Honors
HNRS 175-01: Philosophical Investigations
“Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” This cliché question represents a very troubling feature of human rationality. Reasoning is a very powerful tool for understanding the world. But there are times when reason seems to undermine itself—where one can argue apparently well and from apparently good premises, to two inconsistent conclusions or to a conclusion that seems to defy what we know about the world. This course will survey some of the most famous (or perhaps infamous) paradoxes: a philosophically troubling and intellectually stimulating set of problems that have been formulated throughout time, from the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno to twentieth century thinkers such as Russell and Einstein. Some of the problems to be discussed include the Liar Paradox, the Prisoner's Dilemma, Russell's Paradox, various paradoxes of mathematical induction, paradoxes of space and time, and selected “paradoxes” of physics.
Fall Term: 2008
Credits: 4
Fulfills: GE Requirement in Humanities (U)
Cross-listed: PHIL 101-04
Meeting times: 13:30-14:50 TR
Instructor: Thomas Brommage
Open to: First-years Only