[more], We often associate modern faith in the prospects of universal human dignity, rational autonomy, the rights of man, individual liberty, democracy, open scientific inquiry and social and political progress with the Enlightenment . We will then turn to contemporary controversies such as campus free speech. Is there a room for the notion of collective intention in filmmaking? If time permits, we'll also look briefly at some recent post-Rawlsian debates about the nature of distributive justice (e.g., luck vs. relational egalitarianism, or global justice). Fanon ushered in the decolonial turn in critical theory, a move calling on those both within and outside of Europe to challenge the coloniality of the age and to forge a new vision of politics in the postcolonial period. We'll try to make some progress on these issues. But how often do we ask: What is freedom? Now, ask yourself: who shaves the barber? The son of former Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh has been granted unsupervised day leave from the mental health facility where he lives. And on what grounds can we justify confidence in our provisional answers to such questions? [more], Logic is the study of reasoning and argument. The aim of this course is to examine the origins, grounds, and nature of this belief. Why should one obey the law (if one should)? This tutorial aims to provide students with the skills necessary for careful, serious and thorough reading of Wittgenstein's later philosophy. The College Mission Statement says that "Williams seeks to provide the finest possible liberal arts education by nurturing in students the academic and civic virtues, and their related traits of character." We turn first to two of Plato's most famous dialogues,The Apology and,The Republic. [more], Intellectually, we are ready skeptics and relativists. We'll also work on writing lucid prose that displays precisely the logical structure of arguments, engages in focused critique of these arguments, and forcefully presents arguments of our own. The view of the tragedians can lead to a thoroughgoing nihilism according to which --the best thing of all [for a human being] is never to have born-but the next best thing is to die soon (Aristotle's Eudemus as quoted in Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy; see also Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus)." Moreover, the ethical issues that are implicated in responses to the pandemic reflect the range of those manifested across the field of public health as a whole. More importantly, many of the thinkers that we will read in this class are simply excellent philosophers, and it is worthwhile for anyone interested in philosophical problems to read treatments of these problems by excellent philosophers. While looking at film as art, as document, as experiment and as entertainment, we will always keep in sight specific theoretical assumptions that underlie different understandings of film, and different critical approaches to the medium. Other philosophers and literary theorists have used some of their ideas recently to throw light on the nature of textual meaning and the interpretation of literary texts. What we have here is an example of the sorites paradox. However, the status of loyalty as a virtue has always been suspect: it has been argued that it is incompatible with impartiality, fairness and equality, and claimed that it is always exclusionary. We will begin with Washington's classic article "Industrial Education for the Negro" and DuBois' classic "The Talented Tenth". (Foot also invented the infamous trolley car thought experiment.) WILLIAMS NEWS Covid-19 InformationCovid-19 is an ongoing concern in our region, including on campus . [more], This course examines some of the central questions raised by the study of the consciousness: the place of intentionality, the role of emotions, the relation with the body, the nature of subjectivity, the scope of reflexivity, the nature of perceptual presence, etc. It is difficult, however, to get clear on the relation between the meaning of an expression and its reference. How can we ensure that AI's will act morally? Science is only "true" for some people, agnosticism is the only alternative to foolish superstition, and moral relativism and, consequently, nihilism are obvious. More than this, Existentialists emphasize the subjective relation we bear to our belief systems, moral codes, and personal identities. [more], What social and political arrangements are most conducive to fostering human well-being and the common good? Student interest will be taken into consideration in deciding what additional topics to cover. This seminar will try to establish, with as much accuracy as the subject allows, what are the central tenets of American Pragmatism, how they have shaped contemporary epistemology and the philosophy of science, and finally, to what extent are pragmatist approaches to human knowledge philosophically sound and fruitful. See if you can figure out why this is sometimes called a paradox, and then ask yourself what this has to do with our opening questions. Using resources from philosophy and linguistics, we will study various ways in which literal and non-literal uses of language influence our social lives. Are we ever justified in having more concern, and doing more, for our friends, family, community or nation? Always asking what practical difference would it make, our authors investigate the central questions and disputes of philosophy, from epistemology and metaphysics to ethics and religion. This course is part of the John Hyde Teaching Fellowship. In this way, we come to appreciate the importance of considering the biology on which mental processes are based and the light that this approach throws on the nature of consciousness. This course argues that by reference to the historically specific modes of subjectivity and sociality that resulted from the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Haitian Revolution, for instance, we can better understand and address long-standing questions in European Social Philosophy. But three grains isn't enough for a heap. Finally, we will consider how the concept of freedom is applied in contemporary social contexts, such as speech, religion, voting, and sexuality and gender. In the spirit of reconciliation the AFL acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. What is the relationship between the mind and the body? What are the forces, and the dynamics between forces (i.e., economic, technological, modes of communication, techniques of social control, biological, psychological) that make certain types of subjects possible influencing both their self-understandings and their forms of life? It is at the same time the most intimately known fact of our humanity and science's most elusive puzzle. In order to be justified in holding a belief, must someone know (or believe) that she is justified in holding that belief? These affect not only our particular choices but also, more fundamentally, who we are and what we value. Perhaps, then, economics is not primarily a predictive science, but instead a descriptive, historical, and/or mathematical one. Last offered Fall 2017 . Emboldened by our confidence in skeptical arguments, we claim that knowledge is inevitably limited, that it depends on one's perspective, and that everything one believes is relative to context or culture. stagflation of the 1970s, and bursting of the mortgage bubble in 2008. We will discuss major works (philosophical, literary, visual) by such figures as Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Richard Wright, Ingmar Bergman and Jean-Luc Godard. Does being virtuous guarantee happiness? : On Justice and Freedom in Western Political Philosophy. [more], In this course, we follow the Indian philosophical conversation concerning the self and the nature of consciousness, particularly as they are found in its various Yogic traditions. While answers to such questions are implicit in historically important accounts of morality, these issues became the topic of explicit, sustained debate in the twentieth and twenty-first century. Each book was chosen by and will be introduced by a professor from a different department, and then Professor of Philosophy Steve Gerrard will continue the discussion. Now I'm confused. Further, even where there is agreement as to the proper way of answering epistemological questions, there is a stunning variety of possible answers to each question. Aristotle sets out to study being qua being, or what is insofar as it is. We'll try to make some progress on these issues. [more], The core activity of this seminar is the careful reading and sustained discussion of selected works by Plato and Aristotle, but we will also engage such other thinkers as Epictetus and Augustine, and, from a political and theoretical point of view, selections from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. "Phil Walsh was a man of boundless energy and enthusiasm, and his death is a tragic loss. Conversation is dynamic--the back and forth exchange of information is a process that grows and adapts to the surrounding context. For example, many people would agree that 'Keith's favorite unicorn' is a meaningful expression. What is essential to human being is not any fixed set of characteristics, but rather what a human being becomes and how it defines and creates itself under conditions it does not choose. According to the other, every class was well-populated, potentially by different groups. Stoicism and skepticism, however, are wildly divergent schools of thought. . [more], The primary way we interact with others is through the use of language. Must the freedom or fulfillment of some people require the subordination of others? His thought influenced the thought of subsequent generations of philosophers. First of all, Greek thinkers, especially Plato and Aristotle, radically shaped the trajectory of western thought in every area of philosophy. philosophers deeply influenced by pragmatism do not recognize the fact, while, on the other hand, some self-proclaimed pragmatists of our days can hardly be seen as continuing the tradition to which they pledge allegiance. Our main goal in this course is to work our way through Aristotle's text which can be extremely daunting, and to reconstruct his central positions and his arguments for these positions. But we also question the value of these tools based on first person approaches by relating them to the third person studies of the mind. Are there metaphysical and ideological assumptions in contemporary psychiatry, and if so, could and should they be avoided? [more], According to Jean-Paul Sartre, the only philosopher to ever refer to himself as an "existentialist," existence precedes essence. The millennia old problem of whether human suffering is compatible with God's perfection is called "the problem of evil." This theoretically oriented work will provide the background for subsequent examination of specific topics, which may include, among others: justice in health care financing and reform; justice in health care rationing and access to health care, with particular attention to the intersections of rationing criteria with gender, sexuality, race, disability, and age; justice in the procurement and allocation of organs for transplantation; obesity and personal responsibility for illness; and justice in medical research, including "double standards" for research conducted in low resource settings. In this course we aim to engage that abstract question through two more focused projects. [more], We will consider a series of debates in 20th Century Analytic Philosophy concerning the relationship between the mind and the world. His depiction of the trial and death of Socrates is one of the classics of western literature, and his views on ethics and politics continue to occupy a central place in our discussions 2400 years after they were written. Williams, Bernard. I just wanted to put on here a tribute video that my Assistant Jessica has put together for Murdered Adelaide Football coach Phil Walsh, who was a true leader of young men in sport and life (it is . Pascal's wager is a different approach: it argues that even though proof of the existence of God is unavailable, you will maximize your expected utility be believing. Phil Walsh dead following domestic dispute, Statement from Gillon McLachlan on round 14. Conceptions of person are equally important in science (especially in psychology), law, and the arts. It is difficult, however, to get clear on the relation between the meaning of an expression and its reference. What are some of the necessary conditions for democracy? The picture that we find in the works of the tragedians, Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides is markedly different. In this tutorial, will read works in critical theory from the 18th century to the present, some from the Frankfurt tradition, and some not. From there, we will look at extensions of and/or alternatives to first-order logic. The Wittgenstein of the Tractatus is known as the "earlier Wittgenstein," the Wittgenstein of the Investigations is known as the "later Wittgenstein." This course introduces philosophy students to these and related questions through a parallel reading that brings together 19th century German philosopher Hegel and a tradition of Africana philosophy running through Douglas, Du Bois, Fanon, Gilroy, Hartman and Wynter. This course serves as an introduction to formal methods in the scientific study of language. 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