PHI 101 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY

3, 3/0; HU23

Introduction to the literature and problems of philosophy. Offered every semester.

PHI 102 INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS

3, 3/0; HU23

Various views of how we ought to live and how society should be organized, considered in the context of discussions about the "good" life and the "good" society. Offered every semester.

PHI 103 INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC

3, 3/0; MQ23, RE23

Introduction to practical reasoning and argumentation relevant to everyday life; recognition, classification, evaluation, and construction of everyday arguments. Offered alternate years.

PHI 107 INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICAL LOGIC

3, 3/0; MQ23

Prerequisite: Basic proficiency in mathematics as specified by the requirements for the Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning component of Intellectual Foundations. Introduction to two types of mathematical models for assessing the correctness of reasoning. Venn diagrams discussed as geometric mathematical models for assessing categorical syllogisms. Sentential logic and monadic predicate logic discussed as systems of algebraic mathematical models for assessing the reasoning associated with these systems. Offered alternate years.

PHI 110 THE MEANING OF LIFE

3, 3/0; HU23

Exploration of a number of fundamental philosophical questions that make their way into everyday life, specifically related to the question, "What is the meaning of (my) life?" or its Socratic equivalent, "How ought I to live?" Critical analysis of classical and contemporary works-philosophical and autobiographical-to develop clearer, more informed, and better-reasoned views about the questions, if not the answers. Offered alternate years.

PHI 111 ETHICS FOR SCIENTISTS

3, 3/0; HU23

Introduction to philosophical ethics with special emphasis on issues pertaining to science. Ethical theories and ethical implications of scientific discoveries. Evolution and ethics, human nature, the fact-value distinction. May include selected topics in applied ethics, e.g. personhood, environmental ethics, bioethics. Offered annually.

PHI 112 ETHICS FOR BUSINESS

3, 3/0; HU23

Introduction to philosophical and business ethics. Fundamental concepts in business ethics and their application to contemporary ethical issues in business. Opportunities and problems of capitalism, globalization, responsibilities of corporations, rights and duties of employees, ethical leadership. Offered annually.

PHI 113 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

3, 3/0; HU23

Introduction to environmental ethics. Ethical theories and ethical implications of human interactions with the environment. Issues such as sustainability, environmental justice, preservation, the value of species. Offered occasionally.

PHI 115 MINDS AND MACHINES

3, 3/0; HU23

Introduction to questions in the study of the philosophy of mind. Explores the difficulties of studying the mind and limitations of scientific investigation into the mind, including using data-processing machines as a model of the mind; the problem of other minds; questions regarding free will; what it means to be conscious; the claims of weak and strong A.I.; and the possibility of consciousness or intelligence in animals, in the natural world, and in machines. Offered occasionally.

PHI 189 TOPIC COURSE

1-3, 0/0

Current topics in Philosophy. Offered occasionally.

PHI 221 PHILOSOPHY AND YOGA

3, 3/0

Introduction to Indian philosophy through the study of the theory in and the practice of yoga. Examination of the eight limbs of yoga, as well as the practice of yoga as a whole, including the more familiar part popular in the U.S. Description of and examination of the other seven limbs. Philosophical issues such as the nature of the self, the nature of reality, the correct forms of knowledge, and what it means to be good, among others, from the perspective of this tradition. Offered annually.

PHI 295 SPECIAL PROJECT

1-3, 0/0

Prerequisite: Instructor Permission. Scholarship or creative work conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. Offered occasionally.

PHI 300 PROBLEMS OF PHILOSOPHY

3, 3/0

Selected problems in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and certain movements in contemporary philosophy. Offered occasionally.

PHI 301 JUSTICE: LIBERTY VS. EQUALITY

3, 3/0; GA23

Prerequisite: Upper-division status or one course in philosophy. Examination of moral presuppositions and justifications of forms of government and economic systems, as well as interrelations between government and economics. Offered occasionally.

PHI 304 PHILOSOPHY OF LAW

3, 3/0

Prerequisite: Upper-division status or one course in philosophy. The nature and justification of legal institutions; emphasis on the problem of legal punishment and on the legal enforcement of morality. Offered occasionally.

PHI 307 SYMBOLIC LOGIC

3, 3/0

Prerequisites: PHI 107 or Instructor Permission. First-order logic with identity and its uses in evaluating ordinary language arguments. Syntax, semantics, and system of natural deduction. Offered occasionally.

PHI 308 PHILOSOPHY OF LOVE AND SEX

3, 3/0

Prerequisites: Upper-division status or one course in philosophy. Classic and contemporary philosophic theories of the nature, value, and purpose of human love and sexuality; discussions of Plato, Aquinas, Ortega, Sartre, and Kierkegaard; value judgments implicit in the concepts of "supervision," "good sex," and "true love," as well as problems encountered in finding clear definitions for such terms; considers certain moral arguments found in such areas as abortion and marital intercourse. Offered occasionally.

PHI 309 KNOWLEDGE AND JUSTIFICATION

3, 3/0

Prerequisites: One PHI course or Instructor Permission. Investigation of knowledge and justification; topics may include perception, memory, consciousness, reason, and testimony as sources of knowledge and justification, the nature, structure, and scope of knowledge and justification, and skepticism. Offered occasionally.

PHI 310 HISTORY OF ETHICS

3, 3/0

Prerequisite: Upper-division status or one course in philosophy. Historical study of the writings of great Western philosophers as they examine ethical questions about self-interest, freedom, duty, and happiness in regard to the moral life. Includes Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Mill, and Hume. Offered annually.

PHI 312 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND

3, 3/0

Prerequisites: One PHI course or Instructor Permission. Investigation of the mind-body problem; Cartesian dualism, logical behaviorism, the identity theory, functionalism, eliminative materialism, property dualism, qualia, and intentionality. Offered alternate years.

PHI 314 RIGHTS AND RESPECT

3, 3/0

Prerequisite: Upper-division status or one course in philosophy. Historical and analytical study of important developments in twentieth-century ethical theory; naturalism, noncognitivism, prescriptivism, rationalism; the ideas of Rawls, Nozick, Gauthier, and Gewirth. Offered occasionally.

PHI 324 ZEN BUDDHISM

3, 3/0

Prerequisite: Upper-division status or one course in philosophy. Zen as a paradoxical method by which suffering of existence is transformed into everyday enlightenment; contemporary practices of Zen and its historical origins in Buddha's "complete and unexcelled" enlightenment and in Lao-tzu's living in harmony with the Tao. Offered occasionally.

PHI 325 PHILOSOPHY OF EMOTION

3, 3/0

Critical analysis of the ontological status of emotions and the epistemological questions of how to study them. Focus on ontological questions about the nature of emotions as natural kinds or normative kinds, on the necessary and sufficient conditions of emotions, including somatic content, physiological changes, bodily expression, and cognitive content. Offered occasionally.

PHI 333 PHILOSOPHY OF NATURAL SCIENCES

3, 3/0

Prerequisites: CWP 102. The structure and nature of science. Epistemological and ontological implications of scientific theories (e.g. quantum mechanics, evolutionary biology). The role of evidence, confirmation, falsification in science. Offered occasionally.

PHI 335 GOD AND RELIGION

3, 3/0

Prerequisites: One PHI course. Application of philosophical reasoning and methodology to matters concerning God and religion. Traditional proofs of God’s existence and critiques of these proofs; the problem of evil and various responses to this problem; alternatives to the traditional proofs; differences between faith and reason; and defenses and critiques of religious worldviews. Offered every third semester.

PHI 336 PHILOSOPHY OF EMOTION

3, 3/0

Critical analysis of the ontological status of emotions and the epistemological questions of how to study them. Focus on ontological questions about the nature of emotions as natural kinds or normative kinds, on the necessary and sufficient conditions of emotions, including somatic content, physiological changes, bodily expression, and cognitive content. Offered occasionally.

PHI 351 ETHICS BOWL

3, 3/0

Prerequisite: One PHI course or instructor permission. Preparation for a competition in which students are judged on their ability to deploy intricate ethical reasoning in addressing case studies from practical and professional ethics. Students develop well-informed opinions about ethically complex, everyday scenarios, orally present these opinions and supporting arguments, and provide critical oral responses to the opinions and arguments of other students and judges. Some students compete in the regional and/or national Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl, others in the Buffalo State Ethics Bowl. Offered occasionally.

PHI 360 AFRICANA PHILOSOPHY

3, 3/0

Prerequisites: One PHI or AAS course. Philosophical thought across the African diaspora. Both historic and contemporary responses to issues specific to the Black experience across the globe, such as understanding freedom, rationality, and humanity from the position of the formerly enslaved and/or colonized, and analysis regarding the intersections of race, gender, and white supremacy. Offered every spring.

Equivalent Course: AAS 360

PHI 361 RACE AND PROGRESS

3, 3/0

African American philosophical thought with a specific focus on the concept of progress. Both historic and contemporary responses to issues specific to the African American experience, such as understanding the concepts of race and racism, social and political forces required to generate progress, and the limits of progress within the Black community. Offered fall semester only.   

Equivalent Course: AAS 361

PHI 389 TOPIC COURSE

3, 0/0

Current topics in Philosophy. Offered occasionally.

PHI 401 PROBLEMS IN PHILOSOPHY SEMINAR

3, 3/0

Prerequisites: CWP 102, and upper-division status or one PHI course. Intensive analysis of selected topics in philosophy. Offered annually.

PHI 402 SEMINAR IN HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

3, 3/0; IN23, RE23

Prerequisites: CWP 102, PHI 317, and PHI 318. Intensive study of particular figures or periods in the history of philosophy. Offered occasionally.

PHI 495 SPECIAL PROJECT

1-3, 0/0

Offered occasionally.

PHI 498 HONORS RESEARCH

1-3, 0/0

Offered occasionally.

PHI 499 INDEPENDENT STUDY

3-12, 0/0

Offered occasionally.