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Philosophy
Faculty List
University Professors Emeriti
I. Hacking, OC, MA, Ph D, FRSC (V)
B.C. Inwood, MA, PhD, FRSC
L.W. Sumner, MA, Ph D, FRSC
Professors Emeriti
D.P.H. Allen, MA, B Phil, D Phil (T)
J.R. Brown, MA, Ph D, FRSC
F.A. Cunningham, MA, Ph D, FRSC
R.B. DeSousa, BA, Ph D, FRSC
D. Goldstick, BA, D Phil
P.W. Gooch, MA, Ph D (V)
W.C. Graham, MA, Ph D (UTSC)
C.M.T. Hanly, BA, MS L, D Phil
W.R.C. Harvey, MA, LL B, Ph D (V)
H.G. Herzberger, AM, Ph D
D.S. Hutchinson, BA, B Phil, D Phil (T)
R.A. Imlay, MA, Ph D (U)
E.J. Kremer, AB, Ph D (SM)
I. Leman Stefanovic MA, Ph D
K.P. Morgan, MA, M Ed, Ph D (N)
J.C. Morrison, MA, Ph D (SM)
M. Morrison, MA, Ph D, FRSC (T)
G.A. Nicholson, MA, BD, Ph D (T)
T.M. Robinson, BA, BLitt, DLitt
J.G. Slater, MA, Ph D (W)
J.T. Stevenson, MA (U)
M.T. Thornton, B Phil, MA, Ph D (V)
R. E. Tully, BA, D Phil (SM)
A.I.F. Urquhart, MA, Ph D
J.M. Vertin, MA, STL, Ph D (SM)
F.F. Wilson, B Sc, MA, Ph D, FRSC (U)
Associate Professors Emeriti
B. Brown, BA, MA, Ph D (SM)
R. V. Friedman, BA, MA, Ph D (SM)
J. Hartley B Ph, BA, MA, Ph D (SM)
P. Hess, BA, AM, Ph D (V)
L. Lange, MA, Ph D (UTSC)
A. Wingell, BA, MA, MSL, Ph D (SM)
Professor and Chair
M. Pickavé, MA, Ph D
Associate Professor and Associate Chair (Graduate)
G.S. Rattan, B Sc, Ph D (UTM)
Professor and Associate Chair (Undergraduate Studies)
P. King, BA, Ph D
University Professors
D. Dyzenhaus, BA, LLB, D Phil, FRSC
T.M. Hurka, BA, B Phil, D Phil, FRSC
C. Misak, MA, D Phil, FRSC
A. Ripstein, MA, Ph D, FRSC
Professors
D.C. Ainslie, B Sc, MA, Ph D (U)
J. Allen, Ph D (UTM)
R. Barney, BA, Ph D
D.L. Black, MA, Ph D (SM)
G. Boys-Stones, MA, D Phil
R. Comay, MA, Ph D (V)
I. Dickie, BA (Hons), B Phil, D Phil
J. Ganeri, MA, M Matt, M Phil, D Phil
L. Gerson, AM, Ph D, FRSC (SM)
R.B. Gibbs, MA, Ph D (U)
W. Goetschel, Lic Phil, Ph D
J.M. Heath, MA, Ph D, FRSC (U)
B. Hellie, BA, Ph D (UTSC)
B.D. Katz, MA, Ph D (UTM)
M. Kingwell, BA, M Litt, Ph D (T)
P. Kremer, BSc, Ph D (UTSC)
M. Matthen, B Sc, MA, Ph D (UTM)
S.R. Moreau, BA, B Phil, Ph D, JD
A. Mullin, Ph D (UTM)
J. Nagel, MA, Ph D (UTM)
D. Novak, MHL, Ph D (U)
D. Raffman, BA, Ph D (UTM)
M. Rosenthal, BA, MA, Ph D
M. Rozemond, Kand., Ph D (UTM)
W.E. Seager, MA, Ph D (UTSC)
S. Tenenbaum, BA, MA, Ph D (UTM)
D. Walsh, BSc, Ph D, BA, M Phil, Ph D
J. Wilson, BA, Ph D (UTSC)
B. Yi, MA, Ph D (UTM)
Associate Professors
M. Caie, BA, Ph D
N. Charlow, BA, MA, Ph D (UTM)
P. Clark, BA, Ph D (UTM)
F. Huber, MA, Ph D
K. Hübner, BA, MA, Ph D (UTSC)
S.A. Sedivy, BA, Ph D (UTSC)
A. Sepielli, AB, JD, Ph D (UTM)
N. Stang, AB, Ph D
J. Weisberg, BA, Ph D (UTM)
Associate Professors, Teaching Stream
J. John, BA, Ph D
Assistant Professors
D. Barnett, BA, Ph D
B. De Kenessey BA, Ph D
A. Franklin-Hall, BA, Ph D
E. Freschi, BA, MA, Ph D
J. Gelber BA, Ph D
W. Hussain, AB, Ph D (UTSC)
M. Miller, BA, MA, Ph D
J. Nefsky, BA, Ph D (UTSC)
C. Pfeiffer, MA, D. Phil (UTSC)
S. Swarup, BA, MA, Ph D
T. Teitel, BA B Phil, Ph D
O. Ware BA, Ph D (UTM)
Assistant Professors, Teaching Stream
A. Koo, BA, Ph D
Lecturer
J.A. Thomson BA, PhD
Introduction
The Greek words from which “Philosophy” is formed mean “love of wisdom” and all great philosophers have been moved by an intense devotion to the search for wisdom. Philosophy takes no belief for granted, but examines the grounds for those beliefs which make up people’s fundamental views of the world. Philosophers think about these beliefs as thoroughly and systematically as possible, using methods of conceptual analysis, reasoning, and detailed description.
What distinguishes Philosophy from the physical and social sciences is its concern not only with the truths which are discovered by means of specialized methods of investigation, but with the implications that such discoveries have for human beings in their relations with one another and the world. Moreover, Philosophy has an abiding interest in those basic assumptions about the nature of the physical and social world, and about the nature of enquiry itself, which underlie our scientific and practical endeavours.
The Philosophy Department at the University of Toronto offers courses in most of the main periods and areas of Philosophy, which are listed here with a typical question or the name of one or two central figures: Ancient Philosophy (Plato, Aristotle); Mediaeval Philosophy (Augustine, Aquinas); Early Modern Philosophy (Descartes, Hume, Kant); Nineteenth-Century Philosophy (Hegel, Mill, Marx); Asian Philosophy (Chinese Philosophy) Continental Philosophy and Phenomenology (Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre); Analytic Philosophy (Quine, Russell, Wittgenstein); Epistemology and Metaphysics (What can be known? What is the ultimate nature of reality?); Moral Philosophy (How should we argue rationally about right and wrong?); Philosophy of Mind (What is mind? Is there free will?); Logic and Philosophy of Mathematics (What is sound reasoning? Do numbers exist?); Philosophy of Language (What is the meaning of “meaning”?); Philosophy of Natural Science (What is scientific method?); Social and Political Philosophy (What justifies the state?); Aesthetics (What is art? Must it be beautiful?). In addition, the Department offers Seminars (numbered PHL400H1 - PHL488H1), Individual Studies courses (numbered PHL495H1 - PHL499H1) and the Socrates Project (PHL489Y1).
Counselling is available in the main departmental office, 170 St. George St., 4th floor. In particular, students may wish to get advice about how best to combine philosophy programs with other majors or minors, given that various co-specialist programs with other disciplines have been discontinued. In addition, the Department publishes an annual Bulletin. It contains full and up-to-date information on programs and courses, including names of instructors and descriptions of particular course sections. The Bulletin is published in the summer (for the succeeding year) and is available on the Department’s website and at 170 St. George Street.
Undergraduate Coordinator:
Prof. Peter King, 170 St. George Street, Room 521 (416-978-3314), undergrad.phil@utoronto.ca
Undergraduate Counsellor:
Mr. Eric Correia, 170 St. George Street, Room 403 (416-978-3314), eric.correia@utoronto.ca
Website: https://philosophy.utoronto.ca/
Philosophy Programs
Bioethics Specialist (Arts Program) - ASSPE1001
This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.
10 full courses or their equivalent including at least 4.0 FCEs at the 300+ level of which 1.0 FCE must be at the 400 level
First year (recommended):
PHL100Y1/ PHL101Y1
BIO120H1, BIO220H1
Higher Years (required):
1. PHL281H1, PHL271H1, PHL275H1
2. PHL245H1/ PHL246H1
3. 1.5 FCEs from Group 1 (Advanced Bioethics)
4. 1.0 FCE from Group 2 (Value Theory)
5. 0.5 FCEs from Group 3 (Metaphysics and Epistemology).
6. Additional philosophy courses, to a total of 10 FCEs, or else additional philosophy courses to a total of 9.0 FCEs and 1.0 FCE from Group 4 (Interdisciplinary)
Philosophy Specialist (Arts Program) - ASSPE0231
This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.
(10 full courses or their equivalent, including PHL100Y1/ PHL101Y1 if taken)
First year (recommended):
PHL100Y1/ PHL101Y1
Higher Years (required):
1. 2.0 FCEs from the following: PHL200Y1/( PHL205H1, PHL206H1)/ PHL210Y1
2. 1.0 FCE from the following: PHL217H1/ PHL232H1/ PHL233H1/ PHL240H1
3. PHL265H1/ PHL275H1
4. PHL245H1/ PHL246H1
5. Additional philosophy courses, to a total of 10 FCEs, including 4.0 PHL FCEs at the 300+ level, of which 1.0 FCE must be at the 400 level.
Physics and Philosophy Specialist (Science Program) - ASSPE2584
Physics has deep historical roots in natural philosophy and many aspects of contemporary Physics raise profound philosophical questions about the nature of reality. The interdisciplinary Physics and Philosophy Program allows the student to engage with both Physics and Philosophy at their deepest levels, and to more fully explore the connections between them.
Consult Associate Chair (Undergraduate Studies), Department of Physics or Philosophy.
This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.
(15.0 full courses or their equivalent (FCE), including at least 1.5 FCE at the 400 level)
First Year: (2.5 FCE)
( MAT135H1, MAT136H1)/ MAT137Y1/ MAT157Y1, MAT223H1/ MAT240H1, PHY131H1/ PHY151H1, PHY132H1/ PHY152H1 (The courses MAT137Y1, MAT223H1, PHY151H1, PHY152H1 are recommended.)
First or Second Year: (1.5 FCE)
1.5 FCE of: PHL232H1/ PHL233H1/ PHL240H1/ PHL245H1/ HPS250H1 ( PHL245H1 may only be counted here if MAT157Y1 is not taken)
Second Year: (3.0 FCE)
MAT237Y1/ MAT257Y1/ MAT235Y1, MAT244H1/ MAT267H1, PHY250H1, PHY254H1, PHY256H1 (The courses MAT237Y1, MAT244H1 are recommended.)
Third Year: (2.0 FCE)
MAT334H1/ MAT354H1, PHY252H1, ( PHY350H1/ PHY354H1), PHY356H1
Fourth Year: (1.0 FCE)
Any Year: (5.0 FCE)
( PHL345H1/ PHL347H1), PHL355H1, PHL356H1, ( PHL415H1/ PHL455H1/ PHL482H1), plus 1.0 FCE of ( PHL325H1/ PHL331H1/ PHL332H1/ PHL346H1/ PHL354H1/ PHL357H1) plus 2.0 FCE additional PHL courses, at least 0.5 FCE of which must be from the Philosophy Value Theory Course Group (The courses PHL265H1, PHL275H1 are recommended.)
Bioethics Major (Arts Program) - ASMAJ1001
This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.
7 full courses or their equivalent including at least 2.0 FCEs at the 300+ level of which 0.5 FCE must be at 400 level.
First year (recommended):
PHL100Y1/ PHL101Y1
BIO120H1, BIO220H1
Higher Years (required):
1. PHL281H1
2. PHL245H1/ PHL246H1
3. 1.0 FCE from Group 1 (Advanced Bioethics)
4. 1.5 FCEs from PHL271H1 / PHL275H1 / Group 2 (Value Theory)
5. 0.5 FCE from Group 3 (Metaphysics and Epistemology).
6. Additional philosophy courses, to a total of 7.0 FCEs, or else additional philosophy courses to a total of 6.5 FCEs, plus 0.5 FCE from Group 4 (Interdisciplinary).
Philosophy Major (Arts Program) - ASMAJ0231
This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.
(7 full courses or their equivalent, including PHL100Y1/ PHL101Y1 if taken)
First year (recommended):
PHL100Y1/ PHL101Y1
Higher Years (required):
1. 1.0 FCE from the following: PHL200Y1/( PHL205H1, PHL206H1)/ PHL210Y1
2. 1.0 FCE from the following: PHL217H1/ PHL232H1/ PHL233H1/ PHL240H1
3. PHL265H1/ PHL275H1
4. PHL245H1/ PHL246H1
5. Additional philosophy courses, to a total of 7.0 FCEs, including 2.0 PHL FCEs at the 300+ level, of which 0.5 FCE must be at the 400 level.
Bioethics Minor (Arts Program) - ASMIN1001
This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.
Philosophy Minor (Arts Program) - ASMIN0231
This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.
(4 full courses or their equivalent, including PHL100Y1/ PHL101Y1 if taken)
1. 1.0 FCE from the following: PHL200Y1/ PHL205H1/ PHL206H1/ PHL210Y1/ PHL217H1/ PHL232H1/ PHL233H1/ PHL240H1/ PHL265H1/ PHL275H1
2. Additional philosophy courses, to a total of 4.0 FCE's, including 1.0 FCE at the 300+ level.
Mathematics and Philosophy Specialist (Science Program) - ASSPE1361
This is an open enrolment program. A student who has completed 4.0 credits may enrol in the program.
Consult the Undergraduate Coordinators of the Departments of Mathematics and Philosophy.
(12.0 FCE including at least 1.0 FCE at the 400-level)
First Year:
MAT157Y1, MAT240H1, MAT247H1; PHL232H1 or PHL233H1
Higher Years:
1. MAT257Y1, MAT327H1, MAT347Y1, MAT354H1/ MAT357H1
2. PHL345H1, MAT309H1/ PHL348H1
3. Four of: PHL325H1, PHL331H1, PHL332H1, PHL346H1/PHL354H1, PHL347H1, PHL349H1, PHL355H1, PHL451H1, PHL480H1
4. 1.0 FCE from PHL200Y1/ PHL205H1/ PHL206H1/ PHL210Y1
5. PHL265H1/ PHL275H1
6. 2.0 FCE of PHL/APM/MAT at the 300+ level, to a total of 12.0 FCE.
NOTE: Students with a CGPA of 3.5 and above may apply to have graduate level math courses count towards their 400-level course requirements.
Course Groups
Group 1 - Advanced Bioethics
Group 2 - Value Theory
- PHL265H1 Introduction to Political Philosophy
- PHL295H1 Business Ethics
- PHL365H1 Political Philosophy
- PHL366H1 Topics in Political Philosophy
- PHL370H1 Issues in Philosophy of Law
- PHL375H1 Ethics
- PHL407H1 Seminar in Ethics
- PHL412H1 Seminar in Political Philosophy
- PHL413H1 Seminar in Applied Ethics
- PHL483H1 Advanced Topics in Social and Political Philosophy
Group 3 - Metaphysics and Epistemology
- PHL232H1 Knowledge and Reality
- PHL233H1 Philosophy for Scientists
- PHL240H1 Persons, Minds and Bodies
- PHL331H1 Metaphysics
- PHL332H1 Epistemology
- PHL340H1 Issues in Philosophy of Mind
- PHL341H1 Freedom, Responsibility, and Human Action
- PHL342H1 Minds and Machines
- PHL355H1 Philosophy of Natural Science
- PHL357H1 Philosophy of Biology
- HPS250H1 Introductory Philosophy of Science
Group 4 - Interdisciplinary
- ANT348H1 Medical Anthropology: Health, Power and Politics
- GER338H1 Narratives of the Body (E)
- GGR340H1 Health Geography
- HIS423H1 Social History of Medicine in the 19th& 20th Centuries
- HIS489H1 The History of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Illness
- HMB201H1 Introduction to Fundamental Genetics and its Applications
- HMB202H1 Introduction to Health and Disease
- HPS318H1 History of Medicine I
- HPS319H1 History of Medicine II
- JHE353H1 History of Evolutionary Biology
- SOC243H1 Sociology of Health and Illness
- SOC309H1 HIV and AIDS: Social Policies and Programs
- SOC363H1 Sociology of Mental Health and Mental Disorders
- SOC427H1 Families and Health
- WGS367H1 The Politics of Gender and Health
Environmental Ethics (Arts Program): see School of the Environment
Regarding Philosophy Courses
The following courses do not have PHL prefixes but may still be counted towards a philosophy program. Students should consult the primary listings for their course descriptions: COG250Y1, COG401H1, HPS250H1, TRN200Y1.
300-SERIES COURSES
All 300-series courses have a prerequisite of three half credits (or equivalent) in philosophy, with the exception of PHL345H1 - PHL349H1 and PHL356H1. There is also a general prerequisite of 7.5 courses (in any field). Only specific courses required or recommended are listed below. Students who do not meet the prerequisite for a particular course but believe that they have adequate preparation must obtain the permission of the instructor to gain entry to the course.
400-SERIES COURSES
- The general prerequisite for ALL 400-level courses is eight half-courses in philosophy. Most courses also have specific prerequisites. Students who do not meet the prerequisite for a particular course but believe that they have adequate preparation must obtain the permission of the instructor in order to gain entry to the course.
- PHL400H1-PHL451H1 are undergraduate-level courses. PHL470H1-PHL488H1 are cross-listed graduate courses, available to undergraduates as well. Enrolment in cross-listed graduate courses requires the permission of the instructor and the Department in addition to the completion of the prerequisites indicated below.
- Students in 400-level courses must attend the first class, or contact the instructor to explain their absence. Failure to do so may result in removal from the course.
- Individual Studies courses (PHL495H1/PHL496H1/PHL497H1), which involve directed study and research, are available to advanced students. Arrangements must be made with a faculty supervisor, and approval of the Undergraduate Coordinator obtained before registration.
- No more than one individual studies credit can be counted towards any philosophy program and normally, no more than one individual studies half credit can be counted towards the 400-level course requirement for any Specialist or Combined Specialist Philosophy program.
- The Socrates Project (PHL489Y1) is a special enrolment course. If you are interested in this course, please contact the department.
Philosophy Courses
PHL100Y1 - Introduction to Philosophy (Historical)
An introduction to the central branches of philosophy, such as logic, theory of knowledge, metaphysics, ethics, and political philosophy. Writings from the central figures in the history of Western and non-Western philosophy, as well as contemporary philosophers, may be considered.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL101Y1 - Introduction to Philosophy (Thematic)
An introduction to some of the central problems of philosophy. Examples of questions that may be considered include: What is sound reasoning? What can we know? What is ultimately real? Is morality rational? Do humans have free will? Is there a God? What is consciousness? Should we fear death? What is justice?
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL196H1 - Multiculturalism, Philosophy and Film
This course will critically examine the role of cinema in the construction and exploration of the figure of the racial, ethnic, cultural and social "other". Our topics will include (1) racial, ethnic and cultural identity and its reciprocal relationship with cinema, (2) the notion of realism in relation to the representation of race and ethnicity in film, (3) the cinematic representation of inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic conflict, (4) the position of cinema in the debate between assimilation and multiculturalism, and (5) the ways in which cinema can help illuminate a cluster of relevant notions in political philosophy including citizenship, communitarianism, cosmopolitanism, and the relation between individual rights and group rights. Films will be screened in class and discussed against the background of focused critical readings. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)
PHL197H1 - Introduction to Philosophical Anthropology
Philosophical anthropology is the subject that poses the most fundamental questions about human nature and the human condition. Taking as its point of departure the most up-to-date scientific understanding of human nature, from anthropology broadly conceived, it goes on to inquire, in a disciplined fashion, about the implications of these views for perennial philosophical questions about human rationality, morality, the possibility of progress, the existence of god and the meaning of life. This course will examine one or more topics in this domain, as a more general introduction to the discipline. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL198H1 - Philosophy of Time
The passage of time is a fundamental aspect of human experience: we are born, we grow older, and eventually we pass away. During our lives our experience of the past, present, and future are distinct. We can influence the world in the present and the future, but it does not seem that we can influence the past. We have hopes about the future, memories of the past, and experiences of the present. In this seminar we will explore insights from contemporary philosophy and physics concerning the nature of the passage of time. Questions to be considered may include the following: What does it mean to say that time passes? Does time really pass at all? How do we experience time? Why can we influence the future but not the past? Is it possible to travel backward in time? Is time even real? What is time? Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
Breadth Requirements: The Physical and Mathematical Universes (5)
PHL199H1 - Ethics and Fiction
The goal of this seminar is to investigate ethical questions via works of fiction, primarily novels. The idea is not to see fiction as a pedantic vehicle for ethical argument, but rather to consider how, and with what effect, fiction functions as an ethical medium. We will not judge characters as ‘likeable’ or ‘relatable’; rather, we will reflect on what fiction can teach us about the pressing challenges of choice and responsibility, and how it can (perhaps) enhance empathy.
The focus is on issues of individual identity and integrity: creating and maintaining oneself as a moral whole within environments hostile or indifferent to that end. All the works considered are novels or plays from the period between about 1900 and 2020—for convenience, the ‘modern’ and ‘postmodern’ ages, though we will query those notions. A running theme in the chosen readings is what is usually called ‘existential’ philosophy, but we will query the validity of that label as well. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL200Y1 - Ancient Philosophy
Central texts of the pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, and post-Aristotelian philosophy.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL201H1 - Introductory Philosophy
An introduction to philosophy focusing on the connections among its main branches: logic, theory of knowledge, metaphysics, and ethics. This course is intended for those with little or no philosophy background but who have completed four FCEs in any subject.
Exclusion: PHL100Y1, PHL101Y1, or more than 1.0 PHL course
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL205H1 - Early Medieval Philosophy
A study of issues such as the relations of reason and faith, the being and the nature of God, and the problem of universals, in the writings of such philosophers as Augustine, Boethius, Anselm and Abelard.
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL206H1 - Later Medieval Philosophy
A study of issues such as the relations of reason and faith, the being and the nature of God, and the structure of the universe, in the writings of such philosophers as Aquinas and Ockham.
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL210Y1 - 17th-and 18th-Century Philosophy
Central texts of such philosophers as Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL217H1 - Introduction to Continental Philosophy
An introduction to some of the post-Hegelian thinkers who inspired the various philosophical movements broadly referred to as continental, such as phenomenology, existentialism, deconstruction, and post-modernism. Questions include the will, faith, death, existence, history and politics, rationality and its limits, encountering an other. Authors studied may include: Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Marx, Freud, Heidegger, Sartre.
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL232H1 - Knowledge and Reality
An introduction to issues in the fundamental branches of philosophy: metaphysics, which considers the overall framework of reality; epistemology, or the theory of knowledge; and related problems in the philosophy of science. Topics in metaphysics may include: mind and body, causality, space and time, God, freedom and determinism; topics in epistemology may include perception, evidence, belief, truth, skepticism.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL233H1 - Philosophy for Scientists
An introduction to philosophy tailored for students with backgrounds in mathematics and science. Topics include causation, explanation, the relation between scientific and mathematical theories and reality, the role of mathematics in scientific theories, the relevance of scientific and mathematical discoveries to ‘big’ traditional philosophical questions such as the nature of consciousness, whether we have free will, and the meaning of life.
Recommended Preparation: Background in science and/or mathematics will be presupposed.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL235H1 - Philosophy of Religion
Some central issues in the philosophy of religion such as the nature of religion and religious faith, arguments for the existence of God, the problem of evil, varieties of religious experience, religion and human autonomy.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL237H1 - History of Chinese Philosophy
An historical and systematic introduction to the main phases of Chinese philosophical development, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism; the challenge of Western thought and the development of modern Chinese Philosophy.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL238H1 - Critical Reasoning
Hours: 36L
The area of informal logic - the logic of ordinary language, usually non-deductive. Criteria for the critical assessment of arguments as strong or merely persuasive. Different types of arguments and techniques of refutation; their use and abuse.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL239H1 - Introduction to South Asian Philosophy
An introduction to the main schools of Indian philosophical thought (Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedanta) and other South Asian philosophies and their approaches to fundamental problems of philosophy such as epistemology and ethics.
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL240H1 - Persons, Minds and Bodies
Consciousness and its relation to the body; personal identity and survival; knowledge of other minds; psychological events and behaviour.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL243H1 - Philosophy of Human Sexuality
Philosophical issues about sex and sexual identity in the light of biological, psychological and ethical theories of sex and gender; the concept of gender; male and female sex roles; perverse sex; sexual liberation; love and sexuality.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL244H1 - Human Nature
Aspects of human nature, e.g., emotion, instincts, motivation. Theories of human nature, e.g., behaviourism, psychoanalysis.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL245H1 - Modern Symbolic Logic
An introduction to formal deductive logic. Semantics, symbolization, and techniques of natural deduction in sentential logic. Symbolization, natural deduction, and models in monadic predicate logic. Symbolization and natural deduction with polyadic predicates. Introduction to advanced concepts in first-order logic, such as operations, identity, and models.
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL246H1 - Probability and Inductive Logic
The elements of axiomatic probability theory and its main interpretations (frequency, logical, and subjective). Reasoning with probabilities in decision-making and science.
Recommended Preparation: PHL245H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL256H1 - Philosophy in the Age of the Internet
The internet and digital technology have had a transformative impact on the economy, society and politics, art and culture, and everyday life. This course explores the fascinating, often urgent, new philosophical questions raised by these changes as well as the way they invite a rethinking of many older philosophical questions. Topics to be addressed may include artificial intelligence and the singularity; identity through social media; digital ownership and privacy; and collective/distributed knowledge its relation to information, among others.
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL265H1 - Introduction to Political Philosophy
An introduction to central issues in political philosophy, e.g., political and social justice, liberty and the criteria of good government. The writings of contemporary political philosophers, as well as major figures in the history of philosophy, may be considered.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
PHL268H1 - Philosophy and Social Criticism
Is the objective of philosophy to understand and interpret the world, or to change it? A study of theorists who have taken philosophy to be a tool for social criticism. Topics studied may include feminism, critical race theory, anti-consumerism, the critique of mass society, and conservative cultural criticism.
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
PHL271H1 - Law and Morality
Justifications for the legal enforcement of morality; particular ethical issues arising out of the intersection of law and morality, such as punishment, freedom of expression and censorship, autonomy and paternalism, constitutional protection of human rights.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
PHL273H1 - Environmental Ethics
A study of environmental issues raising questions of concern to moral and political philosophers, such as property rights, responsibility for future generations, and the interaction of human beings with the rest of nature. Typical issues: sustainable development, alternative energy, the preservation of wilderness areas, animal rights.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
PHL275H1 - Introduction to Ethics
An introduction to central issues in ethics or moral philosophy, such as the objectivity of values, the nature of moral judgements, rights and duties, the virtues, and consequentialism. Readings may be drawn from a variety of contemporary and historical sources.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL281H1 - Bioethics
An introduction to the study of moral and legal problems in medical practice and in biomedical research; the development of health policy. Topics include: concepts of health and disease, patient rights, informed consent, allocation of scarce resources, euthanasia, abortion, genetic and reproductive technologies, human research, and mental health.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
PHL285H1 - Aesthetics
An historical and systematic introduction to the main questions in the philosophy of art and beauty from Plato to the present. These include the relation between art and beauty, the nature of aesthetic experience, definitions and theories of art, the criteria of excellence in the arts, and the function of art criticism.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)
PHL295H1 - Business Ethics
Philosophical issues in ethics, social theory, and theories of human nature insofar as they bear on contemporary conduct of business. Issues include: Does business have moral responsibilities? Can social costs and benefits be calculated? Does modern business life determine human nature or the other way around? Do political ideas and institutions such as democracy have a role within business?
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
PHL299Y1 - Research Opportunity Program
Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/research-opportunities/research-opportunities-program. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
PHL301H1 - Early Greek Philosophy
A study of selected Greek philosophers before Plato. Topics may include the Pre-Socratic natural philosophers, Parmenides and the Eleatics, and the so-called sophistic movement.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL302H1 - Ancient Philosophy After Aristotle
A study of selected themes in post-Aristotelian philosophy. Topics may include Stoicism, Epicureanism, Neoplatonism, and various forms of scepticism.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL303H1 - Plato
Selected metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical themes in Plato’s dialogues.
Exclusion: PHL301H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL304H1 - Aristotle
Selected anthropological, ethical and metaphysical themes in the works of Aristotle.
Exclusion: PHL302H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL307H1 - Augustine
Central themes in St. Augustine's Christian philosophy, such as the problem of evil, the interior way to God, the goal of human life and the meaning of history.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL308H1 - Aquinas
Philosophical innovations that St. Thomas Aquinas made in the course of constructing a systematic theology: essence and existence, the Five Ways, separate intelligences, the human soul and ethics.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL309H1 - Topics in Medieval Philosophy
Study of a major philosophical figure from the medieval period, such as Anselm, Abelard, Bonaventure, Maimonides, Avicenna, Duns Scotus, William of Ockham; or consideration of a central philosophical topic in a variety of medieval authors, for example, universals, individuation, the existence of God, free will and free choice, eternity and creation.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL310H1 - The Rationalists
Central philosophical problems in philosophers such as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, and their contemporaries.
Exclusion: PHLC35H3
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL311H1 - The Empiricists
Central philosophical problems in philosophers such as Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and their contemporaries.
Exclusion: PHLC36H3
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL313H1 - Topics in 17th and 18th Century Philosophy
Central philosophical problems arising in the early modern period.
Exclusion: PHL313H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL314H1 - Kant
A systematic study of The Critique of Pure Reason.
Exclusion: PHLC37H3, PHL314H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL315H1 - Topics in 19th-Century Philosophy
Central philosophical problems arising in the 19th century.
Exclusion: PHL315H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL316H1 - Hegel
An examination of Hegel's project of absolute knowing, its philosophical assumptions, and its implications for history, science and experience.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL317H1 - Marx and Marxism
An examination of some of the leading themes in the philosophy of Karl Marx. Developments of Marxist philosophy by later thinkers, and critics of Marxism, may also be considered.
Recommended Preparation: PHL265H1/POL200Y1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL319H1 - Philosophy and Psychoanalytic Theory
A study of the fundamentals of psychoanalytic theory from a philosophical perspective, focusing on the works of Freud and others. Topics include mind (conscious and unconscious), instinctual drives, mechanisms of defence, the structure of personality, civilization, the nature of conscience, and the status of psychoanalysis.
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL320H1 - Phenomenology
Phenomenology is a method used in the analysis of human awareness and subjectivity. It has been applied in the social sciences, in the humanities, and in philosophy. Texts studied are from Husserl and later practitioners, e.g., Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Gurwitsch, and Ricoeur.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL321H1 - Heidegger
Some work from the 1920s (either Being and Time or contemporary lectures) and selections from Heideggers later work on poetry, technology, and history are studied. Heidegger's position within phenomenology and within the broader history of thought is charted.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL322H1 - Contemporary Continental Philosophy
German and French philosophy after World War II, focusing on such topics as: debates about humanism, hermeneutics, critical theory, the structuralist movement, its successors such as deconstruction. Typical authors: Heidegger, Gadamer, Habermas, Levi-Strauss, Foucault, Derrida.
Exclusion: PHL324H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL323H1 - Social and Cultural Theory
A study of philosophical approaches to understanding various aspects of contemporary culture and/or society. Topics may include theories of modernity, capitalism and consumerism, architecture and design, cultural pluralism, globalization, media and internet.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
PHL325H1 - Early Analytic Philosophy
An examination of some of the classic texts of early analytic philosophy, concentrating on the work of Frege, Russell, and Wittgenstein.
Exclusion: PHLC43H3, PHL325H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL331H1 - Metaphysics
Historical and systematic approaches to topics in metaphysics, such as the nature of reality, substance and existence, necessity and possibility, causality, universals and particulars.
Exclusion: PHLC60H3, PHL332H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL332H1 - Epistemology
Historical and systematic approaches to topics in the theory of knowledge, such as truth, belief, justification, perception, a priori knowledge, certitude, skepticism, other minds.
Exclusion: PHLC20H3, PHL333H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL335H1 - Issues in Philosophy of Religion
Some specific problem(s) in the philosophy of religion, such as the relationship of religious faith and religious belief, the ontological argument for the existence of God, theories about divine transcendence, the philosophical presuppositions of religious doctrines, the modern critique of religion.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL336H1 - Islamic Philosophy
An introduction to the major thinkers in classical Islamic philosophy, with emphasis placed on developing a properly philosophical understanding of the issues and arguments. Topics include the existence of God; creation and causality; human nature and knowledge; the nature of ethical obligations; and the constitution of the ideal political state.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL337H1 - Topics in Chinese Philosophy
An intermediate level treatment of such topics as: human nature; good and evil; the role of emotions; the metaphysical ultimate.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL338H1 - Jewish Philosophy
A selection of texts and issues in Jewish philosophy, for example, Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed, Bubers The Prophetic Faith, prophecy and revelation, Divine Command and morality, creation and eternity, the historical dimension of Jewish thought.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL339H1 - Topics in South Asian Philosophy
An intermediate level study of one or more topics in South Asian Philosophy.
Recommended Preparation: PHL239H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL340H1 - Issues in Philosophy of Mind
Typical issues include: the mind-brain identity theory; intentionality and the mental; personal identity.
Exclusion: PHLC95H3, PHL340H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL341H1 - Freedom, Responsibility, and Human Action
Human action, and the nature of freedom and responsibility in the light of contemporary knowledge concerning the causation of behaviour.
Exclusion: PHL341H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL342H1 - Minds and Machines
Topics include: philosophical foundations of artificial intelligence theory; the computational theory of the mind; functionalism vs. reductionism; the problems of meaning in the philosophy of mind.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL344H1 - Philosophy of Emotions
A survey of philosophical topics related to the emotions, from a range of philosophical perspectives. Questions to be considered may include the following: What exactly is an emotion? Are emotions feelings? What emotions are there, and how are they shaped by culture and society? How are emotions related to reason, the brain and the body? What role do -- and should -- the emotions play in decision-making? Can an emotion be morally right or wrong, and what makes it so?
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL345H1 - Intermediate Logic
A continuation of PHL245H1, requiring no other prior knowledge of philosophy or mathematics. First-order logic, including basic metalogical results such as soundness and completeness. An introduction to basic set theory and metalogic. Topics may include the Loewenheim-Skolem theorems for first-order logic, Goedel’s incompleteness theorems.
Exclusion: PHLC51H3, PHL345H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL347H1 - Modal Logic and Philosophical Applications of Logic
Formal study of the concepts of necessity and possibility, modal, propositional and quantificational logic, possible-worlds semantics, and the metaphysics of modality. Other topics may include counterfactuals, truth, vagueness, epistemic logic, temporal logic, or non-classical logic.
Exclusion: PHL347H5
Recommended Preparation: PHL345H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL348H1 - Logic and Computation
Topics will include Kurt Gödel's celebrated incompleteness theorems, the technical ideas and methods involved in proving them, their relation to the abstract theory of computation, and their philosophical implications. Are there mathematical truths that cannot be known? Are mathematical concepts such as number and set indeterminate to some extent? Are there limits to what can be modeled formally?
Exclusion: MAT309H1/CSC438H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL349H1 - Set Theory
An introduction to set theory emphasizing its philosophical relevance as a unifying framework for mathematics and logic. Topics examined may include the paradoxes of the 'naïve' conception of sets and their resolution through axiomatization, the construction of natural numbers and real numbers in set theory, equivalents of the axiom of choice, and model theory.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL351H1 - Philosophy of Language
The nature of language as a system of human communication, theories of meaning and meaningfulness, the relation of language to the world and to the human mind.
Exclusion: PHLC80H3, PHL350H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL354H1 - Philosophy of Mathematics
Hours: 36L
Platonism versus nominalism, the relation between logic and mathematics, implications of Gödel's theorem, formalism and intuitionism.
Exclusion: PHL346H1, PHL346H5, PHL344H5, PHL354H5
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL355H1 - Philosophy of Natural Science
The structure and methods of science: explanation, methodology, realism and instrumentalism.
Exclusion: PHL355H5
Recommended Preparation: A solid background in science or HPS250H1/PHL246H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL356H1 - Philosophy of Physics
Introduction to philosophical issues which arise in modern physics, especially in Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Topics include: the nature of spacetime, conventionality in geometry, determinism, and the relation between observation and existence.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL357H1 - Philosophy of Biology
Philosophical issues in the foundations of biology, e.g., the nature of life, evolutionary theory; controversies about natural selection; competing mechanisms, units of selection; the place of teleology in biology; biological puzzles about sex and sexual reproduction; the problem of species; genetics and reductionism; sociobiology; natural and artificial life.
Exclusion: PHL357H5
Recommended Preparation: HPS250H1/PHL246H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL362H1 - Philosophy of History
Typical questions include: Has history any meaning? Can there be general theories of history? How are the findings of historians related to the theories of metaphysics and of science? Is history deterministic? Must the historian make value judgements? Is history science or an art? Are there historical forces or spirits of an epoch?
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL365H1 - Political Philosophy
A study of some of the central problems of political philosophy, addressed by historical and contemporary political theorists.
Exclusion: PHLC92H3
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL366H1 - Topics in Political Philosophy
PHL367H1 - Philosophy of Feminism
PHL370H1 - Issues in Philosophy of Law
Major issues in philosophy of law, such as legal positivism and its critics, law and liberalism, feminist critiques of law, punishment and responsibility.
Exclusion: PHL370H5
Recommended Preparation: PHL265H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL373H1 - Issues in Environmental Ethics
An intermediate-level examination of key issues in environmental philosophy, such as the ethics of animal welfare, duties to future generations, deep ecology, ecofeminism, sustainable development and international justice.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL375H1 - Ethics
An intermediate-level study of selected issues in moral philosophy, or of influential contemporary or historical works in ethical theory.
Exclusion: PHLC05H3
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL376H1 - Topics in Moral Philosophy
A focused examination of a selected issue in moral philosophy.
Exclusion: PHLC06H3
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL378H1 - War and Morality
Moral and political issues concerning warfare: the theory of the just war, pacifism, moral constraints on the conduct of war, war as an instrument of foreign policy, the strategy of deterrence. Special attention to the implications of nuclear weapons.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL380H1 - Global Bioethics
An intermediate-level study of moral problems that arise in international contexts, including issues of special interest in bioethics: moral universalism and relativism; global distributive justice; poverty relief and international aid; international health disparities; globalization and health; HIV/AIDS; intellectual property and access to essential medicines; clinical trials in developing countries; exploitation and the 10/90 gap.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL381H1 - Ethics and Medical Research
An intermediate-level study of problems in biomedical and behavioural research with human subjects: informed voluntary consent, risk and benefit, experimental therapy, randomized clinical trials, research codes and legal issues, dependent groups (human embryos, children, the aged, hospital patients, the dying, prisoners, the mentally ill.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL382H1 - Ethics: Death and Dying
An intermediate-level study of moral and legal problems, including the philosophical significance of death, the high-tech prolongation of life, definition and determination of death, suicide, active and passive euthanasia, the withholding of treatment, palliative care and the control of pain, living wills; recent judicial decisions.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL383H1 - Ethics and Mental Health
An intermediate-level study of moral and legal problems, including the concepts of mental health and illness, mental competence, dangerousness and psychiatric confidentiality, mental institutionalization, involuntary treatment and behaviour control, controversial therapies; legal issues: the Mental Health Act, involuntary commitment, the insanity defence.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL384H1 - Ethics, Genetics and Reproduction
An intermediate-level study of moral and legal problems, including the ontological and moral status of the human embryo and fetus; human newborn, carrier and prenatal genetic screening for genetic defect, genetic therapy; the reproductive technologies (e.g., artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization); recent legislative proposals and judicial decisions.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL385H1 - Issues in Aesthetics
Selected topics in the philosophy of art. Such issues as the following are discussed: whether different arts require different aesthetic principles; relations between art and language; the adequacy of traditional aesthetics to recent developments in the arts; art as an institution.
Exclusion: PHLC03H3
Recommended Preparation: PHL285H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)
PHL388H1 - Literature and Philosophy
The literary expression of philosophical ideas and the interplay between literature and philosophy. Such philosophical issues as the nature and origin of good and evil in human beings, the nature and extent of human freedom and responsibility, and the diverse forms of linguistic expression. Such authors as Wordsworth, Mill, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Miller, Camus, and Lawrence are studied.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)
PHL394H1 - Markets and Morals
A study of the standards that can be used to judge the performance of economic systems, e.g., efficiency, fairness, maximization, along with the different institutional mechanisms that can be used to organize economic activity, e.g., markets or hierarchies, public or private ownership.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
PHL395H1 - Issues in Business Ethics
A focused examination of moral issues that arise in the conduct of business, in areas such as accounting and finance, corporate governance, human resources, environmental conduct, business lobbying and regulatory compliance.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)
PHL398H0 - Research Excursions
An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/research-opportunities/research-excursions-program. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
PHL398Y0 - Research Excursions
An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/research-opportunities/research-excursions-program. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
PHL399Y1 - Research Opportunity Program
Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/research-opportunities/research-opportunities-program. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
PHL400H1 - Seminar in Ancient/Medieval Philosophy
Advanced discussion of the principal figures and themes in ancient and/or medieval philosophy.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL401H1 - Seminar in the History of Philosophy
PHL402H1 - Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy
Advanced discussion of the principal figures and themes in the philosophy of the 17th and/or 18th centuries.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL403H1 - Seminar in 19th-Century Philosophy
PHL404H1 - Seminar in Epistemology
PHL405H1 - Seminar in Philosophy of Mind
PHL406H1 - Seminar in Metaphysics
PHL407H1 - Seminar in Ethics
Advanced discussion of issues in moral philosophy, including issues of applied ethics.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL408H1 - Seminar in Philosophy
Topics vary but bridge two or more areas or traditions of philosophy.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL409H1 - New Books Seminar
Advanced study of key philosophical works published within the last five years.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL410H1 - Seminar in Continental Philosophy
PHL411H1 - Seminar in Analytic Philosophy
PHL412H1 - Seminar in Political Philosophy
PHL413H1 - Seminar in Applied Ethics
PHL414H1 - Seminar in Philosophy of Religion
PHL416H1 - Seminar in Philosophy of Law
PHL417H1 - Seminar in History of Analytic Philosophy
Advanced study of a figure or topic from the history of analytic philosophy.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL418H1 - Seminar in South Asian Philosophy
Advanced study of one or more topics in South Asian Philosophy.
Recommended Preparation: PHL339H1
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL440H1 - Clinical Bioethics
Advanced study of topics in bioethics, taught in conjunction with clinical bioethicists associated with the health care organization partners of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL445H1 - Metalogic
A continuation of PHL345H1, this is a course in the mathematical study of logic, also known as metalogic. We will investigate and prove theorems about logical systems. Topics covered may include: important results in metalogic, second and higher-order logic, or lambda-calculus.
Exclusion: PHL445H5; PHLD51H3
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL446H1 - Seminar in Decision Theory
Decision theory studies what one ought to do when some more or less desirable outcomes of one’s actions depend on external facts about which one is uncertain. Uncertainty is characterized in terms of probabilities, desires are characterized in terms of utilities, and together they determine the expected utility of one’s actions. This course introduces these notions and their mathematical representations, as well as critically reflects on philosophical questions such as whether one should always take the action that maximize one’s expected utility, whether uncertainty is subjective or objective, and why uncertainty does, or ought to, obey the laws of probability.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
Breadth Requirements: Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)
PHL447H1 - Seminar in Philosophical Logic
PHL451H1 - Seminar in Philosophy of Language
PHL455H1 - Seminar in Philosophy of Science
PHL470H1 - Advanced Bioethics
Philosophical exploration of the foundations and methodology of bioethics. Offered jointly with PHL2145H.
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL471H1 - Advanced Topics in Greek Philosophy
Advanced Topics in Greek Philosophy
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL472H1 - Advanced Topics in Medieval Philosophy
PHL473H1 - Advanced Topics in Modern Philosophy
Advanced Topics in Modern Philosophy
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL475H1 - Advanced Topics in Moral Philosophy
Advanced Topics in Moral Philosophy
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL476H1 - Advanced Topics in Epistemology
PHL477H1 - Advanced Topics in Metaphysics
PHL478H1 - Advanced Topics in Philosophy of Religion
PHL479H1 - Advanced Topics in Philosophy of Mind
PHL480H1 - Advanced Topics in Logic
PHL481H1 - Advanced Topics in the Philosophy of Language
Advanced Topics in the Philosophy of Language
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL482H1 - Advanced Topics in Philosophy of Natural Science
PHL483H1 - Advanced Topics in Social and Political Philosophy
Advanced Topics in Social and Political Philosophy
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL484H1 - Advanced Topics in the Philosophy of Law
Advanced Topics in the Philosophy of Law
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL485H1 - Advanced Topics in Aesthetics
PHL486H1 - Advanced Topics in Philosophy of History
Advanced Topics in Philosophy of History
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL487H1 - Advanced Topics in Philosophy
Advanced Topics in Philosophy
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL488H1 - Advanced Topics in Philosophy
Advanced Topics in Philosophy
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL489Y1 - Advanced Topics in Philosophy
Advanced Topics in Philosophy
Distribution Requirements: Humanities
PHL490Y1 - Individual Studies
Individual Studies. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
PHL495H1 - Individual Studies
Individual Studies. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
PHL496H1 - Individual Studies
Individual Studies. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
PHL497H1 - Individual Studies
Individual Studies. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
PHL498H1 - Individual Studies
Individual Studies. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
PHL499H1 - Individual Studies
Individual Studies. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.