| source MIT (X) |
level |
department Linguistics and Philosophy (X) |
24.00 Problems of Philosophy ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 You must enter the HASS-D lottery to take this subject. Lecture: TR10 ( 32-141 ) Recitation: F10 ( 56-169 , 56-180 ) or F11 ( 56-169 ) or F12 ( 56-169 ) +final Introduction to the problems of philosophy- in particular, to problems in ethics, metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of logic, language, and science. A systematic rather than historical approach. Readings from classical and contemporary sources, but emphasis is on examination and evaluation of proposed solutions to the problems. more information ... S. Yablo
Score: 11.1828165 Details | Listing | Web page
24.01 Classics of Western Philosophy ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 You must enter the HASS-D lottery to take this subject. Lecture: MW1 ( 32-155 ) Recitation: F11 ( 66-156 ) or F12 ( 66-156 , 66-154 ) or F1 ( 66-154 ) +final Introduction to Western philosophical tradition through the study of selected major thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Lucretius, Descartes, Hobbes, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche and Marx. Emphasis on changes of intellectual outlook over time, and the complex interplay of scientific, religious and political concerns that influence the development of philosophical ideas. more information ... R. Langton
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24.02 Moral Problems and the Good Life ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 You must enter the HASS-D lottery to take this subject. Lecture: MW1 ( 32-123 ) Recitation: F11 ( 56-180 ) or F12 ( 56-180 , 56-191 ) or F1 ( 56-180 , 56-191 ) +final Introduction to important philosophical debates about moral issues and what constitutes a good life: What is right, what is wrong, and why? How important are personal happiness, longevity, and success if one is to live a good life? When is it good for you to get what you want? To what extent are we morally obliged to respect the rights and needs of others? What do we owe the poor, the discriminated, our loved ones, animals and fetuses? more information ... S. Haslanger
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24.04J Justice ( ) (Same subject as 17.01J ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 An examination of alternative theories of justice—utilitarianism, rights theories, social contract theory, and communitarianism—and the implications of those theories for problems of liberty, equality, and community. Readings drawn principally from the work of contemporary political philosophers, including Rawls, Nozick, Dworkin, Walzer, MacIntyre, and Buchanan. more information ... Staff
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24.06J Bioethics ( ) (Same subject as STS.006J ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Considers ethical questions that have arisen from the growth of biomedical research and the health-care industry since World War II. Should doctors be allowed to help patients end their lives? If so, when and how? Should embryos be cloned for research and/or reproduction? Should parents be given control over the genetic make-up of their children? What types of living things are appropriate to use as research subjects? How should we distribute scarce and expensive medical resources? Draws on philosophy, history, and anthropology to show how problems in bioethics can be approached from a variety of perspectives. more information ... C. Hare, D. Jones
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24.08J Philosophical Issues in Brain Science ( ) (Same subject as 9.48J ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 An introduction to some central philosophical questions about the mind, specifically those intimately connected with contemporary psychology and neuroscience. Discussions focus on arguments over innate concepts; ?mental images? as pictures in the head; whether color is in the mind or in the world; and whether there can be a science of consciousness. Explains the relevant parts of psychology and neuroscience as the subject proceeds. more information ... A. Byrne, P. Sinha
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24.09 Minds and Machines ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Introduction to philosophy of mind. Can computers think? Is the mind an immaterial thing? Alternatively, is the mind the brain? How can creatures like ourselves think thoughts that are about things? Can I know whether your experiences are the same as mine when we both look at raspberries, fire trucks, and stoplights? Can consciousness be given a scientific explanation? more information ... M. Montague
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24.111 Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Quantum mechanics is said to describe a world in which physical objects often lack "definite" properties, indeterminism creeps in at the point of "observation," ordinary logic does not apply, and distant events are perfectly yet inexplicably correlated. Examination of these and other issues central to the philosophical foundations of quantum mechanics, with special attention to the measurement problem, no-hidden-variables proofs, and Bell's Inequalities. Rigorous approach to the subject matter nevertheless neither presupposes nor requires the development of detailed technical knowledge of the quantum theory. B. Skow
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24.112 Space, Time, and Relativity ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Philosophical questions raised by relativistic and pre-relativistic physics, especially questions about space and time. Discussions focus on Newton's arguments for the existence of absolute space and time; pre-relativistic arguments that the geometry of space is a matter of convention; and counter arguments from relativity showing that the passage of time is not a real phenomenon. Other topics include the relationship between matter and energy in relativity, and the possibility of time travel. Previous exposure to special relativity will be helpful but is not required. B. Skow
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24.114J A Philosophical History of Energy ( ) (Same subject as 10.04J ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Philosophic and historical approach to conceptions of energy through the 19th century. Relation of long standing scientific and philosophic problems in the field of energy to 21st century debates. Topics include the development of thermodynamics and kinetic theories, the foundation of the scientific project, the classical view of energy, and the harnessing of nature. Authors include Bacon, van Boltzmann, Carnot, Compte, Descartes, Gibbs, Plato, Aristotle, Leibniz, Kant, Hegel, Mill, Peirce, Whitehead, and Maxwell. Key texts and controversies form topics of weekly writing assignments and term papers. B. L. Trout, L. D. Perlman
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24.118 Paradox and Infinity ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Different kinds of infinity; the paradoxes of set theory; the reduction of arithmetic to logic; formal systems; paradoxes involving the concept of truth; Godel's incompleteness theorems; the nonformalizable nature of mathematical truth; and Turing machines. A. Rayo
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24.120 Moral Psychology ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: MW11-12.30 ( 56-162 ) An examination of philosophical theories of action and motivation in the light of empirical findings from social psychology, sociology and neuroscience. Topics include belief, desire, and moral motivation; sympathy and empathy; intentions and other committing states; strength of will and weakness of will; free will; addiction and compulsion; guilt, shame and regret; evil; self-knowledge and self-deception; virtues and character traits. R. Holton
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24.201 Topics in the History of Philosophy ( ) Prereq: One HASS-D in philosophy or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Close examination of a text, an author, or a theme in the history of philosophy. Can be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor and advisor. S. Haslanger
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24.209 Philosophy in Film and Other Media ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: W EVE (7-10 PM) ( 1-136 ) Works of film examined in relation to thematic issues of philosophical importance that also occur in other arts, particularly literature and opera. Emphasis on film's ability to represent and express feeling as well as cognition. I. Singer
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24.211 Theory of Knowledge ( ) Prereq: One philosophy subject Units: 3-0-9 URL: http://www.mit.edu/~phawley/courses/24.211F03 Study of problems concerning our concept of knowledge, our knowledge of the past, our knowledge of the thoughts and feelings of ourselves and others, and our knowledge of the existence and properties of physical objects in our immediate environment. R. White
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24.213 Philosophy of Film ( ) (Subject meets with CMS.820 ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Philosophical analysis of film art, with an emphasis on the ways in which it creates meaning through techniques that define a formal structure. Particular focus on aesthetic problems about appearance and reality, literary and visual effects, communication and alienation through film technology. I. Singer
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24.214 Introduction to Philosophy of the Arts ( ) (Subject meets with CMS.811 ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: R EVE (7-10 PM) ( 32-D831 ) Interdisciplinary introduction to principles of aesthetics in arts such as literature, film, music, and the media arts. Topics include the nature of imagination and creativity, and the role of art and aesthetics in science, ethics, and religion. Relevant screenings as well as readings. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. I. Singer
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24.215 Topics in the Philosophy of Science ( ) Prereq: One philosophy subject Units: 3-0-9 Close examination of a small number of issues central to recent philosophy of science, such as the demarcation problem, causal relations, laws of nature, underdetermination of theory by data, paradoxes of confirmation, scientific realism, the role of mathematics in science, elimination of bias, and the objectivity of scientific discourse. R. White
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24.221 Metaphysics ( ) Prereq: One philosophy subject Units: 3-0-9 Study of basic metaphysical issues concerning existence, the mind-body problem, personal identity, and causation plus its implications for freedom. Classical as well as contemporary readings. Provides practice in written and oral communication. Staff
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24.222 Decisions, Games and Rational Choice ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Foundations and philosophical applications of Bayesian decision theory, game theory and theory of collective choice. Why should degrees of belief be probabilities? Is it always rational to maximize expected utility? If so, why and what is its utility? What is a solution to a game? What does a game-theoretic solution concept such as Nash equilibrium say about how rational players will, or should, act in a game? How are the values and the actions of groups, institutions and societies related to the values and actions of the individuals that constitute them? R. Stalnaker
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24.231 Ethics ( ) Prereq: One philosophy subject Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: MW1-2.30 ( 56-169 ) Systematic study of central theories in ethics, including egoism, act and rule utilitarianism, intuitionism, emotivism, rights theories, and contractualism. Discussion and readings also focus on problems associated with moral conflicts, justice, the relationship between rightness and goodness, objective vs. subjective moral judgments, moral truth, and relativism. Staff
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24.235J Philosophy of Law ( ) (Same subject as 17.021J ) Prereq: One Philosophy subject or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Examination of fundamental issues in philosophy of law, such as the nature and limits of law and a legal system, and the relation of law to morality, with particular emphasis on the philosophical issues and problems associated with privacy, liberty, justice, punishment, and responsibility. Historical and contemporary readings, including court cases. Staff
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24.237 Feminist Theory ( ) (Subject meets with 17.006 , 17.007J , SP.601J ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Analyzes theories of gender and politics, especially ideologies of gender and their construction; definitions of public and private spheres; gender issues in citizenship, the development of the welfare state, experiences of war and revolution, class formation, and the politics of sexuality. Graduate students are expected to pursue the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research. E. Wood
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24.241 Logic I ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR11-12.30 ( 66-160 ) +final Introduction to the aims and techniques of formal logic. The logic of truth functions and quantifiers. The concepts of validity and truth and their relation to formal deduction. Applications of logic and the place of logic in philosophy. E. Glick
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24.242 Logic II ( ) Prereq: 24.241 or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 URL: http://web.mit.edu/24.242/www/ The central results of modern logic: the completeness of predicate logic, recursive functions, the incompleteness of arithmetic, the unprovability of consistency, the indefinability of truth, Skolem-Lowenheim theorems, and nonstandard models. V. McGee
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