PHIL

Topic: Hegel and Marx: Philosophies of History

This course will survey and compare Hegel’s and Marx’s writings about human history. Questions that will be discussed include: What can philosophical reflection on historical changes reveal? Is there anything necessary (noncontingent) about changes in history? What relation can philosophy have toward the future? Is the philosophy of history a part of practical philosophy? In what ways does Marx’s view differ from Hegel’s philosophy of history? How did Marx’s views on history change over his lifetime? Why are early socialists often thought to have had a technologically deterministic view of human history? What alternative views are available? Can claims of progress in the realization of freedom be defended?

Advanced Study: Philosophy

In this class we explore the philosophical foundations of human rights, investigating theories of how our shared humanity in the context of an interdependent world gives rise to obligations of justice. Webegin by asking what rights are, how they are distinguished from other part of morality, and what role they play in our social and political life. But rights come in many varieties, and we are interested in human rights in particular. In later weeks, we will ask what makes something a human right, and how are human rights different from other kinds of rights. We will consider a number of contemporary philosophers (and one historian) who attempt to answer this question, including James Griffin, Joseph Raz, John Rawls, John Tasioulas, Samuel Moyn, Jiewuh Song, and Martha Nussbaum. Throughout we will be asking questions such as, "What makes something a human right?" "What role does human dignity play in grounding our human rights?" "Are human rights historical?" "What role does the nation and the individual play in our account of human rights?" "When can one nation legitimately intervene in the affairs of another nation?" "How can we respect the demands of justice while also respecting cultural difference?" "How do human rights relate to global inequality and markets?" (A)

The seminar will explore the fundamental issues in Hegel’s philosophy by means of attention to the texts where he most clearly states his ambitions: his early essay, "The Difference Between Fichte’s and Schelling’s Systems of Philosophy"; The Introduction to his "Phenomenology of Spirit"; The long Introduction to his "Encyclopedia Logic"; The Preface and Introduction to his "Philosophy of Right," and the Introduction to his "Lectures on Fine Art."

An exploration of some of the central questions in metaethics, moral theory, and applied ethics. These questions include the following: are there objective moral truths, as there are (as it seems) objective scientific truths? If so, how can we come to know these truths? Should we make the world as good as we can, or are there moral constraints on what we can do that are not a function of the consequences of our actions? Is the best life a maximally moral life? What distribution of goods in a society satisfies the demands of justice? Can beliefs and desires be immoral, or only actions? What is “moral luck”? What is courage? (A)

Most of us seek to be reasonably good people leading what we take to be successful and satisfying lives. There is a mountain of evidence suggesting that most of us fail to live up to our own standards. Worse, we often fail to mark our own failures in ways that could help us improve ourselves. The context in which we try to live good lives is shaped by the vicissitudes of the global economy. The global economy is obviously of interest to those of us studying economics or planning on careers in business. Aspiring entrepreneurs or corporate leaders have clear stakes in understanding practical wisdom in the economic sphere. But anyone who relies upon her pay - or someone else's - to cover her living expenses has some interest in economic life.

In this course, we will bring work in neo-Aristotelian ethics and neo-classical economics into conversation with empirical work from behavioral economics and behavioral ethics, to read, write, talk, and think about cultivating wisdom in our economic dealings. While our focus will be on business, the kinds of problems we will consider, and the ways of addressing these, occur in ordinary life more generally - at home, in academic settings, and in our efforts to participate in the daily production and reproduction of sound modes of social interaction. (A)

Recent developments in artificial intelligence have brought about a radical reconceptualization of our idea of knowledge work. The model of the laboratory scientist, whose task is to conduct elaborate experiments that probe, in minute detail, the correctness of a theoretical hypothesis, is gradually giving way to that of the data scientist, whose concern is to wrangle massive datasets in an effort to extract from them reliable predictions with only a minimal theoretical guidance. In this course, we will explore some of the epistemological implications of this AI-driven shift in our conception of knowledge and the work that goes into acquiring it. Focusing on applications of artificial intelligence that utilize feed-forward deep neural networks for statistical inference, we will investigate what the shift to "big data" means for our philosophical theories of induction. Are the learning algorithms employed in the training of deep neural networks really "theory free"? If so, why should we trust that their predictions are reliable? How do neural networks purport to solve the curve-fitting problem and Goodman's new riddle of induction, without giving weight to theoretical virtues such as simplicity? Without a background of causal knowledge to structure their inferences, how do neural networks distinguish between causation and mere correlation, and if they cannot, why should we allow their predictions to serve as inputs to a theory of rational decision making? (B) (II)

Animals are in trouble all over the world.  Intelligent sentient beings suffer countless injustices at human hands: the cruelties of the factory farming industry, poaching and trophy hunting, assaults on the habitats of many creatures, and innumerable other instances of cruelty and neglect.  Human domination is everywhere: in the seas, where marine mammals die from ingesting plastic, from entanglement with fishing lines, and from lethal harpooning; in the skies, where migratory birds die in large numbers from air pollution and collisions with buildings; and, obviously, on the land, where the habitats of many large mammals have been destroyed almost beyond repair.  Addressing these large problems requires dedicated work and effort. But it also requires a good normative theory to direct our efforts. 

This class is theoretical and philosophical.  Because all good theorizing requires scientific knowledge, we will be reading a good deal of current science about animal abilities and animal lives.  But the focus will be on normative theory.  We will study four theories currently directing practical efforts in animal welfare: the anthropocentric theory of the Non-Human Rights Project; the Utilitarian theory of Jeremy Bentham, J. S. Mill, and Peter Singer; the Kantian theory of Christine Korsgaard; and an approach using the Capabilities Approach, recently developed by Martha Nussbaum.  We will then study legal implications and current legal problems, in both domestic and international law.