Philosophy

PHIL 100  (3)  Rhetoric and Reasoning

A study of arguments used in everyday life using examples from newspapers, magazines, advertisements, etc., and emphasizing arguments in ordinary language (no symbolic logic) and learning to detect and avoid the bad reasoning of others. Topics include informal fallacies, difference between inductive and deductive reasoning, the role of logic in philosophy, oral argumentation. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: None.

PHIL 103  (3)  How to do Things with Words

A philosophical and practical approach to the art of persuasion. This course aims to enhance the skills of detecting and effectively presenting sound arguments in a wide range of situations. Topics include understanding audience expectations and assumptions, simplifying, and giving tone to written arguments and oral presentations. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: PHIL 100.

PHIL 111  (3)  Knowledge and Reality

An introduction to the philosophical method of reasoning, notions of argument and validity, nature of explanation, ideas of meaning and understanding, specific skeptical arguments (e.g., relation between mind and body, the existence of minds other than one's own, existence of God). (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: None.

PHIL 112  (3)  Intro to Philosophy: Ethics

An introduction to moral philosophy and current theories of value, focusing on questions such as: What is the good? What ought one to do? Are all values relative? Is everything permitted? What is the importance of reason in making moral judgments? Is there knowledge of moral claims? (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: None.

PHIL 200  (3)  The History of Modern Philosophy

An examination of major modern western philosophers: selections from Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Wittgenstein, Ayer, Austin, Ryle, and others. Topics include the 17th Century-the formative era of modern philosophy; the 18th Century-the age of psychology; the 19th Century-characterized by enormous religious, political and economical change; the 20th Century-the philosophers interested in philosophical and linguistical analysis. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: PHIL 111 or PHIL 112.

PHIL 201  (3)  The History of Modern Philosophy

A continuation of PHIL 200. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: PHIL 200.

PHIL 211  (3)  Philosophy in Literature: Existentialism I

A discussion of philosophic problems appearing in philosophical literature; a study of a number of philosophical novels, plays, and poems from the Western tradition, exploring the philosophical concerns of literary artists who have expressed their ideas in works of art. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Any Philosophy course.

PHIL 212  (3)  Philosophy in Literature: Existentialism II

A study of the works of several major figures in Existentialism and Phenomenology, including Heidegger, Arendt, Husserl, Nietzsche, Simone Weil and Camus. Some of the themes to be studied include freedom and transcendence, the phenomenological bases of action in the world, and a phenomenological understanding of evil. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Any Philosophy course.

PHIL 220  (3)  Philosophy and Film

An exploration of films as texts for the study of philosophical issues including the ways in which the medium of cinematic film can both reveal and conceal 'reality', and challenge or reinforce our assumptions about human identity, perception, aesthetics, politics, and gender. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Any Philosophy or Liberal Studies course.

PHIL 221  (3)  Philosophy of Religion

An examination of fundamental questions which have occupied Western philosophers, including: Does God exist? Does the problem of evil pose an insoluble problem for the believer? What is the nature of the religious experience? Is religious belief rational? Do we survive our bodily death? Is revelation a source of knowledge? Is talk about God meaningful? What is faith? Can religious beliefs be verified or falsified? (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: One of PHIL 100, PHIL 111, PHIL 112, or permission of instructor.

PHIL 230  (3)  Contemporary Social Issues

A study of current controversial social issues: abortion; euthanasia; paternalism; sexual morality; rights of prisoners, women, men, children, animals; civil disobedience; morality of war; topics currently debated in Parliament, legislatures, and the media; principles of morality, social and political philosophy. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: At least one Philosophy, Humanities, or Social Sciences course.

PHIL 231  (3)  Social and Political Philosophy

A study of the following questions: What is the state? Is an individual obligated to obey the state? What are the limits to this obligation? What rights should the state guarantee? What is the ideal compromise between individual self interest and one's obligation to the state? What is the proper relationship between public law and private morality? (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: One of PHIL 100, PHIL 111, or PHIL 112.

PHIL 232  (3)  Bio-Medical Ethics

A discussion of the moral and legal problems arising out of the practice of medicine, e.g., experimentation, confidentiality, abortion, euthanasia, and allocation of scarce medical resources. Note: This course is approved for 45 hours of Category I study credit by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: A Philosophy course.

PHIL 233  (3)  Environmental Ethics

An examination of topical environmental concerns involving critical thinking skills and ethical understanding. Topics include preparing reasoned argument as distinct from opinion-argument based on fact, scientific projection and moral principles. Logical analysis and ethics will be explicitly taught. (0:3:0)

Prerequisite: A 100-level course in either Philosophy, Biology, Economics, or Geography.

PHIL 234  (3)  Business and Professional Ethics

Topics include: Who is responsible when a 'company' acts? Is the corporation a person? What is the point of a professional code of ethics? Is there any moral obligation to hire those who need a job? (3:0:0 for 14 weeks)

Prerequisite: One of ENGL 100, ENGL 111, PHIL 100, PHIL 111, or PHIL 112.

PHIL 235  (3)  Philosophy and Personal Relations

A discussion of understanding and morally assessing personal relations; of love, of friendship and of family. Topics include; what do children owe their parents? Is sex without love amoral? When is it legitimate to favour those we are close to ? What does it mean to be honest ? (2:1:0)

Prerequisite: A 100-level Philosophy course.

Co-requisites: none

PHIL 240  (3)  Ancient Philosophy I: The Pre-Socratics to Plato

An introduction to philosophy covering such questions as: What are the ultimate constituents of reality? What is time? What is the best life for human beings? What kinds of things can we know? Figures such as Pythagoras, Parmenides, and Protagoras will be examined along with selections from Plato. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: None.

PHIL 241  (3)  Ancient Philosophy II: Plato and Aristotle to the Roman Period

An introduction to philosophy covering such questions as: What should one strive for in this life? What responsibility do we have to our friends and community? What is the best form of government? Works from Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus and the Roman Stoics will be examined. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: None.

PHIL 245  (3)  Aesthetics

An introduction to central issues in aesthetics and the philosophy of art. Topics include the definition of art; the nature of aesthetic experience; the social value of art; the moral and political functions of art (including gender and racial issues); and the cross-cultural understanding of art. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Second-year standing.

PHIL 251  (3)  Formal Logic

An introduction to Aristotelian Logic, sentence logic and Predicate Logic (Quantification theory). Topics include natural deduction, truth tables, identity and descriptions, truth trees, Venn Diagrams, translation of ordinary language into symbolic form. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Math 12 or PHIL 100.

PHIL 252  (3)  Understanding Scientific Reasoning

An examination of scientific literacy. Critical thinking skills developed include identifying types of arguments, understanding and evaluating reports of scientific findings, and discovering patterns of reasoning that are common to most sciences. The course is practical and general in nature. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: PHIL 100.

PHIL 310  (3)  Intro to Philosophical Thought

An introduction to metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and politics. Primarily for upper-level students who have no previous course in philosophy but who wish to acquire a sophisticated understanding of philosophical endeavour and its methodology. Recommended for B.A. students. (2:1:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing.

PHIL 312  (3)  Philosophy of Law

An examination of the nature, scope and limits of law including the relations between law, morality and justice. Topics include theories of law such as positivism and legal realism. Issues examined may include the philosophical foundations of human rights, international law, civil disobedience, responsibility and the justification of punishment. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: PHIL 112.

PHIL 330  (3)  Professional and Business Ethics

An examination of ethical issues arising in the contemporary professional and business setting; emphasis is on the mastery of representative ethical systems and concepts and their application to actual situations. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: A Philosophy course.

PHIL 331  (3)  Ethics in Health Care

An investigation into the various ethical problems and concerns that arise in the professional medial context. Issues such as the nature of the physician-patient relationship, informed consent and right to know, fetal experiments and human experiments in general, euthanasia, right to treatment, etc., will be discussed. The aim of this course is not to give definitive solutions but to inculcate an awareness and understanding of the nature of the problems involved. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: None.

PHIL 333  (3)  Issues in Environmental Ethics

An in-depth study of conceptual issues in environmental ethics as they have been analyzed by writers working in the contemporary analytic tradition. This examination will be applied to problems of complex decision making. Topics include the possibility of legal standing for natural objects, the limitations of cost/benefit analysis, and the question of the existence of values separate from human valuing. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: PHIL 233, or 6 credits of lower-level Philosophy, and one course in Biology, Economics or Geography.

PHIL 340  (3)  Medieval Philosophy

A study of the works of major figures in Western philosophy in the medieval period (approximately A.D. 400 to 1500). For example, Augustine, Avicenna, Ibn-Gabirol, Maimonides, Hildegard of Bingen, Aquinas, Ockham, and others. Topics include aspects related to metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of religion, and the connections among them. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: A Philosophy course.

PHIL 345  (3)  Issues in Aesthetics

An advanced study of issues in aesthetics. Topics include the relation of art to knowledge; moral and political functions of art; interpretation and meaning (How does art express meaning? Is an artist's intention relevant?); and the adequacy of traditional aesthetics to understanding recent developments in the arts. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: PHIL 245 or third-year standing including one course in Philosophy, Liberal Studies, or Art History/Theory.

PHIL 361  (3)  The Philosophy of Mind

An examination of contemporary theories in philosophical psychology and their historical roots. Questions explored might include: "how are mind and body related?"; "are humans merely material entities?"; how does psychological theory relate to ordinary-language explanation of behaviour?" Recommended for Psychology students. This course may be offered as Directed Studies. (2:1:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing plus PHIL 111 or PHIL 310.

PHIL 362  (3)  Minds, Machines and Metaphors

An examination of functionalist and machine-theoretic approaches in philosophical psychology. Questions explored might include: "are humans merely machines?"; "are there differences between natural and artificial intelligence?"; "can models drawn from computer science be applied to human cognition?" Recommended for Psychology students. This course may be offered as Directed Studies. (2:1:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing plus PHIL 111 or PHIL 310. PHIL 361 recommended.

PHIL 363  (3)  Epistemology and Metaphysics

An examination of views about the nature of reality and our understanding of knowledge and belief. Topics such as the following will be explored: the nature of truth, the preconceptions of skepticism, the metaphysical presumptions of knowing, freedom and determinism, space and time, personal identity, experience and the world. (2:1:0)

Prerequisite: PHIL 111 and one of PHlL 200, PHIL 201, PHIL 240, or PHIL 241.

PHIL 370  (3)  Philosophy and Social Science

An examination of issues arising from social science about the nature of personhood and the explanation of human social activity. Questions such as the following will be addressed: What is explanation? Is action merely behaviour? Should social science be like natural science? Can qualitative and quantitative research both be legitimate? (2:1:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing, a Philosophy course, and a Social Science course.

PHIL 400  (3)  Epistemology of Academic Disciplines

An examination of the epistemic foundations of the sciences and of the humanities. Topics include science as the paradigm of institutional rationality; literature as a way of knowing; standards of objectivity and methods for acquiring knowledge among the various disciplines; feminist critiques of rationality and of science. NOTE: Not part of the upper level philosophy course requirement for philosophy major or minor. (2:1:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing and a Philosophy course or enrolment in Year 5 of VIU's Education degree program.

PHIL 411  (3)  Existentialism and Phenomenology I

An examination of the central themes of Existentialism and Phenomenology, including the overcoming of metaphysical thought, the place of the self in the world, human freedom and transcendence, the meaning of temporality and the relation between Existentialism and Phenomenology as a particular philosophical method. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing and one course in Philosophy.

PHIL 412  (3)  Existentialism and Phenomenology II

An examination of existential and phenomenological conceptions of the past and of how the past provides the ground of authenticity. Topics include Nietzsche's analysis of the history of morality and Heidegger's account of the history of Being. We also consider the possibility of an existentialist ethic. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing and one course in Philosophy.

PHIL 430  (3)  Political Philosophy

A study of classical philosophical notions of the just organization of the state. Questions to be considered include: What counts as a just state? What are the virtues, duties, and responsibilities of citizenship? What are the classical justifications for civil disobedience? How are individual or group rights justified? Credit will only be granted for one of POLI 440 or PHIL 430. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing and 6 credits of Philosophy.

PHIL 431  (3)  Topics in Political Philosophy

A philosophical examination of central concepts, principles and arguments governing political life. Topics include: the basis of political obligation; the proper limits to state power; the legitimate scope of individual liberty; justifications for civil disobedience; the nature of social justice; appropriate relations between states. Credit will only be granted for one of POLI 340 or PHIL 431. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing and 6 credits of Philosophy.

PHIL 441  (3)  Advanced Topics in Moral Theory: Consequentialism

Consequentialism, making moral judgments and choosing actions in terms of consequences, is, in spite of its apparent problems, a social fact. In this course we will examine twenty-first century consequentialist theory as both response to philosophical criticism and as guidance in applied ethics. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing and one course in Philosophy.

PHIL 443  (3)  Moral Theory

A study of major philosophical theories about moral values, standards of right and wrong, human nature and the virtues. Questions covered include: what is the nature of goodness? Are all ethical claims relative to a person, situation, or culture? Are ethical concepts related to the existence of a divine being? (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing and 6 credits of Philosophy.

PHIL 444  (3)  Advanced Topics in Moral Theory: Virtue Ethics

A contemporary study of Virtue Ethics theories from an Aristotelian perspective. Topics include the relationship between human nature and ethics, virtues and vices, practical rationality, morality and social policy, as well as the relationship between virtues, happiness and the meaning of life. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing and one Philosophy course.

PHIL 448  (3)  Topics in Contemporary Thought I

An exploration of one or more 20th Century approaches to philosophy, and where appropriate, their influences on other fields of endeavour. Such approaches might include, for example, logical positivism, pragmatism, existentialism, feminist epistemology and the philosophy of Wittgenstein. Recommended for B.A. students. This course may be offered as Directed Studies. Can be repeated for credit (if different topics taken). (2:1:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing and either PHIL 310 or PHIL 111/PHIL 112.

PHIL 449  (3)  Topics in Contemporary Thought II

A continuation of PHIL 448. Can be repeated for credit (if different topics taken). (2:1:0)

Prerequisite: PHIL 448.

PHIL 463  (3)  Advanced Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology

An intensive examination of one or two key texts in contemporary metaphysics or epistemology. Themes may include, but will not be limited to, the following: ontology, freedom and responsibility, skepticism, coherentism, and contextualism. (0:3:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing and 6 credits of Philosophy.

PHIL 465  (3)  Applied Ethics in the Justice System

An examination of the use of ethical reasoning to address a number of concerns in the justice system including the extent and nature of professional responsibility, exercising authority and the use of force, police corruption, the moral foundation of inmate/staff/professional client relations, the proper conduct of research. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: One of PHIL 100, PHIL 111, or PHIL 112.

PHIL 475  (3)  Topics in the History of Philosophy

An exploration of representative works from particular historical periods with special attention to the cultural and intellectual setting in which they were embedded. This is an advanced course with topics selected by particular instructors. However, a common objective is increasing our understanding of philosophical method and the canon. (3:0:0)

Prerequisite: Third-year standing and at least one PHIL 200, PHIL 201, PHIL 240, or PHIL 241.