Philosophy Department

An introduction to the study of philosophy that looks at major thinkers in the history of western philosophy as well as the fundamental and enduring questions they raised. Among the philosophers considered are Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, and Hume. The questions raised by these thinkers include: What is it to think rationally and critically? Can we demonstrate the existence and nature of God? Can we discover any ethical principles that should guide our actions? What are the limits of human knowledge? Credit will be granted for only one of PHIL 100 and PHIL 101 or 102. Six credits.

An introduction to the study of philosophy that looks at major thinkers in the history of philosophy as well as the fundamental and enduring questions they asked. Philosophers considered may include Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, and Meng-zi. Questions may include: What is the nature of knowledge? What is being? How should human society be organized? What is happiness? Credit will be granted for only one of PHIL 101 and PHIL 100. Three credits.

An introduction to the study of philosophy that looks at major thinkers in the history of philosophy as well as the fundamental and enduring questions they asked. Philosophers considered may include Descartes, Hume, Locke, Nietzsche, Mill, and de Beauvoir. Questions may include: What is the nature of human identity? Do humans have free will? What rights should people have? What is justice? Credit will be granted for only one of PHIL 102 and PHIL 100. Three credits.

This course introduces students to ethical reasoning about problems in healthcare. It does so by exploring four fundamental philosophical theories (Virtue Ethics; Contractarianism & Rights; Duty-Based Ethics; and Consequentialism), presenting the corresponding values in healthcare workers, and showing how these principles and values can be applied to specific cases. Restricted to students in the BSc Nursing program. Three credits.

This course will examine the political philosophies of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas through a careful reading of primary texts. The relevance of these philosophies will be evaluated critically with a view to their contemporary relevance. Cross-listed as PSCI 201. Prerequisite: PHIL 100 or 101 or 102 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

A critical text analysis of modern philosophers such as Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Mill, and Marx, with emphasis on their political philosophy. This course will stress the continuing relevance of these thinkers to current policies and the search for a just society. Cross-listed as PSCI 202. Prerequisite: PHIL 100 or 101 or 102 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

Examines the methodology of the natural and social sciences, including the logic of scientific discovery and experimental testing, the confirmation of hypotheses, and the nature of scientific explanation. Credit will be granted for only one of PHIL 213 or PHIL 210. Three credits.

What is an argument? How do arguments work? What makes some arguments better than others? This course will equip students to recognize and analyze arguments as they occur in a variety of contexts such as media editorials, speeches, textbooks, argumentative essays, and philosophical texts. To accomplish this, we will study the components of good arguments and techniques for criticizing and constructing arguments. Students will also be introduced to propositional logic. Prerequisite: normally at least one semester of successful university study. Three credits.

The topic for 2025-2026 is Philosophy in The Twilight Zone. An introduction to the analysis of human nature, particularly the emotions, through selections of philosophical texts and episodes of the television show, “The Twilight Zone.” The Twilight Zone provoked its audience into grappling with questions such as the nature of fear, what happiness is, whether emotions can serve as the basis of human goodness, and whether human beings are free. Readings will include selections from authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, and Sartre. Prerequisite: PHIL 100 or 101 or 102 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

This course introduces students to several major ethical theories, including utilitarianism, virtue-based ethics, natural law theory and deontology. It addresses such questions as: Is there an objective moral standard? Is there a common good? Do we have duties to others? What does morality have to do with personal happiness? Prerequisite: Prerequisite: PHIL 100 or 101 or 102 or third year standing or permission of the department chair. Three credits.

This course examines the ethical relationship between humans and the natural environment. It begins with the theoretical principles that help determine human conduct within the natural world. Once these beliefs about nature have been examined, it assesses different normative models that might govern our behaviour regarding the environment. Prerequisite: PHIL 331. Three credits.

Introduces students to ethics as it bears on health and medicine. After a brief survey of ethical principles and values, the course addresses a number of contemporary issues such as: the ethical responsibilities of professionals and professional integrity; autonomy and consent; dying and assisted death; research involving human subjects; allocation of medical resources; confidentiality and privacy; reproductive technologies and rights. Credit will be granted for only one of PHIL 335, PHIL 135 or PHIL 336. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

A course in formal logic. Presupposing a familiarity with propositional logic, it focuses on first order predicate logic (with identity) and metalogic. Topics to be covered include translating sentences from English into symbolic notation, the semantics of predicate logic, deductions, soundness and completeness. Prerequisite: PHIL 251. Three credits.

A study of the Christian and Neo-Platonic influence on philosophy from the 4th- to the 12th-centuries. Principal thinkers: Augustine, Boethius, Anselm, and Abelard. Principal problems: faith and reason; knowledge; evil; providence; free will; immortality of the soul; universals; ethical principles. The course ends with an introduction to important mediaeval Islamic and Jewish thinkers: Avicenna, Averröes, Maimonides. Prerequisite: PHIL 100 or 101 or 102. Three credits.

A study of the influence of Christian theology and Aristotelian philosophy on thinkers of the 13th- and 14th-centuries. Principal figures: Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, John Duns Scotus, William of Ockham. Principal problems: faith and reason: knowledge; evil; providence; free will; immortality of the soul; universals; and ethical principles. Prerequisite: PHIL 100 or 101 or 102. Three credits.

Examines fundamental issues in legal philosophy through a discussion of such questions as: What is the nature and function of law? What is the relation between law and morality? What is the character of legal reasoning and judicial decision-making? What are the justifications and aims of punishment? Texts will be selected from the classical, mediaeval, modern, and contemporary periods, including works on liberal, libertarian, Marxist, and feminist thought. Prerequisite: PHIL 100 or 101 or 102 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

Examines 19th- and early 20th-century philosophical ideas in continental Europe. A look at the philosophical antecedents of existentialism and phenomenology will be followed by a discussion of the writings of some of the major figures in these movements: Kierkegaard, Sartre, Beauvoir, Marcel, Merleau-Ponty, Husserl, Arendt, and Heidegger. Prerequisite: PHIL 100 or 101 or 102 or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

The theme for 2025-2026 is Intercultural Philosophy and Ethics. This seminar course focuses on questions of ethics, political philosophy, and the philosophy of law, not discussed in PHIL 451. Content varies from year to year. The course will include both classical and contemporary authors. Prerequisite: junior standing in any program or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

A seminar course that focuses on issues in classical and contemporary epistemology and metaphysics. Topics to be considered may include: an investigation of the ultimate structure of reality as a whole: the nature of material things; the existence of the immaterial; the meaning of being; what can and cannot be known of reality; whether there is a First Cause. Credit will be granted for only one of PHIL 461 or PHIL 391 in 2017-2018. Prerequisite: junior standing in any program or permission of the instructor. Three credits.

Each student works under the supervision of a professor who guides the selection of a thesis topic, the use of resources, the methodological component, and the quality of analysis. Credit will be granted for only one of PHIL 490 and PHIL 489. Restricted to honours students. Six credits.