Global Arc

Ludwig Wittgenstein, often regarded as the most influential philosopher of the 20th century, left us two very different systems of philosophy, one in his early book Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, and another in his posthumous Philosophical Investigations. The two works are among the most original, difficult and rewarding philosophical writings. They deal with highly theoretical questions about the nature of language and thought, the relationship between the mental and the physical, and other topics. This course will look at key passage from both books. Students should enjoy abstract thinking and the challenges of difficult texts.

Despite its importance and pervasiveness in everyday life, humor has been largely neglected as a topic in philosophy. Yet, the philosophy of humor is full of captivating questions. This course will study the nature of humor and its ethical and social implications. Moreover, we will use the topic of humor to introduce (and make more accessible) a number of abstract concepts and distinctions of central importance to contemporary theoretical philosophy.

This course examines key technological developments and challenges of the 21st century from an ethical perspective. We will discuss some of the following topics: self-driving cars and autonomous weapons systems; the impact of technology on employment; surveillance and the value of privacy; the use of predictive algorithms in the criminal justice system; the risk of human extinction and the value of the future; human enhancement.

This course examines ethical tradeoffs that arise in environmental policy making. We begin by discussing various aspects of the environment that could give it value: abiotic features, non-sentient organisms, animals, species, biodiversity, ecosystems, existing humans, and future humans. The second half of the course explores how individuals and groups should go about protecting the most valuable aspects of the environment. Particular topics include: geoengineering, genetic engineering, family planning, carbon offsetting, global climate policy and inequality, endangered species, invasive species, land restoration, and space exploration.

Designed to introduce advanced students to empirical results in the psychology of group-based bias, to analyze these results along several philosophically important dimensions. We will discuss approaches to the semantics of generic statements, such as 'dogs bark', and consider whether these approaches extend to linguistic expressions of stereotypes, such as 'women are nurturing.' We will explore the psychological nature of stereotypes, as informed by both empirical findings and philosophical insights. The students will consider the epistemic import of stereotypes. Finally, we will consider several ethical views of stereotypes.

This course will study what Greek thinkers, especially philosophers, said about inequality generally, and in particular about the status and treatment of enslaved people, non-Greeks (the so-called barbarians), and women. We will see that these thinkers, far from unreflectively accepting the status quo, were actively engaging with, challenging, or supporting the ideas that slaves are subhuman and that their enslavement is just; that Greeks are irreconcilably opposed to "barbarians;" and that men are naturally different from, and superior to, women. The last part of the course will briefly turn to the post-Classical reception of these ideas.

We investigate the concept of "scientific objectivity" with special reference to its relationship to religious belief and practice. We begin with the revolt against scientific objectivity by 19th century religious thinkers such as Kierkegaard, and the impact this revolt might have had on the development of the sciences -- in particular, on the major revolutions in physical science in the 20th century (Einstein's relativity, and quantum physics). We conclude with a section on current affairs, in particular, the relationship of religious subjectivity to "post-truth" society.

This course takes place in Copenhagen and studies the life and work of Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855). His mission as an author begins with a journal entry he wrote while overlooking the sea north of Copenhagen: "What I really need is to get clear about what I must do, not what I must know, except insofar as knowledge must precede every act. What matters is to find a purpose." We will follow in Kierkegaard's footsteps, both literally and figuratively.

This seminar will examine current controversies in feminist philosophy. Topics to be discussed will include: the sex/gender distinction and social construction; gender essentialism and anti-essentialism; trans theory; intersectionality and critical race theory; standpoint epistemology; epistemic injustice; feminism and liberalism; neoliberalism, global justice, and transnational feminism; feminist methodologies; the hazards and benefits of speaking for, with, and about others; pornography and sex work; sexism and misogyny.

Are simpler theories more likely to be true? Can testimony make it rational to believe in miracles? Should defendants be convicted based on merely statistical evidence? Should the long-term survival of humanity swamp all other interests? Does physics show that there are probably many universes? Do probabilities make sense even if the world is deterministic? We will attack these and other questions through the lens of modern philosophical probability and decision theory.