Philosophy · philosophical texts from Pascal, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre; literature from Dostoevsky, Kafka, Beckett; films from Jean-Luc Godard, Alain Resnais, Carol Reed. Course

HARVARD UNIVERSITY Page 2640 of 3603 9/9/2018 1:16 AM

PhilosophySubject: Philosophy

Philosophy 3

The True and the Good (111175)

Bernhard Nickel

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: MWF 1030 AM - 1145 AM

Instructor Permissions: None Enrollment Cap: n/a

How you live your life is not just a matter of taste. The basic outlook of value and perspective that each of us adoptsas we make decisions large and small are more than mere opinion. They are commitments that are open to deeper understanding and critique. This course introduces you to the practice of such critique and prepares you for its demands. It introduces you to the practice of philosophy. Issues include the nature of knowledge, of the mind and self, and of right and wrong. We'll also consider race and gender in relation to these philosophical topics. We will pursue these issues by considering both traditional philosophical writers, such as Plato, Descartes, Locke, Kant, and Mill, as well as contemporary writers. Because this course is concerned with the students' active engagement with the material they encounter, this class will be taught in a highly interactive format. No prerequisites

Course Notes: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement for Culture and Belief.

Class Notes: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement for Culture and Belief.

Additional Course Attributes:

Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: General Education Aesthetic and Interpretive UnderstandingFAS: General Education Culture and BeliefFAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate StudentsWriting Intensive Course YesFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities

Philosophy 6

Ancient Ethics and Modern Morality (133181)

James Doyle

2019 Spring (4 Credits) Schedule: MWF 1200 PM - 0115 PM


An historical introduction to ethics, from the Greeks to, roughly, now. We begin with the concept of virtue in Homer and trace its development through Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics and Aquinas. In the modern period we look, in a somewhat skeptical spirit, at the rise of the 'moral' as a supposedly sui generis category of reasons, traits, obligations etc, as this is found in Hume, Kant, Mill and others.


Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate Students


FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross Registration

Philosophy 7

Introduction to Ancient Philosophy (114416)

Katherine Chambers

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: TR 1030 AM - 1145 AM


The philosophy of ancient Greece forms the cornerstone of Western intellectual thought and culture. This course willsurvey themes in ancient Greek philosophy from the works of three major figures: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. We will look at their views about how humans should act, the nature of the soul, what the world is like, and how we can have knowledge. In this course we will pay special attention to the arguments given by these philosophers for their views. The goal of the course is not to learn about Greek philosophy; the goal is to learn how to do philosophy. Like the Greeks, our inquiry will be aimed at finding the truth, and we will critically engage with the arguments given by the Greek philosophers to help us get there.


Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate StudentsAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities

Philosophy 11

Philosophy of Law (156186)

Emilio Mora

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: MW 1030 AM - 1145 AM


Is there a standing duty to obey the law? What is the relation between law and morality? How should judges interpret the constitution? Does the practice of judicial review compromise democratic values? When and in what manner may the state interfere with the conduct of its citizens? We will discuss these and other questions in this survey course on the philosophy of law. Significant attention will be devoted to questions that lie at the intersection of legal and political philosophy. The final part of the course will be determined in consultation with course participants and will be devoted to philosophical puzzles arising in the law.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate StudentsFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities

Philosophy 12

Ethics of a Human Life (000012)

Katherine Chambers

2019 Spring (4 Credits) Schedule: TR 1030 AM - 1145 AM



Ethical questions arise at every stage of a human life, from before a person is born until after she dies. We will explore the ethical questions that arise at familiar stages of a person's life: her conception, childhood, adulthood, death, and after her death. For example, is it bad to be born, to be a child, or to grow old? Why do we love some people and not others? What does it mean to get married? Does it matter what happens to us after we die? We will consider some surprising ways philosophers have tried to answer these questions, and we will think about how the arguments they make can help us better understand the ethical shape of a human life as a whole.


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate Students

Philosophy 19

God, Perfection, and Evil: Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion (108848)

Cheryl Chen

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: TR 0130 PM - 0245 PM


An examination of some central themes in the philosophy of religion. Topics include: arguments for the existence of God, miracles, religious experience, the relation between religion and science, divine attributes, providence, and theproblem of evil. Readings will include some historical, but mostly contemporary, works in the Western philosophical tradition.



Philosophy 20

Happiness (205077)

Susanna Rinard

2019 Spring (4 Credits) Schedule: TR 1200 PM - 0115 PM


Should we pursue happiness, and if so, what is the best way to do it? This course will critically assess the answers to these questions given by thinkers from a wide variety of different places, cultures, and times, including Stoicism, Epicureanism, Buddhism, Daoism, and contemporary philosophy, psychology, and economics.


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate Students


Philosophy 24

Ethics of Climate Change (205079)

Lucas Stanczyk



How should governments respond to the problem of climate change? What should happen to the level of greenhouse gas emissions and how quickly? How much can the present generation be expected to sacrifice to improve conditions for future generations? How should the costs of mitigation and adaptation be apportioned between countries? Should significant funds be allocated to the study of geo-engineering? We will consider these and other questions in an effort to understand our responsibilities in respect of climate change, with a special focus on the structure of the analytical frameworks that have been dominant among policymakers.

Class Notes: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement for Ethical Reasoning.



Philosophy 34

Existentialism in Literature and Film (109600)

Sean Kelly



What is it to be a human being? How can human beings live meaningful lives? These questions guide our discussion of theistic and atheistic existentialism and their manifestations in literature and film. Material includes philosophical texts from Pascal, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre; literature from Dostoevsky, Kafka, Beckett; films from Jean-Luc Godard, Alain Resnais, Carol Reed.

Course Notes: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement for Ethical Reasoning.



Attribute Value(s)FAS: General Education Ethical ReasoningWriting Intensive Course YesAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate StudentsFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities


Philosophy 91R

Supervised Reading and Research (110932)

Bernhard Nickel

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: TBD

Instructor Permissions: Instructor Enrollment Cap: 10

Graded independent study under faculty supervision. Interested students need approval of Director of Undergraduate Studies for their topic and must propose a detailed syllabus before the beginning of term.

Course Notes: Bernhard Nickel and members of the Department.


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesFAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate StudentsAll: Cross Reg Availability Not Available for Cross Registration

Philosophy 91R

Supervised Reading and Research (110932)

Bernhard Nickel

2019 Spring (4 Credits) Schedule: TBD

Instructor Permissions: Instructor Enrollment Cap: n/a

Graded independent study under faculty supervision. Interested students need approval of Director of Undergraduate Studies for their topic and must propose a detailed syllabus before the beginning of term.

Course Notes: Bernhard Nickel and members of the Department.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Not Available for Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesFAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate Students

Philosophy 97

Tutorial I (122989)

Bernhard Nickel

David Thorstad

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: W 0300 PM - 0500 PM


Course Notes: Required of all concentrators, and for the secondary field in philosophy. Phil 97 is not shopped. Students who plan to take this course should submit theirpreferences to the Director of Undergraduate Studies' Office before the beginning of term. Please consult the course web site for details and


deadlines.



Philosophy 97

Tutorial I (122989)

Bernhard Nickel



Course Notes: Required of all concentrators, and for the secondary field in philosophy. Phil 97 is not shopped. Students who plan to take this course should submit theirpreferences to the Director of Undergraduate Studies' Office before the beginning of term. Please consult the course web site for details and deadlines.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Not Available for Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate StudentsFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities

Philosophy 97 Section: 002

Tutorial I (122989)

Bernhard Nickel

Javier Caride

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: T 0300 PM - 0500 PM


Course Notes: Required of all concentrators, and for the secondary field in philosophy. Phil 97 is not shopped. Students who plan to take this course should submit theirpreferences to the Director of Undergraduate Studies' Office before the beginning of term. Please consult the course web site for details and deadlines.


Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate StudentsAll: Cross Reg Availability Not Available for Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities


Philosophy 98

Junior Tutorial II (116407)

Bernhard Nickel

Jen Nguyen



Course Notes: Required of all concentrators. Open to students pursuing a secondary in philosophy or a joint concentration with philosophy. Phil 98 is not shopped. Students who plan to take this course should submit their preferences to the Director of Undergraduate Studies' Office before the beginning of term. Please consult the course web site for details and deadlines.

Class Notes: Required of all concentrators. Open to students pursuing a secondary in philosophy or a joint concentration with philosophy. Phil 98 is not shopped. Students who plan to take this course should submit their preferences to the Director of Undergraduate Studies' Office before the beginning of term. Please consult the course web site for details and deadlines.


Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate StudentsAll: Cross Reg Availability Not Available for Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities

Philosophy 98


Bernhard Nickel





Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate StudentsFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesAll: Cross Reg Availability Not Available for Cross Registration




Bernhard Nickel

Zoe Jenkin






Philosophy 99

Tutorial - Senior Year (113888)

Bernhard Nickel



Class Notes: Cheryl Chen and members of the Department.


Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate StudentsFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesAll: Cross Reg Availability Not Available for Cross Registration

Philosophy 99

Tutorial - Senior Year (113888)

Bernhard Nickel



Class Notes: Cheryl Chen and members of the Department.


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesAll: Cross Reg Availability Not Available for Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Primarily for Undergraduate Students


Philosophy 102

Aristotle (112252)

Jacob Rosen



According to Aristotle's classification, philosophy is 'theoretical' if it concerns things we wish to know simply for the sake of knowing, not for the sake of doing or making anything. This course will be a close reading of selected passages from Aristotle's works of theoretical philosophy, especially his Physics, On the Soul, Metaphysics, and hislogical works. We'll build up an understanding of his overall world picture, according to which the cosmos is eternal, finite in size, harmoniously ordered, and characterized by natural teleology (that's to say, things naturally are as they are for the sake of what is good). Above all, we will seek to understand the key concepts that Aristotle bequeathed to theoretical philosophy, such as substance, accident, essence, potentiality, necessity, and priority.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Philosophy 106

Augustine (Proseminar) (203453)

James Doyle



Introduction to the life and thought of Augustine of Hippo (354-430), the last great philosopher of antiquity and the first great philosophical expositor of Christianity. The primary focus will be on his spiritual autobiography, Confessions. Topics covered will include the existence and nature of God, the problem of evil, the influence of Plotinus and other neoplatonists, the ideas of divine illumination and an 'inner realm', the relation between belief andthe will, Augustine's ethical and political thought and his influence on Malebranche, Descartes, Wittgenstein and others.


Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate StudentsAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities

Philosophy 122

British Empiricism (114331)

Alison Simmons

2019 Spring (4 Credits) Schedule: MWF 1030 AM - 1145 AM



The canonical British Empiricists (Locke, Berkeley, and Hume) take us on a journey from very sensible philosophical starting points to rather extravagant sounding philosophical conclusions. We will explore their influential arguments concerning such things as the self, the external world, mind and body, natural kinds, concepts,language, science, skepticism, and the role of philosophy itself. We will also explore Lady Mary Shephard's attempt to pull us back from the philosophical brink that the Empiricists lead us to.




Kant's Critique of Pure Reason (117823)

Samantha Matherne

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: MW 1030 AM - 1145 AM


In this course, we will work through Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason (1781/87). In analyzing this text, we will explore the account of metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of mind that Kant defends. More specifically, we will address the negative aspects of his project, including his criticisms of rationalism and empiricism. We will also examine his positive views regarding the nature of the mind, the nature of experience, the metaphysics of transcendental idealism, and the foundations of mathematics and natural science. At the end of the course we will consider the limits and prospects of Kant's critical project. In the former vein, we will discuss concerns pertaining to Kant's view on race. In the latter vein, we will address Kant's hope of building a system of nature and freedom.


Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate StudentsFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross Registration

Philosophy 136

Phenomenology of Lived Experience (000136)



In this course, we will explore phenomenological approaches to lived experience, i.e., the experience we have, as embodied beings, who are embedded in a world and entangled with others. We will begin by looking at treatments of the phenomenology of lived experience in general in texts by Franz Brentano, Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. We will then address attempts to work out the phenomenology of specific modes of lived experience in Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, Frantz Fanon's Black Skin, White Masks, Emilio Uranga's "Essay on an Ontology of the Mexican," and Sara Ahmed's "Orientations: Towards a Queer Phenomenology."


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesFAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate Students


All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross Registration

Philosophy 138

Heidegger's Being and Time (000138)

Sean Kelly



A close reading of Martin Heidegger's Being and Time. Topics from Division I of the book include: In what sense, and on the basis of what, is the world we inhabit intelligible? In what sense do we inhabit such an intelligible world? And what, after all, is the relation between what is and what we understand there to be? Division II of the book addresses existential issues such as: death, guilt, authenticity, history, and temporality. We aim to read the entire book.

Class Notes: This course has previously been taught as PHIL 139x



Philosophy 145

Modal Logic (156023)

Mark Richard



Modal logic in the first instance is the study of the logical properties of modal words like 'must', 'may', 'necessarily', and 'possibly'. The standard way of explaining the meanings of modal idioms like 'necessarily' --in terms of "truth at a possible world" --has been taken over by many linguists as a tool to analyze meaning in natural language (so-called 'possible worlds semantics'). It has also been used to study the nature of provability in formal systems, to analyze programs in computer science, and to model temporal processes.

This course is first and foremost a course in logic, but one that attends to modal logic's uses in philosophy and the study of language. One of the goals of the course is to introduce you to doing metatheory–proving things like completeness and soundness for logical systems. We also look in some detail some applications of modal logic andits semantics, discussing such things as: semantics for counterfactual conditionals; mutual knowledge and conversational context; the use of modal logic to model such things as computer programs and non-standard (e.g., intutitionistic) mathematical systems.

The course does not suppose that you know any logic. We do move pretty fast through elementary logic; you may find the course challenging unless you have taken and remember some of an elementary logic course like EMR17. Grades will be determined by: class attendance, four to six problem sets, a take home final. The primary text for thecourse is Hughes and Cresswell, A New Introduction to Modal Logic (Routledge).


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities


FAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Philosophy 149S

Foundations of Space-Time Theories (000149)

Peter Koellner



Space and time have always seemed rather mysterious. Yet space and time are ubiquitous in that the events of everyday life and physics are described within the framework of space and time. What exactly is this framework? Is it merely conventional or does it capture a fundamental feature of reality? What is the relationship between space and time? Are they independent of one another? Are they intertwined? Are they fixed? Can they be manipulated? Inthis course we will try to get clear on such questions by tracing the historical development from the time of Newton to the present, while also employing tools of modern geometry to sharpen the fundamental notions and the central questions. Some of the main spacetimes we shall see along the way are: Newtonian Spacetime (the spacetime associated with everyday common sense), Minkowskian Spacetime (the spacetime of special relativity, where space and time are intertwined), and Einsteinian Spacetime (the spacetime of general relativity, where space and time can be warped and manipulated). We will see that our understanding of spacetime has undergone radical transformations, that there has been a great deal of progress in our understanding, and we shall get into some of the more fascinating issues that arise with our contemporary understanding, issues involving black holes, singularities, time travel, and other spacetime anomalies.

Prerequisites: An introductory course in linear algebra and calculus.


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Philosophy 156

Philosophy of Mind (113339)

Cheryl Chen



An examination of the relation between the mind and the natural world. Topics include: the mind –body problem andproposed solutions to it, consciousness, and mental representation. Readings will consist mostly of influential papers from the latter half of the 20th Century.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate StudentsFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities


Philosophy 158A

Mind, Brain, and Behavior Proseminar: Inference and Memory (118752)

Susanna C. Siegel

2019 Spring (4 Credits) Schedule: R 1200 PM - 0245 PM


In this MBB proseminar we will study both philosophical and psychological theories of episodic memory. Much work in psychology analyses episodic memory in terms of inference. We will spend some time studying different approaches to inference in philosophy. Readings will include but not be limited to selections from philosophers Shoemaker, Michaelian, Martin, Campbell, and Debus, and psychologists Tulving, Schachter, and Neisser.

Course Notes: No auditors. Preference given to junior MBB concentrators.

Recommended Prep: Philosophy 156 or equivalent.



Philosophy 159

Epistemology (114155)

Selim Berker



An introduction to the theory of knowledge. Topics include skepticism about the external world, the analysis of knowledge, sensitivity and safety, the regress of reasons, foundationalism vs. infinitism vs. coherentism, and internalism vs. externalism.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesFAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Philosophy 169

Nozick's Philosophical Explanations: Proseminar (000169)

Selim Berker

2019 Spring (4 Credits) Schedule: W 0300 PM - 0545 PM


A close reading of Harvard philosopher Robert Nozick's neglected masterpiece Philosophical Explanations. Topics include philosophical methodology, the identity of the self, why there is something rather than nothing, knowledge


and skepticism, free will and determinism, the foundations of ethics, and the meaning of life.


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesFAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate StudentsAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross Registration

Philosophy 171B

Reproductive Ethics--Whose Body is it, anyway?: Proseminar (000171)

Katherine Chambers

2019 Spring (4 Credits) Schedule: T 0300 PM - 0545 PM


We are generally prohibited from acting on the bodies of other persons. I cannot decide for you what food you will put in your body, what exercise (if any) you will do, what color you will dye your hair, or whether you will have corrective eye surgery. However, parents are generally allowed to act on the bodies of their children: they feed them, change their diapers, cut their hair, make them play sports, make major medical decisions, etc. Reproductive technology has now made it possible for parents to shape their children's bodies by creating children with specific physical traits. In this seminar, we will explore the limits of parental permission to shape the bodies of their future children. We will ask the question: whose body is it anyway? We will consider questions like the following: Is there amoral difference between making a child wear glasses and selecting for a child with good eyesight? Should parents be permitted to select for disability? Do parents have an obligation to enhance their children's physical or mental capacities? We will consider how thinking about the obligations parents have to their existing children bears on whatprospective parents owe their future children.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate StudentsFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities

Philosophy 172

History of Modern Moral Philosophy (112790)

Christine Korsgaard

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: MWF 1200 PM - 0115 PM


A study of the development of modern moral philosophy from its origins in thenatural law theories of Hobbes and Pufendorf to the emergence of the two most influential theories of the modern period, utilitarianism and Kantianism, in the works of Bentham and Kant. Selections from the works of Hobbes, Clarke, Butler, Hutcheson, Hume, Smith, Price, and others.

*Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement in Ethical Reasoning.

Course Notes: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement in Ethical Reasoning.

Recommended Prep: One course in Philosophy or a Moral Reasoning course.



Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate StudentsFAS: General Education Ethical ReasoningAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities

Philosophy 176G

Groups and Political Philosophy: Proseminar (000176)

Emilio Mora



In this course we will be examining the role and significance of groups (social, cultural, and institutional) in various areas of political philosophy. Although we will consider a variety of issues we will concentrate on two principal topics. Firstly, we will consider the significance of groups in relation to the claims and demands of social and political justice. Should social groups be thought to have a fundamental normative significance in political philosophy or must we reduce all political claims and interests to the claims and interests of individuals? What is thesignificance of social groups to questions of distributive justice? What sort of social groups are relevant to questionsof distributive justice and why are they relevant? Are there group membership rights? What is the nature and foundation of these rights, and do these rights conflict with liberal political thought? The second dimension of the course concerns the significance of groups as subjects to the demands of justice. Is it only the political community, taken as a group, that is answerable to fundamental principles of social justice, or do these principles also govern the individual conduct of a political community's members? Do national groups bear responsibility as a group for what the group does? Can social groups in a society be deemed collectively responsible for certain social and political outcomes? What is the nature and mechanism of this group responsibility? Finally, we will consider the moral status and responsibilities of corporate 'group agents'.


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesFAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate StudentsAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross Registration

Philosophy 177I

Historical Injustice: Proseminar (218177)

Emilio Mora

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: F 1200 PM - 0245 PM


What is the moral and political significance of past injustice in the history of a political community? In a variety of national contexts, the redress of historical injustice has struck many as both a legitimate and urgent political cause. Others argue that, since both the original victims and perpetrators of historical injustices are dead, there are no persons who have valid claims against these historical episodes nor, at any rate, are there any individuals who can be rightly held responsible for injustices that predate their existence. This course examines the underlying philosophical questions that underpin and sustain these disagreements, focusing on the issues of Injury, Responsibility, and Justice. In the first topic, we examine a number of accounts characterizing the nature, and defending the legitimacy, of historical injustice claimants as well as the main lines of objection to these claims. In thesecond topic we examine questions of responsibility. Which contemporary parties, if any, can be held responsible


for the effects of historical injustice, and what is the basis and nature of their responsibility? In the final topic, we examine some of the questions and difficulties regarding the administration of a scheme of historical rectification, and we will seek to understand the relation of historical rectification to the project of social justice more generally. Would historical injustice claims be made redundant or otherwise be addressed by the implementation of an egalitarian scheme of distributive justice for all? Conversely, do historical injustices give rise to social and political complaints that must be specifically addressed by a scheme of historical rectification?



Philosophy 178Z

Inequality (205060)

Lucas Stanczyk

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: MWF 0130 PM - 0245 PM


Many people believe that growing inequality is one of the defining challenges of our time. In this class, we will examine some of the main problems thought to be raised by inequality through the lens of several systematic ways of thinking about social justice.




Philosophy 182

Ethical Issues in Social, Cultural, and Artistic Representation (000182)

Emilio Mora

2019 Spring (4 Credits) Schedule: MW 1200 PM - 0115 PM


In this course we will examine a range of issues which we might, very loosely, term questions of social, cultural, andartistic representation. For instance, the construction, deployment, and celebration of historical narratives are a familiar part of the political pageantry in the life of nations. What are the ethical constraints and imperatives relating to the representation of these national histories? How do these injunctions relate to present political norms of equality and inclusivity and the demands of social cohesion? Consider, also, representational questions that arise inrelation to norms of social interaction. What, for instance, might be considered wrong with cultural appropriation? When is it wrong to allow social stereotypes to inform one's interpersonal interactions, and should this wrong be understood in primarily moral or epistemological terms? Finally, consider ethical issues relating to our engagement with (construed broadly) artistic representations. How can we ethically enjoy tragedy? On the face of things it would appear paradoxical or else the mark of a sadist. Are pornographic representations of immoral acts wrong to


consume and enjoy? Are there any special ethical constraints on what may be represented in a video game? Can we ethically represent the Holocaust in any artistic medium? Can we continue to enjoy the products of artists who have engaged in immoral actions? Although we should not expect a set of master principles to govern this range oftopics, we might realistically hope that the answers we give, and the philosophical difficulties we encounter in any one topic will help illuminate our treatment and investigation of the others.


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level For Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Philosophy 187

Aesthetics (111785)

Richard Moran



An examination of some texts of philosophical aesthetics from the 18th and 19th centuries, texts which either represent or anticipate the Romantic period. Some themes to be taken up will be the role of emotion in art (from the point of view of both artist and audience), the nature of expression and its relation to the will, problems of sincerity and authenticity, and art or poetry as sources of knowledge. Readings will include the following authors: Hume, Mothersill, Kant, Mill, Diderot, Schiller, Hegel, Sontag, Cavell, Wilde .



Philosophy 188

Philosophy and Literature: Proust (127792)

Richard Moran



The course will attempt to achieve a sense of Proust's great novel, In Search of Lost Time, as a whole, necessarily in an abbreviated form, but with the aim of tracing the plan that Proust worked out when he began the project. The bulk of the reading will be in Proust's text, but there will be regular secondary readings in philosophy and in the critical literature on Proust. Philosophical themes to be emphasized will include: the nature of subjectivity and the problem of other minds, the strategies of solipsistic desire, freedom and dependence, amour-propre and the desire for approbation, the nature and limits of the will (including 'involuntary memory'), personal identity and artistic vocation, the will to knowledge and self-deception.




FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities

Philosophy 202A

Aristotle (000202)

Russell Jones

Jacob Rosen

2019 Spring (4 Credits) Schedule: T 0900 AM - 1145 AM


A close study of Aristotle's conception of modality and its employment across philosophical contexts.


Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level Primarily for Graduate StudentsAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities

Philosophy 222

British Empiricism (114435)

Alison Simmons



A companion course to Phil 122 for graduate students, we will explore the same material as Phil 122 but will add to both interpretive debates in the secondary literature and pedagogical exercises directed to teaching this material.


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Primarily for Graduate Students

Philosophy 229

Kant's Theory of the Imagination (000229)

2019 Spring (4 Credits) Schedule: M 1200 PM - 0245 PM


In this course, we will explore the role the imagination plays in Immanuel Kant's philosophical system, including his account of perception, cognition, beauty, sublimity, metaphysics, and morality. We will look at major works from theCritical period, including the Critique of Pure Reason (1781/87) and the Critique of the Power of Judgment (1790), as well as his lectures on anthropology and metaphysics from the 1770s and 80s, "What Does it Mean to Orient Oneself in Thinking" (1786), Religion within the Bounds of Mere Reason (1793), and the Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View (1798). Our goal will be to see whether Kant defends a unified theory of imagination acrossthese various texts.



Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Graduate Course

Philosophy 243

Topics in the Foundations of Mathematics (156127)

Peter Koellner



This will be an advanced seminar in recent work in the search for new axioms. The focus will be on the recent advances in inner model theory, in particular, the prospect of an Ultimate-L. We will investigate the kinds of evidence that one might give for the axiom V=Ultimate-L. Much of the discussion will be centered on Goldberg's recent results concerning his Ultrapower Axiom.


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Primarily for Graduate Students

Philosophy 247A

Topics in Philosophy of Language (114439)

Mark Richard



Propositions are supposed to be the primary bearers of truth and falsity as well as the objects of psychological and illocutionary states such as belief, fear, desire, assertion, promising, etc. A standard view of meaning has it that a sentence's meaning should be theorized in terms of propositions, with the meaning of sentence S a rule that determines the proposition expressed by a use of S.

In this seminar we will look at historically important and contemporary work on the notion of a proposition in philosophy and semantics. Topics discussed may include: debates about the nature of and the need for propositions; debates about the nature of propositional attitudes and the extent to which they are or are not tied to language; debates about 'fineness of grain' of propositions.

You don't need a background in philosophy of language to take this course. But it is intended for graduate students in philosophy, and so philosophical sophistication is expected; students from other disciplines should consult with the instructor before taking the course.

Course requirements are: active participation in class, a class presentation, and a final paper. We will meet once a week for about two and a half hours.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Primarily for Graduate Students


Philosophy 255

The First Person (000255)

James Doyle

Richard Moran



Examination of various problems arising in connection with first-personal or 'de se' thought and language. These include, among others, their seemingly irreducibly sui generis features, such as the guaranteed reality and presenceof their referent, and its specification apparently independently of any 'mode of presentation' how self-consciousness differs from 'mere' consciousness; the senses in which I am, or am not, an 'item' in the world I apprehend; and the semantics of the first-person pronoun. Authors discussed will include Descartes, Frege, Wittgenstein, Sartre, Anscombe, Evans and Lewis.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and HumanitiesFAS: Course Level Primarily for Graduate Students

Philosophy 273B

Axiomatic Reasoning (000273)

Amartya Sen

Eric Maskin

Barry Mazur



The axiomatic method entails drawing logical implications from a set of assumptions, or axioms, that are taken as given. The course examines how this method is used in different disciplines. Examples will be taken from philosophy, economics, mathematics, physics, and biology, among others.

Prerequisite: There are no specific course prerequisites but ease and familiarity with formal reasoning is essential.

Enrolment is expected to be limited to about 25.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Primarily for Graduate StudentsFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities

Philosophy 274

The Good (000274)

Christine Korsgaard




We will consider some recent and historical work on the Good, in order to answer such questions as: what is the relation between something's being good and something's being good for someone; whether what is good for someone is relative to his nature; whether we always act 'under the guise of the good'; whether goods can be aggregated across the boundaries between individuals; what are the criteria by which final ends and lives may be judged good; what kinds of things (people, animals, plants, nation-states, ecosystems, species?) have a good that matters morally; what is the relation between being morally good and having a good life; and of course, what is the Good?



Philosophy 279

Topics in Political Philosophy (159754)

Lucas Stanczyk



An examination of selected topics in political philosophy. Topics will vary from year to year. In 2018-19, the seminar will focus on questions of justice in the organization of production, and alternative ways of understanding the significance of inequality for distributive justice.



Philosophy 288

Punishment and Imprisonment (000288)

Tommie Shelby

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: M 1200 PM - 0245 PM


This seminar will examine classic and recent philosophical theories of punishment with a focus on incarceration. We'll critically discuss justifications of punishment based on deterrence, retribution, fairness, forfeiture, consent, public censure, and moral education. We'll also examine the moral considerations for and against rehabilitation and incapacitation through incarceration. Considerable attention will be given to assessing the case for the abolition of prison as a form of punishment.


Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level Primarily for Graduate Students


All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution Arts and Humanities

Philosophy 299HFA

Individual Supervision (122956)

Mark Richard



Students must complete both parts of this course (parts A and B) within the same academic year in order to receive credit.

Course Notes: Required of candidates for the AM or PhD in Philosophy. Consult the Department's Supplement to the General Announcement for details.

Class Notes: Mark Richard and members of the Department


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Primarily for Graduate StudentsFAS Divisional Distribution NoneFull Year Course Indivisible Course

Philosophy 299HFB

Individual Supervision (160664)

Mark Richard



Students must complete both parts of this course (parts A and B) within the same academic year in order to receive credit.

Course Notes: Required of candidates for the AM or PhD in Philosophy. Consult the Department's Supplement to the General Announcement for details.

Class Notes: Mark Richard and members of the Department


Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level Primarily for Graduate StudentsFAS Divisional Distribution NoneFull Year Course Indivisible CourseCourse Search Attributes Display Only in Course Search

Philosophy 300AA

Colloquium (116505)


Susanna C. Siegel

Bernhard Nickel

2018 Fall (8 Credits) Schedule: MR 0300 PM - 0545 PM

TBD


An intensive study of selected problems in contemporary philosophy.

Course Notes: Limited to first-year graduate students in the Department.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Not Available for Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Graduate CourseFAS Divisional Distribution None

Philosophy 300B

Colloquium (118065)

Selim Berker



Continuation of Philosophy 300aa.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Not Available for Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution NoneFAS: Course Level Graduate Course

Philosophy 303

Colloquium: Dissertation Presentations (109294)

Susanna C. Siegel



Class Notes: Hours to be arranged.


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution NoneFAS: Course Level Graduate CourseAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross Registration


Philosophy 303

Colloquium: Dissertation Presentations (109294)

Susanna C. Siegel



Class Notes: Hours to be arranged.


Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level Graduate CourseFAS Divisional Distribution NoneAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross Registration

Philosophy 305

Individual Reading and Research (113934)

Selim Berker



Class Notes: Hours to be arranged


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution NoneFAS: Course Level Graduate Course

Philosophy 305


Jeffrey Behrends




Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level Graduate CourseAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution None




Warren Goldfarb




Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Graduate CourseFAS Divisional Distribution None



Selim Berker



Class Notes: Hours to be arranged





Ned Hall








Russell Jones







Sean Kelly







Warren Goldfarb







Peter Koellner








Christine Korsgaard







Jeffrey McDonough







Richard Moran








Bernhard Nickel




Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution NoneAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS: Course Level Graduate Course



Mark Richard







Susanna Rinard








Thomas M. Scanlon







Amartya Sen







Ned Hall








Tommie Shelby







Susanna C. Siegel







Alison Simmons







W. Hugh Woodin








Jacob Rosen







Regina Schouten







Lucas Stanczyk








Russell Jones







Frances Kamm







Sean Kelly








Peter Koellner







Christine Korsgaard







Jeffrey McDonough







Richard Moran








Bernhard Nickel







Mark Richard







Susanna Rinard








Jacob Rosen







Thomas M. Scanlon







Regina Schouten








Amartya Sen







Tommie Shelby







Susanna C. Siegel







Alison Simmons








Lucas Stanczyk







W. Hugh Woodin





Philosophy 311

Workshop in Moral and Political Philosophy (115778)

Christine Korsgaard

Selim Berker

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: M 0300 PM - 0545 PM


A forum for the presentation and discussion of work in progress by students in moral and political philosophy. Open only to graduate students in the Philosophy Department or by invitation of the instructors.




Philosophy 311

Workshop in Moral and Political Philosophy (115778)

Lucas Stanczyk



A forum for the presentation and discussion of work in progress by students in moral and political philosophy. Open only to graduate students in the Philosophy Department or by invitation of the instructors.



Philosophy 312

Workshop in Metaphysics and Epistemology (118757)

2018 Fall (4 Credits) Schedule: R 0300 PM - 0545 PM


A forum for the presentation and discussion of work in progress by students in metaphysics and epistemology. Open only to graduate students in the Philosophy Department or by invitation of the instructors.

Class Notes: Mark Richard (fall term only), Jacob Rosen (fall term only), Susanna Siegel (spring term only), Susanna Rinard (spring term only)



Philosophy 312

Workshop in Metaphysics and Epistemology (118757)

Susanna C. Siegel

2019 Spring (4 Credits) Schedule: R 0300 PM - 0359 PM



A forum for the presentation and discussion of work in progress by students in metaphysics and epistemology. Open only to graduate students in the Philosophy Department or by invitation of the instructors.

Class Notes: Mark Richard (fall term only), Jacob Rosen (fall term only), Susanna Siegel (spring term only), Susanna Rinard (spring term only)



Philosophy 315HFA

Instructional Styles in Philosophy (125184)

Bernhard Nickel



Course is required for graduate students in their first year of teaching; optional for students in their second year of teaching. Students must complete both parts of this course (parts A and B) within the same academic year in order to receive credit.


Attribute Value(s)FAS: Course Level Graduate CourseFull Year Course Indivisible CourseAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationFAS Divisional Distribution None

Philosophy 315HFB

Instructional Styles in Philosophy (160665)

Bernhard Nickel



Course is required for graduate students in their first year of teaching; optional for students in their second year of teaching. Students must complete both parts of this course (parts A and B) within the same academic year in order to receive credit.


Attribute Value(s)Full Year Course Indivisible CourseAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross RegistrationCourse Search Attributes Display Only in Course SearchFAS: Course Level Graduate CourseFAS Divisional Distribution None


Philosophy 320F

Philosophy in Translation: French (159746)

Richard Moran



A close reading of selected philosophical texts in French with the aim of developing and improving reading and translation skills.

Course Notes: Hours to be arranged.



Philosophy 320G

Philosophy in Translation: Greek (156130)

Russell Jones



A close reading of philosophical texts in classical Greek, with the aim of developing reading skills as well as making interpretive progress.

Course Notes: Hours to be arranged.



Philosophy 321F

Philosophy in Translation: French (159752)

Richard Moran



A close reading of selected philosophical texts in French with the aim of developing and improving reading and translation skills.


Attribute Value(s)All: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross Registration


FAS Divisional Distribution NoneFAS: Course Level Graduate Course

Philosophy 321G

Philosophy in Translation: Greek (159750)

Russell Jones



A close reading of philosophical texts in classical Greek, with the aim of developing reading skills as well as making interpretive progress.



Philosophy 321L

Philosophy in Translation: Latin (160672)

Jeffrey McDonough



A close reading of philosophical texts in their original Latin language with the aim of developing reading and translation skills.



Philosophy 333

Preparation for the Topical Examination (111147)

Selim Berker



Required in both fall and spring terms of all third-year graduate students in the Department.


Attribute Value(s)FAS Divisional Distribution NoneAll: Cross Reg Availability Available for Harvard Cross Registration


FAS: Course Level Graduate Course

Philosophy 333


Selim Berker








Warren Goldfarb








Ned Hall









Russell Jones








Sean Kelly








Peter Koellner









Christine Korsgaard








Jeffrey McDonough








Warren Goldfarb









Richard Moran








Bernhard Nickel








Mark Richard









Susanna Rinard








Jacob Rosen








Thomas M. Scanlon









Amartya Sen








Tommie Shelby








Susanna C. Siegel









Alison Simmons








Ned Hall








W. Hugh Woodin









Regina Schouten








Lucas Stanczyk








Russell Jones









Frances Kamm








Sean Kelly








Peter Koellner









Christine Korsgaard








Jeffrey McDonough








Richard Moran









Bernhard Nickel








Mark Richard








Susanna Rinard









Jacob Rosen








Thomas M. Scanlon








Regina Schouten









Amartya Sen








Tommie Shelby








Susanna C. Siegel









Alison Simmons








Lucas Stanczyk








W. Hugh Woodin







Philosophy 399

Direction of Doctoral Dissertations (112838)

Selim Berker





Philosophy 399


Selim Berker







Warren Goldfarb







Ned Hall








Russell Jones







Sean Kelly







Peter Koellner








Christine Korsgaard







Jeffrey McDonough







Warren Goldfarb








Richard Moran







Bernhard Nickel







Mark Richard








Susanna Rinard







Jacob Rosen







Thomas M. Scanlon







Amartya Sen








Tommie Shelby







Susanna C. Siegel







Alison Simmons








Ned Hall







W. Hugh Woodin







Lucas Stanczyk








Regina Schouten







Russell Jones







Frances Kamm







Sean Kelly








Peter Koellner







Christine Korsgaard







Jeffrey McDonough








Richard Moran







Bernhard Nickel







Mark Richard








Susanna Rinard







Jacob Rosen







Thomas M. Scanlon







Regina Schouten








Amartya Sen







Tommie Shelby







Susanna C. Siegel








Alison Simmons







Lucas Stanczyk







W. Hugh Woodin





Philosophy · philosophical texts from Pascal, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre; literature from Dostoevsky, Kafka, Beckett; films from Jean-Luc Godard, Alain Resnais, Carol Reed. Course

Documents