PHILOSOPHY
PHIL 095:
Constructive Thinking and Problem-Solving 3 credits
Prerequisites: none
Transferability: none
Do you find it hard to organize your thinking and engage in discussions or arguments? In this course, you will learn about the processes of reasoning and problem-solving. You will explore the different ways that people deal with disagreements, and see how to examine problems and arguments from different perspectives. You will discover how to create a variety of solutions for problems and find out how to choose the best option.
PHIL 100:
Reasoning: An Essential Human Activity 3 credits
Prerequisites: none
Transferability: UBC, SFU, UVic, TWU, OU
Have you ever tried to figure out why someone’s reasoning wasn’t quite right? Have you ever had your own cherished reasoning demolished? Have your essays, exams, or lab reports ever been torn apart for being illogical? If so, you need this course.
Good reasoning is the basis for successful thought and action. Good methods of reasoning help us to analyze an issue or problem, to assess various solutions, and to understand how to find the correct answer.
In order to detect and avoid errors in our reasoning, we examine fallacies of reasoning, different forms of arguments, the concepts of truth and validity, proof and evidence, consistency and contradiction, definition and generalization, deduction and induction. Throughout the course, we apply our methods of reasoning to various issues, both practical and theoretical.
PHIL 110:
Morality and Politics 3 credits
Prerequisites: none
Transferability: UBC, SFU, UVic, OU, TWU
There have always been conflicts between individuals, and between social organizations and the individuals who compose them. What is the nature and source of these conflicts? Are they due to human nature? What rights and obligations do individuals have? What rights and obligations do social organizations — such as the state, a trade union, the family — have to their members? What are justice and freedom? These questions, and the answers offered by classic and contemporary authors such as Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Mill, and Marx, are examined in lectures, films, discussions and writing.
PHIL 120:
Knowledge and Reality 3 credits
Prerequisites: none
Transferability: UBC, SFU, UVic, OU, TWU
Many of the traditional problems and arguments in philosophy deal with the nature of human individuality.
Individuality is acclaimed as one of the great achievements of western civilization. The progress of civilization has often been measured by how much individuality is allowed to flourish. What is individuality? What makes me a unique individual?
In order to answer these questions, we also need to ask: When do I have free will to express my individuality? What is the relationship between my physical nature — my body — and my spiritual nature — my mind? Am I really anything more than a complicated thinking machine? What happens to me when I die?
PHIL 210:
Contemporary Issues in Morality and Politics 3 credits
Prerequisites: 15 credits of university-level course work
Transferability: UBC, SFU, UVic, OU, TWU
Through seminars and directed reading, problems of current interest in moral and political philosophy are dealt with, including conflicts between dominant moral theories, between the demands of morality and of politics, and between theories of justice, freedom, and human nature.
Note: PHIL 210
is the same as POSC 270. Although the transferability may differ, credit cannot be
obtained for both
PHIL 210 and POSC 210 at UCFV.
PHIL 220:
Issues in Metaphysics and Epistemology 3 credits
Prerequisites: 15 credits of university-level course work
Transferability: UBC, SFU, UVic, OU, TWU
Through seminars and directed reading, traditional problems of metaphysics and epistemology are examined, such as the nature of persons, theories of truth, free will and determinism, the nature of space and time, language and meaning, the relation of evidence to knowledge and belief, scientific method.
PHIL 230 (formerly 130):
Philosophy of Law 3 credits
Prerequisites: 15 credits of university-level course work
Transferability: UBC, SFU, UVic, OU, TWU
Our legal and penal systems are often severely criticized. We can better understand these criticisms and the issues they raise if we can answer a number of philosophical questions about the nature of law, punishment, and responsibility.
Why do we have laws? What is law: is it essentially a constraining force or is it a force for freedom? What is the relationship of the law to morality: should the law enforce morality? When is a person responsible for an act and thus legally liable for punishment? Why do we punish criminals: to deter crimes, to rehabilitate the criminal, or to “pay back” the criminal? Is it ever justified to break the law?
Note: PHIL 230 (formerly 130) is the same as CRIM 130. Although the transferability may differ, credit cannot be obtained for both PHIL 230 and CRIM 130 at UCFV.
PHIL 240 (formerly 140):
Faith and Reason: Philosophy of Religion 3 credits
Prerequisites: 15 credits of university-level course work
Transferability: UBC, SFU, TWU, UVic, OU
Religion is hailed for giving value to our lives where science and humanism fail, and it is condemned as a crutch, an illusion, a mere hedging of bets. What is the special character of religion? Is it appropriate to ask for evidence in religion, for example, in support of the existence of God, or does religion rely on special experiences of revelation and miracles? These questions raise many further issues such as the nature of God, the possibility of an afterlife, and the nature of good and evil. Responses to these and other questions given by people such as Plato, Aquinas, Descartes, Hume, and Freud are examined in lectures, films, discussion, and writing.
PHIL 250:
History of Western Philosophy: Foundations —
The Greco-Roman and Medieval Worlds 3 credits
Prerequisites: 15 credit hours in Arts or Applied or Science programs
Corequisites: none
Transferability: pending
Ancient and medieval thinkers have had a huge impact on the development of modern western society and therefore on the world. In this course we will examine the extent of this impact, with particular emphasis on issues relevant to contemporary society. We will also explore some of the non-western influences (e.g., Islam) that have helped shape our intellectual traditions.
PHIL 251 (formerly PHIL 151):
History of Western Philosophy: Hobbes to Kant 3 credits
Prerequisites: 15 credits of university-level course work
Transferability: UBC, OU, TWU, UVic
Western philosophy has exercised a profound influence on world history, especially its intellectual history. This course will introduce you to the central philosophical thinkers and ideas from the early modern period. The course will be worthwhile for anyone with an interest in western intellectual heritage.
Note: Credit cannot be obtained for both PHIL 151 and PHIL 251.
PHIL 252:
History of Western Philosophy III:
From Rationalism to Existentialism 3 credits
Prerequisites: 15 credits from Arts, Science or Applied programs
Transferability: UVic
It has been suggested by the title of Goya’s famous painting that the “sleep of reason produces monsters”. In contrast, it’s said in Goethe’s Faust that reason may make us “far beastlier than any beast”. This course will explore the historical disagreement over reason, starting with the rational systems of Kant and Hegel and culminating with an investigation of Existentialism and its legacy. The course will be worthwhile for anyone with questions concerning current debates over what we have come to call “modernity”.
PHIL 305: Philosophy of
Decision Making
and Dispute Resolution 3 credits
Prerequisites: 60 credits of university-level course work
Note: Students will find it helpful to take either or both of PHIL 100 or PHIL 110 in preparation for this course.
Complex decisions and dispute resolution tax our reasoning skills to the limit. They also challenge our philosophies about the adequacy of reason and the morality of making decisions with and for others. Do we believe that individual reasoning is sufficient to produce sound decisions? Do we have a right to make decisions independently? When should we be part of a group decision-making process, or defer to authority?
This course provides an opportunity to reflect critically on the underlying philosophies of different models of decision making and dispute resolution currently in use in the law, business, and social settings. What is the relative importance of reason, emotion, and independence in each model? What assumptions does each model make about objectivity, the importance of establishing truth, the need for expertise, or about the equality and rights of participants? How applicable are any of the models to cross-cultural disputes or decisions? Students who complete this course will be better able to make informed judgments about dispute resolution and decision-making strategies in their own professional and personal contexts.
PHIL 310:
Ethics and Public Policy 3 credits
Prerequisites: 45 credits in Applied or Arts or Science programs, including nine credits in Philosophy or Political Science
Corequisites: none
Sometimes our ethics are about how we act individually; for example, whether to make a charitable donation for cancer research. Sometimes, our ethics are about our political practices; for example, whether to make our charitable donations tax deductible.
What role should ethics play in our social and political practices? Should our ethics — what we think is right — take into account the realities of politics — of how we collectively make decisions? Should we structure our social and political practices to meet ethical requirements?
In order to pursue these questions about diverse practices such as health care, international relations, business, employment relations, and government, we will look at various approaches to ethics that focus on practical issues of forming, justifying, and implementing political and social solutions.
PHIL 312:
Occupational Ethics 3 credits
Prerequisites: 45 credits from Applied or Arts or Science programs, including one of PHIL 110 or PHIL 210 or PHIL 230 or (POSC 120 or POSC 270).
Corequisites: none
Whether you are an employee, an employer, or an entrepreneur, you will face difficult ethical decisions in your working life. Every stage of employment, from choosing your career to deciding to retire, raises ethical issues. Every working relationship raises questions about your role and responsibilities, whether you are the boss or the customer, the professional or the student, the caregiver or the client. How should you choose a career? What rights should you have as a boss or as a subordinate? What information is private, what should be kept confidential, and what must be shared? How will you determine and balance your loyalties, your priorities, and your responsibilities? When and why should you go the extra mile for a client, a colleague, or a boss? When should your job take second place to your personal life? This course will examine a variety of ethical issues in employment and show you how to apply ethical theories to situations you will face.
PHIL 315:
Contemporary Ethical Theory 3 credits
Prerequisites: PHIL 110 and six additional credits of Philosophy or Political Science
Justifying positions on practical moral issues such as abortion, capital punishment, the duty to contribute to famine relief, or the rights of aboriginal peoples, requires reference to ethical principles which must themselves be justified. This course addresses problems in the justification of moral principles. Topics to be covered may include the objectivity of moral judgment, moral relativism, the nature of the good, impartiality, egoism, utilitarianism, deontology, feminist ethics and virtue ethics. The course will focus on detailed discussion of these concepts and theories as they affect practical moral reasoning.
PHIL 323:
Values, Objectivity, and Neutrality:
Philosophical Issues in the Social Sciences 3 credits
Prerequisites: Two lower-level philosophy courses, or instructor’s permission
The social or human sciences are increasingly influential in contemporary social and political life. But to what extent are economics, sociology, archaeology, and political science, for example, truly “scientific”? Is it reasonable to expect them to lead to law-like conclusions about social affairs? What is the role of interpretation in explanations of social events? Is there some cross-cultural rationality which can be applied to all societies? Is it possible for social scientists to maintain political and gender neutrality, or are these forms of inquiry always tainted by the biases of the researcher?
PHIL 325:
Contemporary Philosophy: The Problem of Truth 3 credits
Prerequisites: PHIL 120 and six additional credits of Philosophy
“The truth is out there.” “Truth is stranger than fiction.” “The truth will set you free.” Clichés concerning the truth abound. However, in contemporary academic circles, these commonplace assertions are actively questioned. Hence it’s not unusual to find philosophers who argue that the truth is nowhere, that the truth is fiction or that the idea of truth is a weapon of oppression. In this course we examine such radical positions as well as recent attempts made to redeem the concept of truth. Topics to be examined may include the relationship between language and truth, the debate over the nature of texts, and the status of truth as a socially determined concept.
PHIL 362:
Ethical Dimensions of Education 3 credits
Prerequisites: PHIL 110 and six additional credits of Philosophy or Political Science
Corequisites: none
This course introduces the ethical and philosophical dimensions of education. Topics to be examined concern autonomy as an educational aim, including the justification of education and the value of knowledge, the distinction between education and indoctrination, the justification of educational authority, equality of educational opportunity, personal relationships in teaching, professional ethics in teaching, and moral education.
PHIL 480:
Selected Topics in Morality and Politics 3 credits
Prerequisites: 45 credits from Arts, Science, or Applied programs, including any one of: POSC 311, POSC 312, PHIL 305, PHIL 310, PHIL 315.
A detailed exploration of one or more typical issues in the application of morality to politics, or politics to morality.
PHIL 490:
Directed Studies in Ethical and Political Philosophy 3 credits
Prerequisites: 12 credits of Philosophy or Political Science, and written consent of both the faculty member and department head
Corequisites: none
This course offers students the opportunity to pursue in-depth independent study of a particular issue, problem, or topic in the areas of ethical or political philosophy. The student must, in consultation with a faculty member, develop a detailed individual course proposal indicating the readings or other study to be undertaken and outlining how the course work will be assessed.
Note: This course can only be taken once for credit towards the Applied Ethical and Political Philosophy minor.
PHIL 491:
Directed Studies in Philosophy 3 credits
Prerequisites: Nine credits of philosophy courses, and written consent of both the faculty member and the department head.
This course offers students the opportunity to pursue in-depth independent study of a particular issue, problem, or topic in any area of philosophy. The student must, in consultation with a faculty member, develop a detailed individual course proposal indicating the readings or other study to be undertaken and how the course work will be assessed. This course does not count towards the minor in Applied Ethical and Political Philosophy.
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