University of Colorado Denver College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

An introductory course in philosophy which focuses on some of the central questions of philosophy. For example: theories of reality and the nature of knowledge and its limits. The knowledge of these areas of philosophy is essential to the student for informed participation in the resolution of contemporary problems in today's society.

A study of some of the traditional problems in ethics which tend to be focused on the individual morality within the larger context of social and political philosophy. Some specific contemporary moral problems may be addressed. For example: AIDS, abortion, famine, and individual rights versus the collective rights of society.

An introductory course that considers the significance of logical form and language use in argumentation and persuasion. Topics covered include definition, types of discourse, informal fallacies, traditional syllogisms, rules of logical inference, and problem solving similar to that found on the L.S.A.T.

Experiences involving application of specific, relevant concepts and skills in supervised employment situations. Prereqs: 15 hrs of 2.75 GPA.

A history of ancient Greek thought, including traditional myth, presocratic fragments, Plato's dialogues, and Aristotle's systematic philosophy.

A survey of philosophy in the Roman era, focusing on the Hellenistic schools (Epicureanism, Stoicism, and Skepticism), Neoplatonic thought, the advent of Christianity and the earliest Christian philosophers.

History of philosophy from Augustine through Scotus and Ockham, the 5th through the 14th centuries.

History of philosophy from Descartes through Kant.

A survey of representative philosophers, methods, and problems in the twentieth century analytic tradition.

This course will survey the ethical thought of major figures in the history of philosophy beginning with Plato and ending with the 19th century. For example: Aristotle, Hume, Kant, and Mill. The course will proceed with class readings of primary philosophical texts.

An examination of basic issues in social and political philosophy including justice, freedom, individuality, power, and community.

Surveys some of the major moral problems which arise in business, such as the nature and scope of the moral responsibilities of corporations, affirmative action, truth in advertising, etc. Begins with a study of moral reasoning, ethical theory, and the challenges of applying ethical theory.

Attempts to identify and analyze some of the major moral issues of war. When is a war just, when is it not? What are morally acceptable rules of engagement? What, if anything, justifies violating them? How does one evaluate terrorism and war against terrorism? What are moral alternatives to the violence of war?

Study of major theories of reality, including such problems as the nature of substance, space and time, and universals and particulars.

Study of major theories of knowledge, including such problems as perception, and the distinction between belief and knowledge.

Examination of some major concepts and problems of scientific thought: explanation, confirmation, causality, measurement, and theory construction.

A course in philosophical cosmology using material from the sciences, history, and philosophy. The goal is to illuminate our present theories concerning the nature of the universe and the place of life within it.

Covers truth, functional, and quantificational logic through polyadic first order predicate calculus and theory of identity. Attention is given to such problems in metatheory as proofs of the completeness and consistency of systems of logic.

Surveys the different ways we look at race and sex or gender. Possible areas of focus include: the concept of ideology, feminist theory, race theory, and the standpoint debate.

We in the Western World encounter a vastly different world, a radically different "universe of meaning," when we examine the traditions of the East. Even what we tacitly assume to be "real" is claimed by the Hindus and Buddhists of India to be a grand illusion. The world of China is, again, very different from India. An examination of Tibetan and Japanese religious forms will round out our study of Asian thought. Cross-listed with RLST 3400.

Introduction to major theories of aesthetics and contemporary discussions of problems in aesthetics, that is, the nature of art, the problems of evaluation in art.

Designed experiences involving application of specific, relevant concepts and skills in supervised employment situations. PREREQ: Junior standing and 2.75 grade point average.

China is a fascinating world with its own characteristic orientation to philosophical questions. Chinese thinkers produced the "Flowering of a Hundred Schools of Thought" in the Axial Age, the same period of time in which philosophy was coming to birth in ancient Greece. The course will cover some of the Chinese schools, including Confucianism, Taoism, Maoism, Legalism, Chinese "logic" and the later schools of Neo-Confucianism, Neo-Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism. Cross-listed with RLST 3660.

The focus of this course is to examine the source of the tension in the mind of a believer that arises from the confrontation of skeptic and rationalist doctrines. We will examine several works in philosophy and European literature where this tension is best played out: Blaise Pascal's Pensees, F. Dostoyevski's The Brothers Karamazov, S. Kirkegaard's Fear and Trembling, F. Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil and A. Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus. We will also review the classical philosophical arguments of skepticism and rationalism (Sextus Empiricus, Descartes, Spinoza, Hume) and see how they made their inroads into the world of the believer.

The most significant philosophical tradition born in the United States is pragmatism. In this course we will examine several of the most important classical works of this tradition, as well as the influence of thinkers who have helped to shape pragmatism. We also will be seeking to address the contemporary relevance of this tradition. Figures who may be included in this course: Emerson, peirce, Royce, James, Dewey, Mead, Rorty. PREREQ: Introductory course in philosophy.

A survey of representative philosophers, methods, and/or problems in 20th century ethics. Cross-listed with PHIL 5150.

Issues and controversies in contemporary culture, their relation to modern theories of society, and their manifestations in the arts, science and technology, education, religion, and ethics.

PHIL 4220. Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art. Introduction to major theories of aesthetics and contemporary discussions of problems in aesthetics and the philosophy of art, including topics such as: the nature of art, interpretation and evaluation in art. Cross-listed with PHIL 5220 and often with HUM 5220.

Traces the history of a set of ideas collectively known as postmodern. Disrupting traditional frameworks of knowledge, these concepts have had an enormous impact on the social sciences, the humanities, and the arts. Course readings expose students to the cross-disciplinary impact of postmodernism on theory, content, and method. Prereq: Upper division standing .

This course examines ethical theory: virtue ethics, consequentialist ethics, deontological ethics, and contemporary ethics as elucidated by historical and modern proponents. As part of this examination we will examine and define the constituents of the morally good life. As moral creatures we must know what living a morally good life means before we attempt to live one. We will also examine the particular moral principles that apply to biomedical endeavors. We will then examine the difficult ethical issues which face biomedical endeavors. These will include, legal and regulatory standards, abortion, provision of health care to marginalized populations, genetics, reproduction, and end of life issues, and research. Toward this end we will build on an understanding of ethical theories and principles to examine the dilemmas with which health care providers, society, and individuals are presented on a daily basis. At the conclusion of this course the student will be familiar with consequentialist, deontological, and virtue ethics. Further, the student will have experienced the rewards and difficulties of applying ethics to the dilemmas which increasingly face health care professionals, society and individuals. Finally, the student will have acquired, 1) tools with which to make ethical decisions, and 2) the ability to critically evaluate the ethical nature of decisions made by society as a whole.

While human industry/technology creates enormous material prosperity, it can result in devastating environmental damage. This course analyzes the moral values, consequences and duties implied in relationships between human beings, animals and ecological systems, while seeking out new and ethical approaches. Cross-listed with PHIL 5250.

Survey of theoretical positions on the nature of law with particular emphasis on American Law.

An examination of critical and speculative theories of history, including the problems of methodology, explanation, values, and the relationship between history and social philosophy.

Consideration of the problems in the philosophy of mind, such as the mind-body problem, the problem of our knowledge of other minds, and the compatibility of free will and determinism, and discussion of such concepts as action, intention, motive, desire, enjoyment, memory, imagination, dreaming, and self-knowledge.

Consideration of such problems as the changeability and definability of human nature, and the possibility of a science of human nature.

Asks the questions: What is the nature of the human being?; What is our consciousness?; What makes us "human"?; We will examine the various theories put forward in Hinduism and Buddhism, the Chinese debate on human nature, the soul theories of Plato, Hobbes, Aristotle, Descartes, Rousseau, Freud, and Jung. Cross-listed with RLST 4440/5440.

We will examine the "problem of evil." As formulated in the philosophical tradition: if the deity is understood as perfect, then why is there evil? How can a perfect entity create imperfection? Why would an absolutely benevolent God cause or allow the innocent to suffer? The course will present the classical formulation of the problem, the traditional solutions offered, and the classical critiques of each answer. We will also look at the perspectives of the various religious orientations, each of which deals with the question of suffering differently. Cross-listed with RLST 4480.

Critical comparison of different views of nature presupposed in science, art, religion, and environmental policy. Concepts of "natural" are examined in relation to such issues as animal rights, wilderness preservation, synthetic landscape, technology, pollution, and population control.

Nature of religion and methods of studying it. Cross-listed with PHIL 5600, HUM 5600, RLST 4060, 5060, S SC 5600.

The major philosophical texts of one philosopher will be studied in this course. Philosophers to be studied will be major figures in the history of philosophy such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Hume. The course may be taken for credit more than once. PREREQ: PHIL 3002, PHIL 3022.

This course presents an overview of key theoretical issues currently emerging across academic disciplines. We will examine questions about reality, knowledge, and ethics that affect social research and writing in the humanities. Readings explore how contemporary philosophical and cultural discourses have altered theory and method. Assignments include influential theoretical pieces by key historical and contemporary thinkers, examples of application in social research, and interpretations of thought and affect in cultural contexts. Prereq: Graduate status. PHIL 5040 - Skeptic and Believer - The focus of this course is to examine the source of the tension in the mind of a believer that arises from the confrontation of skeptic and rationalist doctrines. We will examine several works in philosophy and European literature where this tension is best played out: Blaise Pascal's Pensees, F. Dostoyevski's The Brothers Karamazov, S. Kirkegaard's Fear and Trembling, F. Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil and A. Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus. We will also review the classical philosophical arguments of skepticism and rationalism (Sextus Empiricus, Descartes, Spinoza, Hume) and see how they made their inroads into the world of the believer.

The most significant philosophical tradition born in the United States is pragmatism. In this course we will examine several of the most important classical works of this tradition, as well as the influence of thinkers who have been part of a dialogue that has helped to shape pragmatism. We also will be seeking to address the contemporary relevance of this tradition. Figures who may be included in this course: Emerson, peirce, Royce, James, Dewey, Mead, Rorty. PREREQ: Introductory course in philosophy.

A survey of representative philosophers, methods, and/or problems in 20th century ethics.

Issues and controversies in contemporary culture, their relation to modern theories of society, and their manifestations in the arts, science and technology, education, religion, and ethics.

Traces the history of a set of ideas collectively known as postmodern. Disrupting traditional frameworks of knowledge, these concepts have had an enormous impact on the social sciences, the humanities, and the arts. Course readings expose students to the cross-disciplinary impact of postmodernism on theory, content, and method. Prereq: Upper division standing .

Examines some of the major moral issues confronting the nation's health care system. The class will search for solutions to such problems as financing health care for those unable to do so on their own, determining the extent of a patient's right to both refuse and demand certain types of medical treatment, and allocating scarce medical resources such as life-saving vital organs. The springboard for examining these issues will be the doctor/patient relationship framed by the moral principles of respect for persons and beneficence.

Survey of theoretical positions on the nature of law with particular emphasis on American Law.

Consideration of the problems in the philosophy of mind, including the mind-body problem, the problem of our knowledge of other minds, and the compatibility of free will and determinism, and discussion of such concepts as action, intention, motive, desire, enjoyment, memory, imagination, dreaming, and self-knowledge.

Critical comparison of different views of nature presupposed in science, art, religion, and environmental policy. Concepts of "natural" are examined in relation to issues of animal rights, wilderness preservation, synthetic landscape, technology, pollution, and population control.

Nature of religion and methods of studying it. Cross-listed with PHIL 4600, HUM 5600, RLST 4060, 5060, S SC 5600.

Consideration of the philosophical dimensions of literature.

Addresses the fundamental questions of truth and reality through natural reason. Topics vary and may include: metaphysics and the rise of modern science; women and the enlightenment; historical problems and linguistic analysis.

Consideration of the nature and importance of experience. The course will focus on British Empiricism, but additional themes which vary may include: American Pragmatism, Logical Positivism, Scientific Empiricism, Phenomenology of Experience.

An examination of the contribution of phenomenology to selected topics in the theory of meaning, philosophy of mind, ontology, and epistemology, through a study of several philosophies such as Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty.

Systematic study of the thought of G.W.F. Hegel through his most important and influential works: The Phenomenology of Spirit, The Encyclopedia of Philosophical Sciences, The Science of Logic, Lectures on the Philosophy of History, and his Lectures on the History of Philosophy, Art, and Religion. The focus of the course will vary.

Studies the thought of Martin Heidegger, one of the most important philosophers of the 20th Century. It will include texts from both Heidegger's early and later periods, and will focus on his analyses of human subjectivity and Being.

A close study of Nietzsche’s philosophical writings, with attention to his significance for philosophy in the 20th century and beyond. Cross-listed with PHIL 4790.
Semester Hours: 3 to 3

A careful study of Plato's writings with an eye to the dialogue form, and discussion of Plato's significance for the history of ethics, political theory, psychology, metaphysics and epistemology.

An examination of Aristotle's systematic philosophy and discussion of its contributions to logic, epistemology, physics, psychology, metaphysics, ethics, and political theory.

Consideration of the work of eighteenth century philosopher David Hume. Emphasis on unity of Hume's thought.

A close study of Immanuel Kant's revolutionary thought. This course will focus on Kant's ontology, epistemology, and critical theory, as they are articulated in his Critique of Pure Reason and Critique of Practical Reason.

Key themes of existentialist thought, for example: the meaning and nature of individual existence, being and absurdity, the nature and significance of choice and freedom, and the dynamic interplay between self and other.

John Dewey was one of the most important of the American philosophers and public intellectuals of the twentieth century. Topics may include Dewey's philosophical naturalism, pragmatist epistemology, process metaphysics and philosophies of experience, aesthetics, religion, technology and democracy. Cross-listed with PHIL 4900.

A philosophical examination of interrelationships between contemporary media, technology and their impacts upon character of contemporary life and values. Topics may include ethics, epistemology, democracy, advertising, media literacy and criticism. Cross-listed with PHILOSOPHY 4920.