Plato, Mill and Rousseau. Third some attention is paid to relevant contexts of application of these concepts in political society, including such political movements as anarchism, international human rights, conservative, liberal, and Marxist economic policies as well as competing models of democracy.

• TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Axel Honneth
  CULPA: 2 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

LIVING, DYING, AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

Bringing together scholars from the fields of Philosophy, Medicine, Ethics, and Religion, this course
exposes students to modes of inquiry that can help to answer central questions that are often elusive and/or
unconsidered: What constitutes a good human life? What do I need to be truly happy? How does the fact
that I will one day die impact how I should live today? This interdisciplinary course provides a rare
opportunity to consider how a wide variety of thinkers and writers have approached these questions, while
also engaging with them in a personal way within our contemporary context. Lectures will be combined
with group discussion and a weekend retreat, creating possibilities for interpersonal engagement and deep
learning.

• TR 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
• 3 points

SEMINAR

Required of senior majors, but also open to junior majors, and junior and senior concentrators who have taken at least four philosophy courses. This exploration will typically involve writing a substantial research paper. Capped at 20 students with preference to philosophy majors.

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Jennifer McDonald
  Info
• 3 points

EPISTEMOLOGY

Corequisites: PHIL W3963 Required Discussion Section (0 points). What can we know? What is knowledge? What are the different kinds of knowledge? We will read classic and contemporary texts for insight into these questions.

• TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Jessica Collins
  Info
• 4 points

EPISTEMOLOGY - REC

Required discussion section for PHIL UN3960 Epistemology.

• M 1:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• T 6:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Instructor: Helen Luo
  Info
• Instructor: Devin S Morse
  Info
• 0 points

SUPERVISED SENIOR RESEARCH

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• Instructor: Allison Aitken
  Info
• Instructor: Souleymane B Diagne
  CULPA: 4 Info
• Instructor: David Albert
  CULPA: 32 Wikipedia h-index: 40 Info
• Instructor: Akeel Bilgrami
  CULPA: 28 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Justin Clarke-Doane
  h-index: 10 Info
• Instructor: Jessica Collins
  Info
• Instructor: Melissa S Fusco
  CULPA: 1 Info
• Instructor: Haim Gaifman
  CULPA: 13 Wikipedia h-index: 30 Info
• Instructor: Robert Gooding-Williams
  Wikipedia h-index: 15 Info
• Instructor: Tamar A Lando
  CULPA: 8 Info
• Instructor: Lydia Goehr
  CULPA: 26 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Axel Honneth
  CULPA: 2 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Dhananjay Jagannathan
  Info
• Instructor: Wolfgang R Mann
  CULPA: 36 Info
• Instructor: Christia Mercer
  CULPA: 56 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Michele Moody-Adams
  CULPA: 20 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Christopher Peacocke
  CULPA: 4 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Carol Rovane
  CULPA: 13 Info
• Instructor: Achille Varzi
  CULPA: 30 Wikipedia h-index: 40 Info
• Instructor: Katja Vogt
  CULPA: 36 Info
• 3 points

SUPERVISED INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH

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• Instructor: Allison Aitken
  Info
• Instructor: David Albert
  CULPA: 32 Wikipedia h-index: 40 Info
• Instructor: Akeel Bilgrami
  CULPA: 28 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Justin Clarke-Doane
  h-index: 10 Info
• Instructor: Jessica Collins
  Info
• Instructor: Melissa S Fusco
  CULPA: 1 Info
• Instructor: Haim Gaifman
  CULPA: 13 Wikipedia h-index: 30 Info
• Instructor: Lydia Goehr
  CULPA: 26 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Robert Gooding-Williams
  Wikipedia h-index: 15 Info
• Instructor: Axel Honneth
  CULPA: 2 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Dhananjay Jagannathan
  Info
• Instructor: Tamar A Lando
  CULPA: 8 Info
• Instructor: Wolfgang R Mann
  CULPA: 36 Info
• Instructor: Christia Mercer
  CULPA: 56 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Michele Moody-Adams
  CULPA: 20 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Christopher Peacocke
  CULPA: 4 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Carol Rovane
  CULPA: 13 Info
• Instructor: Achille Varzi
  CULPA: 30 Wikipedia h-index: 40 Info
• Instructor: Katja Vogt
  CULPA: 36 Info
• 1-3 points

ECONOMICS & PHILOSOPHY

Prerequisites: ECON W3211, ECON W3213, ECON W3412. Students will be contacted by the Economics department for pre-enrollment. Explores topics in the philosophy of economics such as welfare, social choice, and the history of political economy. Sometimes the emphasis is primarily historical and someimes on analysis of contemporary economic concepts and theories.

• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Melissa S Fusco
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 4 points

SYMBOLIC LOGIC

Advanced introduction to classical sentential and predicate logic. No previous acquaintance with logic is required; nonetheless a willingness to master technicalities and to work at a certain level of abstraction is desirable. Note: Due to significant overlap, students may receive credit for only one of the following three courses: PHIL UN3411, UN3415, GR5415.

• TR 7:40 p.m.-8:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Justin Clarke-Doane
  h-index: 10 Info
• 4 points

MA RESEARCH SEMINAR

The MA Research Seminar supports the research projects of MA students in Philosophy.
Participants practice key methods in philosophy and deepen their knowledge of classic and
contemporary contributions to the field. The seminar is suitable for everyone who is aiming to
write a research paper. Seminar participants receive detailed input throughout the semester.
Students can take the class at any stage during their studies for the MA. The class is graded Pass/
Fail.

• M 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Wolfgang R Mann
  CULPA: 36 Info
• 3 points

1ST YEAR PROSEMINAR IN PHIL

Required of all first-year Ph.D. candidates. Each faculty member addresses the proseminar in order to acquaint students with the interests and areas of expertise on the faculty. Through discussion and the dissemination of readings the student learns about possible areas of doctoral research.

• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Justin Clarke-Doane
  h-index: 10 Info
• 3 points

QUODLIBETAL STUDIES I

Prerequisites: high-quality work in the previous term. Arrangements must be made with the director of graduate studies. Tutorial work in specialized research topics.

• Instructor: Allison Aitken
  Info
• Instructor: David Albert
  CULPA: 32 Wikipedia h-index: 40 Info
• Instructor: Akeel Bilgrami
  CULPA: 28 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Justin Clarke-Doane
  h-index: 10 Info
• Instructor: Jessica Collins
  Info
• Instructor: Melissa S Fusco
  CULPA: 1 Info
• Instructor: Haim Gaifman
  CULPA: 13 Wikipedia h-index: 30 Info
• Instructor: Lydia Goehr
  CULPA: 26 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Robert Gooding-Williams
  Wikipedia h-index: 15 Info
• Instructor: Axel Honneth
  CULPA: 2 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Dhananjay Jagannathan
  Info
• Instructor: Tamar A Lando
  CULPA: 8 Info
• Instructor: Wolfgang R Mann
  CULPA: 36 Info
• Instructor: Christia Mercer
  CULPA: 56 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Michele Moody-Adams
  CULPA: 20 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Christopher Peacocke
  CULPA: 4 Wikipedia Info
• Instructor: Carol Rovane
  CULPA: 13 Info
• Instructor: Achille Varzi
  CULPA: 30 Wikipedia h-index: 40 Info
• Instructor: Katja Vogt
  CULPA: 36 Info
• 3-6 points

TOPICS IN ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Katja Vogt
  CULPA: 36 Info
• 3 points

Naturalism

The successes of the physical sciences in the 19th and 20th century solidified naturalism as the dominant ideology of analytic philosophy. While lacking any precise definition, naturalism broadly takes science to be epistemically and ontologically privileged over other forms of inquiry, guiding and constraining philosophy itself. Today, questions not only concerning ‘what the world is like’ but also philosophical queries into theory of knowledge and meaning, metaphysics, ethics, and philosophy of mind defer to the sciences and the scientific method. But what makes science an epistemically and ontologically privileged enterprise? What relation does science maintain to philosophy? What arguments are there for different kinds of naturalism?

In this course, we will ask these questions, both with a focus on efforts to naturalize the mind and an eye toward the historical context in which these efforts developed. We will explore the relationship between naturalizing psychological properties and physicalism, the relationship between naturalism and representationalism, phenomenological critiques of naturalism, and proposed alternatives to naturalism.

• R 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Nedah Nemati
  Info
• 3 points

TOPICS IN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

The topic of this course is the problems and possibilities of democratic citizenship

• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Michele Moody-Adams
  CULPA: 20 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

PROBLEMS OF SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY

N/A

• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• 3 points

THESIS PREPARATION SEMINAR

The purposes of the Seminar are (a) to aid graduates in developing and refining material for their dissertation; (b) to give graduates experience in presenting material to a philosophical audience in an informed and supportive environment; (c) to give graduates experience in critically discussing presented material, and thereby to see how their own presentations and work can be developed to withstand critical examination. The Seminar is restricted to Columbia graduate students in their third or later years, and all such students are strongly encouraged to attend. No faculty (other than the organizer) will be present. Those attending the seminar will be expected to make one or more presentations of work in progress. The material for a presentation may range from a near-final draft of a chapter, to an early critical overview of an area with an outline plan for an approach to some chosen problem. We will attempt as far as possible to organize the presentations in such a way that they are grouped by subject-matter, and provide a rational path through the territory we cover.

• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Christopher Peacocke
  CULPA: 4 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points