Allegheny College: Philosophy Catalogue

Philosophy has traditionally been the very center of the liberal arts. As most of the other disciplines that form the modern liberal arts curriculum have developed from philosophy to establish their own identities, philosophy continues to deal with problems that are fundamental to all disciplines. Philosophers inquire into structures that form the basis of all that exists, the ways we can justify our claims to knowledge, and the values and goals that guide individuals and society.

Allegheny's Philosophy program pays particular attention to the question of the values and goals that ought to guide individuals and society by exploring lived experience and analyzing the social world. More specifically, courses examine the relationship between society and science through a study of the values that have challenged and have fostered scientific activities and technological developments. Courses also examine ethics as a personal ideal as well as democracy and economic development as global and multicultural ideals.

The Major

The major in Philosophy leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. It requires completion of at least 42 semester credit hours, with distribution as outlined below.

Philosophy majors are required to have a GPA of at least 2.0 in the major at graduation. All department courses taken at Allegheny on a letter-grade basis are included in that calculation, with the exception of repeated courses for which only the most recent grade counts. No more than two Philosophy courses may be taken Credit/No Credit to count toward the major; one of these must be Philosophy 600, which is only offered Credit/No Credit.

The Minor

Philosophy minors are required to have a GPA of at least 2.0 in the major at graduation. All department courses taken at Allegheny on a letter-grade basis are included in that calculation, with the exception of repeated courses for which only the most recent grade counts. No more than one Philosophy course that is taken Credit/No Credit will count toward the minor.

An introduction to the connections between the values and the ways of knowing that are characteristic of modern western culture. The course focuses upon the pursuit and justification of knowledge and scientific understanding and the ethical and political values that are implicit in those endeavors.

What do you really know, and how can you justify your claims to know? This course examines the ways in which philosophers have attempted to answer these questions. It considers skepticism about the possibility of any certain knowledge, presents analysis of reasonable and unreasonable uses and interpretations of the term “truth,” and explores recent failed attempts to provide foundations for knowledge in empirical evidence. Not open to seniors.

An overview of analyses of oppression and theories of liberation generated by groups traditionally marginalized in the United States. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

(Also listed as Religious Studies 212)
An examination of the problem of the self in a cross-cultural context. The Eastern traditions are represented by early Buddhism, the Advaita Vedanta philosophy of Sankara, Taoism and Zen Buddhism. The Western tradition is represented by the existential thought of Soren Kierkegaard, the dialogical philosophy of Martin Buber, the deconstructive theology of Mark C. Taylor, and others. This course may alternatively be counted toward a religious studies major or minor. Prerequisite: At least one course in Philosophy or Religious Studies.

(Also listed as Religious Studies 227)
An exploration of the philosophical study of religion, particularly in light of the contest between traditional modes of religious expression and the rise of a critical mentality in the modern West. Issues to be addressed may include the ethics of belief, theories of rationality and their relevance to religion, the problem of evil, religious experience, and the epistemic status of belief in God. Prerequisite: A previous course in Religious Studies.

A study of the structure and justification of scientific theory and of the activities of scientists engaged in theory development. A theoretical component of the course concerns the logical processes of theory acceptance and rejection. That component is fleshed out in historical study of theory development in one or two notable episodes in the history of science, such as the Copernican revolution in astronomy or the development of Darwinian theory in biology. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy or one course in natural science, or permission of instructor.

A philosophical exploration of historical and 20th-century attempts to understand and to model human thought. A study of episodes in the long tradition of the study of mind and brain in philosophy is connected to current work within the disciplines of neuroscience, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence. Students read the writings of past and contemporary philosophers and practitioners within the other disciplines mentioned. Prerequisite: Philosophy 130 or 150 or permission of the instructor.

A comprehensive introduction to ancient Greek philosophy covering the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Through close study and discussion of a range of original texts (in translation), students engage the main ideas of these philosophers on such themes as the nature of reality, the soul, knowledge, virtue, and the good life for humans.

A study of translated writings from European thinkers of the 17th and 18th centuries on epistemology, the description of the human mind, and the justification of scientific understanding. Authors may include Galileo, Descartes, Leibniz, Locke, Hume and Kant. The authors present positions relevant to a number of philosophical movements, including the Mechanical Philosophy, Rationalism, Empiricism and Transcendental Philosophy. Prerequisite: Philosophy 130 or 150 or permission of the instructor.

An examination of the difficulties facing the ideals of democracy, international aid and development as global and multicultural movements. We consider the justice of such institutions from the perspectives of international responsibilities and local self-determination. Prerequisites: Philosophy 140 or 210 or permission of the instructor.

A study of some of the major movements in recent continental philosophy with an emphasis on re-imagining ethical responsibility. Among the movements considered are phenomenology, existentialism, philosophical hermeneutics, poststructuralism, deconstruction, and postmodernism. Thinkers to be discussed may include Husserl, Heidegger, Gadamer, Sartre, Foucault, Derrida, Irigaray, Deleuze, Lyotard, and Levinas. Prerequisites: One course in philosophy or permission of the instructor.

An examination of Western culture’s traditional glorification of the intellect and denigration of the body as sources of knowledge. Contemporary issues involving the cultural construction of our bodies such as eating disorders, gender stereotypes and ideas about health are examined. One movement laboratory period per week. Prerequisites: One philosophy course or permission of the instructor.

A study of recent work in the humanities, feminism, and the social sciences that considers the theoretical bases of scientific thought. We study Goethe’s holistic methodology for science, complexity theory in contemporary biology, and whether a holistic approach can contribute to a science which is broadly inclusive, as called for by feminist science studies. Prerequisites: An introductory philosophy course and a laboratory science course.

A study of the principles of medical ethics as applied to case studies. After studying the nature and foundations of the principles of medical ethics, students present oral and written analyses of medical cases that pose significant ethical issues. Prerequisite: Not open to first-year students.

An examination of the literature about teaching philosophy to younger students and an experience in teaching philosophy to middle or high school students. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

An examination of the intersection of the philosophical pragmatism of William James and John Dewey and the scientific method developed by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe which he called “gentle empiricism.” Students present oral and written analyses of the similarities and differences between gentle empiricism and the method of pragmatism. Not open to first year students. Two semester hours.

An advanced study of a problem or central figure in philosophy. Course content changes substantially from year to year; consequently, seminars offered under this number may be taken more than once. See department members to discuss, and perhaps to suggest, upcoming offerings. Prerequisites: At least one course in philosophy, or permission of the instructor.

Preparation for the Senior Project; preliminary research and project proposal including a discussion of how work done outside the department for the major will be integrated into the project. Credit: Two semester hours. To be taken on a Credit/No Credit basis.

Final research, presentation and defense of the Senior Project.

Sophomore Seminar

A study of the conditions that citizens must cultivate to maintain a democratic culture. Twentieth and twenty-first century philosophers in the United States and Europe have debated what actions citizens need to take to foster and support the existence of democracy. This debate includes the extent to which democracy is primarily a political structure or a moral ideal. FSPHI 201 examines these issues as they pertain to democracy in the United States through reading and discussion of primary texts.