Course Descriptions

This course explores philosophical questions regarding religion, such as the existence of God, the problem of evil, religious language, religious experience, faith and reason, and morality and religion.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

An examination of key authors and texts from Descartes to Hume. Early modern philosophy covers one of the central historical periods of philosophy and saw the emergence of science and development of modern theories of mind and knowledge. This course covers rationalist and empiricist explanations of reality, knowledge, consciousness, and the origin of ideas, as well as the challenge of and responses to skepticism.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.
Note: PHIL 206 is required for all Philosophy major programs.

A study of the origins of philosophical reasoning in ancient Greece to its most extensive development in the philosophy of Plato. Classical views of the ultimate nature of reality, the scope and limits of human knowledge, and the grounds for aesthetic and moral evaluations will be examined.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

The development of philosophy in ancient Greece and Rome from the time of Aristotle to the emergence of Christianity. In addition to a survey of several of the most important aspects of Aristotle's philosophy, this course will examine such schools of thought as Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Neoplatonism.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

The study of major thinkers of the early middle ages, including Augustine, Boethius, Eriugena, Anselm, and Abelard. Background will be provided to Neoplatonic themes that shape this period. Topics include free will, happiness, the existence of God, theories of truth, and the problem of universals.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy; or RLST 112 and CTST 200; or completion of 18 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.

The study of major Jewish, Muslim, and Christian thinkers of the high middle ages, including Moses Maimonides, Avicenna, Averroes, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, and William of Ockham. Background to Aristotle and his tradition will be provided. Topics include the relation of faith and reason, existence and nature of God, human nature, voluntarism, and the critique of metaphysics.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

This course is a survey of the historical origins of analytic philosophy (circa 1900–1960). Central philosophers include Bertrand Russell, G. E. Moore, Ludwig Wittgenstein, A. J. Ayer, Rudolf Carnap and W.V.O. Quine. Central themes include logical atomism and logical positivism in metaphysics and science, external world skepticism and empiricism in epistemology, perception and behaviourism in the philosophy of mind, meaning and reference in the philosophy of language, emotivism in ethics, and verificationism in the philosophy of science.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 12 credit units at the university.

An introduction to 19th and 20th Century existentialist thought from Kierkegaard and Nietzsche to Sartre. Issues to be explored concern the human quest for meaning in existence and include the nature of the human self, truth, freedom, mortality, the significance of God, and the possibility of interpersonal relations.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

Phenomenology is the systematic study of human experience. It aims at breaking through some of our ingrained thinking habits and prejudices in order to reveal various aspects of our lived experience. Whether these prejudices come from psychology, philosophy, or an overly theoretically-laden civilization, the goal of phenomenology is to restore the world as it is actually experienced by us or, as Sartre describes it, to restore to things both their horror and their charm. This course will examine iconic figures in phenomenology such as Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, and Levinas.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

Most of us spend a significant portion of our lives immersed in digital worlds of one form or another, whether through social media, online gaming, or in virtual communities. Our identities and relationships have always reflected our wider social networks; how has life in the digital world changed how we think about these things? In this course we will seek to understand and evaluate digital worlds and how we inhabit them from a variety of philosophical perspectives. Topics to be discussed may include: Online identity (both individual and social), anonymity and accountability, digital citizenship, piracy and file sharing, cyberbullying, cybersex, hacking and ‘hactivism’, and internet addiction.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

What counts as sex? Does being in a sexual relationship with one person restrict our interactions with others? Is it ever okay to objectify someone? Should society endorse certain kinds of sexual relationship and not others? The focus is on philosophical perspectives on sex, sexuality, gender, and erotic love as we consider questions such as the nature of sex, perversion, masturbation, orientation and identity, homosexuality, objectification, pornography, prostitution, and other moral and political issues regarding sexuality.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

Philosophical issues concerning the human relationship with the natural environment, including ethical and political questions about how we interact with the physical world and its inhabitants and about the interpretation of the natural. Topics may include the value and rights of nonhumans, environmental aesthetics, the identification of the "natural," ecotopias, and global environmental justice.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

Behind many of the criticisms made of contemporary society, whether criticisms of its excessive consumerism, bureaucracy and control, surveillance, one-dimensional thinking or its more general malaise, are influential philosophers such as Adorno, Horkheimer, Foucault, Marcuse, Arendt, and Taylor. This course will examine the philosophical basis for common criticisms of society originating in post-Marxist thinkers and extending beyond.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

This course examines a variety of moral issues, such as human sexuality, abortion, euthanasia, war and revolution, environmental ethics and animal rights, and prejudice and discrimination.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

This course provides a practical introduction to ethics and professionalism for students enrolled in Computer Science programs. Students will be introduced to forms of ethical decision making as well as some of the basic legal frameworks of information technology domain, and will become conversant with professional codes of ethics in their discipline. Specific topics to be addressed may include privacy, intellectual property, and security in information technology. Attention will also be paid to the practical aspects of how computing professionals are expected to deal effectively with conflicts of interest, professional communications, and various stakeholder relationships in professional practice.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Restricted to students in the Computer Science and Interactive Systems Design programs.
Prerequisite(s): Completion of at least 6 credit units in 100-level CMPT

What makes an action morally right? Does it depend on what a moral being is? What makes us morally responsible? This course is an investigation of some of the most historically important theories, an examination of their fundamental commitments, and some discussion of contemporary versions of those theories. Philosophers studied will include Aristotle, Kant, and Mill, and others.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

An examination of contemporary biomedical ethical issues such as the definition of a person, determination of life and death, euthanasia, abortion, prenatal diagnosis and intervention, problems in the physician-patient relationship, reproductive technologies, genetic engineering and accessibility to health care.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

An overview of ethical issues related to the impact of modern technology on society, on scientific research, on the activities of corporations and professionals, and how technology affects our understanding of ethical responsibility. Specific topics that may be considered include issues in biotechnology (including genetic engineering and genomic medicine), information technology (including data privacy and the use of encryption technologies), as well as related issues such as intellectual property rights and risk assessment.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

An introduction to philosophical issues regarding law and its relation to morality. Issues to be explored concern the nature and validity of law and the law's proper limits in relation to topics such as freedom of expression, pornography, the definition of family and marriage, civil disobedience, abortion and capital punishment.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

Introduction to ethical issues related to scientific research requiring institutional ethics review and approval. Theoretical approaches in ethics and their relationship to national and institutional guidelines governing research protocol compliance are considered. Topics include Aristotelian, Kantian and Utilitarian ethics, ethical standards in designing research protocols, and protection of research subjects.

Weekly hours: 2 Lecture hours and 1 Tutorial hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

What is a just cause to go to war? Are there moral ways to fight a war? Is the only morally defensible position to oppose war altogether and embrace pacifism? How does morality even apply in a time of weapons of mass destruction and global terrorism? This course will examine just war theory and consider challenges presented by pacifists, moral sceptics and by the contemporary nature of war itself.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

An introduction to modern logic. The syntax, semantics, and proof theory of truth-functional statement logic and first order predicate logic. Formalization of natural language statements and arguments.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.
Note: Students with credit for PHIL 242 or 243 may not take this course for credit, nor may students take PHIL 241 and 243 concurrently. To receive credit for both PHIL 241 and 243 students must take PHIL 241 prior to PHIL 243.

A continuation of the logic covered in PHIL 241. A brief review of semantics and proof theory for propositional logic, followed by its metatheory; introduction to modal logics and their philosophical significance; polyadic predicate logic with identity; definite descriptions; elementary set theory; time permitting, topics on non-standard elementary logic.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 241 or CMPT 260.
Note: Students with credit for PHIL 242 may not take this course for credit.

An introduction to the nature, extent and significance of scientific knowledge. Problems about the nature of scientific theories and models, scientific explanation and prediction, scientific growth, and issues about the relationship between science, religion and morality will be discussed.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or 6 credit units in science or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

An examination of philosophical theories of political organization. Such issues as justice and power, rights, freedom and the public good will be discussed.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

An examination of rational choice in individual and collective decision-making. Topics include: decisions under certainty, risk and uncertainty, and probability, belief and value as utilized in choice principles. The course will explore maximization of expected utility, minimal loss/regret, optimism-pessimism, basic game theory and applications in moral, social and political decision-making.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

This course explores basic issues in aesthetics. What is art? Are aesthetic judgments objective or merely subjective matters of taste and feeling? Is it possible to have standards of criticism? Is art fictional and if so can it be true? What is the place of art in human life?

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy, or 6 credit units in fine arts or LIT, or completion of 18 credit units at the university level, or permission of the instructor.

What do we really experience when we listen to music? Why do we appreciate the music we do? Do we appreciate music because of the objective properties in the music? Does it have to be beautiful? Or is music appreciation more a matter of subjectivity? Does music cause pleasure? Does it express something? Does it mean something? Is it like a language? How is music related to technology? Does music make us better or worse? What role does it play in society? What role should it play in society? These are some of the questions we will address in this class devoted to the philosophy of music.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy, or 6 credit units in fine arts or LIT, or completion of 18 credit units at the university level, or permission of the instructor.

This course explores philosophical questions that arise concerning film, including those involving the value, meaning, and ontology of film. Questions covered may include: What is the nature of film? What is the role of theory in the filmmaking process? Why do viewing audiences have the kinds of experiences that they do? What is the purpose of filmmaking? Is film a suitable medium for engaging in the practice of philosophy? What is the connection between the value of a film and its moral content? What role do the filmmaker’s intentions play in the correct interpretation of a film? The questions and theories considered may be addressed from the points of view of filmmakers, critics, philosophers, and viewing audiences.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

Examines the status and extent of our knowledge of the world, of ourselves, and other people. Problems about the nature of knowledge, the justification of claims of knowledge, the relationship of knowledge to belief and truth, perception, and the viability of scepticism will be discussed.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

An introduction to the Philosophy of Mind. Topics include: consciousness, thought, intentionality, emotions, action and the will, other minds (human and artificial), the concept of the self and theories about the nature of the mind.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

An investigation into some central problems of metaphysics regarding the nature of reality. Questions to be considered may include: What exists and how does it continue through time? What is time? What are things? Are humans free? What are causes? Are there selves and can they remain the same if they change?

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

Death is inevitable. This course examines the philosophical significance of this by considering a variety of issues surrounding the meaning, reality, and moral and political implications of death and dying. Some of the following questions may be studied: Would it be good to be immortal? Does anything survive the bodily death of a person? What does it mean to be dead? Is death an evil? How should an understanding of my own mortality influence the way I live my life?

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

A philosophical examination of whether there is a human nature, through both historical and contemporary discussions. Will include topics such as the importance of narrative, biology and evolution, selfishness, gender, race, freedom, and personhood.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

Am I my body or is my body mine? This course provides a philosophical exploration of the body and embodiment. Questions to be covered may include: Is there a self without a body? Do different bodies shape different selves? How are bodies disabled, raced, gendered, or sexed? How are selves expressed through sport, play, and performance? How does embodied experience change over time? What makes bodies and their movements beautiful?

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours