¹On leave full year.

"Philosophy," as William James put it, "is an attempt to think without arbitrariness or dogmatism about the fundamental issues." One of the core disciplines of the liberal arts, philosophy provides a unique perspective on human and social problems. As a critical and an integrative discipline, it collects and analyzes the questions that arise from the basic principles of all areas of knowledge. Colby's program features a sequence of courses dealing with intellectual and philosophical history, as well as courses treating the major philosophical issues.

Requirements for the Major in Philosophy
Philosophy 152, 211, 231, 232, 453, five additional courses in philosophy--at least four of which are above the 100 level, one of which may be 483, 484, 491, or 492--and participation in the Philosophy Department colloquium series 401-402.

Requirements for the Major in Philosophy-Mathematics
In philosophy: 152; 111 or 211; 231, 232, 258, and 453.

In mathematics: 121 or 161; 122 or 162; 274, 333, and 338.

Physics 141, 142 is recommended for the major.

The point scale for retention of each of the above majors applies to all courses that count toward the major.

Honors in Philosophy
Students majoring in philosophy or philosophy-mathematics may apply during their junior year for admission to the honors program. Permission is required; guidelines are established by the department. Successful completion of the work of the honors program and of the major will enable the student to graduate "With Honors in Philosophy" or "With Honors in Philosophy-Mathematics."

Requirements for the Minor in Philosophy
Six courses in philosophy, totaling at least 18 semester hours, which must include (1) one introductory course selected from Philosophy 111, 114, 135, 152, 174, or 211; (2) either Philosophy 231 or 232; (3) one additional course in the history of Western philosophy selected from Philosophy 231, 232, 252, 359, 373, 374, 378, 453; and (4) three additional courses at or above the 200 level.

Course Offerings

111f Central Philosophical Issues: Self and Society An introduction to philosophy by consideration of two of its central branches: social and political philosophy and ethics. Issues addressed are: moral absolutes, the social contract, political power, individual rights, economic justice, the good society. Readings from Plato, Locke, Mill, Marx, Malcolm X, and Orwell. Four credit hours. S. MS. GORDON

114fs Central Philosophical Issues: Nature and God An introduction to philosophy focusing on epistemology (the theory of knowledge) and metaphysics (the theory of the basic nature of the universe). What is knowledge and why, exactly, does it matter (assuming it does)? What, if anything, constitutes the data of metaphysics, and how, if at all, does that data justify metaphysical positions? These issues approached with attention to the philosophy of religion. How strong are the arguments for and against the existence of God, and what is one to do if the arguments seem inconclusive? Readings from Plato, Sextus Empiricus, Descartes, Berkeley, Hume, and James. Four credit hours. L. MR. KASSER

[118] Central Philosophical Issues: Philosophy of Law An introduction to philosophy by a consideration of the interrelations between law, philosophy, and logic. Topics include the nature and foundation of legal systems, the relation of law to morality, the limits of law, punishment, justice, and legal reasoning. Four credit hours. S.

[135] Puzzles and Paradoxes An introduction to some of the central concepts, problems, and methods of contemporary philosophy by engaging with an assortment of perplexing problems that inevitably arise when thought turns in on itself. Dilemmas of decision theory and paradoxes of rationality are among the topics covered. Two credit hours.

136f Philosophy in the Post-War Era, 1945-70 Formerly listed as Philosophy in the Post-War Era, 1945-70 in "Integrated Studies." Four credit hours. MR. MCARTHUR

152s Logic The techniques of formal reasoning in a symbolic context and their application to argumentation in natural language. Three credit hours. Q. MR. MCARTHUR

155s Feminist Philosophies Whether one views feminism as a philosophical school of thought, an interpretive strategy, a political movement, or a way of understanding culture and ideas, it has many faces; feminism is neither unified nor monolithic. Students examine several feminist frameworks (structures of political thought that shape feminism), their relationship to and difference from one another, and feminist issues that lie outside of those frameworks. Four credit hours. S, D. MS. GORDON

[174] Philosophical Anthropology: The Philosophy of Human Nature An introduction to philosophy through a comparative study of theories about human nature and destiny. Readings from great philosophers, scientists, and literary figures such as Plato, Rousseau, Skinner, Freud, the Sociobiologists, Sartre, Camus, and Tillich. Also listed as Anthropology 174. Four credit hours. S, D.

178s Thinking Sex Formerly listed as Thinking Sex in "Integrated Studies." Four credit hours. S, D. MS. CALHOUN

211f Moral Philosophy An introduction to the three major philosophical approaches to ethics--utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, and virtue ethics. Lesser attention to special issues such as snobbery and moral luck. Three or four credit hours. S. MS. CALHOUN

231f History of Ancient Philosophy A survey of ancient thought that also examines the social and cultural contexts in which that thought arises. Study of the Greek world through the ideas of the pre-Socratics, the Sophists, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, the Skeptics, and the Stoics. Four credit hours. H. MS. GORDON

232s History of Early Modern Philosophy European philosophy of the 17th and 18th centuries, focusing on the contrast between rationalist and empiricist approaches to knowledge as developed in the works of Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Three or four credit hours. H. MS. CALHOUN

[234] Philosophy of Sport A survey of several philosophical issues in sport: the nature of competition and friendship, peak experiences, sport as art, race and sports, and ethical issues in sports. Areas of philosophy covered include mind-body dualism, social theory, aesthetics, ethical theory, and Eastern philosophy. Three credit hours. S, D.

[236] Social and Political Philosophy Readings from traditional and non-traditional sources focusing on social contract theories; theories of human nature and their connection to political theory, racism, and feminism in contemporary society; and economic justice. Three credit hours. S.

[239] Epistemology An introduction to basic philosophical positions regarding Skepticism, knowledge versus belief, knowledge and the world, and epistemic justification; as well as topics such as the nature of certainty, "naturalized epistemology," and the ethics of belief. Three credit hours.

[252] American Philosophy A survey of American philosophy from Puritan times to the present, with special attention to the supposedly "practical" character of American thought. Accordingly, the main focus is on pragmatism in its classical (C.S. Peirce, William James, John Dewey) and contemporary (Richard Rorty) forms, although such thinkers as Jonathan Edwards, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, R.W. Emerson and W.E.B. Du Bois are also considered. Three credit hours. H.

[256] Indian Philosophy The development of Indian philosophy and intellectual history from the beginning of the Indian Renaissance in the late 18th century to the present. Readings from such thinkers as Gandhi, Tagore, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, and Radhakrishnan. Three credit hours. L, D.

[258] Advanced Logic Further investigations into symbolic logic and its extensions, with special attention to Modal Logic and some attention to metatheoretic results. Prerequisite: Philosophy 152. Three credit hours.

[272] Applied Ethics An examination of philosophical approaches to contemporary debates about affirmative action, euthanasia, gay rights, environmental ethics, abortion, workfare, prostitution, speech codes, and capital punishment. Special attention to the structure of philosophical arguments on these issues and the key theoretical frameworks and concepts used by philosophers. Four credit hours. S, D.

311f Contemporary Currents in Ethical Theory Rotating topics. Contact Philosophy Department for the current description. Fall 1999: Responsibility, Character, and the Emotions. An examination of free will, personhood, virtue, and the moral emotions. Prerequisite: Philosophy 211. Four credit hours. MS. CALHOUN

312s Philosophical Topics in Feminist Theory An in-depth investigation of feminist philosophers' critiques and reconstructions of contemporary themes in ethics, political theory, and theory of knowledge. Prerequisite: Six credit hours in philosophy and/or women's studies. Four credit hours. D. MS. CALHOUN

317f Philosophy of Science A consideration of some major 20th-century conceptions of what scientists aim to do, what theoretical structures they employ in pursuing their aims, and what legitimates these structures. Science seems to be constrained by experience in distinctive ways, but it also ventures far beyond experience in pursuing its theoretical and explanatory aims. These issues approached historically by examining the rise and fall of the project known as logical empiricism (or logical positivism). Prerequisite: One course in philosophy. Three credit hours. MR. KASSER

[338] Philosophy of Language Philosophy has taken a linguistic turn in the 20th century: philosophers have come to suppose that reflection on the nature of language and the linguistic representation can help solve long-standing philosophical problems. The development of the philosophy of language and its success, with special attention to the role of metaphor. Prerequisite: Philosophy 152. Three credit hours.

[359] 19th-Century Philosophy A consideration of some varieties of two major movements in 19th-century philosophy: idealism and naturalism. English and American philosophers (Emerson, Mill, Whewell) will figure in the course along with such European thinkers as Kant, Fichte, Hegel, and Schopenhauer. Topics include the limitations of human reason, the relation between theoretical and practical reason, the theory of scientific method, and some connections between epistemology and politics. Four credit hours.

372s Philosophy of Religion Some of the principal philosophical problems concerning the nature and justification of religious belief and experience, problems such as the nature of God, arguments for the existence of God, the problem of evil, mysticism, and the relation of faith and reason. Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or religious studies. Four credit hours. S. MR. KASSER

[373] History of Medieval Philosophy The evolution of philosophical debate in the Latin West from Augustine to Ockham, with particular focus on the problems of the reconciliation of faith and reason, of the metaphysics of universals, and of the sources and possibilities of human knowledge. Prerequisite: Philosophy 231. Three or four credit hours. H.

374f Existentialism An examination of such issues as absurdity and meaning, the individual, the nature of being, and choice and responsibility. Readings from Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Camus, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Buber, and black existential philosophy. Prerequisite: One course in philosophy. Four credit hours. L. MS. GORDON

[376] Philosophical Psychology A focus on philosophical accounts of the nature of mind and psychological phenomena, including the relation of mind to body, the significance of consciousness to having a mind, theories of emotion, and the problem of determining personal identity over time. Authors studied include Descartes, William James, Freud, Skinner, and Ryle. Prerequisite: Six semester hours in philosophy. Four credit hours.

[378] Contemporary Continental Philosophy An examination of the main currents of contemporary European philosophy with special emphasis on its connections to the works of Marx and Freud. Readings may include selections from Habermas, Foucault, Derrida, Deleuze and Guattari, Baudrillard, Lacan, Irigaray, and others. Three credit hours.

[391] Philosophy Seminar Seminars in selected areas of philosophy. Three or four credit hours.

392s Philosophy Seminar: Aristotle's Rhetoric The art of persuasive speech--rhetoric--was an essential part of Athenian civic life. A course based on a close examination of Aristotle's work "On Rhetoric," considering the cultural and historical context in which it was written, its relation to other Greek texts, and its relation to contemporary cultural media. Prerequisite: Philosophy 231. Four credit hours. MS. GORDON

401f, 402s Philosophy Colloquium A year-long colloquium series of presentations from faculty and invited speakers on topics of current philosophical interest. Students are expected to attend all the colloquia, read the papers beforehand, and, with mentors, prepare questions to be asked of the presenters. One credit hour for completion of two semesters of the series. FACULTY

453s Seminar: Contemporary Analytic Philosophy Analytic philosophy in this century is the product of philosophical analysis and foundational empiricism. On occasion, they have appeared as complementary, but there is a deep tension between them as to the nature of philosophy itself. An exploration of the transformations of philosophy that have resulted. Prerequisite: Philosophy 232. Four credit hours. MR. MCARTHUR

477fs Philosophical Readings Faculty-student reading groups arranged for the purpose of informal, but regular and structured, discussions of philosophical texts. May be repeated for additional credit. Enrollment limited. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Nongraded. One to three credit hours. FACULTY

483f, 484s Philosophy Honors Program Research conducted under the guidance of a faculty member and focused on an approved topic leading to the writing of a thesis. A 3.25 major average at the end of the senior year is a condition of successful completion of this program. Prerequisite: Senior standing, a 3.0 major average at the end of the junior year, and permission of the department. Three credit hours. FACULTY

491f, 492s Independent Study Individual projects in areas where the student has demonstrated the interest and competence necessary for independent work. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. One to four credit hours. FACULTY

493f Seminar: Public Philosophy in America, 1950-2000 An interdisciplinary examination of philosophical topics and issues that have been discussed in the semi-popular press during the past half century. Topics include individualism and conformity, social justice, computer intelligence and consciousness, objectivity and relativism, rights and liberties, the relation of law and morality, the so-called culture wars, and the just war theory. Readings are from journals of opinion such as The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, The Nation, The National Review, Signs, Foreign Affairs, The American Scholar, and Harper's, plus fiction and non-fiction mass-market books, and films. Individual research projects require delving into the philosophical literature, per se. Offered conjointly with American Studies 493 as part of the "Integrated Studies, advanced clusters" section of this catalogue. Four credit hours. MR. MCARTHUR