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PHLA10H3 Reason and Truth
An introduction to philosophy focusing on issues of rationality, metaphysics and the theory of knowledge. Topics may include: the nature of mind, freedom, the existence of God, the nature and knowability of reality. These topics will generally be introduced through the study of key texts from the history of philosophy.
PHLA11H3 Introduction to Ethics
Ethics is concerned with concrete questions about how we ought to treat one another as well as more general questions about how to justify our ethical beliefs. This course is an introduction that both presents basic theories of ethics and considers their application to contemporary moral problems.
Exclusion: PHL275H
PHLB03H3 Philosophy of Art
What is art? We will examine theories of the nature of art together with critiques of each of these theories. The course will then examine some issues specific to particular forms of art, such as literature, drama, film, dance and the visual arts.
Exclusion: PHL285H
PHLB05H3 Social Issues
An examination of contemporary or historical issues that force us to consider and articulate our values and commitments. The course will select issues from a range of possible topics, which may include globalization, medical ethics, war and terrorism, the role of government in a free society, equality and discrimination.
PHLB06H3 Business Ethics
An examination of philosophical issues in ethics, social theory, and theories of human nature as they bear on business. What moral obligations do businesses have? Can social or environmental costs and benefits be calculated in a way relevant to business decisions? Do political ideas have a role within business?
Exclusion: MGTC59H , PHL295H
PHLB07H3 Happiness and Freedom
What is well-being? What is autonomy? These two notions are central in ethical theory, law, bioethics, and in the popular imagination. In this course we will explore well-being and autonomy in more depth, and then consider how our views about well-being and autonomy shape our views about ethics.
Limited enrolment: 50
PHLB08H3 Ethics and International Development
Ethics is concerned with right action - with questions of how we should treat one another. This course will focus on ethical questions that arise in the context of international, cross-cultural interactions with a particular focus on the interactions between the developed world and the developing world.
Limited enrolment: 50
PHLB09H3 Biomedical Ethics
This course is an examination of moral and legal problems in medical practice, in biomedical research, and in the development of health policy. Topics may include: concepts of health and disease, patients' rights, informed consent, allocation of scarce resources, euthanasia, risks and benefits in research and others.
Exclusion: PHL281H, (PHL281Y)
PHLB11H3 Philosophy of Law
A discussion of right and rights, justice, legality, and related concepts. Particular topics may include: justifications for the legal enforcement of morality, particular ethical issues arising out of the intersection of law and morality, such as punishment, freedom of expression and censorship, autonomy and paternalism, constitutional protection of human rights.
Exclusion: PHL271H
PHLB13H3 Philosophy and Feminism
What is feminism? What is a woman? Or a man? Are gender relations natural or inevitable? Why do gender relations exist in virtually every society? How do gender relations intersect with other social relations, such as economic class, culture, race, sexual orientation, etc.?
Exclusion: PHL267H
PHLB15H3 Philosophy of Education
A philosophical study of the nature, practice and value of education. Major philosophical accounts of education will be examined. Topics to be considered may include: the nature, aims, and content of education, education and indoctrination, the role and justification of educational institutions, authority and freedom in the school.
Exclusion: PHL272H
PHLB16H3 Political Philosophy: Ancient Greece and the Middle Ages
This course will introduce some important thinkers in political philosophy, such as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine and Aquinas.
Exclusion: PHL265H. Note: PHLB16H may not be taken after or concurrently with POLB70H .
PHLB17H3 Political Philosophy: The Modern Period
This course will introduce some important thinkers in political philosophy from the 15th Century to the 19th Century. These may include Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, G.W.F. Hegel, John Stuart Mill, or Karl Marx.
Exclusion: PHL265H. Note: PHLB17H may not be taken after or concurrently with POLB71H
PHLB20H3 Belief, Knowledge, and Truth
An examination of the nature of knowledge, and our ability to achieve it. Topics may include the question of whether any of our beliefs can be certain, the problem of skepticism, the scope and limits of human knowledge, the nature of perception, rationality, and theories of truth.
Exclusion: (PHL230H)
PHLB30H3 Existentialism
A study of the views and approaches pioneered by such writers as Kierkegaard, Husserl, Jaspers, Heidegger and Sartre. Existentialism has had influence beyond philosophy, impacting theology, literature and psychotherapy. Characteristic topics include the nature of the self and its relations to the world and society, self-deception, and freedom of choice.
Exclusion: PHL220H
PHLB31H3 Introduction to Ancient Philosophy
A survey of some main themes and figures of ancient philosophical thought, concentrating on Plato and Aristotle. Topics include the ultimate nature of reality, knowledge, and the relationship between happiness and virtue.
Limited enrolment: PHL200Y, PHL202H
PHLB35H3 Introduction to Early Modern Philosophy
This course covers the major figures and themes in seventeenth and eighteenth century philosophy. Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Berkeley, and Hume will be covered. Metaphysical and epistemological themes will be emphasized.
Exclusion: PHL210Y
PHLB50H3 Symbolic Logic I
An introduction to formal, symbolic techniques of reasoning. Sentential logic and quantification theory (or predicate logic), including identity will be covered. The emphasis is on appreciation of and practice in techniques, for example, the formal analysis of English statements and arguments, and for construction of clear and rigorous proofs.
Exclusion: PHL245H
PHLB53H3 The Art of Thinking
A study of methods and techniques for developing effective reasoning and argumentation. This course aims to develop skill in identifying ambiguities, evaluating premises, constructing counter-examples, and reconstructing arguments. This course provides an important foundation for Philosophy students, while offering essential critical skills for all students, no matter what their Program.
Exclusion: PHL247H, TRN200Y
PHLB55H3 Puzzles and Paradoxes
Philosophy often begins with a puzzle or paradox. Zeno once convincingly argued that motion was impossible, but people continue to move. The "liar's paradox" seems to show that everything is both true and false, but that cannot be right. In this course, we will puzzle through these and related issues.
PHLB60H3 Metaphysics
A consideration of problems in metaphysics: the attempt to understand 'how everything fits together' in the most general sense of this phrase. Some issues typically covered include: the existence of God, the nature of time and space, the nature of mind and the problem of the freedom of the will.
Exclusion: (PHL231H)
PHLB70H3 Philosophy of Science
A study of philosophical questions raised by the natural and social sciences. Topics discussed may include: the nature of rationality and the role of values in science, the description of scientific methodology, the structure of scientific theory, and the question of how or in what sense science progresses.
Exclusion: HPS250H, PHL255H
Prerequisite: One full or half credit course in Philosophy or in one of the Sciences
PHLB80H3 Philosophy of Language
An examination of philosophical issues about language. Philosophical questions to be covered include: what is the relation between mind and language, what is involved in linguistic communication, is language an innate biological feature of human beings, how do words manage to refer to things, and what is meaning.
PHLB81H3 Theories of Mind
An examination of questions concerning the nature of mind. Philosophical questions considered may include: what is consciousness, what is the relation between the mind and the brain, how did mind evolve and do animals have minds, what is thinking, what are feelings and emotions, and can machines have minds.
Exclusion: PHL240H
PHLB86H3 Foundations of Cognitive Science
A study of the hypotheses and theories that ground cognitive science. Fundamental questions include: what is a computational system and how can a physical system think and understand language? The course examines the functionalist theory of mind, the relationship between syntax and semantics, and the theory of interpretable formal systems.
PHLB91H3 Theories of Human Nature
An exploration of theories which provide answers to the question 'What is a human being?', investigating catch-phrase definitions such as: 'Man is a rational animal,' 'Man is a political animal,' 'Man is inherently individual,' 'Man is inherently social,' etc. Authors studied include: Aristotle, Hobbes, Rousseau, Darwin, Marx and Freud.
Exclusion: PHL244H, (PHLC91H)
PHLC03H3 Topics in the Philosophy of Art
An exploration of some current issues concerning the various forms of art: the role of the museum, the loss of beauty and the death of art.
Prerequisite: 2.0 credits in PHL or permission of the instructor
PHLC05H3 Ethical Theory
Philosophers offer systematic theories of ethics: theories that simultaneously explain what ethics is, why it matters, and what it tells us to do. This course is a careful reading of classic philosophical texts by the major systematic thinkers in the Western tradition of ethics. Particular authors read may vary from instructor to instructor.
Exclusion: (PHLB01H), PHL375H
Prerequisite: One course in Philosophy, preferably PHLA11H3 (though not required), or permission of the instructor
PHLC06H3 Topics in Ethical Theory
Philosophical ethics simultaneously aims to explain what ethics is, why it matters, and what it tells us to do. This is what is meant by the phrase' ethical theory.' In this class we will explore specific topics in ethical theory in some depth. Specific topics may vary with the instructor.
Exclusion: (PHLC01H), PHL375H
Prerequisite: One course in Philosophy, preferably PHLC05H3 (though not required), or permission of the instructor
PHLC13H3 Topics in Philosophy and Feminism
What is gender? Gender issues have animated discussion among feminist philosophers and social scientists, as well as among the public at large. Current approaches vary greatly. However, since ideas about gender differences have historically been used to subordinate women, the approaches discussed all share a commitment to social critique.
Prerequisite: This is a senior general interest course for philosophy students and others, with lectures, class discussion, and essays. Students should have completed at least 2.0 credits at the B- or C-level in any subject before beginning this course.
PHLC20H3 Topics in the Theory of Knowledge
A follow up to PHLB20H . This course will consider one or two epistemological topics in depth, with an emphasis on class discussion.
For details for a given academic year, please consult the U of T Scarborough Philosophy Study Guide.
Prerequisite: 1.0 credit in Philosophy or Permission of the Instructor.
PHLC35H3 Topics in Early Modern Philosophy: Rationalism
In this course we study the major figures of early modern rationalism -- Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz -- with a particular emphasis on topics such as substance, knowledge and sense perception, the mind-body problem, and the existence and nature of God.
Exclusion: PHL310H
Prerequisite: At least 1.0 credit in Philosophy at the B- or C-level.
Recommended: PHLB35H
PHLC36H3 Topics in Early Modern Philosophy: Empiricism
In this course we study major figures of early modern empiricism -- Locke, Berkeley, Hume -- with a particular emphasis on topics such as substance, knowledge and sense perception, the mind-body problem, and the existence and nature of God.
Exclusion: PHL311H
Prerequisite: [PHLB35H or PHLB60H ] & 1.0 further credit in Philosophy
PHLC43H3 History of Analytic Philosophy I
The foundation of Analytic Philosophy in the late 19th and early 20th century, concentrating on Frege, Russell, and Moore. Special attention paid to the discovery of mathematical logic, and its motivations from and consequences for metaphysics and the philosophy of mind.
Exclusion: PHL325H
Prerequisite: 0.5 credit in logic, either PHLB50H , PHLC51H , PHLC54H or MATC09H , and 0.5 other credit in Philosophy at the B or C level.
Recommended: PHLB60H or PHLB80H or PHLC89H
PHLC44H3 History of Analytic Philosophy II
Analytic Philosophy in the mid-20th century, concentrating on Wittgenstein, Ramsey, Carnap, and Quine. Special attention paid to the metaphysical foundations of logic, and the nature of linguistic meaning, including the relations between "truth-conditional" and "verificationist" theories.
Exclusion: PHL325H
Prerequisite: 0.5 credit in logic, either PHLB50H , PHLC51H , PHLC54H or MATC09H , and 0.5 other credit in Philosophy at the B or C level.
Recommended: PHLB60H or PHLB80H or PHLC43H or PHLC89H
PHLC51H3 Symbolic Logic II
After consolidating the material from Symbolic Logic I, we will introduce necessary background for metalogic, the study of the properties of logical systems. We will introduce set theory, historical developed in parallel to logic. We conclude with some basic metatheory of the propositional logic learned in Symbolic Logic I.
Exclusion: PHL345H
Prerequisite: PHLB50H
PHLC54H3 Metalogic
Symbolic Logic I deals with formal languages: you work inside formal proof systems, and also consider the "semantics", dealing with truth, of formal languages. Instead of working inside formal systems, Metalogic treats systems themselves as objects of study, from the outside.
Exclusion: PHL348H
Prerequisite: PHLB50H or a strong mathematical background, as determined by the instructor; or permission of the instructor.
PHLC55H3 Philosophy of Mathematics
What are numbers? Are they physical? Mental? Created by humans? How do we know anything about numbers, if we never see or touch them? What is mathematics truth? Such questions should concern mathematics students interested in the foundations of mathematics; and philosophy students, as a rich source of philosophical puzzlement.
Exclusion: PHL346H
Prerequisite: [Two MAT courses & one PHL course] or [One MAT course & [PHLB50H3 & one other PHL course]] or permission of the instructor.
PHLC60H3 Topics in Metaphysics
A follow up to PHLB60H . This course will consider one or two metaphysical topics in depth, with an emphasis on class discussion. For details for a given academic year, please consult the U of T Scarborough Philosophy Study Guide.
Prerequisite: [PHLB60H & 1.0 further credit in Philosophy] or permission of the instructor.
PHLC72H3 Topics in the Philosophy of Science
A follow up to PHLB70H . This course will consider one or two topics in the Philosophy of Science in depth, with an emphasis on class discussion. For details for a given academic year, please consult the U of T Scarborough Philosophy Study Guide.
Prerequisite: [PHLB70H & 1.0 further credit in Philosophy] or permission of the instructor.
PHLC84H3 Seminar in Philosophy: Postcolonial Studies in Philosophy
A critical postcolonial examination of some aspects of western European philosophy. How has western philosophy been shaped by the colonization of other parts of the globe? We will examine modern western philosophy's ideals of rationality, universality, and progress in this light.
Prerequisite: 2.0 credits in Philosophy or permission of the instructor
PHLC86H3 Issues in the Philosophy of Mind
Advance Issues in the Philosophy of Mind. For example, an examination of arguments for and against the idea that machines can be conscious, can think, or can feel. Topics may include: Turing's test of machine intelligence, the argument based on Gödel's theorem that there is an unbridgeable gulf between human minds and machine capabilities, Searle's Chinese Room thought experiment.
Prerequisite: 2.0 credits in PHL or permission of the instructor.
PHLC89H3 Topics in Analytic Philosophy
Advanced topic(s) in Analytic Philosophy. Sample contemporary topics: realism/antirealism; truth; interrelations among metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind and of science. Sample historical topics: the study of an important period; the work of an important analytic philosopher. For details for a given academic year, please consult the U of T Scarborough Philosophy Study Guide.
Prerequisite: 1.0 credit in Philosophy or permission of the instructor
PHLC92H3 Topics in Contemporary Political Philosophy
An examination of some central philosophical problems of contemporary political philosophy. For details for a given academic year, please consult the U of T Scarborough Philosophy Study Guide.
Prerequisite: Two B-level half-credit courses in Philosophy.
PHLC93H3 Seminar in Philosophy: Justice
A discussion of the question 'What is justice?' The question has been asked since the time of Plato, but seems to resist definitive answers. This course will examine debates about justice in recent political philosophy. Authors discussed may include: John Rawls, Robert Nozick, Bruce Ackerman, Michale Sandel, Iris Young.
Prerequisite: Two B-level half-credit courses in Philosophy or permission of the instructor
PHLC95H3 Topics in the Philosophy of Mind
Advanced topics in the Philosophy of mind, for example an exploration of philosophical problems and theories of consciousness. Topics to be examined may include: the nature of consciousness and 'qualitative experience', the existence and nature of animal consciousness, the relation between consciousness and intentionality, as well as various philosophical theories of consciousness.
Prerequisite: 2.0 credits in PHL including PHLB81H or permission of the instructor
PHLD99H3 Independent Study
These courses are intended for qualified students who wish to engage in advanced level work on a well-defined topic of their choice. These courses are only available with the prior arrangement of an instructor.
Published Wednesday July 23rd, 2008 Section last updated Fri May 23, 2008
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Calendar 2008-2009 Back to Paramedicine Continue to Physical Sciences Up to Table of Contents and Search or Alphabetic Index |