Global Arc

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.

The course deals with philosophy as practiced in Latin America from the Spanish Conquest until the contemporary period. Unifying themes are race, identity, and the relationship between European influences and the specific circumstances of Latin America. We will explore these themes by examining the following topics among others: the use of Aristotelian ideas in debates about the appropriate treatment of the indigenous populations of the Americas; and ways in which Latin American thinkers employed ideas of the French enlightenment, Comte's positivism and Marxist concepts to articulate programs for political and cultural change.

An introduction to the philosophical questions raised by biology, with readings from the philosophical and scientific literature from Plato and Aristotle to the present day. Topics may include: human nature, biodiversity, and the definition of life. Extended consideration will be given to Darwinian and rival approaches to evolution.

This seminar will focus on the philosophy of moral agency and responsibility, blame and punishment. It will examine how human interactions are permeated by evaluative understandings of agency and responsibility, and whether such evaluative understandings are well grounded. It will consider what implications this has for inter-personal relations, as well as for social institutions such as criminal justice. We will approach these issues from a multi-disciplinary perspective, examining how philosophical, scientific and institutional considerations can be brought into useful contact with one another. One 3-hour seminar.

An introduction to the free will problem and its implications for ethics and the law.

Conceptual and moral problems in the foundations of law. Topics may include: morality and criminal justice; the justification of punishment; moral and economic problems in private law (torts and contracts); fundamental rights and constitutional interpretation. Two lectures, one precept.