Course Descriptions

Please refer to the UWM Schedule of Classes for each term before registering to confirm which classes are offered.

Spring 2024 Course Descriptions
UWM Philosophy Department

Philosophy 101 - Introduction to Philosophy

  • LEC 001 M 5:30 pm – 8:10 pm; CRT 209
    Instructor: Shu Wang; wang484@uwm.edu

In this course, we will challenge the basic assumptions upon which we build our understanding of the world. We will ask: what is reality? How do we know? What can we know? What is an idea? What are meaning and truth? What are the causes of things? What is the good life? How do we know what is right? And more. By questioning in this way, we will seek to begin the journey toward knowing and thinking philosophically, so that we may know and think in ways that are secure, sound, and reflective. This is the practice of philosophy, philosophy as a way of life.

  • LEC 401 MW 10:30 am – 11:20 am; BOL B46
    LEC 402 MW 11:30 am – 12:20 pm; BOL B46
    Instructor: Elizabeth Silverstein; silvers2@uwm.edu
    Students who register for 401 and 402 must also register for discussion sections.

Philosophy 111 - Introduction to Logic- Critical Reasoning

  • LEC 201 ONLINE
  • LEC 401 MW 12:30 pm – 1:20 pm; BOL 150
  • LEC 402 MW 3:30 pm – 4:20 pm; BOL 150
    Instructor: Matthew Knachel; knachel@uwm.edu

Prerequisite enforcement: a grade of C or better in MATH 90 (P) or MATH 102 (P); or grade of D in MATH (P); or MATH 95 (P); or Math Placement Level 10.

There’s an ancient view, still widely held, that what makes human beings special—what distinguishes us from the “beasts of the field”—is that we are rational. What does rationality consist in? That is a vexed question, but one possible response goes roughly like this: we manifest our rationality by engaging in certain activities, chief among them the activity of making claims and backing them up with reasons—that is, constructing arguments. This reasoning activity can be done well and it can be done badly—it can be done correctly or incorrectly. Logic is the discipline that aims to distinguish good reasoning from bad.

Since reasoning is central to all fields of study—indeed, since it’s arguably central to being human—the tools developed in logic are universally applicable. Anyone can benefit from studying logic by becoming a more self-aware, skillful reasoner.

It is possible to approach the study of logic more or less formally. A more formal approach abstracts from natural language and develops sophisticated artificial symbol-languages within which it’s possible precisely to identify the logically relevant features of arguments. This approach has many virtues, but it is only one among many, and it focuses on only one kind of argument (deductive). In this class, we explore a diverse collection of methods and principles for evaluating many different kinds of arguments. We take a very brief look at the formal techniques mentioned above, but spend most of our time studying arguments presented in natural language, as they occur in everyday reasoning.

Philosophy 204 - Introduction to Asian Religions

The course will offer a philosophical examination of the primary religious traditions of Asia, with emphasis on Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The primary purpose of the course is to familiarize the student with the significant philosophical concepts of each religion and to engage with these traditions in a philosophical dialogue that enables us to understand their contributions to our understanding of the nature of the human self, the nature of reality, and the nature of the divine. Although we will examine differences between views and critique philosophical argumentation, there is no intention to disparage or endorse any particular belief system.

PHILOS 207 – Religion and Science

In this course we study the relation of natural science and religion to each other. Are the teachings of natural science and the beliefs of religion necessarily in conflict with one another? If so, what exactly is the nature of the conflict, and why is it inevitable? Which has more authority? Or, rather, ought we to understand the acceptance of the authority of natural science as compatible with religious belief? These questions imply other questions: how shall we define natural science exactly? and what is religion exactly? — We will study particularly prominent moments in the relation of science to religion in the modern period: specifically, the case of Galileo’s conflict with Church authorities over the heliocentric conception of the cosmos; and, a couple of centuries later, the conflicts between science and religion that Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection has inspired since it was published. We will also study the relation of science to religion in our contemporary world.

Philosophy 211 - Elementary Logic

  • LEC 201 ONLINE
  • LEC 401 MW 1:30 pm – 2:20 pm; CRT 175
    Instructor: Matthew Knachel; knachel@uwm.edu

Prerequisite enforcement: satisfaction of GER QL-A; or graduate standing; or special student.

Humans are reasoning animals, and logic is the study of the rules and principles of correct reasoning, the science of what follows from what. Logic know-how is a skill, one of the most important skills you will ever develop, both for your college and later career and for your everyday life. It teaches you how to analyze concepts, ideas, arguments, and break them down into their simplest components. You are then in a position to recognize the relationships between those components, to see how they are connected together (or not), and thereby to understand how and why one thing follows from another. At the same time, it teaches you how to construct ‘paths of reasoning’, how to get from one idea to another, how, for example, to determine what is the best course of action in a particular situation.

Apart from its application in virtually every field of study, the study of logic will help you develop your analytical and quantitative skills, your writing skills, your communication skills, and your day to day reasoning. You’ll become a better thinker and a better reasoner. You may not be aware that you are doing so, but you’re using logic now, and you’ll use it every day, for the rest of your life.

This is an introductory course in formal (symbolic) logic intended for students who have had no previous work in logic. There will be 3 exams and weekly homework assignments. The course satisfies General Education Humanities and QLB requirements. The course also satisfies the L&S Formal Reasoning Requirement for the B.A. degree.

PHILOS 212 – Modern Deductive Logic

  • LEC 001 MW 10:00 am – 11:15 am; CRT 382
    Instructor: Matthew Knachel; knachel@uwm.edu

Prerequisite: grade C or better in PHILOS 211 (P).

This course picks up where Philosophy 211, Elementary Logic, leaves off, further exploring relational predicate logic with identity—both proofs and translations from English.

At this stage, we will have in hand a relatively comprehensive version of first-order “classical” logic. From there, it is customary to subject this system to theoretical scrutiny, to engage in “meta-theory”. We will consider the relationship between our logic’s proof system and its semantic properties—truth,

validity, and so on. In particular, we aim to prove that our system is both sound and complete—that every proof corresponds to a valid argument (soundness), and that every valid argument has a proof (completeness). To prove these things rigorously, we will first have to develop a more sophisticated “model-theoretic” semantics for our logical language, expressed in set-theoretic terms. So, along the way to our meta-theorical goals, we’ll learn a bit of set theory, some new proof techniques (esp. mathematical induction), alternative deductive systems (sequents, axiom systems, etc.), additional meta-theoretical results (the deduction theorem, compactness, etc.), and other miscellaneous facts of philosophical interest.

One could spend a whole semester exploring meta-theory, but we will not. Rather, the aim is to gain exposure to a variety of topics in formal logic that one may encounter in the course of one’s philosophical studies. We will cover at least one “extension” of classical logic—a system that merely adds to the existing logical system—namely, modal logic. We will also look at some “deviant” logics—those that alter various aspects of the classical version—including at least some basic three-valued logics and “paraconsistent” logics. There are many extensions and deviations to explore. Our choices will be guided by philosophical interest, including especially the particular interests of students in the class

PHILOS 237 – Technology, Values, and Society

Prerequisite: none

ChatCTP is a shock to many. Questions about AI loom ever larger. Are we etching closer to the singularity? Is our world about to change forever? Many AI researchers issue dire warnings. How will AI change life, work, society, politics, culture? And how shall we respond and prepare? How shall we deal with the vast societal ramifications? Ethical issues pop up everywhere. In the class, we will attempt some philosophical reckoning: on the interconnection between AI and human agency. The technological transformation of choice and responsibility; the workplace and the economy; political discourse; control of information; creativity, art and culture at large. What are ethically better and worse ways for society to adjust? For each and every one of us to adjust? Moral philosophers must step up to keep up. Students complete this asynchronous online course by completing 10 modules at their own pace.

PHILOS 241 – Introduction to Ethics

Prerequisite: none.

This course provides an introduction to contemporary normative ethics. Normative ethics is concerned with the question: “what makes an action right or wrong?” We will explore four theories: consequentialism, Kantian ethics, contractualism, and contractarianism. Consequentialism takes the establishment of certain outcomes – the production or maximization of “good” (e.g., “welfare” or “happiness”), and the prevention or minimization of “bad” (e.g., “pain”) – to determine whether actions, rules, or policies are morally right or wrong. Kantian ethics understands morality to consist in those rules that autonomous agents could rationally “will” for all. Contractualism holds that morality consists in principles that mediate relations of mutual respect between free and equal persons. Contractarianism is the view that morality should be understood as a set of social practices or rules adopted by “enlightened” self-interested rational actors. Our discussion of all four moral views will involve readings from both historical sources and contemporary authors.

Philosophy 243 - Moral Problems

  • LEC 201 ONLINE
  • LEC 202 ONLINE
  • LEC 203 ONLINE

May be taken w/chg in topic to 6 cr max. Prereq: none.

LEC 201: ABORTION

Due to recent political events, abortion has returned to the mainstage as a topic of unavoidable controversy. The Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe V. Wade has rescinded a woman’s right to an abortion. Over the next five weeks, this class will explore the moral permissibility of abortion. Many believe that the moral rationale is simple: A fetus is (or is at least potentially) a person and since it is wrong to kill people it is wrong to abort a fetus. Many others maintain equally emphatically that a fetus is not a person, but a pregnant woman is. As such, her right to self-determination ought to be protected. Already we’ve encountered a hotbed of philosophical fodder: what constitutes a person? Do the rights of a “potential” person outweigh the rights of an “actual” one? What makes killing wrong? Even if a fetus is a person does this mean that the fetus’s right to life outweighs the woman’s right to self-determination? These are among the questions we will examine in greater detail.

LEC  202: DRUGS AND ADDICTION

This course examines the ethical considerations that arise with respect to drug-use and especially, addiction. With regard to the moral status of so-called addicts two questions tend to prevail: (1) Are addicts autonomous? That is, are they free and rational choice-makers? Or are they compelled or forced by the mental disease of addiction and therefore not free to make their own decisions? (2) Are addicts responsible for their actions? An answer to this second question hinges on the first. If we think addicts are free and rational beings, then they should be held responsible, perhaps even punished, and always appropriately blamed for their actions. In order to answer these questions regarding the moral status of addicts we must first ask: what is addiction? Among the theories of addiction that you will encounter in this course include the disease model of addiction (i.e. addiction as a mental disorder), the moral model (i.e. addiction is a rational choice), and a handful of other theoretical variants that attempt to pin-point the status of addiction as landing somewhere between a disorder and a choice.

LEC 203: ANIMAL ETHICS

This course will focus on our moral obligations towards non-human animals. Specifically, we will ask: what ethical considerations are owed to non-human animals and are they comparable to the ethical considerations we extend to other human beings? We will consider the phenomenon of “speciesism” as compared to instances of “racism” and “sexism”. We will question the morality of common forms of animal exploitation including (but not limited to) the use of non-human animals for the purposes of food production, entertainment, and experimentation. We will ask whether it is ever morally permissible to use non-human animals as means to serve our distinctively human ends. We will examine our relationships, obligations, and duties towards those animals we are most partial toward – our furry companions known as pets. Finally, we will consider how the adoption of certain ethical attitudes and frameworks can dramatically alter and improve the welfare of those non-human animals with whom we share our planet.

Philosophy 244 – Ethical Issues in Health Care: Biomedical Ethics

May be retaken w/chg in topic to 6 cr max. Prerequisite: none.

In this course we will begin by overviewing the ethical theories that shape our answers to serious ethical dilemmas. In this part of the course we will first introduce philosophical moral theories, and look more closely at theories that apply particularly in biomedical ethics, and finally introduce and develop an understanding of the concept of autonomy and how it relates to issues in biomedical ethics, paying particularly close attention to how different social and cultural factors effect health care interactions. The course will be framed around issues of autonomy and especially on the autonomy of traditionally vulnerable populations. For the second half of the course we will apply these theories to particular moral dilemmas currently confronting health care providers, patients and their families, and society at large. These topics will include issues related to death and dying, pregnancy and birth, genetic testing and therapies, health care allocation, and research ethics. We will be particularly solicitous of issues that pertain to the health care issues of diverse populations and those that historically socially disadvantaged.

Philosophy 244 – Ethical Issues in Health Care: Contemporary Problems

  • LEC 001 W 5:30 pm – 8:10 pm, CRT 109
    Instructor: Kristen Tym, tymk@uwm.edu

May be retaken w/chg in topic to 6 cr max. Prereq: none.

In this course, students will explore the critical ethical issues facing health care professionals, policy makers, advocates and patients as part of their encounters with the health care delivery system in the U.S. Students will engage in large and small group discussion and learning activities in order to understand the philosophical foundation of ethics and moral decision making and then apply ethical theory and principles to some of the most controversial and important issues in health care today. Issues students will consider include informed consent and confidentiality in health care; treatment decision making and futility; euthanasia and assisted suicide; assisted reproduction and stem cell research; genetic testing and screening; and, allocation of scarce health care resources. After completing this course, students will be well-equipped to look critically at a controversy in health care, analyze the complex ethical issues involved and identify practical solutions.

PHILOS 253 – Philosophy of the Arts

  • LEC 001 TR 10:00 am – 11:15 am LUB N130
    Instructor: Agust Magnusson; magnusso@uwm.edu

Prerequisite: none.

Great films, like all great art, create the space for reflection and wonder, both of which are hallmarks of philosophy. In this class we will examine the connection between the arts of film and philosophy and look at ways in which filmmaking and film viewing can allow us to become more empathetic, reflective, and philosophical human beings. We will both examine philosophical analyses of various films as well as examine how films can be viewed as a form of philosophy in and of themselves. No prior knowledge of philosophy is necessary to take this course. All you need is a love for movies and an open mind.

PHILOS 324/ 324 G – Philosophy of Science

  • LEC 001 TR 11:30 am – 12:45 pm CRT 309
    Instructor: William Penn; pennw@uwm.edu

Prerequisite: jr st & 3 cr in PHILOS

Philosophy of science aims at understanding our best methods of knowing and understanding the world around us to date through a philosophical lens. In particular, we are interested in answering questions such as: Is science a series of claims or a set of practices? What sort of world is being described by science? What sorts of things in scientific theories and models can we infer exist in the world? How are theories confirmed? How are theories and models built? What is the nature of data and evidence? How do theories relate to data and evidence? What are the social contexts and prerequisites for successful scientific endeavors? What sorts of ethical responsibilities do scientists and those who understand science have to the world at large? What lessons can we draw from the history of science for the future of both science and human endeavor at large?

This course will lay the foundation for answering these and more questions about science. It is suitable for those familiar with science and those who have little to no background in science

PHILOS 355/ 355 G – Political Philosophy

  • LEC 201 ONLINE
    Instructor: Blain Neufeld; neufeld@uwm.edu

Prerequisite: none.

This course will look at the great Enlightenment social contract theories that helped to shape the rise of liberal democratic ideals and institutions in the West during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: those of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Immanuel Kant. Some of the most significant criticisms of those theories from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries also will be read, e.g., those advanced by David Hume and Karl Marx. We also will consider the main alternative approach to liberal political thinking in the West during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, utilitarianism, and in particular the views of J. S. Mill. The rise of feminism and feminist criticisms of political institutions and practices also will be considered, including writings by Harriet Taylor, J. S. Mill, and Susan M. Okin. The course will conclude by considering the recent revival of the social contract approach in political philosophy over the past few decades in the work of John Rawls.

PHILOS 384/ 384 G – Philosophy of Law

  • LEC 001 MW 11:30 am – 12:45 pm MIT 191
    Instructor: Nataliya Palatnik; palatnik@uwm.edu

Philos 384 & Pol Sci 384 are jointly offered; they count as repeats of one another. Prereq: jr st; 3 cr PHILOS or previous course in political theory or law studies recom.

In this course we will examine fundamental issues in the philosophy of law, including, among other things, the nature and content of law, the relationship between law and morality, the obligation to obey the law, and the justification of punishment. Readings will be drawn from both historical and contemporary sources.

PHILOS 432/ 432 G – Great Thinkers of the Modern Period

  • LEC 201 ONLINE
    Instructor: Mark Lafrenz

Prereq: jr st & 3 cr in PHILOS

In this course, we will study the work of great philosophers of the early modern period in Western philosophy with an emphasis on their contributions in the areas of metaphysics and epistemology. After some historical introduction, we will begin with the major rationalists (Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz) and then move on to the major empiricists (Locke, Berkeley, and Hume) of the early modern period.  Readings will include selections from primary source materials, including Descartes’ Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy, Spinoza’s Ethics, Leibniz’s The Monadology, Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Berkeley’s A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge and Three Dialogues, Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, and various secondary sources and commentaries.  We will conclude the course with a brief introduction to the theoretical philosophy of Immanuel Kant, whose work in metaphysics and epistemology is the subject of a separate course, focusing on the A and B prefaces to the Critique of Pure Reason.

PHILOS 532/ 532 G – Philosophical Problems: Moral Psychology

  • LEC 001 R 2:30 pm – 5:10 pm CRT 118
    Instructor: Stanislaus Husi; husi@uwm.edu

May be retaken with change in topic to 9 cr max. Prereq: junior standing and 3 cr PHILOS

The topic of the course is moral psychology: Freedom and Resentment, Blame and Forgiveness. We will investigate these moral emotions both empirically and armchairily. The readings will be ample, wide-ranging, and utterly fascinating: Nietzsche, Strawson father and son, Martha Nussbaum, Joshua Greene, Frans de Waal, Robert Schneider, Robert Sapolsky, Matt King.

PHILOS 554/ 554 G – Special Topics in History of Modern Philosophy: Heidegger

  • LEC 001 TR 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm CRT 607
    Instructor: Agust Magnusson; magnusso@uwm.edu

May be retaken w/chg in topic to 9 cr max. Prereq: jr st; 3 cr PHILOS; PHILOS 432(R): or cons instr.

In this course we will examine the influential phenomenology and philosophy of Martin Heidegger. We will examine Heidegger’s views on time, death, authenticity, and meaning in works such as Being and Time, Origin of the Work of Art, and The Question Concerning Technology. We will examine Heidegger’s influence on continental philosophical traditions such as existentialism and deconstructionism and analyze Heidegger’s contributions to metaphysics, ethics, and epistemology.

PHILOS 681/ 681 G – Self-Consciousness and Self-Knowledge

  • SEM 001 T 5:30 pm – 8:10 pm CRT 607
    Instructor: William Bristow; bristow@uwm.edu

May be retaken with change in topic to 9 cr max. Additional prerequisites announced in the Schedule of Classes each time course is offered. Prereq: senior standing and 12 cr in PHILOS at the 300-level or above; or graduate standing.

How do we know ourselves? In particular, how do we know the contents of our own minds: our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, intentions, values? Do we know ourselves in ways different in kind from the ways others know us, or from the ways we know other people or things? And if so, how should we describe these differences, and what is their significance for the nature of the mind or self? — According to a traditional view, usually sourced to René Descartes, we have “privileged access” to the contents of our own minds; or even, our knowledge of our own minds is indubitable or incorrigible. This position has been severely criticized, partly as associated with an unfashionable conception of the human mind as ontologically distinct from body. Naturalist or empiricist models of the human capacity for self-knowledge sometimes reject altogether the claim that we have privileged access to the contents of our own minds. But naturalist and empiricist accounts have been criticized in turn on the ground that they fail to account for the special epistemic relation the self (or I) must have to itself in order to be understood as the source or originator of norm-governed judgments. Some philosophers argue that, in order to understand ourselves as rational beings, we must be understood to be conscious of ourselves in a special way, a way that is not accounted for in naturalist or empiricist models of self-knowledge. But this too is a controversial view, and there are different versions of it. In this seminar, we examine these issues, both on their own account and because inquiry into these questions may illuminate the nature of the self and its relation to others. I plan to have selections from the following authors on the syllabus: Descartes, Gilbert Ryle, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Donald Davidson, Tyler Burge, David Armstrong, Sydney Shoemaker, Elizabeth Anscombe, Jean-Paul Sartre, Richard Moran, Gareth Evans, Matthew Boyle.

PHILOS 712 – Fundamentals of Formal Logic

  • LEC 001 MW 10:00 am – 11:15 am CRT 382
    Instructor: Matthew Knachel, knachel@uwm.edu

Prereq: grad st.

This course picks up where Philosophy 211, Elementary Logic, leaves off, further exploring relational predicate logic with identity—both proofs and translations from English.

At this stage, we will have in hand a relatively comprehensive version of first-order “classical” logic. From there, it is customary to subject this system to theoretical scrutiny, to engage in “meta-theory”. We will consider the relationship between our logic’s proof system and its semantic properties—truth, validity, and so on. In particular, we aim to prove that our system is both sound and complete—that every proof corresponds to a valid argument (soundness), and that every valid argument has a proof (completeness). To prove these things rigorously, we will first have to develop a more sophisticated “model-theoretic” semantics for our logical language, expressed in set-theoretic terms. So, along the way to our meta-theorical goals, we’ll learn a bit of set theory, some new proof techniques (esp. mathematical induction), alternative deductive systems (sequents, axiom systems, etc.), additional meta-theoretical results (the deduction theorem, compactness, etc.), and other miscellaneous facts of philosophical interest.

One could spend a whole semester exploring meta-theory, but we will not. Rather, the aim is to gain exposure to a variety of topics in formal logic that one may encounter in the course of one’s philosophical studies. We will cover at least one “extension” of classical logic—a system that merely adds to the existing logical system—namely, modal logic. We will also look at some “deviant” logics—those that alter various aspects of the classical version—including at least some basic three-valued logics and “paraconsistent” logics. There are many extensions and deviations to explore. Our choices will be guided by philosophical interest, including especially the particular interests of students in the class.

PHILOS 941 – Seminar in Ethics and Social and Political Philosophy: Desire, Practical Reason, and the Good

  • SEM 001 W 2:30 pm – 5:10 pm CRT 607
    Instructor: Nataliya Palatnik; palatnik@uwm.edu

Can be retaken with change in topic to 9 cr max. Prereq: graduate standing and consent of instructor.

In this course, we will study some important work on the nature of the good, the relation between something’s being good and something’s being good for someone, ways in which the exercise of rational agency might depend on judgments and representation of the good, the relation between being morally good and having a good life. and various ways of understanding the relation between practical reason, desire, and the good. We will consider in some detail the ongoing debate about the “Guise of the Good Thesis” – the claim that desire and intentional action always aim at the good. The readings will include works by G.E. Moore, Philippa Foot, John McDowell, David Velleman, Kieran Setiya, Richard Kraut, Derek Parfit, Christine Korsgaard, and others.

PHILOS 960 – Seminar in Metaphysics: The Odd Universe

  • SEM 001 M 5:30 pm – 8:10 pm CRT 607
    Instructor: Joshua Spencer; spence48@uwm.edu

Can be retaken with change in topic to 9 cr max. Prereq: graduate student and consent of instructor.

In this course, we will be exploring contemporary theories of composition and their uses. We will begin the course by thinking about the questions of composition and prominent answers to those questions. We will explore odd implications of those answers. We will introduce neo-Aristotelian theories of composition, otherwise known as “hylomorphic theories of composition”. We will explore how neo-Aristotelian theories provide answers to the questions of composition (if they do at all). And we will apply neo-Aristotelian theories of composition to natural objects, artifacts, works of art, and action.