2023-24
PHIL 111-001 A/B
What is Philosophy?
FALL & WINTER - IN PERSON
The course opens with a classic of western philosophy, namely the Meno. Like Plato’s other works, this dialogue features the famous ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates. We will end the term, coming full circle across two and a half millennia, to read essays by contemporary American philosopher, Angela Y. Davis. Like Socrates, Davis was incarcerated and charged with a capital crime—a charge on which she was eventually, unlike Socrates, found not guilty.
In between our study of those works we examine examples of early modern European political philosophy and Indigenous thought on Turtle Island. Specifically, we’ll compare social contract theory with Haudenosaunee teachings about the Great Law of Peace and Anishinaabe reflections on land and agency. Among the themes and philosophical questions that we’ll discuss this term are whether virtue can be taught, how our assumptions about the nature of reality relate to what we think is knowable, and how what we are and what we can know could determine our moral and political responsibilities. Texts and lectures will introduce specific ideas, questions, arguments, and analyses.
Students will be evaluated in the Fall term on their comprehension of this content as well as their engagement as readers of philosophical texts, and their abilities to clearly express insights and arguments in short essay style assignments.
Fall term Assessment: Regular online reading annotations (10x 0.5%) Online and in- class participation Log 5% Texts/Readings: multiple readings available electronically through the course Perusall platform and Queen’s library electronic reserves
Winter Term: We will begin the winter term with another dip into ancient philosophy, this time to look at how two key ancient philosophical traditions, Stoicism and Epicureanism, built up holistic systems that integrated philosophies of nature with philosophies of human action and happiness. From there we will move to the Early-Modern and modern periods to explore some profoundly influential—and sometimes profoundly corrosive—ways of understanding the world, as well as our own place in it. The tendrils of these approaches will lead us to discussions of free will and determinism, questions about our moral responsibility in a shared society, and questions about what can be said to exist and how we can know it.
Winter term Assessment: TBA, but probably broadly similar to the fall term.
PHIL 111-002 A/B
What is Philosophy?
FALL & WINTER - IN PERSON
This full-year course covers an array of topics. The course starts with one of the biggest questions that humans are able to ask themselves: does God exist? This question leads to a number of other questions concerning religion, all of which are addressed in the first half of the fall semester. After concluding this module in the philosophy of religion, the course proceeds to a module in ethics. The core issue here concerns the source(s) of morality: where does ethics come from? We will study three diametrically opposed answers to this question before concluding for the winter break.
At the beginning of the winter semester, we commence with a module in metaphysics. Specifically, we ask whether humans have free will. As time allows, we will also discuss what’s known as the “problem of induction” – more colloquially, what reason do we have to suppose that the future will resemble the past? The next module is epistemology. Here our over-arching concern will be to learn how it is that we obtain knowledge of the external world. We will examine four different explanations of this phenomenon. The final module of the winter semester as well as the course as a whole is political philosophy. Among the issues that we will explore here are the following: when can the state force someone to do something? and what justifies the existence of the state, anyway?
In keeping with the official title of the course, we will use some of history’s most important texts as our guides to addressing the issues before us. The philosophers whom we will read include: Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Hobbes, Kant, and J.S. Mill. The readings are kept short, so as to aid students’ comprehension.
As for assignments, students will have to write four papers – two each semester. There will be tests at the end of each semester. There will also be several quizzes and comment sheets. The precise nature and value of the assignments will be explained at the beginning of the course in September.
PHIL 115 A/B
Fundamental Questions
FALL & WINTER - IN PERSON
PHIL 115 is an introductory, year-long course in which we explore some of the fundamental questions of philosophy together. The course assumes no prior knowledge of philosophical concepts or ideas but inaugurates students into the traditional divisions of philosophy—metaphysics (the study of reality or existence), epistemology (the study of knowledge), ethics (the study of morality or values), and social and political philosophy (the study of flourishing, justice, and ideal socioeconomic and political arrangements)—as well as a wide range of philosophical inquiries, including but not limited to the philosophy of religion and the meaning of life. These divisions structure the course so that the topics we explore each semester take the form ‘fundamental questions’ that have preoccupied subjects throughout the ages. As we shall see, the questions themselves do not admit of simple or unitary answers. Therefore, the class encourages critical engagement, charitable interpretation, and thinking alongside-and-with others rather than promoting a set of determinate answers to the ten fundamental questions that we survey.
PHIL 151
Great Works of Philosophy
FALL - IN PERSON, WINTER - IN PERSON, SUMMER - ASO
Our exploration of some of the classic works of western philosophy will be guided by two main threads. The first is: what can we know, and how? And the other is: how should we live, and why? To address these questions, we will examine some of the works of Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Mill (among others), and see how a critical engagement with their thought brings us to practice philosophy as a living, breathing discipline.
Combination of discussion participation, papers, and tests.
PHIL 153
The State and the Citizen
FALL - IN PERSON
This course introduces students to the central questions of political philosophy by exploring the relationship between states and the citizens over whom they preside. We will do so by examining the works of some of the field’s canonical authors (e.g. Hobbes, Locke, Mill, Rawls) through the lens of three guiding questions. First, what, if anything, justifies the existence of states? Second, what do states owe their citizens? Third, what do citizens owe, either to the states they inhabit, or to one another?
Examining these canonical authors through the lens of these guiding questions will allow us to engage with a number of more particular issues with which political philosophers have been concerned. Such issues include, but are not limited to:
What would life look like if states did not exist?
Should states be organized democratically, or is there some superior form of governance?
When, if ever, is it permissible to disobey the law?
What is the relationship between freedom, rights, and equality?
What makes a state just or unjust?
What might states owe to non-citizens?
PHIL 157
Moral Issues
FALL - IN PERSON
An introduction to philosophical reasoning through the examination of topical moral issues.
Assessment: A mix of short essays and exams.
PHIL 157
Moral Issues
WINTER - ASO
Diverse philosophers and wisdom traditions respond variously to questions about what it means to be moral, ethical, or live “in a good way”. This course introduces multiple frameworks shaping these responses. We will look at how utilitarianism focuses on the positive and negative effects of an action and rejects fixed ideas about certain actions being always forbidden or always demanded. With Immanuel Kant, and theorists of human rights, we will ask if there is anything we just should not do no matter how beneficial its consequences might be for others. We will also draw on the insights of Mahayana Buddhism, feminist ethics of care, African Ubuntu, as well as Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee teachings about interdependence and our responsibilities to all our relations. We consider how relationality and caring are not merely about kindness but are practices that help us know what is needed and how best to respond individually and/or collectively to challenging situations.
We test our understanding of diverse moral frameworks and teachings by relating them to selected moral issues. These issues may include lying and cheating; consensual sexuality; harmful speech; incarceration; climate crisis; medical ethics, public health and the provision of care; our responsibilities to strangers, as well as to the natural environment; and, whether we have a moral responsibility to challenge (our own) ignorance.
Skills emphasized include carefully reading philosophical texts for argument, assumptions and implications; respectful and critical conversation with peers; reflective writing exercises to explore and test your intuitions; as well as the elements of written philosophical argumentation. The course is suitable for students in any discipline, and for philosophy concentrators keen to reflect on their own values and reasonable alternatives.
Texts/Readings: All course readings are available either on the Queen’s Library eReserves and on the course website and Perusall platform. There is no textbook to buy.
Assessment:
Regular online active-reading assignments (5%)
Best 5 out of 6 multiple-choice reading-comprehension quizzes (5%)
3 writing assignments (15%+25%+40%)
Portfolio of Learner Reflections (5 entries) 10%
No prerequisites or exclusions: N/A
Note: The course is suitable for students in any year of any discipline, including philosophy concentrators keen to reflect on their own views and reasonable alternatives. No background in philosophy is assumed.
2022-23
FALL & WINTER - IN PERSON
Are you looking for a broad introduction to philosophy? Here’s a course structured both around some important themes and the broad sweep of philosophy’s history. We’ll explore arguments about reality, knowledge, ethics and politics, from antiquity to the current day. We’ll be dealing with abstract issues about such things as the basis of morality, and then will apply what we learn to some contemporary issues: climate change, poverty, and world hunger, distributive justice, and knowledge production. In the final part of the course, we explore some ethical controversies concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, including some of: concerns about containment and mitigation, vaccine hesitancy, vaccine hoarding and patents, and vaccine inequality.
We’ll also be focusing on writing. Students in this course will be evaluated on the basis of a number of small writing assignments each term. There will be no midterms or exams.
This course will be taught both as an online-only course and as a course with face-to-face components, allowing students maximum flexibility.
- Texts/Readings: multiple readings, mostly available online
- Assessment: multiple small assignments and essays
Learning Hours: online delivery - 240 (72L; 168P)
- Prerequisite: N/A
- Exclusion: No more than 1 course from PHIL 115/6.0; PHIL 127/6.0; PHIL 151/3.0.
- Note: Students considering a Major or Medial Plan in PHIL are strongly urged to take PHIL 111/6.0 or PHIL 115/6.0 in their first year.
PHIL 111-002 A/B
What is Philosophy?
FALL & WINTER - IN PERSON
This full-year course covers an array of topics. The course starts with one of the biggest questions that humans are able to ask themselves: does God exist? This question leads to a number of other questions concerning religion, all of which are addressed in the first half of the fall semester. After concluding this module in the philosophy of religion, the course proceeds to a module in ethics. The core issue here concerns the source(s) of morality: where does ethics come from? We will study three diametrically opposed answers to this question before concluding for the winter break.
At the beginning of the winter semester, we commence with a module in metaphysics. Specifically, we ask whether humans have free will. As time allows, we will also discuss what’s known as the “problem of induction” – more colloquially, what reason do we have to suppose that the future will resemble the past? The next module is epistemology. Here our over-arching concern will be to learn how it is that we obtain knowledge of the external world. We will examine four different explanations of this phenomenon. The final module of the winter semester as well as the course as a whole is political philosophy. Among the issues that we will explore here are the following: when can the state force someone to do something? and what justifies the existence of the state, anyway?
In keeping with the official title of the course, we will use some of history’s most important texts as our guides to addressing the issues before us. The philosophers whom we will read include: Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Hobbes, Kant, and J.S. Mill. The readings are kept short, so as to aid students’ comprehension.
As for assignments, students will have to write four papers – two each semester. There will be tests at the end of each semester. There will also be several quizzes and comment sheets. The precise nature and value of the assignments will be explained at the beginning of the course in September.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.
LEARNING HOURS 240 (72L;168P).
Requirements: Prerequisite None. Exclusion PHIL 151. Note Students considering a Major or Medial Plan in PHIL are strongly urged to take PHIL 111 or PHIL 115 in their first year of study.
Course Equivalencies: PHIL111; PHIL111B
PHIL 115 A/B
Fundamental Questions
FALL & WINTER – IN PERSON
Representative basic philosophical issues will be explored, such as: good and bad arguments, the source of moral obligation, the justification of knowledge claims, free will and determinism, the social enforcement of gender roles, taking responsibility for the environment, and the meaning of life.
LEARNING HOURS 240 (48L;24T;168P).
Requirements: Prerequisite None. Note Students considering a Major or Medial Plan in PHIL are strongly urged to take PHIL 111 or PHIL 115 in their first year of study.
FALL/SUMMER -ASO, WINTER - IN PERSON
Our exploration of some of the classic works of western philosophy will be guided by two main threads. The first is: what can we know, and how? And the other is: how should we live, and why? To address these questions, we will examine some of the works of Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Mill,and see how a critical engagement with their thought brings us to practice philosophy as a living, breathing discipline.
- Texts/Readings: Available via the onQ website
- Assessment: Combination of discussion participation, papers, and tests
- Learning Hours: Blended learning model, combining independent guided reading and in-person discussion:120 (24L;12T;84P)
- Prerequisites: N/A
- Exclusion: PHIL 111/6.0
PHIL 153
State and the Citizen
FALL – IN PERSON
This course introduces students to the central questions and methods of contemporary political philosophy. The course is structured around two deeply related questions. First, when and why should states exist? Second, what should states (not) do? Via an examination of these questions and how philosophers have attempted to answer them, students will be introduced to other canonical questions of political philosophy. For example: when (if ever) and why should citizens (dis)obey the law? What individual rights should states recognize, and why? Would there be such things as rights (for example, to property) in a world without states? In what respect (if any) should states treat their citizens “as equals”? What does it mean to say that a state is “just”? Is an undemocratic state, as such, “unjust”, “illegitimate”, or otherwise deficient? What is “global justice”? Should there be a global state or federacy?
Texts/Readings:
Assessment
Argument Reconstruction: 10%
Argument Reconstruction + Critical Analysis: 20%
Short Essay: 30%
Take-Home Exam: 30%
LEARNING HOURS 120 (36L;84P).
Requirements: Prerequisite None.
PHIL 157
Moral Issues
FALL – IN PERSON
An introduction to ethics via an examination of controversial moral issues. Special topics: abortion; animal rights; euthanasia.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online.
LEARNING HOURS 120 (24L;12G;84P).
Requirements: Prerequisite None.
WINTER - ONLINE (ASO) (3.0)
Diverse philosophers and wisdom traditions respond variously to questions about what it means to live morally, ethically, or, “in a good way”. This course introduces multiple moral frameworks and how they orient us to respond to moral issues, as well as what they might cause us to overlook. We will look at how utilitarianism focuses on the positive and negative effects of an action and rejects fixed ideas about certain actions being always forbidden or always demanded. With Immanuel Kant, and theorists of human rights, we will ask if there are any actions we just should not do no matter how much they might benefit many of us. We will also draw on the insights of feminist ethics of care, African Ubuntu, as well as Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee teachings about interdependence and our responsibilities to all our relations. We will consider how caring is not merely an impulse to be kind, but is a practice that helps us know what is needed and how best to respond individually and/or collectively within webs of relations.
We will test our understanding of diverse moral frameworks and teachings by relating them to selected issues. These issues may include lying and cheating; consensual sexuality; harmful speech; incarceration; climate crisis; public health and wellbeing; our responsibilities to strangers, as well as to the natural environment; and, whether we have a moral responsibility to challenge (our own) ignorance.
Skills emphasized include the careful and reading of philosophical texts, for argument, assumptions and implications; respectful and critical oral discussion and reflective writing to explore and test your intuitions; and, written argumentation. The course is suitable for students in any discipline, and for philosophy concentrators keen to reflect on their own views and reasonable alternatives.
- Texts/Readings: All course readings are available either on the Queen’s Library eReserve for this course, or as links of PDFs on the course website. This includes the Instructor’s Unit Notes. There is no textbook to buy.
- Assessment:
-
- Regular online active-reading assignments (10%)
- Best five out of six multiple-choice reading-comprehension quizzes (20%)
- 4 short writing assignments (10%+ 15%+20%+25%)
- Learning Hours: All lectures and learning activities are available asynchronously, online. To complete the readings, assignments, and course activities, students can expect to spend on average, about 10 hours per week (120 hours per term) on the course. 120 (36L;84P)
- Prerequisites: N/A
- Exclusions: N/A
- Note: The course is suitable for students in any year of any discipline, including philosophy concentrators keen to reflect on their own views and reasonable alternatives. No background in philosophy is assumed.