PHIL-P 200 PROBLEMS OF PHILOSOPHY (3 CR.)
Important problems at the center of rational reflection upon human experience, including issues in ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy, philosophy of religion, metaphysics, epistemology, and/or the history of philosophical thought. Emphasis upon interpretation, critical analysis, and evaluation of philosophical texts from contemporary and/or historical perspectives. Topics vary. Introductory level.
1 classes found
Spring 2025
| Component | Credits | Class | Status | Time | Day | Facility | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEC | 3 | 13752 | Closed | 3:55 p.m.–5:10 p.m. | MW | WI C111 | O'Connor T |
Regular Academic Session / In Person
LEC 13752: Total Seats: 35 / Available: 0 / Waitlisted: 0
Lecture (LEC)
- COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inq
- IUB GenEd A&H credit
- IUB GenEd A&H credit
- COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inquiry credit
Topic: Free will
"It's up to you - make up your mind." Every day, we make choices. Most times, it feels to us as if our choices are "free": nothing outside us nor any hidden drive or compulsion within makes us choose as we do. We chose one way, but we might just as easily have chosen another. And people assume that of one another, too, when they criticize or praise the choices that others make. But what exactly are we supposing when we say that (some of) our choices are "free" - when we say that we have a kind of voluntary control over the choices we make that is sometimes called "free will"? We will spend an entire term exploring this question. For, as we will see once we do a little digging, this simple question leads to a host of issues and puzzles, and what to say about them is not obvious. (Confident prediction: we won¿t all agree in our responses to them!) And we will think about other interesting matters along the way, such as robots and AI, time travel, and God. This course will be discussion-driven, with a lively textbook serving as the backbone. The book will be supplemented by other readings that I will post on Canvas and likely a thought-provoking film clip or two.
The College of Arts