Examination of the concepts of morality, obligation, human rights and the good life. Competing theories about the foundations of morality will be investigated.

Study of the basic skills of good reasoning needed for the intelligent and responsible conduct of life. Topics include: argument structure and identification, validity and strength of arguments, common fallacies of reasoning, use and abuse of language in reasoning, principles of fair play in argumentation.

Representative selection of philosophical problems will be explored in areas such as knowledge, reality, religion, science, politics, art and morals.

Introduction to the history of philosophy, emphasizing such themes as the foundations of knowledge, the nature of reality, the basis of a good life and a just society, the existence of God, and the nature of self, and tracing the development of these themes from antiquity to the modern period.

Introduction to deductive logic. Topics include: basic concepts of deductive logic; techniques of formal proof in propositional and predicate logic.

Introduction to inductive logic and the problem of decision under uncertainty. Topics include: the nature of inductive rationality, philosophical theories of induction and probability, cognitive biases and common errors in inductive reasoning, and philosophical problems in defining risk, rational agency, and the expected value of an action.

Analytical treatment of controversial moral issues which emerge in the business world, e.g., affirmative action, corporate responsibility, the global economy, industry and environmental damage, social effects of advertising, the computer threat to personal privacy, ownership of computer programs. Discussion will focus on basic moral principles and concepts relevant to these issues.

Ethical dilemmas faced by professionals and patients in the field of medicine, e.g., patient self-determination and informed consent, discrimination in health care, euthanasia, abortion, surrogate motherhood, genetic modification, and rights to health care. Emphasis is on the well-reasoned application of general moral principles to practical medical decisions.

Investigation of the main approaches to ethics in Western moral philosophy. Emphasis on Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant and Mill.

Prerequisite: GWAR certification before Fall 09; or WPJ score of 80+; or 3-unit placement in ENGL 109M/W; or 4-unit placement in ENGL 109M/W and co-enrollment in ENGL 109X; or WPJ score 70/71 and co-enrollment in ENGL 109X.

A philosophical examination of the individual, the community, and rights; the conflict between individual rights and the common good; various conceptions of justice, equality, liberty and the public good; and the relationship of politics to ethics, economics, law; war and peace.

Study of the philosophical problems that arise in the sciences: the nature of scientific reasoning, the limits and styles of explanation, identifying pseudoscience, values in science, unity and diversity of the sciences, and science's impact on our world view.

Examination of the major developments in Western philosophy after the Middle Ages with emphasis on the period from Descartes to Kant.

Prerequisite: 3 units in Philosophy.

Introduction to philosophical theology, the philosophical study of religious assertions, arguments, and beliefs: the existence and nature of God; the rationality of religious belief; the relation of faith to reason; the problem of evil; immortality and resurrection; the possibility of miracles; the meaning of religious language. Includes both traditional and contemporary approaches.

Survey of the major philosophical traditions of China and Japan, focusing on concepts of nature, man, society, freedom and knowledge. Special attention will be given to Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and recent philosophical movements. Taught alternate semesters with PHIL 145B.

Prerequisite: GWAR certification before Fall 09; or WPJ score of 80+; or 3-unit placement in ENGL 109M/W; or 4-unit placement in ENGL 109M/W and co-enrollment in ENGL 109X; or WPJ score 70/71 and co-enrollment in ENGL 109X.

Major topics in ethical theory with attention to their contemporary formulation, including such topics as utilitarianism vs. rights-based theories and the dispute over the objectivity of ethics.

Rival theories of the nature of the mind and mental activity, including dualism, materialism, functionalism. Difficulties in achieving a theoretical understanding of familiar psychological concepts such as belief, sensation, emotion, intention.

Prerequisite: 3 units in philosophy or instructor permission.

Theories of the nature of law, e.g., natural law, legal positivism, legal realism. Selected controversies in contemporary law will also be studied, such as the justification of punishment, the legislation of morality, judicial activism vs. judicial restraint.

Further study of deductive logic. Topics include: principles of inference for quantified predicate logic; connectives; quantifiers; relations; sets; modality; properties of formal logical systems, e.g. consistency and completeness; and interpretations of deductive systems in mathematics, science, and ordinary language.

Prerequisite: MATH 31, PHIL 60, or instructor permission.

Examines the concept of knowledge. Representative topics include: the role of sense perception and memory, the importance of certainty, the justification of belief, philosophical skepticism, the concept of truth and the nature of philosophical inquiry. Emphasis is on contemporary formulations.

Prerequisite: 6 units in philosophy or instructor permission.

Examines arguments concerning the nature of reality. Representative topics include: substance, space, time, God, free will, determinism, identity, universals. Emphasis is on contemporary formulations.

Prerequisite: 6 units in philosophy or instructor permission.

A required capstone experience in the philosophy major. The course involves: completion of a senior essay under direction of a faculty member; preparation for knowledge and skills examination; submission of written critiques for three public events in philosophy; completion of departmental assessment questionnaire.

Prerequisite: 12 upper-division units in Philosophy.

Introduction to significant philosophical issues involving space and time. An investigation into the current state of these issues.

Note: No background or work in mathematics or physics is required.

Prerequisite: 6 units in philosophy or instructor permission.

Cross-listed: HRS 205; only one may be counted for credit.

Supervised work experience in an approved office or organization where significant philosophical issues are raised. The student must write regular reports on these issues. Supervision is provided by the faculty instructor and a managing official in the work situation. Open to majors only.

Prerequisite: Instructor permission.

Special projects calling for independent philosophical investigation under the supervision of an individual faculty member.

Note: Requires prior approval of the faculty member under whom work is to be conducted.