PHLA10H3: Reason and Truth
Instructor: Andrew Lee
Lecture Mode: In-person
Tutorial Mode: In-person & Online synchronous
Description: An introduction to philosophy focusing on issues of rationality, metaphysics and the theory of knowledge. Topics may include: the nature of mind, freedom, the existence of God, the nature and knowability of reality. These topics will generally be introduced through the study of key texts from the history of philosophy.
PHLB02H3: Environmental Ethics
Instructor: Hamish Russell
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: This course examines ethical issues raised by our actions and our policies for the environment. Do human beings stand in a moral relationship to the environment? Does the environment have moral value and do non-human animals have moral status? These fundamental questions underlie more specific contemporary issues such as sustainable development, alternative energy, and animal rights.
PHLB05H3: Social Issues: Postcolonial Theory
Instructor: Michael Blézy
Lecture Mode: In-person
Tutorial Mode: In-person
Description: This course will introduce students to “postcolonial theory” (what is sometimes termed “postcolonialism”) through a philosophical examination of the cultural, political and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism. The course will draw on Continental philosophy and its various movements and schools, emphasising the contributions made on behalf of Marxism, phenomenology, existentialism, psychoanalysis, critical theory, structuralism and post-structuralism to identify, criticize and combat colonialism in its many forms. By the end of the course, students will not only be acquainted with the theorical frameworks and language that informs postcolonial theory, but gain a deeper appreciation of the injustices that presently define our societies, as well as the broader global community in which we live. Topics and concepts covered will include: globalization, economic exploitation, feminism, decolonial thought and social movements, the global ecological crisis, ideology, racism, power, cultural identity and revolution.
PHLB09H3: Biomedical Ethics
Instructor: Eric Mathison
Lecture Mode: In-person
Tutorial Mode: In-person
Description: This course will introduce students to some of the main topics in bioethics, including informed consent, truth telling, privacy, medical assistance in dying, abortion, and emerging technologies. We will consider both theoretical questions (e.g., What is death? What are the goals of medicine?) as well as some applied and policy questions (e.g., When should vaccinations be mandatory? How do we ethically distribute scarce resources such as organs?).
PHLB17H3: Introduction to Political Philosophy
Instructor: Avia Pasternak
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: This course will introduce some important concepts of and thinkers in political philosophy from the history of political philosophy to the present. These may include Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, G.W.F. Hegel, John Stuart Mill, or Karl Marx. Topics discussed may include political and social justice, liberty and the criteria of good government.
PHLB55H3: Puzzles and Paradoxes
Instructor: Andrew Lee
Lecture Mode: In-person
Tutorial Mode: In-person
Description: Time travel, free will, infinity, consciousness: puzzling and paradoxical issues like these, brought under control with logic, are the essence of philosophy. Through new approaches to logic, we will find new prospects for understanding philosophical paradoxes.
PHLB60H3: Introduction to Metaphysics
Instructor: TBD
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that deals with fundamental questions about the nature of reality. Here are some questions we will cover in this course: is the nature of the world independent of the way it appears to us? What, if anything, makes a person today the same person they were 10 years ago? Are there genuine alternative possibilities, and if so, what kind of thing are they? What is causation? Is free will an illusion? Does time really pass? Along the way, we will also consider whether and how it is possible to answer such questions.
PHLB81H3: Theories of Mind
Instructor: TBD
Lecture Mode: In-person
Tutorial Mode: In-person
Description: An examination of questions concerning the nature of mind. Philosophical questions considered may include: what is consciousness, what is the relation between the mind and the brain, how did the mind evolve and do animals have minds, what is thinking, what are feelings and emotions, and can machines have minds.
PHLC03H3: Topics in the Philosophy of Aesthetics
Instructor: TBD
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: An exploration of some current issues concerning the various forms of art such as: the role of the museum, the loss of beauty and the death of art.
PHLC05H3: Ethical Theory
Instructor: Nathan Howard
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: Philosophers offer systematic theories of ethics: theories that simultaneously explain what ethics is, why it matters, and what it tells us to do. This course is a careful reading of classic philosophical texts by the major systematic thinkers in the Western tradition of ethics. Particular authors read may vary from instructor to instructor.
PHLC10H3: Topics in Bioethics
Instructor: Eric Mathison
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: This course will be an intermediate-level study of the goals and scope of medicine. New technologies (e.g., gene editing) and new laws (e.g., legalized assisted dying) are changing medicine. Some healthcare professionals argue that this is for the worse and that these changes represent a departure from the true purpose of medicine. We will assess these claims by exploring some of the following questions. What are the goals of medicine? To what extent should patients be able to decide which treatments they receive? What happens when healthcare providers disagree with these requests? Should they be allowed to conscientiously object? We will apply these questions to a variety of practical problems, including assisted dying, abortion, and enhancement technologies such as gene editing.
PHLC14H3: Topics in Non-Western Philosophy
Instructor: Seyed Yarandi
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: Avicenna (980-1037) stands out arguably as the most prominent philosophical figure within the Islamic tradition, casting a significant influence on thinkers in both the Latin West and West Asia. Understanding his ideas is important for comprehending intricate philosophical debates that followed him. Beyond their historical significance, his philosophical contributions are relevant to some of the central debates in philosophy today. In this seminar, we will focus on various themes in Avicenna's metaphysics, psychology, and epistemology, based on his magnum opus, the Book of the Cure. We will discuss topics such as universals, proofs of the existence of God, his flying man argument, the analysis of knowledge, and the distinction between why- and that-demonstrations. This course is designed for students who are interested in learning more about Avicenna's thought and its significance. No prior knowledge of Avicenna is required. We will provide all of the necessary background information.
PHLC20H3: Theory of Knowledge
Instructor: Seyed Yarandi
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: A follow up to PHLB20H3. This course will consider one or two epistemological topics in depth, with an emphasis on class discussion.
PHLC35H3: Topics in Early Modern Philosophy: Rationalism
Instructor: Michael Blézy
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: The aim of this course to allow students an advanced study of two of the most famous philosophers in the early modern “rationalist” tradition: René Descartes and Baruch Spinoza. More specifically, the course will focus on the way Descartes and Spinoza conceive of the “passions” (roughly, what we now call “emotions”) and the theoretical consequences these “commotions of the soul” have for their understanding of the human being and its place in nature. Though a close reading of Descartes’ Passions of the Soul and Spinoza’s Ethics, students will come to an appreciation of the way in which such passions as wonder, love, hate, desire, joy and sadness inform and enrich Descartes’ and Spinoza’s accounts of the relation between mind and body, the nature of substance, rationality, the good life and the pursuit of human freedom.
PHLC43H3: History of Analytic Philosophy
Instructor: Seyed Yarandi
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: This course explores the foundation of Analytic Philosophy in the late 19th and early 20th century, concentrating on Frege, Russell, and Moore. Special attention paid to the discovery of mathematical logic, its motivations from and consequences for metaphysics and the philosophy of mind.
PHLC51H3: Symbolic Logic II
Instructor: Phil Kremer
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: After consolidating the material from Symbolic Logic I, we will introduce necessary background for metalogic, the study of the properties of logical systems. We will introduce set theory, historically developed in parallel to logic. We conclude with some basic metatheory of the propositional logic learned in Symbolic Logic I.
PHLC80H3: Philosophy of Language
Instructor: TBD
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: An examination of philosophical issues about language. Philosophical questions to be covered include: what is the relation between mind and language, what is involved in linguistic communication, is language an innate biological feature of human beings, how do words manage to refer to things, and what is meaning.
PHLC92H3: Political Philosophy
Instructor: Hamish Russell
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: In this course, we consider the meanings of, and potential tensions between, three political ideals: liberty (or freedom), equality (or equity), and solidarity (or community). We’ll read some influential texts that examine these ideals before discussing some more specific topics, as chosen by popular vote from these five options: democratic socialism; feminist political philosophy; free speech and its limits; the morality of lawbreaking; and the politics of anger.
PHLC99H3: Philosophical Development Seminar
Instructor: Benj Hellie
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: This course aims to foster a cohesive cohort among philosophy specialists and majors. The course is an intensive seminar that will develop advanced philosophical skills by focusing on textual analysis, argumentative techniques, writing and oral presentation. Students will work closely with the instructor and their peers to develop a conference-style, research-length paper. Each year, the course will focus on a different topic drawn from the core areas of philosophy for its subject matter. This course is strongly recommended for students in the Specialist and Major programs in Philosophy.
PHLD09H3: Advanced Seminar in Bioethics
Instructor: Nathan Howard
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: This advanced seminar will focus on consent in both sexual and medical contexts to get a clearer picture of what makes valid consent informed in each case, with a view to getting clearer on why consent matters in general.
PHLD31H3: Advanced Seminar in Ancient Philosophy: Plato's Republic
Instructor: Joseph Gerbasi
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: This seminar will be devoted to reading and contemplating Plato's Republic in its entirety. In working through this most comprehensive and influential work of ancient philosophy, we will try to understand and think critically about Plato’s views on various philosophical topics, his arguments and modes of argumentation, and his overarching vision. We will also consider to what extent these things are of enduring interest for us today.
PHLD78H3: Advanced Seminar in Political Philosophy
Instructor: Avia Pasternak
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: This advanced seminar will delve more deeply into an issue in political philosophy. Topics will vary from year to year, but some examples include: distributive justice, human rights, and the political morality of freedom. Students will be required to present material to the class at least once during the semester.
PHLD79H3: Advanced Seminar in Metaphysics
Instructor: Jessica Wilson
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: This advanced seminar will delve more deeply into an issue in political philosophy. Topics will vary from year to year, but some examples include: distributive justice, human rights, and the political morality of freedom. Students will be required to present material to the class at least once during the semester.
PHLD88Y3: Advanced Seminar in Philosophy: Socrates Project
Instructor: Hamish Russell
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: The Socrates Project Seminar is a full-year seminar course that provides experiential learning in philosophy in conjunction with a teaching assignment to lead tutorials and mark assignments in PHLA10H3 and PHLA11H3. Roughly 75% of the seminar will be devoted to more in-depth study of the topics taken up in PHLA10H3 and PHLA11H3. Students will write a seminar paper on one of these topics under the supervision of a UTSC Philosophy faculty member working in the relevant area, and they will give an oral presentation on their research topic each semester. The remaining 25% of the seminar will focus on the methods and challenges of teaching philosophy, benchmark grading, and grading generally.
PHLD89Y3: Advanced Seminar in Philosophy: Socrates Project for Applied Ethics
Instructor: Eric Mathison
Lecture Mode: In-person
Description: The Socrates Project for Applied Ethics is a seminar course which occurs over two terms that provides experiential learning in philosophy in conjunction with a teaching assignment to lead tutorials and mark assignments in PHLB09H3. Roughly 75% of the seminar will be devoted to a more in-depth study of the topics taken up in PHLB09H3. Students will write a seminar paper on one of these topics under the supervision of a UTSC Philosophy faculty member working in the relevant area, and they will give an oral presentation on their research topic each semester. The remaining 25% of the seminar will focus on the methods and challenges of teaching philosophy, benchmark grading, and grading generally.