Humanities and Social Sciences

Philosophy Program

Honours Units 2008

This page will be updated for 2009 in due course.

Honour Seminar

In 2008 the Honours Seminar will run fornightly on Tuesdays from 2:30pm - 4:00pm.

2008 Honours unit descriptions and timetable

The Philosophy Honours year coursework units and unit coordinators for 2008 are as follows. Full-time students are expected to take at least two units in the first semester of their enrolment or three in consultation with the Honours coordinator. Part-time students take two units in the first year of their enrolment or three units in consultation with the unit coordinator. All classes will commence in the first week of semester and will be held in the unit coordinator's office unless otherwise indicated.

Metaphysics

Metaphysics asks questions about the nature of what there is. And what there is, is controversial. Students will do some metaphysics in this unit by way of two topics - Mind Body Dualism and God. Mind-Body Dualism. What is mind? Is it identical to the body ? Or is it something distinct from the body? Is it immaterial or material? And how and where does the mind, presenting as the mental or as consciousness, fit into natural order of the world, which we understand scientifically in materialist terms. In this topic we will think about how mind and its relation to the body, is to be construed. Students will look at contemporary dualist and monist arguments, which are a response to problems raised by Cartesian substance dualism. Contemporary arguments for dualist or monist accounts are complicated by naturalism, i.e. the idea that science is the best model of knowledge that we have so far devised and that its explanations of phenomena in the world, including mind, embrace only the natural, physical, and material. With this in mind we will look at Cartesian substance dualism, identity theory, functionalism, eliminative materialism, artificial intelligence/intentionality and consciousness. God. Is there a God? Traditionally, rational thought has been considered to be the mode for understanding the deepest metaphysical truths about reality, and so God. We will look at rational arguments for the existence of God from the perspective of purpose, moral order and design (Aquinas, Kant, Paley). The argument from design has seen resurgence in latter times and will be examined (Stannard, Davies). We then look at arguments, that undermine belief in the existence of God e.g., the problem of evil; Darwinism/evolution/Dawkins.

Ethics

The theme is ‘Ethics in a Global Society’
Topics to be covered include ethical relativism; ethics in a multi-cultural society; what (if anything) is the right ethics for a global society; the limits of toleration; whether ethical judgment can be impartial; whether we are justified in favouring the people of our nation; and the moral demands of cosmopolitanism.

Each class period will be devoted to discussing an article or chapter on one of the topics. During the course of the semester, each student will be expected to introduce a discussion.

Assessment: An essay of approximately 5000 words.

European Philosophy

This unit will focus discussion on the Other in the works of some major thinkers in Continental philosophy, including Levinas, Hegel, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Deleuze and Derrida.

Some of the units have prerequisites at second/third year level:

* the prerequisites for Metaphysics is 20 points in metaphysics taken at third year level. Units dealing with particular philosophers whose metaphysical doctrines are studied (e.g., Kant, Plato, Aristotle) are usually treated as fulfilling part or all of this prerequisite.

* the prerequisite for Ethics is 20 points at second or third year level from the general area of ethics

If you are in doubt whether you satisfy a prerequisite, or if you want to discuss the possibility of waiving a prerequisite, you should contact the unit coordinator.