Professor Mark Richard, Chair; Philosophy of language, philosophy of
linguistics, philosophical
logic, metaphysics
Professor Jody Azzouni, Philosophy of language, philosophy of logic,
philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of science
Professor Daniel C. Dennett, University Professor;
Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy; Director,
Center for Cognitive Studies; Philosophy of mind, philosophy of psychology
Professor Ray Jackendoff, Seth Merrin
Professor; Co-Director, Center for Cognitive Studies; linguistics,
cognitive science
Professor George E. Smith, Acting Director of the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and
Technology at MIT; Philosophy of science, logic
Emeritus Professor Hugo A. Bedau, Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy; Political
and legal philosophy, ethics
Emerita Professor Helen M. Cartwright, Metaphysics, philosophy of logic and
language, ancient Greek philosophy
Associate Professor Nancy Bauer, Feminism, modern European philosophy, philosophy
and film
Associate Professor Erin Kelly, Moral philosophy, political
philosophy
Associate Professor Stephen L. White, Philosophy of mind, ethics
Assistant Professor Avner Baz, Ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, Kant,
Wittgenstein
Assistant Professor Kathrin Koslicki, Metaphysics, philosophy of language,
ancient philosophy
Assistant Professor Lionel McPherson, Ethics, political and social philosophy
Lecturer David Denby, Metaphysics,
philosophy of language, ethics
Lecturer Susan Russinoff, Director, Critical Thinking Program; philosophy of
language, logic, philosophy of logic, history of logic
Philosophy courses are for students majoring in any field who wish to enrich their
education with a deeper understanding of themselves, the world they experience, and the
reality underlying this experience, by a study of speculative and critical traditions in
Western thought. The philosophy major provides a means of integrating broad education in
the liberal arts by systematic and historical study of problems that arise in metaphysics,
ethics, epistemology, as well as in the foundations of other fields of inquiry. It is an
appropriate major for those who enjoy thinking carefully and logically about basic issues
and for those who seek breadth of educational experience prior to entering professional
programs such as law or medicine or graduate study in some other areas. Nonmajors may
engage in a philosophical study of problems and concepts from their own fields by taking
the related advanced courses in philosophy, such as social philosophy, philosophy of
science, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind; or they can acquire an elementary
knowledge of the field by taking a philosophy course numbered at below l00
level.
Undergraduate Concentration Requirements
Major: ten courses of which eight must be in the department, including Philosophy 1 and
33; one from among 120, 121, 131; and one seminar from among 187, 188, 191, 192, or, under
appropriate circumstances, 291 or 292. (A minimum of four courses above the 100 level is
required to be considered for magna or summa cum laude.) The remaining two
courses must be approved, related courses in a single field, normally in a single
department; additional philosophy courses may be substituted for one or both. Majors are
also encouraged to take at least one course in the history of philosophy (in particular
151, 152, 161, 163, 164, 185, 187, 188).
Certificate Program in Ethics, Law, and Society
The goal of the certificate program in ethics, law, and society is to use
philosophy to prepare students to be active citizens in leadership positions in
government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Students
will learn about how moral and political philosophy relate to questions of
public importance. The program focuses on how to use philosophy to think, argue,
and write clearly and insightfully about these ethical questions.
Requirements for the certificate include six courses and an individual research project. The certificate program is in addition to a student's concentration (or major) and no more than half of the courses used to fulfill the certificate requirements may be used to fulfill concentration requirements. The six courses required for the certificate are as follows:
1. An introductory course (below 100 level) in philosophy
2. One or two upper division courses (100 level or above) in ethical theory
3. One or two upper division courses (100 level or above) in political
philosophy or the philosophy of law
4. One or two courses in applied ethics (includes "The Death Penalty;"
"Introduction to Ethics;" "Justice, Equality, and Liberty;" "Feminist
Philosophy;" "Bioethics;" "Racism and Social Inequality;" "Human Rights;"
"Philosophy and Public Policy")
5. Seminar in "Ethics, Law, and Society"
The individual research project is initiated during the
seminar in "Ethics, Law, and Society" and extends six weeks into the spring
semester.
Undergraduate Minor Program
The Department of Philosophy offers a minor which requires
the completion of six
courses, including:
a) one of Philosophy 1, 3, 6, 24, 33, 39, 43, or 48
b) two philosophy
courses at the 100 level
c) three other philosophy courses
Graduate Program
The program leading to the master of arts degree in
philosophy is intended primarily for the student who is considering advanced
work in philosophy but who did not concentrate in philosophy as an
undergraduate. Typically, students admitted to the program plan to
pursue a doctorate in philosophy (Tufts itself does not offer a doctorate
in the field) though some students have other career plans.
The department's offerings range across the major areas of interest in contemporary philosophy. Each year at least four seminars are offered, typically on instructors' current research interests. The department has particular strengths in the following areas: contemporary ethical theory, social and political philosophy, metaphysics and epistemology, philosophy of language and philosophical logic, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of science.
Master's candidates receive individual attention from members of the department in their specialized fields and have an opportunity to participate in the philosophical life of the department. The department has a lecture series, which brings six to eight eminent speakers to Tufts each year, and it sponsors a departmental colloquium and a student colloquium. Students also have access to the very active philosophical community in the Boston area.
The program leading to the degree of master of arts in philosophy requires nine courses, except in cases where the logic course requirement is waived. The required courses are usually taken over three terms, and students who are not eligible for the waiver are urged to satisfy the logic requirement in their first term.
A prospective candidate must also pass a qualifying examination in four parts. The qualifying examination consists of four topical examinations, each three hours long. All exams include questions of a historical nature. Examination topics are as follows:
Part I
1. Epistemology
2. Ethics
3. Metaphysics
Part II
1. Philosophy of mind
2. Philosophy of language
3. Philosophy of science
4. Aesthetics
5. Social and political philosophy
6. Logic
7. Phenomenology and existentialism
8. Feminist philosophy
9. Philosophy of law*
10. A great philosopher**
*The faculty reserves the right to offer this examination only when, in its judgment, it is prepared to give it.
**The subject of this examination must be proposed by the student and approved by the department.
A prospective degree candidate must pass examinations on all three topics in Part I and one topic from Part II. Students are advised to take at least one exam by spring of their first year. A student can attempt to pass the same examination no more than three times.
A limited number of tuition scholarships are available. The department also offers opportunities for master's candidates to work as teaching assistants.
Applications to the program are due on January 15. A student wishing to start the program in January must submit an application by September 15. (Please note that students are admitted to the program midyear only in exceptional circumstances and only when space is available.) Applications must include, in addition to the standard GSAS form, GRE scores, a brief personal statement, a writing sample, and three recommendations.
Undergraduate Courses
Not all courses are offered each year. Students should consult the philosophy
departmental brochure, available during the preregistration period, or visit the
Web site www.ase.tufts.edu/philosophy
that describe in
advance each semester's courses in fuller detail, usually including reading lists and some
discussion of particular approaches and work loads.
1 Introduction to Philosophy. The major types of philosophical thought and the central problems of philosophy are presented through study of some classic texts of the great philosophers. Offered each term. (May be used to satisfy the second half of the college writing requirement by students with credit for English 1.)
3 Language and Mind. Implications of recent work on language for our understanding of the human mind: consciousness, human intention, paradoxes, computers as models of mind, rules and conventions, metaphor. Readings drawn from classic and contemporary texts.
6 Reasoning and Critical Thinking. Introduction to the analysis of arguments as they occur in everyday legal, moral, and academic contexts. Topics include identifying fallacies in reasoning, elementary logical principles, standards of evidence, and constructing and evaluating arguments. Suitable for those who wish to develop their reasoning skills without taking a course in formal logic. Cannot be taken for credit if student has already taken Philosophy 33. Spring. Russinoff
10 The Death Penalty in America. A critical examination of the empirical, legal, and moral considerations in their historical setting relevant to the punishment of death in American society during this century. Bedau
16 Philosophy of Religion. (Cross-listed as Comparative Religion 6.) Introduction to the philosophical analysis of major religious concepts, such as God, human nature, freedom of will, immortality, and the problem of evil through a study of representative types of religious philosophies.
24 Introduction to Ethics. An introduction to moral judgment--and the reasoning it is based on--by a detailed study of current issues such as abortion, vegetarianism, and responsibility for war crimes, and the application to such problems of ethical theories, such as egoism, utilitarianism, and the doctrine of rights. Spring.
33 Logic. An introduction to fundamental concepts of modern formal logic, including sentence logic, quantification theory, and identity. Emphasis on the application of formal methods to reasoning in philosophy, mathematics, and everyday affairs. Please note: only one of Philosophy 33 and 103 may be taken for credit. (May be used to satisfy the mathematical sciences distribution requirement.) Fall.
37 Evidence. Introduction to inductive reasoning and scientific method. Evidence in science vs. evidence in the law. Philosophical problems with induction and proposed solutions. Different concepts of probability and their relevance to theories of induction. Rudiments of statistical evidence and decisions under risk and uncertainty. Smith
38 Rational Choice. Introduction to the systematic development of decision
theory, game theory, and social choice theory. Emphasizes their application to problems in
philosophy and the social sciences, and examines their foundations in the philosophical
analysis of rationality. White
39 Knowing and Being. Introduction to epistemology and metaphysics. Typical topics:
truth and relativism, what really exists, what we can know, space and time, existence in
fiction, the essence of things, God. Denby
43 Justice, Equality, and Liberty. (Cross-listed as Political Science 43.) An introduction to the central concepts and problems in the foundations of political order, including the nature of the state, rights, justice, equality, representation, property, law, and coercion. Readings from classic and contemporary thinkers.
45 Western Political Thought I. (Cross-listed as Classics 45 and Political Science 45.) Central concepts of ancient, medieval, and early modern political thought. Ideas of Thucydides, Aristophanes, Plato, and Aristotle during the rise and fall of Athens. Subsequent transformations of political philosophy related to the decline of the Roman empire and the origins and development of Christian political doctrine, and the new political outlook of those who challenge the hegemony of Christianity. Analysis of how premodern political thought helped structure future political debate. Devigne, Sullivan
46 Western Political Thought II. (Cross-listed as Political Science 46.) Central concepts of modern political thought. The views of those writers who challenged the dominance of Christianity: Machiavelli, Descartes, Hobbes, and others. Some of the main transformations of political thinking that characterized the Enlightenment: the possibility of scientific thinking and reasoning as the basis for human freedom. Nietzsche's critique of the Enlightenment, and the ability to find political principles that are genuinely true or liberating. Devigne, Sullivan
48 Feminist Philosophy. Investigation of the implications of a feminist point of view for philosophical inquiry and for various philosophical issues. Practical ethical problems such as abortion, sexual harassment, and pornography, and theoretical issues such as the nature of equality and gender difference will be discussed. Core course in the Women's Studies Program.
52 Aesthetics. A survey of some fundamental problems in the philosophy of art: the nature of aesthetic judgment; the task of criticism, formalism, and formalist criticism; the idea of antiart; the concept of quality in a work of art; modernist vs. traditional art. The course will include writings in contemporary philosophy and criticism as well as works by philosophers such as Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, and Heidegger.
55 The Making of the Modern Mind. A survey of key writings in Western thought since the Renaissance. The readings illustrate philosophical treatment of issues in morality, religion, politics, and art. The readings will be selected from Luther, Machiavelli, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Kierkegaard, Marx, Mill, Freud, Wittgenstein, and Sartre. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
91, 92 Elementary Special Topics. Prerequisite: consent. Members of the department
93, 94 Honors Thesis. Prerequisite: consent. Credit as arranged. Members of
the department
Courses for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Not all courses are given each year. Consult the departmental brochure or
visit the Web site www.ase.tufts.edu/philosophy
for details.
103 Logic. An accelerated introduction to fundamental concepts of modern formal logic, including sentence logic, quantification theory, identity, and metatheory. Emphasis on the application of formal methods to reasoning in philosophy, mathematics, and everyday affairs. Please note: only one of Philosophy 33 and 103 may be taken for credit. (May be used to satisfy the mathematical sciences distribution requirement.) Fall.
114 Topics in Logic. Presentation of topics of interest to philosophers from among the following: computability, automata theory, Post systems, modal logic, model theory, set theory. (May be used to satisfy the mathematical sciences distribution requirement.) Prerequisite: Philosophy 33 or 103.
116 Philosophy of Science. An examination of central philosophical problems concerning scientific method and scientific knowledge, such as: How is theory related to observation, or prediction to explanation? How can we justify scientific method? Induction? Notions of space and time? Do scientific theories and methods impose a structure on the world? Do they tell us about the real world? Prerequisites: Philosophy 1, and either Philosophy 33 or a major in natural or social science. Smith
117 Philosophy of Mind. A study of theories of the mind and examination of mental concepts such as memory, imagination, consciousness, belief, volition, sensation, and emotion. Prerequisites: Philosophy 1, and either Philosophy 33 or a major in psychology.
120 Metaphysics. A philosophical examination of concepts basic to our understanding of the world around us: the nature of abstract and concrete reality, problems of space and time, existence and identity, unity and plurality. Prerequisites: Philosophy 1 and 33, or consent. Spring.
121 Ethical Theory. An investigation of central problems in contemporary moral philosophy, such as: Are moral judgments objective or relative? True or false? Based on freely chosen moral ideals? Derived from matters of fact? What counts as evidence in moral arguments? How do scientific and moral theories differ? These problems will be studied in light of the writings of major classical and contemporary philosophers. Prerequisite: Philosophy 1 or 24, or consent. Fall.
122 Indian Philosophies. (Cross-listed as Comparative Religion 141.) Seminar on the doctrines and arguments of the major Indian schools of philosophy (Samkhya, Buddhist, Vedanta, Nyaya-Vaisesika, and Navya-Nyaya). How these schools attempt to ground their religious systems in logical argumentation about the human soul, God, and the path to nirvana. Prerequisite (one of the following): Comparative Religion 43, 44, or 45; or Philosophy 33; or consent.
123 Philosophy of Law. An examination of selected problems in jurisprudence and legal theory arising from the study of the nature of a legal system. Class discussion of decided cases is an integral part of the work in this course. Prerequisite: junior standing or consent.
124 Bioethics. A survey of major ethical problems of interest to the public and the medical profession, including life-and-death issues (abortion, euthanasia) as well as issues raised by medical research and technology (organ transplants, cloning, genetic engineering, psychosurgery, human experimentation) and the delivery of health services. The implications of ethical theories for the particular problem issues. Prerequisite: junior standing. Spring.
125 Racism and Social Inequality. Examination of issues in ethics, political philosophy, and philosophy of social sciences raised by race and racism in the U.S. Topics include affirmative action, the justification and critique of inequality (e.g., "blaming the victim"), rights, equality of opportunity, motives, and responsibility. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy, or two courses in the social sciences, or junior standing with consent.
126 Theories of Human Nature. Examination of selected theories of human nature, focusing on the model of rationality presented--usually implicitly in each theory. Among the views to be studied will be that of humans as a rational maximizer of their own self-interest; Freud's theory of the aggressive, instinctual, and irrational roots of rationality; Marx's notion of rationality as tied to self-realization and self-comprehension. Prerequisite: Philosophy 1 or two courses in the social sciences. White
128 Human Rights: History and Theory. An examination of various theories of "natural" or human rights, from their development in Western European thought of the seventeenth century to their incorporation into modern international law, especially through United Nations declarations, covenants, and charters. The course will focus on two questions: "What is a right?" and "What rights do we have?" Classic and contemporary readings from Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Bentham, and Marx to Hohfeld, Dworkin, and Thomson. Prerequisite: junior standing or consent.
131 Epistemology. An investigation of fundamental issues and problems concerning the nature and scope of human knowledge: belief, truth, evidence; skepticism and certainty; perception; intuition; and the a priori. Prerequisites: Philosophy 1 and 33, or consent. Fall.
133 Philosophy of Language. Examination of concepts fundamental to the nature of language and speech: reference, meaning, speech acts and linguistic competence, the syntax and semantics of natural languages. Philosophical views on these topics, including those of Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Quine, Grice, Chomsky, and others. Prerequisites: Philosophy 1 and 33, or consent. Richard
134 Philosophy of Social Science. An examination of conceptual problems encountered in the scientific study of human behavior and society: the debate between behaviorists and cognitivists; the relation of psychology to sociology, economics, and the physical sciences; and data and theory construction in the social sciences. Readings from contemporary philosophers and social scientists. Prerequisites: Philosophy 1 and either Philosophy 33 or a major in the social sciences. Dennett
140 Liberalism and its Philosophical Critics. (Cross-listed as Political Science 140.) Examination of alternative conceptions of liberty and morality developed by critics of the Enlightenment. Topics include the charge that liberty as uninhibited activity fails to cultivate genuine individuality, erodes communities, debases culture, and is incapable of establishing norms of justice. Examination of alternative visions of art and politics that aim to establish an autonomous and moral existence. Exploration of whether these alternative visions have been integrated into the traditional liberal framework.
141 Global Justice. (Cross-listed as Peace and Justice Studies 141.) A philosophical study of justice in a global context. Topics selected from the following: nationalism, identity and group rights, political resistance and revolution, the conduct of war, human rights and duties of aid, population control, and environmental justice. Theoretical discussions of cultural pluralism and the requirements of justice, universalism vs. relativism, and the limits of partiality. Prerequisite: junior standing, or one course in philosophy, or consent.
143 Philosophy and Public Policy. (Cross-listed as Political Science 143.) Examination of ethical and other issues in public policy, including constraints imposed by considerations of justice, democratic process, and role-based obligations. The area of policy focus (e.g., health policy, international conflict, civil rights) may vary by year. Prerequisite: junior standing, or one course in philosophy.
151 Ancient Philosophy. (Cross-listed as Classics 151.) History of Western philosophy from its Greek beginnings in the sixth century B.C. with major emphasis on the works of Plato and Aristotle. Prerequisite: Philosophy 1 or consent.
152 History of Modern Philosophy. Development of the main themes in Western philosophy since the seventeenth century through a reading of major texts by such philosophers as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Prerequisite: Philosophy 1 or junior standing.
155 Twentieth-Century American and British Philosophy. Survey of the most important movements, figures, and topics in twentieth-century Anglo-American philosophy. Questions include: What place have metaphysical beliefs in a scientific view of the world? To what extent can philosophical problems be resolved by the analysis of language? Emphasis on philosophers in the tradition of Russell and Wittgenstein; contrasts with continental philosophy where appropriate. Prerequisite: Philosophy 1 or consent.
161 Empiricism. A study of the empirical tradition in modern and recent philosophy, beginning with the British empiricists (Locke, Berkeley, Hume). Prerequisite: Philosophy 1 or 33, or consent.
163 Rationalism. A study of the major themes in Continental Rationalism by means of an analysis of selected writings of Descartes and Leibniz. Topics include the theory of knowledge and the notion of substance and of God. Prerequisites: Philosophy 1 and 33, or consent.
164 Kant. An introduction to Kant's epistemology and ethics. Much of the course will be devoted to a careful reading of The Critique of Pure Reason. Topics include the possibility and limits of metaphysics; the conditions for the possibility of knowledge and ethical agency; the ideas of God, freedom, and the immortality of the soul and their role in ethical deliberation; the self and its relationship to the world. Prerequisite: Philosophy 1 or consent.
167 Science Before Newton's Principia. Developing conceptions of science and scientific method from Copernicus to early Newton. Alternative planetary systems, Kepler's laws, and astronomy as an exact science in the seventeenth century. Galileo, Descartes, and Huygens on laws of motion and the evidence for them. Newton's early work in mechanics. Prerequisite: junior standing or consent. Smith
168 Newton's Principia. Systematic examination of Newton's Principia, focusing on the revolutionary conception of scientific theory and evidence it puts forward, as well as on its substantive results. Issues within the philosophy of science raised by the Principia and by its reception over the 150 years following its publication. (May be used to satisfy the natural sciences requirement.) Prerequisite: Philosophy 167. Smith
170 Computation Theory. The nature and limits of symbol manipulation. Automata theory: McCulloch-Pitts networks; the relationship between machines and languages; computable functions; abacuses; the relationship between computation and formal logic; Gödel's incompleteness theorems for arithmetic. Prerequisite: One or more courses taken from Philosophy 33, Electrical Engineering 14, Mathematics 46, Computer Science 15. (May be used to satisfy the mathematical sciences distribution requirement.) Smith
173 Political Economy, Ethics, and the Environment. (Cross-listed as UEP 203.) Inquiry into the root causes of environmental degradation through a critical examination of the contributions of culture; the rise of modern science, population, technology, and human values; significance of alternative political economies and nonanthropocentric ethical theories in the debate over environmental quality. Krimsky
185 From Hegel to Nietzsche. Ethical, epistemological, and aesthetic views of seminal philosophers of the nineteenth century: Fichte, Hegel, Marx, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. Their relationship to philosophical predecessors (particularly Kant), position within nineteenth-century intellectual and cultural history, and current influence. Prerequisite: Philosophy 1, junior standing, or consent.
186 Phenomenology and Existentialism. A survey of twentieth-century continental philosophy, including works by Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty. Classical transcendental phenomenology and its critics, existentialism as an ethical doctrine and its cultural influence. Prerequisite: Philosophy 1, junior standing, or consent.
187, 188 Seminar in the History of Philosophy. Selected topics in the history of philosophy with intensive study of either a major philosophical system or one of the classic philosophers. Prerequisites: two courses in philosophy. Members of the department
191, 192 Seminar in Problems of Philosophy. Systematic investigation of selected problems in philosophy, the subject to vary from term to term. Prerequisites: two courses in philosophy. Members of the department
193, 194 Special Topics. Individual tutorial study of an approved topic. Prerequisite: consent. Credit as arranged. Members of the department
195, 196 Special Topics. Courses on various topics in problems of philosophy or history of philosophy. Prerequisites: according to course topic and instructor. Credit as arranged. Members of the department
291, 292 Graduate Seminar. Members of the department
293, 294 Special Topics. Guided individual study of an approved topic. Credit as
arranged. Members of the department
401PT Master's Continuation, Part-time.
402FT Master's Continuation, Full-time.