By which methods should we pursue these questions? Critical theorists regard philosophy as social and ideology critique. In this tutorial we will read from Ancient, modern and contemporary philosophical sources as well several relevant studies in the social sciences and positive psychology movement in order to engage questions concerning happiness. On 3 July 2015, Walsh was found dead in his Somerton Park home. Reasoning and Inference: The Philosophy of Logic, and thinking within formal systems and how to prove various things within these systems. In addition, we will devote several class meetings interspersed throughout the semester to reading foundational sources in ethical theory. Consequently, many philosophers deeply influenced by pragmatism do not recognize the fact, while, on the other hand, some self-proclaimed pragmatists of our days can hardly be seen as continuing the tradition to which they pledge allegiance. As we read through these plays, we will also examine a number of philosophical works about tragedy. Is democratic rule always best? Summer Institutes for Undergraduates in Philosophy. For that matter, what are logical theorems even about? Frederick Rudolph, Williams College 1793-1993: Three Eras, Three Cultures, Michael S . Death Date Jul 3, 2015: Birth Sign: Pisces: Phil Walsh Height, Body Info. While answers to such questions are implicit in historically important accounts of morality, these issues became the topic of explicit, sustained debate in the twentieth and twenty-first century. Beyond this common ground, however, epistemologists are much divided. [more], Political liberalism has been both celebrated and lamented. On the other hand, if logic is about how we should reason, what makes it the case that we should reason one way rather than another? Associate Dean for Sophomore Year Students and Director of Transfer and Non-Traditional Students Services. Readings will include work by Plato, Hobbes, Kant, Mill, Nietzsche, and contemporary authors. After working through these arguments, we will reflect more generally on the proper roles of reason and faith in justifying religious belief. We will also pay close attention to the way in which each of these thinkers takes the practice of philosophy to play a key role in our realization of the good human life. Is a sentence's relation to previously uttered sentences similar to its relation to extra-linguistic events? Some maintain that these issues are solely the provinces of philosophy, using traditional a priori methods. If Kundera is right, fictional narratives (such as novels) sometimes do the philosophical work that philosophy cannot do for itself. Phil was stabbed to death by his son, who habitually used hallucinogenic drugs, in one of the most shocking tragedies in . Our tools in this course will be logic and reason, even when we are trying to determine what the limits of reason might be. Students should be aware that, in the classic tradition, this class resembles a logic course. v. t. e. Matt Walsh (born June 18, 1986) [1] is an American right-wing political commentator and author. Near the end of the semester, we'll also examine some evolutionary explanations of religious belief. UPDATE: Footy world pays tribute to Crows coach as AFL cancels Crows clash, Walsh, a man consumed by football Phil Walsh tragedy: rolling coverageCrows-Cats clash called offStatement from Gillon McLachlan on round 14. Tutorial partners will have an opportunity to spend the end of the semester working on a special topic of their choosing including, for instance, consciousness and free will, pain and anesthesia, consciousness and artificial intelligence, or disorders of consciousness. [more], How are individual and social subjects formed, and how do they connect to questions of race? What distinguishes that kind of life from others? Williams College Catalog Phone Number 413-597-4286 [email protected] And right now there are autonomous vehicles deciding how to behave in traffic, and autonomous weapons capable of delivering lethal force. They help us ask: What is freedom? [more], The sentence "Every cookie is chocolate chip and three of them are oatmeal raisin" is a perfectly grammatical sentence of English, but it's self-contradictory. The AFL is in shock after Adelaide Crows coach Phil Walsh was stabbed to death at his home, with his 26-year-old son arrested and charged with murder. Last offered Fall 2017 . We will examine a variety of philosophical and scientific theories of emotion, as well as some issues concerning normative aspects of emotions: the role of emotions in a good life, and the concept of emotional maturity. We can learn a lot about logic, language, epistemology and metaphysics by thinking through and attempting to resolve paradoxes. If there aren't such things, how do we characterize meaningfulness instead? The answer is not merely that they ask the question, "What gives meaning to a human life?" Finally, we will examine some of Aristotle's works on metaphysics, epistemology and ethics, considering some of the ways Aristotle's thought responds to that of predecessors. Phil is based out of Greater Seattle Area and works in the Real Estate industry. [more], What is it for a novel, a story, a play or a film to be a philosophical narrative? With what limits and justifications? What are its distinct methods? Phil Walsh was a writer and producer, known for Teamo Supremo (2002), Beakman's World (1992) and Recess (1997). We will also read more recent work by Foucault inspired scholars on topics such as the biopolitics of gender, the genealogy of terrorism, the informational person (how we become our data), and neoliberal subjects. The philosophical study of what we do in language, and how we understand one another, is called pragmatics; within the analytic tradition, the main philosophical contributions to the study of pragmatics in language came from Peirce, Wittgenstein, Austen, Grice and Searle. In this tutorial, we will investigate the nature of skepticism and the varieties of relativism it encourages. We will start by situating Hume's project within the historical tradition in which he thought and against which Treatise was directed. How do logic and language relate? What is the nature of language? The course will place special emphasis on developing students' intellectual skills in close, analytical reading; reconstructing and evaluating claims and reasons that support them; producing original ideas and arguments, orally and in writing; responding to the claims and arguments presented in texts and in class; and writing clear, polished, well-argued papers. For example, we commonly attribute to Plato a theory of the Forms on the basis of his claims in the so-called "middle dialogues" (mainly Republic, Phaedo, and Symposium). has taken on an exciting urgency. Each book was chosen by and will be introduced by a professor from a different department, and then Professor of Philosophy Steve Gerrard will continue the discussion. We think that there is a difference between a linguistic object's being meaningful and its having a referent. Always asking what practical difference would it make, our authors investigate the central questions and disputes of philosophy, from epistemology and metaphysics to ethics and religion. In this tutorial we will read the contemporary literature on consciousness. What are emotions, and how should we think about them? What is the nature of audience's response to film? Cy Walsh has asked a court to allow him to be released back into the community unsupervised, six years after stabbing his AFL coach father to death in a frenzied attack.. Phil Walsh, 55, was head . And, if the barber does shave himself, then by condition (b) he does not shave himself. Our aim is to enrich our understanding of the discipline in order to evaluate its value and limitations. And, Existentialists express their thought in philosophical treatises as often as in literary works. Or might it be that our skepticism and relativism are the result of our own laziness and failure? Log in, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Our focus will be on recent influential work in this area. What if they are more fair? At Williams College a mural was removed from The Log and Herman Rosse's painting "Carnival of Life" was removed from the '62 Center. This introduction to philosophy will see how far the microscopes of reason and logic can carry us in traditional arguments about the existence and nature of God. An example might be helpful. Last modified on Wed 26 Oct 2016 19.14 EDT. Topics include sentience, animal cognition, language in non-human animals, empathy and evolution, the history of domestication, animal rights, cross-cultural views on animals, arguments against and for vegetarianism and veganism, the morality of zoos, hunting and fishing, and pets and happiness. Leibniz wrote his New Essays in 1704 as a critical response to Locke's Essay of 1690. Most sessions will pair readings about key concepts with specific cases that raise complex ethical issues, including the concept of moral standing and, e.g., people who do not yet exist, non-human individuals, species, and complex living systems; the concept of moral responsibility and complicity in environmentally damaging practices; the legitimacy of cost-benefit analysis as an environmental policy tool; and the valuation of human lives. [more], Philosophy is often described as thinking about thinking: variously conceived inquiries into the nature, scope and limits of human reasoning have always been at its heart. You are psyched to be reading this course description right now. How do our thoughts refer to objects? of subjectivity, the scope of reflexivity, the nature of perceptual presence, etc. We conclude by considering the relation between first and third person studies of the mind, focusing on the concept of the embodied mind as a fruitful bridge between these different traditions. Why then should we spend our time studying people who in addition to having these surprising beliefs have been dead for 2500 years? [more], What ethical standards should guide our individual and societal choices when those choices affect current and future environmental conditions? What do you expect to learn? What form of government best serves the people? My daughter removes one grain of sand. For example, we will examine the ethics of disease surveillance, treatment and vaccine research, resource allocation and rationing, compulsion and voluntariness in public health measures, and social determinants of health outcomes, among other topics. What do the social and psychological sciences have to teach us about happiness? however, to be surprisingly difficult to say what causation is. These affect not only our particular choices but also, more fundamentally, who we are and what we value. experiences, have thoughts and feelings, motivation and agency; a person is thought of as continuous over time, and as related to, recognized and respected by other persons. This course will introduce students to fundamental concepts, methods, and issues in environmental ethics. Where have you been taught them? In addition to examining general accounts of causation, we will examine particular problems that come up in thinking about mental causation and causation in indeterministic contexts. We will then turn to several of Plato's dialogues, examining Plato's portrayal of Socrates and his development of a new and profoundly powerful philosophical conception. Specific issues will include the ethics of placebo research, deception in research, studies of illicit/illegal behavior, genetic research, experimentation with children, pregnant women and fetuses, and persons with diminished mental capacity, among other topics. Conversation is dynamic--the back and forth exchange of information is a process that grows and adapts to the surrounding context. Where have you been taught them? Pascal's wager is a different approach: it argues that even though proof of the existence of God is unavailable, you will maximize your expected utility be believing. [more], The last line of Ludwig Wittgenstein's Tractatus famously reads: "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent." Are we ever justified in having more concern, and doing more, for our friends, family, community or nation? In the first part of the course, we will read Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, one of the greatest books ever written. Wittgenstein's two masterpieces, the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and the Philosophical Investigations, stand like opposing poles around which schools of twentieth-century analytic philosophy revolve. This discussion will lead us to the relativist and social-constructivist views developed within contemporary science studies. We will raise questions concerning the task of philosophy, the structure and meaning constituting function of consciousness, the relationship between self and other, the mind-body relationship, freedom, authenticity, and absurdity. Why should one obey the law (if one should)? Are we capable of disinterested altruism, or are we motivated solely by self-interest? The philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome were among the first thinkers to develop rigorous arguments in response to such musings. Later Wittgenstein is a controversial, polarizing figure; but serious reading of his work is invariably intellectually enriching and fertile. microscopes of reason and logic can carry us in traditional arguments about the existence and nature of God. We will thus be led to discuss some of the concepts common to epistemology, metaphysics and ethics: reason, justification, objectivity, understanding, reality and truth. (There will be optional, supplementary opportunity to engage with the Latin text for interested students with some facility with Latin.) Understanding later Wittgenstein is thus vital for engaging in contemporary philosophy, but neither the interpretation nor the evaluation of his thought is straightforward or easy. We will first get clear on the formal semantics of first-order logic and various ways of thinking about formal proof: natural deduction systems, semantic tableaux, axiomatic systems and sequent calculi. Our main goal will be to prove things about this logical system rather than to use this system to think about ordinary language arguments. What are the responsibilities of museum curators and theater producers when presenting art that might offend? We'll also work on writing lucid prose that displays precisely the logical structure of arguments, engages in focused critique of these arguments, and forcefully presents arguments of our own. But perform those exact same steps in a different order--check the stove, say "I didn't leave the stove on", then say "I might've left the stove on"--and something's gone quite wrong. Our readings will come primarily from philosophy, but will be supplemented with material from anthropology, physics, psychology, and linguistics. Each identified the limits, whether historical or innate, of our human capacity to know ourselves and our world, and to live harmoniously with others. The first portion of the course will be devoted to considering general theories of justice as well as alternative conceptions of justice specifically within the health care context. [more], We will study the philosophical and literary works of Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and other Existentialist thinkers of the students' choosing. However, in his philosophically more sophisticated and notoriously difficult later dialogues (such as the Parmenides, Philebus, Sophist and Statesman), Plato engages in radical criticism and revision of his earlier views. Is philosophy of film really autonomous, independent from traditional philosophical disciplines which help generate its central questions, such as aesthetics, philosophy of art, epistemology, ontology, semiotics, ethics, social and political philosophy? [more], This will be a course in the philosophy of language at it has developed over the past century and a half in the analytic tradition. The objective is the preparation and writing of a senior thesis (maximum 75 pages). This discussion will lead us to the relativist and social-constructivist views developed within contemporary science studies. The first portion of the course will be devoted to considering general theories of justice as well as alternative conceptions of justice specifically within the health care context. [more], Very few people believe that everything is water, that we knew everything before birth, that philosophers ought to rule the state, or that the earth is at the center of the cosmos. If time permits, we may also look at how the figure of Socrates has been thought about in the works of more modern thinkers. Does it advance our thinking and increase our knowledge of the world? On the other hand, there is a heap of sand in my backyard. The goals of this course are to improve the critical thinking of the students, to introduce them to sentential and predicate logic, to familiarize them with enough formal logic to enable them to read some of the great works of philosophy, which use formal logic (such as Wittgenstein's. [more], Modern philosophy centers on two debates: Empiricism vs. Rationalism and Realism vs. Idealism. In the first part of this course, we are going to focus on what this following-from business amounts to, and ask whether there is a special sense of following-from that characterizes logic? We will examine these and related issues by looking in depth at contemporary defenses of consequentialist, deontological, and contractualist theories. We will examine these and related issues by looking in depth at contemporary defenses of consequentialist, deontological, and contractualist theories. Throughout the course, our focus will be on the best theoretical and practical knowledge we now have to diagnose, explain, and alleviate mental illness. In this tutorial we will exploit this characteristic of biomedical ethics by using a case-based approach to examining core concepts of the field. This is part of a full-year thesis (493-494). We'll attempt to answer this question by examining recent philosophical work on the nature of free will and responsibility. If they are conscious, will AI's have dignity and rights? Walsh's wife Meredith was also in Flinders Medical Centre - her husband dead, her son charged with murder, her daughter returning from overseas, and herself suffering leg injuries. In this course we'll explore justice as a fundamental moral principle and as a desideratum of the US health care system. We will analyze and discuss various accounts of scientific method, structure and justification of scientific theories, scientific choice, change, and the idea that scientific knowledge is progressive in a cumulative way. Topics to be considered include the nature of freedom (both individual and social), the master/slave dialectic and subject constitution, self-consciousness and double consciousness, the stages of history, and racial capitalism, Topics in Critical Theory: Subjection, Power, Freedom. In this way the goal of the course is significantly different from that of Logic and Language (PHIL 203). Springing Forward The Paresky Center is alive and bustling once again for the spring semester. [more], In this course we will examine traditional philosophical approaches to understanding death and related concepts, with a special focus on the ethical concerns surrounding death and care for the dying. argument, the cosmological argument, the teleological argument, the argument from religious experience, and the argument from evil). To properly address a number of interrelated questions concerning philosophy in literature and film, and philosophical problems of meaning, interpretation and evaluation of narrative fiction, we will discuss both narrative works of art and theoretical approaches to their analysis. Ninah T. Pretto. With few exceptions, thoroughgoing skepticism and relativism have not been the prevailing views of the greatest minds in the history of philosophy. Hence, being with others, being dependent on others, is regarded as a key structuring feature of human existence. To notify Williams of alumni deaths, please email, Experiential Learning & Community Engagement. What does it mean to be "philosophical" or to think "theoretically" about politics? Along the way we will discuss principles of syntax, the sub-field that studies sentence structures, and pragmatics, the sub-field that studies inferences of non-literal content. Of particular interest will be the extent to which discourse dynamics are built into the meanings of linguistic expressions vs. the extent to which they're consequences of our rational cognition. in conflict. How should moral equality be understood, and what is its foundation? What are some of the necessary conditions for democracy? Much of the moral philosophy produced in Greece and Rome remains as relevant today as when it was written. Some of them explicitly engage meta-philosophical debates; others exemplify particular philosophical styles and methods. The millennia old problem of whether human suffering is compatible with God's perfection is called "the problem of evil." 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