New Courses in 2025-26

Philosophy 2032F: Einstein for Everyone

Astronauts age more slowly. Time can have a beginning. Space and time are curved. All these surprising claims are consequences of Einstein's revolutionary theories of relativity. This course explains these and related ideas in historical context and explores their philosophical significance. No physics and only grade 11 mathematics required.

Philosophy 2037G: Philosophy and Artifical Intelligence

Will robots take all our jobs? Will humans become cyborgs? Will nano-technology revolutionize medicine? As we rely more on machines, they are changing how we interact with the world and one another. In this course we will consider the impact of technology on our current lives, and on our future.

Philosophy 2050G: The Scientific Search for the Mind

An evaluation of sciences attempting to understand the nature of the mind and its place in the physical world. Topics may include: phrenology & localization theory, physiology, neuroanatomy, gestalt psychology, experimental psychology, evolutionary psychology, psychophysics, psychoanalysis, behaviorism, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, intelligence testing and the nature of consciousness.

Philosophy 2265A: Talking Philosophy

Can animals speak? Is knowledge of language innate? How do words shape perceptions of the world? Is English in decline? Is it permissible to limit free speech? What should be done to preserve endangered languages? This accessible introduction to philosophy and language addresses such compelling issues, using web-based media.

Philosophy 2715F: Health Care Ethics

An examination of key concepts in health care ethics, such as respect for patient autonomy, medical paternalism, patient competence, justice in health care, "death with dignity," "sanctity of life," commodifying human life. Goals are to understand these ideas and how to apply them to practical issues in health care.

Antirequisite(s): Health Sciences 2610F/G.

Philosophy 3005G: Aristotle's Ethics

This course looks at Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, which is one of his most influential works in philosophy. It examines questions in meta- and normative ethics, and also serves as the foundation for contemporary virtue ethics. Suitable for philosophy majors as well as students with no philosophy background at all.

Philosophy 3024G: Leibniz

An intermediate survey of the works of Leibniz. While some themes or works may be focused on to the exclusion of others, this course aims to give students a strong foundational understanding of Leibniz's thought on a range of topics.

Philosophy 3035F: Schopenhauer

Schopenhauer’s philosophy is notable for its distinctive metaphysics of the will, its theory of redemption through art, its compassion-based ethics, and its innovative comparative methodology. This course will survey all aspects of Schopenhauer’s philosophy, focusing on his opus, The World as Will and Representation.

Philosophy 3410G: Philosophy of Mind

Advanced topics in the philosophy of mind. Topics may include: the metaphysics of mind -- from Cartesian Dualism, through Behaviorism and Identity Theory, to modern functionalist theories; connections between metaphysics of mind and topics such as mental causation, mental content, and consciousness. Emphasis will be given to contemporary readings.

Philosophy 3450G: Philosophy of Neuroscience

Introduction to philosophy of neuroscience. Questions may include: What does neuroscience tell us about the mind-brain relationship, free will and moral responsibility, or the mechanisms of learning and memory? Is consciousness a mental, behavioral or brain state? What is the structure of explanation in neuroscience? Is psychology reducible to neuroscience?

Philosophy 3810F: Property from Aristotle to Marx

A survey of accounts of the foundations and limits of rights in property, from Aristotle to Marx. Other philosophers we will read include Grotius, Hobbes, Locke, Pufendorf and Kant.  Questions we will ask include:  Are rights in property natural or conventional? Should property be held privately or in common (or some combination)?  What limits, if any, are placed on individuals’ property rights by the transient or enduring needs of others?

Philosophy 4017F: Republic

Coming soon!

Philosophy 4991F: History of Philosophy of Language

An introductory overview of key concepts and arguments in philosophy of language from a historical perspective. Students will not be expected to have a strong background in either contemporary philosophy of language or its history. Familiarity specifically with Ancient or Medieval philosophy would, however, be especially advantageous. Topics will range across metaphysics, foundational semantics and epistemology, and will likely include: the source of linguistic facts (e.g., conventional, natural or divine); the relationships between language and ontology (e.g., essences and existential commitment); truth, falsity and paradox; the ontological categories of linguistic contents (mental, concrete and abstract); varieties of meanings (e.g., of names, predicates and syncategoremata); language and communication (e.g., metaphor, rhetoric and the “defects” of ordinary languages). Texts this year will be drawn from the Ancient and Medieval period. (A future course will focus on philosophers from the Early Modern period and the 19th Century.) That said, connections between our focal Ancient and Medieval thinkers and later philosophers, up to the present day, will be drawn throughout the course.

Philosophy 4991G: Intimacy, Love and Interpersonal Relationships

What is love and what does it demand of us? What is intimacy and how does it shape our lives and persons? Why do our interpersonal relationships matter so deeply to us? How can we act well in these relationships, and what can philosophy reveal about the ways in which we can act poorly? How might novel technologies change how we understand love, intimacy, and relationships? In this course, we’ll survey such questions and try to develop new answers to some of them. We’ll begin our explorations by looking at longstanding debates about the nature of love and friendship. We’ll then turn to emerging topics in the philosophy of interpersonal relationships, such as intimacy, abuse, parasocial relationships, stalking, online dating, polyamory, AI companions, and related topics of student interest.

Philosophy 4992F: Dennet

Coming soon!

Philosophy 4992G: Hume's Moral and Political Philosophy

A close look at the key elements and doctrines in Hume's moral and political philosophy.  Hume was a very systematic philosopher, so we will begin at the beginning, with his general account of (as he said) human nature.  We will also consider his famous sceptical account of causation.  We will then work through his distinctive treatments of series of topics in moral and political philosophy: free will and determinism, virtue, duties, conventions, justice, property, contracts, and political authority.  Most readings will be from his Treatise of Human Nature, but we will also read selections from both Enquiries and an essay or two.