Faculty of Arts & Science
2011-2012 Calendar |
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The Greek words from which “Philosophy” is formed mean “love of wisdom” and all great philosophers have been moved by an intense devotion to the search for wisdom. Philosophy takes no belief for granted, but examines the grounds for those beliefs which make up people’s fundamental views of the world. Philosophers think about these beliefs as thoroughly and systematically as possible, using methods of conceptual analysis, reasoning, and detailed description.
What distinguishes Philosophy from the physical and social sciences is its concern not only with the truths which are discovered by means of specialized methods of investigation, but with the implications that such discoveries have for human beings in their relations with one another and the world. Moreover, Philosophy has an abiding interest in those basic assumptions about the nature of the physical and social world, and about the nature of enquiry itself, which underlie our scientific and practical endeavours.
The Philosophy Department at the University of Toronto offers courses in the main periods and areas of Philosophy, which are listed here with a typical question or the name of one or two central figures: Ancient Philosophy (Plato, Aristotle); Mediaeval Philosophy (Augustine, Aquinas); Early Modern Philosophy (Descartes, Hume, Kant); Nineteenth-Century Philosophy and Marxism (Hegel, Mill, Marx); Continental Philosophy and Phenomenology (Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre); Analytic Philosophy (Quine, Russell, Wittgenstein); Epistemology and Metaphysics (What can be known? What is the ultimate nature of reality?); Philosophy of Religion (Does God exist? How could one prove it?); Philosophy of Mind (What is mind? Is there free will?); Logic and Philosophy of Mathematics (What is sound reasoning? Do numbers exist?); Philosophy of Language (What is the meaning of “meaning”?); Philosophy of Natural Science (What is scientific method?); Philosophy of Social Science and History (Can there be a science of humans?); Social and Political Philosophy (What justifies the state?); Moral Philosophy (How should we argue rationally about right and wrong?); Aesthetics (What is art? Must it be beautiful?). In addition, the Department offers Seminars (numbered PHL400H1 - PHL489H1) and Individual Studies courses (numbered PHL490Y1, PHL495H1 - PHL499H1).
Counselling is available in the main departmental office, 170 St. George St., 4th floor. In particular, students may wish to get advice about how best to combine philosophy programs with other majors or minors, given that the various co-specialist programs with other disciplines have been discontinued. In addition, the Department publishes an annual Bulletin. It contains full and up-to-date information on programs and courses, including names of instructors and descriptions of particular course sections. The Bulletin is published in the spring (for the succeeding year) and is available on the Department’s website and at 170 St. George Street, and from all College registrars.
Undergraduate Coordinator:
Mark Kingwell, 170 St. George Street, Room 404 (416-978-3314), undergrad.phil@utoronto.ca
Undergraduate Counsellor:
Mr. Eric Correia, 170 St. George Street, Room 403 (416-978-3314), eric.correia@utoronto.ca
Website:
http://philosophy.utoronto.ca
Enrolment in Philosophy programs requires the completion of 4.0 courses.
NOTE: No more than one individual studies full course can be counted towards any philosophy program. Normally, no more than one-half individual studies course can be counted towards the 400-level course requirement for any Specialist or Combined Specialist.
Philosophy Specialist (Arts program)Enrolment in this program requires the completion of 4.0 courses.
(10 full courses or their equivalent, including PHL100Y1 if taken)
First year (recommended):
PHL100Y1
Higher Years (required):
1. Two full courses from the following: PHL200Y1 /(PHL205H1, PHL206H1)/ PHL210Y1
2. One full course from the following: PHL217H1 / PHL232H1 / PHL240H1
3. PHL265H1 / PHL275H1
4. PHL245H1 / PHPHL246H1
5. Additional philosophy courses, to a total of 10, including four full courses at the 300+ level, of which one full course must be at the 400 level.
Enrolment in this program requires the completion of 4.0 courses.
(7 full courses or their equivalent, including PHL100Y1 if taken)
First year (recommended):
PHL100Y1
Higher Years (required):
1. One full course from the following: PHL200Y1 /(PHL205H1, PHL206H1)/ PHL210Y1
2. One full course from the following: PHL217H1 / PHL232H1 / PHL240H1
3. PHL265H1 / PHL275H1
4. PHL245H1 / PHPHL246H1
5. Additional philosophy courses, to a total of seven, including two full courses at the 300+ level, of which one half course must be at the 400 level.
Enrolment in this program requires the completion of 4.0 courses.
(4 full courses or their equivalent, including PHL100Y1 if taken)
1. One full course from the following: PHL200Y1/(PHL205H1,PHL206H1)/PHL210Y1
2. Additional philosophy courses, to a total of four, including one full course at the 300+ level.
Enrolment in this program requires the completion of 4.0 courses.
(10 full courses or their equivalent, including PHL100Y1, BIO120H1 and BIO220H1 if taken)
First year (recommended):
PHL100Y1
BIO120H1, BIO220H1
Higher Years (required):
1. PHL281H1, PHL271H1, PHL275H1
2. PHL245H1/PHL246H1
3. 1.5 full courses from Group 1 (Advanced Bioethics)
4. 1.0 full course from Group 2 (Value Theory)
5. 0.5 full course from Group 3 (Metaphysics and Epistemology).
6. Additional philosophy courses, to a total of 10, including four full courses at the 300+ level, of which one full course must be at the 400 level level; or else additional philosophy courses to a total of nine including at least 1.0 FCE at the 400 level.
Enrolment in this program requires the completion of 4.0 courses.
(7 full courses or their equivalent, including PHL100Y1, BIO120H1 and BIO220H1 if taken)
First year (recommended):
PHL100Y1
BIO120H1, BIO220H1
Higher Years (required):
1. PHL281H1
2. PHL245H1/PHL2461H
3. 1.0 full course from Group 1 (Advanced Bioethics)
4. 1.5 full courses from PHL271H1 / PHL275H1 / Group 2 (Value Theory)
5. 0.5 course from Group 3 (Metaphysics and Epistemology).
6. Additional philosophy courses, to a total of seven, including two full courses at the 300+ level, of which one half course must be at the 400 level.level; or else additional philosophy courses to a total of 6.5 including at least 0.5 FCE at the 400 level, plus one half course from Group 4 (Interdisciplinary).
Enrolment in this program requires the completion of 4.0 courses.
(4 full courses or their equivalent)
1. PHL281H1
2. PHL245H1/PHL246H1
3. One half course from Group 1 (Advanced Bioethics)
4. One full course from PHL271H1 / PHL275H1 / Group 2 (Value Theory)
5. Additional philosophy courses to a total of four.
Group 1 Advanced Bioethics
PHL380H1, PHL381H1, PHL382H1, PHL383H1, PHL384H1, PHL440H1, PHL470H1
Group 2 Value Theory
PHL265H1, PHL295H, PHL365H1, PHL366H1, PHL370H1, PHL375H1, PHL407H1, PHL412H1, PHL413H1, PHL483H1
Group 3 Metaphysics and Epistemology
PHL232H1, PHL240H1, PHL331H1, PHL332H1, PHL340H1, PHL341H1, PHL342H1, PHL355H1, PHL357H1, HPS250H1, HPS350H1
Group 4 Interdisciplinary
NOTE: Many of these courses have prerequisites; students who wish to use these courses for their Bioethics program must fulfill all those prerequisites as required by the departments concerned:
ANT 348H1, ECO 369Y1, GGR340H1, HIS423H1, HIS459H1, HIS489H1, HMB201H1, HMB202H1, HPS318H1, HPS319H1, JHE353H1, SOC243H1, SOC244H1, SOC309Y1, SOC327Y1, SOC363H1, WGS261Y1, WGS366H1, WGS367H1
Enrolment in this program requires the completion of 4.0 courses.
(10 full courses or their equivalent, at least four of which must be at the 300-level or above, including at least one fULL 400-series PHL course)
First Year:
Required: One full science course, normally at the 100-level, from, CHM, CSC, GLG, BIO, JMB, PSY, MAT, PHY, STA
Note: Courses listed under “Science Courses for Humanities and Social Science Students” cannot be counted towards this requirement.
Recommended: PHL100Y1, HPS100H1
Higher Years:
1. HPS250H1, PHL232H1, PHL245H1, HPS, 350H1, PHL355H1
2. One of HPS322H1/PHL346H1/PHL356H1/PHL357H1
3. One of PHL331H1/PHL332H1
4. 4 to 5.5 additional full courses in Philosophy (depending on whether PHL100Y1 and HPS100H1 are taken in first year). It is highly recommended that these courses include the following: HPS210H1, HPS211H1, PHL210Y1, PHL246H1, one of PHL415H1 or PHL482H1. (For the purposes of this requirement, HPS210H1 and HPS211H1 are counted as Philosophy courses).
The 199Y1 and 199H1 seminars are designed to provide the opportunity to work closely with an instructor in a class of no more than twenty-four students. These interactive seminars are intended to stimulate the students’ curiosity and provide an opportunity to get to know a member of the professorial staff in a seminar environment during the first year of study. Details here.
Some of the courses listed here bear prefixes other than PHL. These courses may be credited toward any of the Programs in Philosophy. They are cross-listed here for convenience but students should consult the primary listings for course descriptions.
Some of the courses listed here bear prefixes other than PHL. These courses may be credited toward any of the Programs in Philosophy. They are cross-listed here for convenience but students should consult the primary listings for course descriptions.An introduction to the central branches of philosophy, such as logic, theory of knowledge, metaphysics, ethics, and political philosophy. Writings from the central figures in the history of Western and non-Western philosophy, as well as contemporary philosophers, may be considered. The course is concerned with such questions as: What is sound reasoning? What can we know? What is ultimately real? Is morality rational? Do humans have free will? Is there a God?
Exclusion: PHL102Y1, PHL201H1Note: No 200-series course has a 100-series PHL course as Prerequisite.
Central texts of the pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, and post-Aristotelian philosophy.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseTRN200Y1
Modes of Reasoning
See “Trinity College Courses”
An introduction to philosophy focusing on the connections among its main branches: logic, theory of knowledge, metaphysics, and ethics. This course is intended for those with little or no philosophy background but who have completed four FCEs in any subject.
Prerequisite: Four FCEs in any subjectA study of issues such as the relations of reason and faith, the being and the nature of God, and the problem of universals, in the writings of such philosophers as Augustine, Boethius, Anselm and Abelard.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseA study of issues such as the relations of reason and faith, the being and the nature of God, and the structure of the universe, in the writings of such philosophers as Aquinas and Ockham.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseCentral texts of such philosophers as Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseAn introduction to some of the post-Hegelian thinkers who inspired the various philosophical movements broadly referred to as continental, such as phenomenology, existentialism, deconstruction, and post-modernism. Questions include the will, faith, death, existence, history and politics, rationality and its limits, encountering an other. Authors studied may include: Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Marx, Freud, Heidegger, Sartre.
Exclusion: PHL215H1, PHL220H1An introduction to issues in the fundamental branches of philosophy: metaphysics, which considers the overall framework of reality; epistemology, or the theory of knowledge; and related problems in the philosophy of science. Topics in metaphysics may include: mind and body, causality, space and time, God, freedom and determinism; topics in epistemology may include perception, evidence, belief, truth, skepticism.
Exclusion: PHL230H1, PHL231H1Some central issues in the philosophy of religion such as the nature of religion and religious faith, arguments for the existence of God, the problem of evil, varieties of religious experience, religion and human autonomy. (Offered in alternate years)
Exclusion: PHL236Y1An historical and systematic introduction to the main phases of Chinese philosophical development, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism; the challenge of Western thought and the development of modern Chinese Philosophy.
Exclusion: EAS241H1, RLG274H1Consciousness and its relation to the body; personal identity and survival; knowledge of other minds; psychological events and behaviour.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities coursePhilosophical issues about sex and sexual identity in the light of biological, psychological and ethical theories of sex and gender; the concept of gender; male and female sex roles; perverse sex; sexual liberation; love and sexuality.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseAspects of human nature, e.g., emotion, instincts, motivation. Theories of human nature, e.g., behaviourism, psychoanalysis.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseThe application of symbolic techniques to the assessment of arguments. Propositional calculus and quantification theory. Logical concepts, techniques of natural deduction.
Exclusion: CSC330H1The elements of axiomatic probability theory and its main interpretations (frequency, logical, and subjective). Reasoning with probabilities in decision-making and science.
Recommended Preparation: PHL245H1The area of informal logic - the logic of ordinary language, usually non-deductive. Criteria for the critical assessment of arguments as strong or merely persuasive. Different types of arguments and techniques of refutation; their use and abuse.
Exclusion: TRN200Y1
COG250Y1
Introduction to Cognitive Science
See “Cognitive Science”
HPS250H1
Introductory Philosophy of Science
See “History & Philosophy of Science & Technology”
See Cognitive Science An introduction to central issues in political philosophy, e.g., political and social justice, liberty and the criteria of good government. The writings of contemporary political philosophers, as well as major figures in the history of philosophy may be considered.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseIs the objective of philosophy to understand and interpret the world, or to change it? A study of theorists who have taken philosophy to be a tool for social criticism. Topics studied may include feminism, critical race theory, anti-consumerism, the critique of mass society, and conservative cultural criticism.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseJustifications for the legal enforcement of morality; particular ethical issues arising out of the intersection of law and morality, such as punishment, freedom of expression and censorship, autonomy and paternalism, constitutional protection of human rights.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseA study of environmental issues raising questions of concern to moral and political philosophers, such as property rights, responsibility for future generations, and the interaction of human beings with the rest of nature. Typical issues: sustainable development, alternative energy, the preservation of wilderness areas, animal rights.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseAn introduction to central issues in ethics or moral philosophy, such as the objectivity of values, the nature of moral judgements, rights and duties, the virtues, and consequentialism. Readings may be drawn from a variety of contemporary and historical sources.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseAn introduction to the study of moral and legal problems in medical practice and in biomedical research; the development of health policy. Topics include: concepts of health and disease, patient rights, informed consent, allocation of scarce resources, euthanasia, abortion, genetic and reproductive technologies, human research, and mental health.
Exclusion: PHL281Y1An historical and systematic introduction to the main questions in the philosophy of art and beauty from Plato to the present. These include the relation between art and beauty, the nature of aesthetic experience, definitions and theories of art, the criteria of excellence in the arts, and the function of art criticism.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities coursePhilosophical issues in ethics, social theory, and theories of human nature insofar as they bear on contemporary conduct of business. Issues include: Does business have moral responsibilities? Can social costs and benefits be calculated? Does modern business life determine human nature or the other way around? Do political ideas and institutions such as democracy have a role within business?
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseCredit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. Details here.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseAll 300-series courses have a prerequisite of three half courses (or equivalent) in philosophy, with the exception of PHL345H1 - PHL349H1, PHL356H1 and PHL357H1. There is also a general prerequisite of 7.5 courses (in any field). Only specific courses required or recommended are listed below. Students who do not meet the prerequisite for a particular course but believe that they have adequate preparation must obtain the permission of the instructor to gain entry to the course.
A study of selected Greek philosophers before Plato. Topics may include the Pre-Socratic natural philosophers, Parmenides and the Eleatics, and the so-called sophistic movement.
Prerequisite: PHL200Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyA study of selected themes in post-Aristotelian philosophy. Topics may include Stoicism, Epicureanism, Neoplatonism, and various forms of scepticism.
Prerequisite: PHL200Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyUNI302H1
Bases of Cognition [36L]
See “University College Courses
Selected metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical themes in Plato’s dialogues.
Prerequisite: PHL200Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophySelected anthropological, ethical and metaphysical themes in the works of Aristotle.
Prerequisite: PHL200Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyCentral themes in St. Augustines Christian philosophy, such as the problem of evil, the interior way to God, the goal of human life and the meaning of history.
Prerequisite: PHL200Y1/PHL205H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyPhilosophical innovations that St. Thomas Aquinas made in the course of constructing a systematic theology: essence and existence, the Five Ways, separate intelligences, the human soul and ethics.
Prerequisite: PHL200Y1/PHL205H1/PHL206H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyStudy of a major philosophical figure from the medieval period, such as Anselm, Abelard, Bonaventure, Maimonides, Avicenna, Duns Scotus, William of Ockham; or consideration of a central philosophical topic in a variety of medieval authors, for example, universals, individuation, the existence of God, free will and free choice, eternity and creation.
Prerequisite: PHL200Y1/PHL205H1/PHL206H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyCentral philosophical problems in philosophers such as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, and their contemporaries.
Prerequisite: PHL210Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyCentral philosophical problems in philosophers such as Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and their contemporaries.
Prerequisite: PHL210Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyCentral philosophical problems arising in the early modern period.
Prerequisite: PHL210Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyA systematic study of The Critique of Pure Reason.
Prerequisite: PHL210Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyCentral philosophical problems arising in the 19th century.
Prerequisite: PHL210Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn examination of Hegels project of absolute knowing, its philosophical assumptions, and its implications for history, science and experience.
Prerequisite: PHL210Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn examination of some of the leading themes in the philosophy of Karl Marx. Developments of Marxist philosophy by later thinkers, and critics of Marxism, may also be considered.
Prerequisite: 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyA study of the fundamentals of psychoanalytic theory from a philosophical perspective, focusing on the works of Freud and others. Topics include mind (conscious and unconscious), instinctual drives, mechanisms of defence, the structure of personality, civilization, the nature of conscience, and the status of psychoanalysis.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities coursePhenomenology is a method used in the analysis of human awareness and subjectivity. It has been applied in the social sciences, in the humanities, and in philosophy. Texts studied are from Husserl and later practitioners, e.g., Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Gurwitsch, and Ricoeur.
Prerequisite: PHL210Y1/PHL217H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophySome work from the 1920s (either Being and Time or contemporary lectures) and selections from Heideggers later work on poetry, technology, and history are studied. Heideggers position within phenomenology and within the broader history of thought is charted.
Prerequisite: PHL217H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyGerman and French philosophy after World War II, focusing on such topics as: debates about humanism, hermeneutics, critical theory, the structuralist movement, its successors such as deconstruction. Typical authors: Heidegger, Gadamer, Habermas, Levi-Strauss, Foucault, Derrida.
Prerequisite: PHL217H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyA study of philosophical approaches to understanding various aspects of contemporary culture and/or society. Topics may include theories of modernity, capitalism and consumerism, architecture and design, cultural pluralism, globalization, media and internet.
Prerequisite: 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn examination of some of the classic texts of early analytic philosophy, concentrating on the work of Frege, Russell, and Wittgenstein.
Prerequisite: PHL245H1 and one of PHL232H1/PHL240H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyWittgensteins views on the structure and function of language, meaning, the possibility of a private language, and the concepts of feeling and thinking.
Prerequisite: One of PHL210Y1/PHL232H1/PHL240H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyHistorical and systematic approaches to topics in metaphysics, such as the nature of reality, substance and existence, necessity and possibility, causality, universals and particulars.
Prerequisite: PHL232H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyHistorical and systematic approaches to topics in the theory of knowledge, such as truth, belief, justification, perception, a priori knowledge, certitude, skepticism, other minds.
Prerequisite: PHL232H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophySome specific problem(s) in the philosophy of religion, such as the relationship of religious faith and religious belief, the ontological argument for the existence of God, theories about divine transcendence, the philosophical presuppositions of religious doctrines, the modern critique of religion.
Prerequisite: 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn introduction to the major thinkers in classical Islamic philosophy, with emphasis placed on developing a properly philosophical understanding of the issues and arguments. Topics include the existence of God; creation and causality; human nature and knowledge; the nature of ethical obligations; and the constitution of the ideal political state.
Prerequisite: PHL200Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn intermediate level treatment of such topics as: human nature; good and evil; the role of emotions; the metaphysical ultimate.
Prerequisite: PHL237H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyA selection of texts and issues in Jewish philosophy, for example, Maimonides Guide of the Perplexed, Bubers The Prophetic Faith, prophecy and revelation, Divine Command and morality, creation and eternity, the historical dimension of Jewish thought.
Prerequisite: 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyTypical issues include: the mind-brain identity theory; intentionality and the mental; personal identity.
Prerequisite: One of UNI250Y1/PHL240H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyHuman action, and the nature of freedom and responsibility in the light of contemporary knowledge concerning the causation of behaviour.
Prerequisite: PHL210Y1/PHL232H1/PHL240H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyTopics include: philosophical foundations of artificial intelligence theory; the computational theory of the mind; functionalism vs. reductionism; the problems of meaning in the philosophy of mind.
Prerequisite: 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyExamines contemporary feminist perspectives in political theory as responses to the limitations of western tradition of modern political theory. (Given by the Departments of Philosophy and Political Science)
Prerequisite: NEW360Y1/PHL265H1/POL200Y1A sequel to PHL245H1, developing skills in quantificational logic and treating of definite descriptions. The system developed is used to study a selection of the following topics: philosophical uses of logic, formal systems, set theory, non-classical logics, and metalogic.
Prerequisite: PHL245H1 and a full course in PHL/CSC/MATPlatonism versus nominalism, the relation between logic and mathematics, implications of Gdels theorem, formalism and intuitionism.
Prerequisite: PHL245H1 and a full course in PHL/CSC/MATFormal study of the concepts of necessity and possibility; modal propositional and quantificational logic; possible-worlds semantics; the metaphysics of modality.
Prerequisite: PHL245H1 and a full course in PHL/CSC/MATSoundness and completeness of propositional and quantificational logic, undecidability of quantificational logic, and other metalogical topics.
Prerequisite: PHL245H1 and a full course in PHL/CSC/MATAxiomatic set theory developed in a practical way, as a logical tool for philosophers, with some attention to philosophical problems surrounding it.
Prerequisite: PHL245H1 and a full course in PHL/CSC/MATHPS350H1
Revolution in Science
See “History and Philosophy of Science and Technology”
The nature of language as a system of human communication, theories of meaning and meaningfulness, the relation of language to the world and to the human mind.
Prerequisite: PHL245H1 and one of PHL232H1/PHL240H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyThe structure and methods of science: explanation, methodology, realism and instrumentalism.
Recommended Preparation: A solid background in science or HPS250H1/PHL246H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyIntroduction to philosophical issues which arise in modern physics, especially in Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Topics include: the nature of spacetime, conventionality in geometry, determinism, and the relation between observation and existence.
Prerequisite: One full course in MAT/PHY; two full courses is recommended.Philosophical issues in the foundations of biology, e.g., the nature of life, evolutionary theory; controversies about natural selection; competing mechanisms, units of selection; the place of teleology in biology; biological puzzles about sex and sexual reproduction; the problem of species; genetics and reductionism; sociobiology; natural and artificial life.
Recommended Preparation: HPS250H1/PHL246H1. Students with a background in Biology are exempt from the prerequisite of 1.5 courses in PhilosophyTypical questions include: Has history any meaning? Can there be general theories of history? How are the findings of historians related to the theories of metaphysics and of science? Is history deterministic? Must the historian make value judgements? Is history science or an art? Are there historical forces or spirits of an epoch?
Prerequisite: 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyA study of some of the central problems of political philosophy, addressed to historical and contemporary political theorists.
Prerequisite: PHL265H1/POL200Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyA focused examination of a selected issue in political philosophy.
Prerequisite: PHL265H1/POL200Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophySelected issues and topics in the philosophy of feminism.
Prerequisite: PHL265H1/PHL268H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyMajor issues in philosophy of law, such as legal positivism and its critics, law and liberalism, feminist critiques of law, punishment and responsibility.
Prerequisite: PHL271H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn intermediate-level examination of key issues in environmental philosophy, such as the ethics of animal welfare, duties to future generations, deep ecology, ecofeminism, sustainable development and international justice.
Prerequisite: PHL273H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn intermediate-level study of selected issues in moral philosophy, or of influential contemporary or historical works in ethical theory.
Prerequisite: PHL275H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyA focused examination of a selected issue in moral philosophy.
Prerequisite: PHL275H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyMoral and political issues concerning warfare: the theory of the just war, pacifism, moral constraints on the conduct of war, war as an instrument of foreign policy, the strategy of deterrence. Special attention to the implications of nuclear weapons.
Prerequisite: PHL265H1/PHL275H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn intermediate-level study of moral problems that arise in international contexts, including issues of special interest in bioethics: moral universalism and relativism; global distributive justice; poverty relief and international aid; international health disparities; globalization and health; HIV/AIDS; intellectual property and access to essential medicines; clinical trials in developing countries; exploitation and the 10/90 gap.
Prerequisite: PHL281H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn intermediate-level study of problems in biomedical and behavioural research with human subjects: informed voluntary consent, risk and benefit, experimental therapy, randomized clinical trials, research codes and legal issues, dependent groups (human embryos, children, the aged, hospital patients, the dying, prisoners, the mentally ill.
Prerequisite: PHL281H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn intermediate-level study of moral and legal problems, including the philosophical significance of death, the high-tech prolongation of life, definition and determination of death, suicide, active and passive euthanasia, the withholding of treatment, palliative care and the control of pain, living wills; recent judicial decisions.
Prerequisite: PHL281H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn intermediate-level study of moral and legal problems, including the concepts of mental health and illness, mental competence, dangerousness and psychiatric confidentiality, mental institutionalization, involuntary treatment and behaviour control, controversial therapies; legal issues: the Mental Health Act, involuntary commitment, the insanity defence.
Prerequisite: PHL281H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn intermediate-level study of moral and legal problems, including the ontological and moral status of the human embryo and fetus; human newborn, carrier and prenatal genetic screening for genetic defect, genetic therapy; the reproductive technologies (e.g., artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization); recent legislative proposals and judicial decisions.
Prerequisite: PHL281H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophySelected topics in the philosophy of art. Such issues as the following are discussed: whether different arts require different aesthetic principles; relations between art and language; the adequacy of traditional aesthetics to recent developments in the arts; art as an institution.
Recommended Preparation: PHL285H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyThe literary expression of philosophical ideas and the interplay between literature and philosophy. Such philosophical issues as the nature and origin of good and evil in human beings, the nature and extent of human freedom and responsibility, and the diverse forms of linguistic expression. Such authors as Wordsworth, Mill, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Miller, Camus, and Lawrence are studied.
Prerequisite: 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyA study of the standards that can be used to judge the performance of economic systems, e.g., efficiency, fairness, maximization, along with the different institutional mechanisms that can be used to organize economic activity, e.g., markets or hierarchies, public or private ownership.
Prerequisite: One of PHL265H1/PHL275H1/POL200Y1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyA focused examination of moral issues that arise in the conduct of business, in areas such as accounting and finance, corporate governance, human resources, environmental conduct, business lobbying and regulatory compliance.
Prerequisite: PHL295H1, 7.5 courses (in any field) with at least 1.5 in philosophyAn instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details here.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseAn instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details here.
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseNotes
Advanced discussion of the principal figures and themes in ancient and/or medieval philosophy.
Prerequisite: PHL200Y1, 4.0 credits in philosophyAdvanced study of some of the principal figures in a particular historical, philosophical tradition.
Prerequisite: PHL200Y1/PHL210Y1UNI401H1
Advanced Cognitive Science
See “University College Courses”
Advanced discussion of the principal figures and themes in the philosophy of the 17th and/or 18th centuries.
Prerequisite: PHL210Y1, 4.0 credits in philosophyAdvanced discussion of the principal figures and themes in 19th century philosophy.
Prerequisite: PHL210Y1/PHL217H1/PHL315H1/PHL316H1, 4.0 credits in philosophyTypical problems include the nature of knowledge and belief; perception; theories of truth and necessity; skepticism.
Prerequisite: PHL232H1, 4.0 credits in philosophyAdvanced study of a problem in the philosophy of mind.
Prerequisite: PHL240H1/PHL342H1/UNI250Y1, 4.0 credits in philosophyTypical problems include causality and determinism; ontological categories; mind and body; the objectivity of space and time.
Prerequisite: PHL232H1, 4.0 credits in philosophyAdvanced discussion of issues in moral philosophy, including issues of applied ethics.
Prerequisite: PHL275H1, 4.0 credits in philosophyTopics vary but bridge two or more areas or traditions of philosophy.
Prerequisite: 4.0 credits in philosophyAdvanced study of key philosophical works published within the last five years.
Prerequisite: 4.0 credits in philosophyAdvanced study of recent philosophical discussions within the continental tradition.
Prerequisite: PHL217H1/PHL315H1/PHL316H1/PHL319H1/PHL320H1/PHL321H1/PHL322H1, 4.0 credits in philosophyAdvanced study of some topic of current philosophical interest within the analytic tradition.
Prerequisite: PHL245H1 and one of PHL232H1/PHL240H1, 4.0 credits in philosophyAdvanced study of some topic in social or political philosophy.
Prerequisite: PHL265H1/PHL271H1, 4.0 credits in philosophyAdvanced study of some topic in an area of applied ethics, including bioethics, environmental ethics, and so on.
Prerequisite: PHL271H1/PHL273H1/PHL275H1/PHL281Y1, 4.0 credits in philosophyAdvanced study of topics in the philosophy of religion.
Prerequisite: PHL235H1/PHL335H1, 4.0 credits in philosophyAdvanced study of some area or problem in the philosophy of science.
Prerequisite: One of PHL355H1 – PHL357H1 or HPS250H1, 4.0 credits in philosophyAdvanced study of topics in bioethics, taught in conjunction with clinical bioethicists associated with the health care organization partners of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics.
Prerequisite: PHL281H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot). Limited to students enrolled in the Bioethics Specialist or Bioethics Major programs.Advanced study of some topic in logic and/or the philosophy of language.
Prerequisite: PHL245H1 and one of PHL232H1/PHL240H1/PHL246H1, 4.0 credits in philosophyPhilosophical exploration of the foundations and methodology of bioethics. Offered jointly with PHL2145H.
Prerequisite: PHL281H1 and one of PHL380H1/PHL381H1/PHL382H1/PHL383H1/PHL384H1, and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot). Limited to students enrolled in the Bioethics Specialist or Bioethics Major programs.Advanced Topics in Greek Philosophy
Prerequisite: PHL200Y1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Medieval Philosophy
Prerequisite: PHL200Y1/PHL205H1/ PHL206H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Modern Philosophy
Prerequisite: PHL210Y1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Moral Philosophy
Prerequisite: PHL275H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Epistemology
Prerequisite: PHL232H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Metaphysics
Prerequisite: PHL232H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Philosophy of Religion
Prerequisite: PHL235H1/PHL335H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Philosophy of Mind
Prerequisite: UNI250Y1/PHL240H1/PHL340H1/ PHL341H1/PHL342H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Logic
Prerequisite: Two of PHL344H1 - PHL349H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in the Philosophy of Language
Prerequisite: PHL351H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Philosophy of Natural Science
Prerequisite: One of PHL355H1 – PHL357H1 or HPS250H1, and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Social and Political Philosophy
Prerequisite: PHL265H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in the Philosophy of Law
Prerequisite: PHL271H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Aesthetics
Prerequisite: PHL285H1/PHL385H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Philosophy of History
Prerequisite: PHL362H1 and permission of the instructor and Department (by ballot)Advanced Topics in Philosophy
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and DepartmentAdvanced Topics in Philosophy
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and DepartmentAdvanced Topics in Philosophy
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and DepartmentIndividual Studies
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseIndividual Studies
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseIndividual Studies
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseIndividual Studies
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseIndividual Studies
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities courseIndividual Studies
Distribution Requirement Status: This is a Humanities course