3 credits unless stated otherwise
CGS 10 Introduction to Cognitive Science (QR/IS), TR 2:40-4:05, CRN: 20976
Professor Teehan
PHI 009X Philosophical Explorations (1 credit), select Mondays, 4:20-6:20, CRN: 23456
Professor Karofsky
PHI 10 Introduction to Philosophy (HP), MW 9:40-11:06, CRN: 23753
Professor Karofsky
PHI 10A What Does It All Mean? Life, Meaning and Philosophy (HP), TR 1-2:25, CRN: 21856
Professor McEvoy
PHI 10B Philosophic Themes in Film (HP)
MWF (Section 01) 11:20-12:15, CRN: 22242, Professor Farley
MW (Section 02) 2:40-4:05, CRN: 21800, Professor Karofsky
MWF (Section 03) 10:10-11:05, CRN: 21646, Professor Farley
PHI 10G Philosophy Live (HP), TR 2:40-4:05, CRN: 23457
Professor Acampora
PHI 14 Introduction to Ethics (HP), multiple sections, multiple instructors
PHI 14S Philosophy and Stories (HP) (4 credits) TR 2:40-4:35, CRN: 22561
Professor McEvoy FIRST YEARS STUDENTS ONLY
PHI 15 Law, Philosophy & Public Life (HP), MW 2:40-4:05, CRN: 22562
Professor Baehr
PHI 51A Artificial Intelligence, Communication and Ethics (IS), MW 11:20-12:45, CRN: 23459
Professors Wallace and Chun
PHI 125 Race and Philosophy (HP), MW 4:20-5:45, CRN: 23461
Professor Griffith
PHI 133 Ethics & Natural Environment (HP), TR 11:20-12:45, CRN: 23462
Professor Acampora
PHI 143 Classical Modern Philosophy, TR 9:40-11:05, CRN: 20076
Professor Godlove
PHI 150 Critical Reasoning (HP), TR 4:20-5:45, CRN: 21149
Professor Acampora
PHI 161 Philosophy of Science (HP), MW 2:40-4:05, CRN: 23463
Professor Eliot
PHI 164 Philosophy of Mind, MW 11:20-12:45, CRN: 22222
Professor McEvoy
PHI 170 Ethical Theory (HP), TR 1:00-2:25, CRN: 23465
Professor Singer
Amy Baehr, Dept. Chair; Erica Bosco, Admin. Assistant; philosophy@hofstra.edu; 516-463-5612
CGS 10 Introduction to Cognitive Science (QR/IS) (3 credits)
Cognitive science studies the mind and behavior from the points of view of philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, computer science, biology, and other disciplines. This course considers how mind appears on the scene in the course of human evolution, and how to make sense of mind as embedded in the natural world. Topics include the problem of consciousness, the question of non-human animal minds, the role of the body in cognition, and the workings of the moral mind.
PHI 009x Philosophical Explorations (1 credit)
Students explore a philosophical topic of their choice and work to develop an expression of it in alternative media, such as a screenplay, a short story, a poem, a piece of music, a dance, or other artistic work. Topics might include: time travel, personal identity, skepticism, free will, artificial intelligence, ethics, philosophy of religion, the meaning of life.
PHI 10 Introduction to Philosophy (HP) (3 credits)
An introduction to some of the major questions in philosophy like: Are my actions determined? Or can I make free choices? Do I have a mind that is distinct from my brain? What makes me me? Could robots ever be conscious? Do animals think? Was there a beginning of the universe? Does God exist? If so, why is there evil in the world? Can I know anything with certainty? And what, if anything, is the meaning of life?
PHI 10A What Does It All Mean? Life, Meaning and Philosophy (HP) (3 credits)
What does it all mean? What is the point of life? We’ve all wondered about these questions from time to time. There are a range of answers available. For some people, the meaning of life has to do with God; for others, it is happiness; for others, it is helping others. Some thinkers reject the idea of a “one size fits all” view of meaning, and hold that we must create our own meaning, while still others argue that life has no meaning. Whatever the answer, the question of life’s meaning quickly becomes entangled with other philosophical questions. This course will examine various approaches to the question of the meaning of life, and how this question connects with other important philosophical questions.
PHI 10B Philosophic Themes in Film (HP) (3 credits)
An introduction to various philosophical issues that arise in contemporary films like Ad Astra, Arrival, Ex Machina, Her, Beautiful Boy, Silence, A Serious Man, Edge of Tomorrow, Inception, and The Matrix. Some of the issues examined include the problem of skepticism, the mind-body problem, personal identity, artificial intelligence, free will and determinism, moral dilemmas, and the meaning of life.
PHI 10G Philosophy Live (HP) (3 credits)
Instead of learning about philosophers, you will become enlightened by directly doing philosophy – by engaging the vital process of thinking through the big questions for yourself, in the company of others and guided by traditional and current voices of wisdom. Issues dealt with typically include the nature of existence, cosmic meaning, the purpose of life, and various kinds of knowledge.
PHI 014 Introduction to Ethics (HP) (3 credits)
This course focuses on critical reasoning about ethics. It reviews major approaches to ethical values and examines the bases for why some conduct (like killing, deceit, fraud) is wrong, and why some things (like freedom, fairness, compassion) are valuable. The course also examines the relationship between ethics and society, with focus on contemporary issues. For example: ethics in professional or business contexts, health and medical contexts, ethics in personal relationships, and environmental ethics.
PHI 14S Philosophy and Stories (HP) (4 credits) FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ONLY
In the Harry Potter novels, the reader follows along as Professor McGonagall turns into a cat. At least she can turn back, though. In Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa turns into a giant beetle, and he can’t turn back. In each case, we, the readers, know that the cat/beetle is really a person. But what makes this true? After all, in each case their bodies have changed completely – even to a different species! How can they still be “the same person”? This is the problem of personal identity – what makes you you? It is a philosophical problem, but in these novels, it is explored through fiction. In Shirley McClaine’s “The Lottery,” one villager is sacrificed every year in order to save the village. Is this kind of sacrifice fair, or otherwise justifiable? This is a philosophical problem, once again explored through fiction. There are also philosophical problems about fiction. For example, readers get upset – sometimes even cry – at Dumbledore’s death. But why? He isn’t real, so he can’t really have died. So why do we care? Another example of a philosophical problem about fiction is whether immoral works of fiction can be good works. If someone writes a novel with the underlying theme that slavery is a good thing, can that novel count as a good novel? In this course, we examine fiction both as a way of introducing philosophical problems and a source of philosophical puzzles.
PHI 15 Law, Philosophy and Public Life (HP) (3 credits)
Introduction to political philosophies that animate contemporary politics in the United States, including libertarianism, liberalism, and conservatism. Focus is on how these philosophies play out in disagreements about issues such as climate change, taxation, race and gender, immigration, and the role of religion in public life.
PHI 51A Artificial Intelligence, Communication and Ethics (IS) (3 credits)
This interdisciplinary (journalism/philosophy) course explores ethical issues in the uses and impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) (especially in the fields of journalism and communication). The course also explores AI’s impacts on how we think about creativity, authorship, truth and authenticity. Students will have an opportunity to use a variety of generative AI tools to gain a better understanding of their abilities and limitations.
PHI 125 Philosophy and Race (HP) (3 credits)
This course examines the ideas of race and racism. It investigates the science and metaphysics of race (the question ‘in what way is race real’?); the cognitive science of race and racism (what psychological mechanisms are involved in race classifications); the ethical and political theory of equality and egalitarianism; and the question, what, if anything, should we do about race and racism.
PHI 133 Ethics and the Natural Environment (HP) (3 credits)
This course explores the relationship between human nature and the natural environment. It considers whether human beings have ethical duties to the natural environment – including to animals and other species (e.g., plants and even microorganisms) – and what the basis for such duties might be. The course considers also whether only living things have ethical value or whether the environment itself has ethical significance.
PHI 143 Classical Modern Philosophy (3 credits)
In this course we examine the views of 17th and 18th century philosophers about knowledge and the nature of reality. The topics we will discuss include perception, the limits and the justification of knowledge, substance (is reality purely physical?), cause and effect, free will, personal identity, and the existence of God. We will also pay attention to the efforts these philosophers made to understand and advance science, to deal with turmoil about religious authority and religious beliefs (we’ll develop a working understanding of various ways to be a heretic), and—directly or indirectly—to improve human life.
PHI 150 Critical Reasoning (HP) (3 credits)
This course is a study of reasoning and argument as they appear in ordinary usage. The aim of the course is to increase students’ skills in critical thinking: how to recognize unsupported assertions, how to analyze and assess arguments encountered in everyday life, and how to formulate and present cogent arguments of one’s own.
PHI 161 Philosophy of Science (HP) (3 credits)
This course is a study of the methods, assumptions, and limits of natural science with illustrations from the history of science. Topics include the problem of demarcating science from non-science, the structure of theories and explanations, how and whether science progresses, and science’s relationship to culture and values.
PHI 164 Philosophy of Mind (3 credits)
Philosophy of mind discusses issues like the mind/body problem, artificial intelligence, the nature of consciousness and intentionality, and mental causation. Some typical questions are: What are minds? Are they the same or different from souls? How could brains possibly think? Can animals, babies or computers think? Can persons change bodies? Could you or I survive the death of our bodies?
PHI 170 Ethical Theory (HP) (3 credits)
This course is a detailed examination of some specific issue in contemporary ethical theory. Possible topics include the nature and objectivity of morality, the relationship between moral philosophy and theories of the self, the revival of a virtue-theory approach to ethics, and pluralism about values.
