Philosophy

Philosophy Programs | Philosophy Courses

Faculty List

Professors Emeriti
M. Matthen, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D.
B.D. Katz, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.

Professors
J. Allen, B.A., Ph.D.
B. Brown, B.A., J.D., Ph.D.
N. Charlow, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
P. Clark, B.A., Ph.D.
N. Das, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
A. Koo, HBSc., Ph.D.
A. Mullin, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
J. Nagel, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
D. Raffman, B.A., Ph.D.
G. Rattan, B.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D.
M. Rozemond, B.A., Ph.D.
A. Sepielli, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., J.D.
S. Tenenbaum, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
O.W. Ware, B.A. Ph.D
J. Weisberg, B.A., Ph.D.
B. Yi, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.

Chair
Gurpreet Rattan
Room 6170, Maanjiwe nendamowinan
chair.philosophy.utm@utoronto.ca

Associate Chair
Marleen Rozemond
Room 6144, Maanjiwe nendamowinan
marleen.rozemond@utoronto.ca

Assistant to the Chair
Eden Finer
Room 6180, Maanjiwe nendamowinan
905-828-3747
phl.admin.utm@utoronto.ca

Departmental Supervisor
Robert Eberts
Room 5234, Maanjiwe nendamowinan

Undergraduate Advisor
Jane Medeiros
Room 6176, Maanjiwe nendamowinan
ugadvisor.philosophy.utm@utoronto.ca

Outreach, Engagement, and Events Coordinator
Jeffrey Senese
Room 6156, Maanjiwe nendamowinan
jeffrey.senese@utoronto.ca 

 

Philosophy has a distinctive place in a university education. In philosophy class we ask, and try to answer, some of the deepest questions confronting us as human beings. For example: What is knowledge? What is justice? Who am I? What am I? Am I a physical thing, or something more? What makes me me? What sort of thing is an artwork? What makes an artwork good or bad? Where is the line between art and propaganda?

In order to address these questions, we learn certain reflective ways of thinking, arguing, and writing. We employ concepts and strategies of reasoning and explanation that have themselves been critically assessed within philosophy for their clarity, soundness and cogency. Our philosophical reflections are also guided by critical engagement with the views of great thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Quine, Kripke, and many others. Specialists, Majors and Minors can look forward to substantial interaction with these authors.

Philosophy class is not only for Specialists, Majors and Minors, however. It can have a much broader impact, in at least two ways. First, the different branches of philosophy span a broad range of subjects that intersect with topics studied in history, the arts, the social sciences, biology, physics, and mathematics, among others. Second, the intellectual skills and virtues acquired in philosophy class are extremely beneficial to our thinking generally, no matter what subject or issue we are thinking about. Philosophy cultivates general intellectual virtues of critical thinking, clarity of thought, writing and communication, and creativity in approaching difficult problems. As a result, the study of philosophy provides excellent preparation for graduate study in the intersecting fields mentioned above, and also for a variety of non-academic careers. Philosophy students go on to successful careers in law, medicine, journalism, government, technology, and business. Clear thinking and expression, and creative problem-solving, are essential to success in all of these fields.

Students should also review the Degree Requirements section prior to selecting courses

Program website: http://philosophy.utoronto.ca/utm/utm-philosophy-undergraduate

Philosophy Programs

Philosophy - Specialist (Arts)

Philosophy - Specialist (Arts)

Enrolment Requirements:

Limited Enrolment — Enrolment in the Specialist Program in Philosophy is limited to students who have completed 4.0 credits including 2.0 credits of PHL with a grade of 73% or higher.

Completion Requirements:

10.0 credits in PHL are required, including at least 3.0 credits at the 300 level and at least 1.0 credits at the 400 level.

The program must include:

  1. 3.0 credits in the History of Philosophy from:
    1. PHL200H5 and PHL210Y5
    2. 1.5 additional credits from PHL220H5 or PHL300H5 or PHL301H5 or PHL302H5 or PHL307H5 or PHL310H5 or PHL311H5 or PHL314H5 or PHL315H5 or PHL324H5 or PHL325H5 or PHL327H5 or PHL400H5 or PHL410H5 or PHL420H5
  2. 1.0 credit in Logic and Philosophy of Language from:
    1. PHL245H5
    2. 0.5 additional credit from PHL246H5 or PHL340H5 or PHL345H5 or PHL346H5 or PHL347H5 or PHL348H5 or PHL350H5 or PHL445H5 or PHL447H5 or PHL450H5 or PHL451H5
  3. 1.5 credits in Metaphysics and Epistemology from: PHL332H5 or PHL333H5 or PHL341H5 or PHL342H5 or PHL355H5 or PHL358H5 or PHL360H5 or PHL366H5 or PHL430H5
  4. 1.0 credits in Ethics and Political Philosophy from:
    1. PHL265H5 or PHL275H5
    2. 0.5 additional credit from PHL265H5 or PHL275H5 or PHL365H5 or PHL366H5 or PHL370H5 or PHL374H5 or PHL376H5 or PHL475H5 (courses cannot be double counted)
  5. 3.5 additional credits in PHL

Note:
  • Students cannot use more than 1.0 credits from 100-level PHL courses for program completion credit.
  • Students also cannot use PHL204H5 or PHL277Y5 (or in combination with either PHL265H5 or PHL275H5) for program completion credit.
  • Where courses exclude each other, at most one of them may be counted for credit toward philosophy program completion.
  • It is recommended that all students discuss their course selection requirements with the Undergraduate Advisor.
  • All 200-level courses, with the exception of PHL204H5, PHL245H5 and PHL247H5, have the prerequisite that the student has completed at least 4.0 credits at the university. This prerequisite is waived for students who are taking (or have taken) a 100-level course in Philosophy. There are no other prerequisites for any 200-level courses.
  • All 300-level courses, with the exception of PHL344H5, 347H5, have a prerequisite of 1.5 credits in Philosophy. It is strongly recommended that students prepare for 300-level courses by taking two of the following: PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or PHL200H5 or PHL210Y5 or PHL245H5 or PHL265H5 or PHL275H5. Some 300-level courses have specific prerequisites or recommended preparation, as described in the course descriptions. Students who do not meet the prerequisite for a particular course but believe that they have adequate preparation should consult the Undergraduate Advisor concerning entry to the course.
  • The prerequisite for 400-level courses, except PHL451H5, is 4.5 credits in Philosophy.

When choosing your courses, keep in mind that not all courses listed are offered every year. Some courses required to complete a program might be offered only every other year. For courses offered during the current year, consult the UTM Timetable website.


ERSPE0231

Philosophy - Major (Arts)

Philosophy - Major (Arts)

Completion Requirements:

7.0 credits are required, including at least 3.0 credits at the 300 level and 0.5 credit at the 400-level.

The program must include:

  1. 2.0 credits in the History of Philosophy from:
    1. PHL200H5 and PHL210Y5
    2. 0.5 additional credit from PHL220H5 or PHL300H5 or PHL301H5 or PHL302H5 or PHL307H5 or PHL310H5 or PHL311H5 or PHL314H5 or PHL315H5 or PHL324H5 or PHL325H5 or PHL327H5 or PHL400H5 or PHL410H5 or PHL420H5;
  2. 0.5 credit in Logic: PHL245H5
  3. 1.0 credits in Metaphysics and Epistemology from: PHL240H5 or PHL258H5 or PHL332H5 or PHL333H5 or PHL340H5 or PHL341H5 or PHL342H5 or PHL350H5 or PHL355H5 or PHL358H5 or PHL360H5 or PHL366H5 or PHL430H5
  4. 1.0 credits in Ethics and Political Philosophy from:
    1. PHL265H5 or PHL274H5 or PHL275H5
    2. 0.5 additional credit from PHL265H5 or PHL274H5 or PHL275H5 or PHL365H5 or PHL366H5 or PHL370H5 or PHL374H5 or PHL376H5 or PHL475H5 (courses cannot be double counted)
  5. 2.5 additional credits in PHL


Note:
  • Students cannot use more than 1.0 credits from 100-level PHL courses for program completion credit.
  • Students also cannot use PHL204H5 or PHL277Y5 (or in combination with either PHL275H5 or PHL265H5) for program completion credit.
  • Where courses exclude each other, at most one of them may be counted for credit toward philosophy program completion.
  • It is recommended: that students begin their study of Philosophy with PHL103H5 or PHL113H5; and that students planning to enrol in the Major Program in Philosophy complete at least 2.0 credits of PHL200H5 or PHL210Y5 or PHL245H5 or PHL265H5 or PHL275H5 by the end of their second year.
  • All 200-level courses, with the exception of PHL204H5, PHL245H5 and PHL247H5, have the prerequisite that the student has completed at least 4.0 credits at the university. This prerequisite is waived for students who are taking (or have taken) a 100-level course in Philosophy. There are no other prerequisites for any 200-level courses.
  • All 300-level courses, with the exception of PHL344H5, 347H5, have a prerequisite of 1.5 credits in Philosophy. It is strongly recommended that students prepare for 300-level courses by taking two of the following: PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or PHL200H5 or PHL210Y5 or PHL245H5 or PHL265H5 or PHL275H5. Some 300-level courses have specific prerequisites or recommended preparation, as described in the course descriptions. Students who do not meet the prerequisite for a particular course but believe that they have adequate preparation should consult the Undergraduate Advisor concerning entry to the course.
  • The prerequisite for 400-level courses, except PHL451H5, is 4.5 credits in Philosophy.
When choosing your courses, keep in mind that not all courses listed are offered every year. Some courses required to complete a program might be offered only every other year. For courses offered during the current year, consult the UTM Timetable website.

ERMAJ0231

Ethics, Law and Society - Minor (Arts)

Ethics, Law and Society - Minor (Arts)

This program provides students with a deeper understanding of ethical theories and their application in various social contexts; for example, it examines particular ethical issues concerning health care, the environment, legal systems, and political institutions. Students are required to take courses in philosophy and social sciences. Courses should be selected in consultation with the Faculty Advisor.

Completion Requirements:

4.0 credits are required including at least 1.0 credit at the 300/400 level, of which 0.5 credit must be PHL.

  1. 1.0 credit from: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or PHL210Y5 or PHL235H5 or PHL240H5 or PHL241H5 or PHL244H5 or ( PHL239H5 or PHL247H5) or PHL255H5 or PHL258H5 or PHL284H5 or PHL285H5
  2. 0.5 credit from: PHL265H5 or PHL271H5 or PHL275H5
  3. 1.0 credit from: PHL267H5 or PHL273H5 or PHL274H5 or PHL277Y5 or PHL283H5 or PHL284H5 or PHL365H5 or PHL366H5 or PHL367H5 or PHL370H5 or PHL374H5 or PHL376H5 or PHL475H5 or from courses listed in #2 above;
  4. 1.0 credit from: ANT or ECO or POL or SOC
  5. 0.5 credit from: ANT or ECO or POL or SOC or from courses listed in #2 or #3 above.

Note:

Students cannot use more than 1.0 credits from 100-level PHL courses for program completion credit.

Students also cannot use PHL204H5 or PHL277Y5 (or in combination with either PHL265H5 or PHL275H5) for program completion credit.

Where courses exclude each other, at most one of them may be counted for credit toward philosophy program completion.

PHL courses completed in requirements 2, 3 and 5 may not be double counted to fulfill other program requirements in this minor.

All 200-level courses, with the exception of PHL204H5, PHL245H5 and PHL247H5, have the prerequisite that the student has completed at least 4.0 credits at the university. This prerequisite is waived for students who are taking (or have taken) a 100-level course in Philosophy. There are no other prerequisites for any 200-level courses.
All 300-level courses, with the exception of PHL344H5, 347H5, have a prerequisite of 1.5 credits in Philosophy. It is strongly recommended that students prepare for 300-level courses by taking two of the following: PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or PHL200H5 or PHL210Y5 or PHL245H5 or PHL265H5 or PHL275H5. Some 300-level courses have specific prerequisites or recommended preparation, as described in the course descriptions. Students who do not meet the prerequisite for a particular course but believe that they have adequate preparation should consult the Undergraduate Advisor concerning entry to the course.
The prerequisite for 400-level courses, except PHL451H5, is 4.5 credits in Philosophy.
When choosing your courses, keep in mind that not all courses listed are offered every year. Some courses required to complete a program might be offered only every other year. For courses offered during the current year, consult the UTM Timetable website.

ERMIN1618

Philosophy - Minor (Arts)

Philosophy - Minor (Arts)

Completion Requirements:

4.0 credits in PHL are required, including at least 1.0 credits at the 300/400 level.


Note:

Students cannot use more than 1.0 credits from 100-level PHL courses for program completion credit.

Students also cannot use PHL204H5 or PHL277Y5 (or in combination with either PHL265H5 or PHL275H5) for program completion credit.

Where courses exclude each other, at most one of them may be counted for credit toward philosophy program completion.

All 200-level courses, with the exception of PHL204H5, PHL245H5 and PHL247H5, have the prerequisite that the student has completed at least 4.0 credits at the university. This prerequisite is waived for students who are taking (or have taken) a 100-level course in Philosophy. There are no other prerequisites for any 200-level courses.
 
All 300-level courses, with the exception of PHL344H5, 347H5, have a prerequisite of 1.5 credits in Philosophy. It is strongly recommended that students prepare for 300-level courses by taking two of the following: PHL103H5 or 113H5 or 200H5 or 210Y5 or 245H5 or PHL265H5 or PHL275H5. Some 300-level courses have specific prerequisites or recommended preparation, as described in the course descriptions. Students who do not meet the prerequisite for a particular course but believe that they have adequate preparation should consult the Undergraduate Advisor concerning entry to the course.
 
The prerequisite for 400-level courses, except PHL451H5, is 4.5 credits in Philosophy.
 
When choosing your courses, keep in mind that not all courses listed are offered every year. Some courses required to complete a program might be offered only every other year. For courses offered during the current year, consult the UTM Timetable website.

ERMIN0231

Philosophy of Science - Minor (Arts)

Philosophy of Science - Minor (Arts)

Completion Requirements:

4.0 credits are required, including at least 1.0 credits at the 300/400 level.

  1. At least one of PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL233H5;
  2. At least one of PHL255H5 or PHL355H5;
  3. At least one of PHL350H5 or PHL357H5 or PHL358H5;
  4. 1.5 credits in AST or BIO or ERS or CHM or PSY or PHY;
  5. 1.0 credits in any other PHL course.


Note:

Students cannot use more than 1.0 credits from 100-level PHL courses for program completion credit.

Students also cannot use PHL204H5 or PHL277Y5 (or in combination with either PHL275H5 or PHL265H5) for program completion credit.

Where courses exclude each other, at most one of them may be counted for credit toward philosophy program completion.

All 200-level courses, with the exception of PHL204H5, PHL245H5 and PHL247H5, have the prerequisite that the student has completed at least 4.0 credits at the university. This prerequisite is waived for students who are taking (or have taken) a 100-level course in Philosophy. There are no other prerequisites for any 200-level courses.
All 300-level courses, with the exception of PHL344H5, 347H5, have a prerequisite of 1.5 credits in Philosophy. It is strongly recommended that students prepare for 300-level courses by taking two of the following: PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or PHL200H5 or PHL210Y5 or PHL245H5 or PHL265H5 or PHL275H5. Some 300-level courses have specific prerequisites or recommended preparation, as described in the course descriptions. Students who do not meet the prerequisite for a particular course but believe that they have adequate preparation should consult the Undergraduate Advisor concerning entry to the course.
The prerequisite for 400-level courses, except PHL451H5, is 4.5 credits in Philosophy.
When choosing your courses, keep in mind that not all courses listed are offered every year. Some courses required to complete a program might be offered only every other year. For courses offered during the current year, consult the UTM Timetable website.

ERMIN1370

Notes:

  • All 200-level courses, with the exception of PHL204H5, PHL245H5 and PHL247H5, have the prerequisite that the student has completed at least 4.0 credits at the university. This prerequisite is waived for students who are taking (or have taken) a 100-level course in Philosophy. There are no other prerequisites for any 200-level courses.
  • All 300-level courses, with the exception of PHL344H5, 347H5, have a prerequisite of 1.5 credits in Philosophy. It is strongly recommended that students prepare for 300-level courses by taking two of the following: PHL103H5 or 113H5 or 200H5 or 210Y5 or 245H5 or PHL265H5 or PHL275H5. Some 300-level courses have specific prerequisites or recommended preparation, as described in the course descriptions. Students who do not meet the prerequisite for a particular course but believe that they have adequate preparation should consult the Undergraduate Advisor concerning entry to the course.
  • The prerequisite for 400-level courses, except PHL451H5, is 4.5 credits in Philosophy.


When choosing your courses, keep in mind that not all courses listed are offered every year. Some courses required to complete a program might be offered only every other year. For courses offered during the current year, consult the UTM Timetable website.

Philosophy Courses

PHL103H5 • Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality

This introductory course takes up philosophical questions about knowledge, reality, language, and the mind. A variety of traditional and contemporary perspectives will be considered.

Note: Students may take either or both PHL103H5 and PHL113H5, in any order or simultaneously. The two courses differ only in the philosophical topics they cover.

Exclusions: PHL105Y5 or PHL101H5 or PHL100Y1 or PHL101Y1 or PHL201H1 or PHLA10H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 24L/12T
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL105Y5 • Introduction to Philosophy

An introduction to philosophy, covering such topics as conceptions of human nature and the good life, the foundation of morality, the relation of the individual to the state, arguments for the existence of God, debates about the meaning and possibility of free will, the theory of knowledge and the nature of reality.

Exclusions: PHL100Y5 or PHL101Y5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 48L/24T
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL113H5 • Introduction to Philosophy: Persons and Value

This introductory course explores philosophical theories of human nature, morality, justice, the good life, freedom, and responsibility. A variety of traditional and contemporary perspectives will be considered.

Note: Students may take either or both PHL113H5 and PHL103H5, in any order or simultaneously. The two courses differ only in the philosophical topics they cover.

Exclusions: PHL105Y5 or PHL102H5 or PHL100Y1 or PHL101Y1 or PHL201H1 or PHLA10H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 24L/12T
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL200H5 • Ancient Philosophy

Some core texts of ancient philosophy, concentrating on the work of Plato and Aristotle. Topics include the good life, the soul, knowledge, virtue and the nature of reality.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHL200Y5 or PHL202H5 or PHLB31H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 24L/12T
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL204H5 • Philosophy in Everyday Life

This one-semester course covers philosophical topics that most people talk about, or at least think about, in their everyday lives,—e.g., during conversations with friends, or while watching the news, or when deciding how to vote in an election. Such topics include, for example, the difference between art and pornography, the possibility of life after death, the evolution vs. creationism debate, the ethics of abortion and doctor-assisted suicide, and the possibility of intelligent robots. Each topic will be introduced via relevant public media (e.g., articles from the New York Times series “The Stone” and similar pieces from The Guardian, CBC news, NPR) and other popular sources (e.g., Ted Talks, youtube videos)) and then pursued in several accessible readings from the philosophical literature. A shared “library” of readings for the course will be built up (e.g., on Blackboard) by the instructors and students and updated as new issues of popular interest arise.

Note: PHL204H5 does not count for credit toward any minor, major, or specialist program in philosophy, but can be taken to fulfill the Humanities breadth/ distribution requirement.


Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL210Y5 • 17th and 18th Century Philosophy

17th and 18th century discussions of topics like causation, knowledge, mind-body dualism in philosophers like René Descartes, Baruch Spinoza, John Locke, Anne Conway, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Émilie du Chatelêt, David Hume, Immanuel Kant.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHLB35H3
Recommended Preparation: PHL103H5 or PHL113H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 48L/24T
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL220H5 • Existentialism

Human perception and knowledge of reality; freedom and the meaning of human life; sexuality and the body. Authors include Heidegger, Buber, Marcel, Camus, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHLB30H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL221H5 • Philosophy at the Movies

This course considers fundamental philosophical themes - the meaning of life and death, the nature of responsibility, fate and agency, knowledge and illusion, personal identity, alienation and belonging, love and sex, politics, ethics, and morality, among others - through film. The course also considers some questions about film as a philosophical genre: of the medium of film as an alternative medium (an alternative to language and explicit argument) of philosophical expression; of whether and how film may convey philosophical insight otherwise unavailable; and of the role of interpretation in understanding film philosophically.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: Online, In Class

PHL233H5 • 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.

Prerequisites: PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 24L/12T
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL235H5 • Philosophy of Religion

A philosophical analysis of some basic theological questions; the nature of religious belief and experience, the relationship between religion and morality, or religion and science, the role of religion in a pluralistic society.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL237H5 • Introduction to East Asian Philosophy

An introduction to the main systems of East Asian philosophy, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Shintoism, and Neo-Confucianism; the challenge of Western thought; the development of modern East Asian Philosophy.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits
Exclusions: EAS241H1 and PHL237H1

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL238H5 • Introduction to South Asian Philosophy

An introduction to the main philosophical traditions of South Asia, focusing on their historical development and treatment of topics such as devotion, duty, ethics, consciousness, selfhood, suffering, meditation, enlightenment, knowledge, and reality. Readings may include the early Rig Veda, the Upanishads, early Buddhist thought, Jainism, Samkhya-Yoga Philosophy, and Classical Vedanta, among others.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits
Exclusions: PHL390H5 (Winter 2020) and PHL293H5 (Fall 2020)

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL239H5 • Critical Reasoning

The course covers the area of informal logic--the logic of ordinary language. Topics include: criteria for the critical assessment of arguments as strong or merely persuasive; different types of argument and techniques of refutation; their use and abuse.

Exclusions: (PHL145H5 and PHL247H5) or TRN200Y1

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL240H5 • Minds and Machines

Can machines think and feel? Are human beings simply very complicated organic machines? These questions are discussed in the light of recent work on the simulation of intelligence and purposive behaviour.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits. .
Exclusions: PHL342H5 or PHLB81H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL242H5 • Science Fiction and Philosophy

Science fiction is a rich resource for philosophical thinking. Are we in a matrix? Are there alternative realities? Is teleportation, or telepathy, or telekinesis, or time travel, possible? In addition, philosophical thought experiments often include elements of science fiction, like twin-earths, zombies, swamp people, inverted spectra, brain-splitting, eternal recurrences, and evil demons. This course considers these topics -- both some philosophy of science fiction and some science fiction in philosophy.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL243H5 • 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; theories of psycho-sexual development; sexual morality; "natural," "normal," and "perverse" sex; sexual liberation; love and sexuality.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHLB12H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL244H5 • Human Nature

Theories of human nature, e.g., psychoanalysis, behaviourism, sociobiology. Current issues, e.g., egoism and altruism, instincts, I.Q., rationality, sanity and mental illness.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHLB91H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL245H5 • 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.

Exclusions: PHL245H1 and PHLB50H3
Recommended Preparation: PHL103H5 or PHL113H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class, Hybrid, Online (Summer only)

PHL246H5 • Probability and Inductive Logic

The elements of axiomatic probability theory, and its main interpretations (frequency, logical, subjective). Reasoning with probabilities in decision making and science.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Recommended Preparation: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL245H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 24L/12T
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL255H5 • Philosophy of Science

The nature of science and its development. Topics may include: the contrast between science and religion, between science and pseudo-science; the nature of scientific reasoning; scientific reality; science and objectivity; scientific revolutions; and the interaction between science, society, and values.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHL252H5 or PHL355H1 or PHLC72H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL258H5 • Puzzles and Paradoxes

Philosophy often begins with a puzzle or paradox. Zeno once convincingly argued that motion was impossible, but people continue to move. The "liar's paradox" seems to show that everything is both true and false, but that cannot be right. In this course, we will examine these and related issues.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHLB55H3
Recommended Preparation: PHL245H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL265H5 • Social and Political Philosophy

A survey of the major political theorists/theories of the Western philosophical tradition. Questions to be addressed include: Why obey the law? What is justice? What is the best form of government?

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHL277Y5 or PHLB16H3 or PHLB17H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 24L/12T
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL267H5 • Feminism

Main types of feminist theory: liberal, Marxist, Existential and "Radical." A number of ethical, political and psychological issues are considered.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHL277Y5 or PHL367H1 or PHLB13H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL271H5 • Ethics and the Law

Moral issues in the law, such as civil liberties and police powers, censorship, civil disobedience, the death penalty, inequality, paternalism and the constitutional protection of human rights. Case studies from Canadian law.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHLB11H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 24L/12T
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL272H5 • Philosophy of Education

The nature, aims, and content of education; learning theory; education and indoctrination; the teaching of morals and the morality of teaching; the role and justification of educational institutions, their relation to society and to individual goals; authority and freedom in the school.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHLB15H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL273H5 • Environmental Ethics

Environmental ethics is a relatively new development in philosophical thinking which focuses on the ethical and value questions arising from our relation to nature. Focal question of the area asks: Is the non-human world of ethical significance only insofar as it is connected with human well-being, or is ethically significant in itself? This course investigates and evaluates anthropocentrim, ecofeminism and radical biocentric theories of the deep ecologists.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHLB02H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL274H5 • Ethics and Society

The course explores ethical problems posed by social issues such as inequality, poverty, war, corporate responsibility, the treatment of animals, and social media, against the background of major ethical and political theories.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 24L/12T
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL275H5 • Ethics and Moral Philosophy

A survey of the major moral theorists/theories of the Western philosophical tradition. Questions to be addressed include: Why be moral? What makes certain actions right or wrong? Can we know what is morally right or wrong?

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHL277Y5 or PHLA11H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 24L/12T
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL277Y5 • Moral, Social and Political Philosophy Through Its History

Classics in moral, social and political philosophy from Plato to the present. Likely readings include Plato on justice in the state and in the individual, Aristotle's ethics, Hume's moral psychology, Hobbes on the social contract, Kant on the fundamental principle of morality, Mill's utilitarianism, Locke on rights, Marx on Capitalism, Nietzsche on the origins of modern morality, and Rawls and Nozick on distributive justice.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHL265H or PHL275 or PHLB17H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 48L/24T
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL282H5 • Ethics: Death and Dying

(Formerly PHL382H5) 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.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or PHL105Y5 or 4.0 credits.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL283H5 • Bioethics

Moral implications of recent developments in medicine and the life sciences; related legal and social issues. Euthanasia, health care priorities, abortion, fertility control, against the background of some major ethical theories.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHL281Y1 or PHL281H1 or PHLB09H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL284H5 • Ethics of Eating

What obligations do we have in light of the effects of our food choices? Do we have any obligations to non-human animals; are we obliged to spare them painful lives and deaths? Are we obligated to spare their lives altogether? What about our obligations to our fellow humans, and to the environment that future humans will live in? Are we obligated to choose foods that minimize harm to the environment and to other communities? We will explore these questions at both the individual and the social-policy levels. For example, should we as a society have laws that ban certain foods, or certain treatments of animals? Or do such laws trample the freedom of individual choice? Whatever laws we do have, are we as individuals obliged to take responsibility for what we eat? Or are the effects of our choices just an insignificant drop in the bucket, since they make no real difference given what everyone else is doing?

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or PHL105Y5 or 4.0 credits

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL285H5 • Philosophy of Art

A study of some of the most important philosophical questions about art. For example, what exactly is a work of art? Can any object whatsoever be, or become, an artwork? Who or what determines whether something is art? Does each person decide for themselves, or does a certain community (the "art world") decide? Can one interpretation or evaluation of a work be better, or more justified, than another? If so, how do we tell which one is better?

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHLB03H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL290H5 • Philosophical Issues in Psychoanalysis

An introduction to dream psychology, the psychology of errors, instinct theory, mechanisms of defence, the structure of personality. Philosophical topics include: freedom and determinism, consciousness, the nature of conscience, the status of psychoanalysis.

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL105Y5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits.
Exclusions: PHL319H1

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL293H5 • Special Topics in Philosophy

Topic to vary from year to year. The contact hours for this course may vary in terms of contact type (L,S,T,P) from year to year, but will be between 24-36 contact hours in total. See the UTM Timetable.

Prerequisites: PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or 4.0 credits

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL295H5 • Philosophy of Business

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 of the other way around? Do political ideas and institutions such as democracy have a role within business?

Prerequisites: PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 or PHL113H5 or PHL105Y5 or 4.0 credits.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL299Y5 • Research Opportunity Program

This course provides a rewarding opportunity for students in their second year to work in the research project of a professor in return for 299Y course credit. Students enrolled have an opportunity to become involved in original research, learn research methods and share in the excitement and discovery of acquiring new knowledge. Participating faculty members post their project descriptions for the following summer and fall/winter sessions in early February and students are invited to apply in early March. See Experiential and International Opportunities for more details.

Prerequisites: (PHL101H5 or PHL102H5 or PHL103H5 orPHL105Y5 or PHL113H5) (may be taken as a corequisite) or 4.0 credits

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL300H5 • Topics in Ancient Philosophy

A study of some topic or thinker in the ancient period.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Recommended Preparation: PHL200H5 or PHL202H5 or PHL210Y5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL301H5 • The Philosophy of Plato

This course explores major themes in Plato’s philosophy through a selective reading of his dialogues. Among the areas tackled are the human good, the nature of the soul, knowledge, and the ultimate constitution of reality. Readings may include, though will not necessarily be confined to, the Euthyphro, Protagoras, Euthydemus, Meno, Gorgias, Republic, Phaedo, Phaedrus and Theaetetus.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Recommended Preparation: PHL200H5 or PHL202H5 and PHL210Y5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL302H5 • The Philosophy of Aristotle

This course explores major themes in Aristotle’s philosophy belonging to the fields of natural philosophy, metaphysics, ethics and epistemology. Readings may include, though are not necessarily confined to the Ethics, Physics, Metaphysics, Categories, On the soul and Analytics.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Recommended Preparation: PHL200H5 or PHL202H5 and PHL210Y5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL307H5 • Topics in Mediaeval Philosophy

A study of some of the principal figures and intellectual problems in the period from the first century to the sixteenth. Figures such as Philo, Augustine, Abelard, Avicenna, Maimonides, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, Ockham and Suarez will be studied on topics in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and philosophy of nature.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL309H1
Recommended Preparation: PHL200Y5 or PHL210Y5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL310H5 • Topics in 17th and 18th Century Philosophy

A study of a topic or thinker in the 17th or 18th century.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL309H5 or PHL310H1 or PHL311H1 or PHL313H5
Recommended Preparation: PHL210Y5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL311H5 • South Asian Philosophy

An intermediate-level course on one or more philosophical traditions from the South Asian world, including orthodox Indian schools (Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedanta) and non-orthodox schools such as Buddhism and Jainism, with a focus on their theories of religion, ethics, epistemology, or metaphysics.


Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL293H5 (Fall 2020) and PHL390H5 (Fall 2019) and PHL339H1

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL314H5 • Kant

A systematic study of The Critique of Pure Reason.

Prerequisites: PHL210Y5 and 1.5 additional credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL312H5 or PHLC37H3
Recommended Preparation: PHL245H5 or PHL310H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL315H5 • Topics in Nineteenth Century Philosophy

A study of some topic or thinker in the 19th century.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL317H5
Recommended Preparation: PHL210Y5 or PHL310H5 or PHL312H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL324H5 • The Continental Tradition

A study of recent traditions of continental philosophy such as phenomenology, existentialism, hermeneutics, critical theory, structuralism and post-structuralism. Figures such as Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, the Frankfurt school, Lacan, Foucault, Deleuze and Derrida.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL320H1 or PHL321H1
Recommended Preparation: PHL210Y5 or PHL310H5 or PHL312H5 or PHL317H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL325H5 • Early Analytic Philosophy

An examination of some of the classic texts of early analytic philosophy, concentrating on the work of Frege, Russell and Wittgenstein. Central topics to be covered include: the development of logic and its relation to arithmetic; the nature of language and meaning; truth and objectivity; the distinction between sense and reference; logical analysis; the relation between language and thought; and the bounds of intelligibility.

Prerequisites: PHL245H5 and 1.5 additional credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHLC43H3
Recommended Preparation: PHL210Y5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL327H5 • Later Analytic Philosophy

An examination of the later analytic tradition from logical positivism to Kripke. The course will cover some of the following topics: meaning and verifiability; the relation between science and philosophy; ordinary language and philosophy; the nature and status of the analytic-synthetic distinction; meaning and theories of meaning; theories of truth; the nature of necessity; and reference and identity.

Prerequisites: PHL 245H5 and 1.5 additional credits in PHL
Recommended Preparation: PHL325H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL332H5 • Metaphysics

Typical topics: ontological categories; ontological commitment; the objectivity of space and time: causality and determinism; mind and body.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL330Y1 or PHL331H1 or PHLC60H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL333H5 • Epistemology

Typical topics: knowledge and belief, perception, the analytic-synthetic distinction, theories of truth, necessity and the a priori.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL330Y1 or PHL332H1

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL340H5 • Philosophy of Mind

Typical topics: the brain-mind identity theory; consciousness intentionality and the mental; personal identity; the nature of human action.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL341H5 • Practical Reason and Human Action

(Formerly: Freedom, Responsibility, and Human Action) The course will cover various topics in action theory and the nature of practical reason, such as the nature of intentional action and intentional explanations, the relation between morality and practical reason, the distinction between theoretical and practical reasoning, and the relation between motivation and evaluation.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL343H5 • Freedom and Determinism

This course will examine the question of whether determinism is true, and to which extent and whether, determinism is compatible with the possibility that our will is free as well as the relation between freedom and responsibility. In particular, we will look at the plausibility of views such as compatibilism, hard determinism and libertarianism.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL.
Exclusions: PHL241H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL345H5 • Intermediate Logic

A continuation of PHL245, requiring no other prior knowledge of philosophy or mathematics. Symbolization, natural deduction, and models in polyadic predicate logic with operations and identity. Symbolization, natural deduction, and models for theories of descriptions. Introduction to metatheory, such as soundness and completeness.

Prerequisites: PHL245H5 and 1.0 credits on PHL
Exclusions: PHL345H1 and PHLC51H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL346H5 • Choice and Chance

An intermediate level look at reasoning and decision making in the face of uncertainty. Topics may include: decision theory, game theory, social choice theory, confirmation theory, foundations of probability and statistics, puzzles of infinity and self-location, and the relationship between knowledge and uncertainty.

Prerequisites: 1.5 PHL credits
Recommended Preparation: PHL246H5 or any first course in probability/statistics/decision-making

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL347H5 • Modality in Logic and Philosophy

Study of the concepts of necessity and possibility using extensions of classical logic: modal sentential logic, modal quantification logic, possible-world semantics, the metaphysics of modality. Other possible topics include: counterfactuals, epistemic logic, temporal logic, deontic logic, many-valued logic, and supervaluations.

Prerequisites: PHL245H5 and 1.0 credit in PHL
Exclusions: PHL347H1
Recommended Preparation: PHL345H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL350H5 • Philosophy of Language

Topics may include: Different approaches to the study of language; the analysis of central theoretical notions in the descriptions of language; the relation between thought and language; the relation between philosophy of language and metaphysics.

Prerequisites: PHL245H5 and 1.5 additional credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL351H1 or PHLC80H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL354H5 • Philosophy of Mathematics

Platonism versus nominalism, the relation between logic and mathematics, implications of Godel's and Church's theorems, formalism and intuitionism.

Prerequisites: PHL103H5 and PHL245H5 and (0.5 credit in PHL or CSC or MAT)
Exclusions: PHL344H5 and PHL354H1
Recommended Preparation: PHL255H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL355H5 • Issues in Philosophy of Science

Central problems and contemporary issues. Topics may include: scientific inference and method; explanation; under-determination; the pessimistic induction; constructive empiricism; entity realism; structural realism; laws of nature.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL355H1
Recommended Preparation: PHL245H5 or PHL255H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL357H5 • Philosophy of Biology

Conceptual issues in modern biology. Topics may include natural selection, biological kinds, the role of evolution in explaining human attributes such as rationality, cooperation, and communication, reductionism in molecular biology, and functional explanation in biology.

Prerequisites: PHL255H5 or PHL355H5 and 1.5 PHL credits

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL358H5 • Philosophical Issues in Cognitive Science

An examination of philosophical issues that arise in cognitive science, such as: the nature of consciousness, alternative models of computation in theories of cognition, the nature and function of perception and the emotions, the evolution of mind and language, and the relation among various fields of cognitive science such as psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience.

Prerequisites: (PHL340H5 or PHL345H5 or PHL350H5) and 1.5 additional credits in PHL
Exclusions: COG250Y1

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL360H5 • Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

This course examines contemporary artificial intelligence from a philosophical perspective. Topics include: the nature of intelligence, comparisons between biological and artificial learning, linguistic understanding and grounding in foundation models, moral guidance for AI systems, and the moral status of artificial agents.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL365H5 • Issues in Political Philosophy

A study of work by political philosophers, typically both historical and contemporary, on topics such as justice, rights, welfare, and political authority. 

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL366H1
Recommended Preparation: PHL265H5 or PHL277Y5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL366H5 • The Ethics of Borders and Immigration

In this class we will consider the moral standards that govern states rights (if any) to enforce restrictions on immigration, residency, and citizenship and peoples rights (if any) to immigrate and emigrate. Questions to be considered include: Do people have a right to move wherever they want? Do the citizens of a state have a right to choose who will be their co-nationals? Do they have a right to prefer people of particular religious, cultural, ethnic, or political persuasions? Do people have a right to leave the country in which they are born? Do countries have special obligations to refugees who are the victims of human rights violations? Are economic migrants due the same rights? Is it morally permissible to grant lesser rights to would-be migrants than native born citizens? Is it acceptable to sell the right to citizenship or permanent residency?

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL367H5 • Issues in Philosophy and Feminism

This course will examine selected philosophical topics in feminism, such as multiculturalism and women's rights, feminist epistemologies, ethics of care, the intersection between sexism and other forms of oppression, pornography.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Recommended Preparation: PHL267H5 or PHL274H5 or PHL277Y5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL370H5 • Issues in Philosophy of Law

A study of major issues in the philosophy of law such as the nature of law, responsibility and punishment, the obligation to obey the law, and the moral underpinnings of particular areas of law (e.g. criminal, tort, contract). 

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Recommended Preparation: PHL271H5 or PHL277Y5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL374H5 • Issues in Normative Ethics

Normative Ethics concerns general questions about what makes actions right or wrong. Topics include, among others, the plausibility of various ethical theories such as consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics, and questions about the moral significance of distinctions such as doing vs allowing and intending vs foreseeing.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL375H5 or PHL376H1 or PHLC05H3 or PHLC06H3
Recommended Preparation: PHL275H5 or PHL277Y5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL376H5 • Issues in Metaethics

Metaethics concerns the place of values in the world, and the status of ethics as a field of inquiry. Topics may include: the objectivity of morality; moral psychology; the possibility of ethical knowledge; and meanings of ethical concepts.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL375H5 or PHLC05H3 or PHLC06H3

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL390H5 • Special Topics in Philosophy

A course primarily for Specialists and Majors in Philosophy. Topic to vary from year to year. The contact hours for this course may vary in terms of contact type (L,S,T,P) from year to year, but will be between 24-36 contact hours in total. See the UTM Timetable.

Prerequisites: 1.5 credits in PHL
Exclusions: PHL395H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36S
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL400H5 • Seminar in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

Advanced discussion of principal figures and themes in ancient or medieval philosophy.

Prerequisites: (PHL200H5 and 3.0 credits of PHL) or by permission of the Instructor or Department.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36S
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL410H5 • Seminar in 17th and 18th Century Philosophy

Advanced discussion of philosophers and themes in the 17th and 18th century.

Prerequisites: (PHL210Y5 and 2.5 credits of PHL) or by permission of the Instructor or Department.
Exclusions: PHL416H5 or PHL402H1

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36S
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL420H5 • Seminar in 19th and 20th Century Philosophy

Advanced discussion of principal figures and themes in 19th and 20th century philosophy.

Prerequisites: 3.5 credits of PHL or by permission of the Instructor or Department.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36S
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL432H5 • Seminar in Metaphysics

Advanced topics in metaphysics.

Prerequisites: 3.5 credits of PHL or by permission of the Instructor or Department.
Exclusions: PHL430H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36S
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL433H5 • Seminar in Epistemology

Advanced topics in epistemology.

Prerequisites: 3.5 credits of PHL or by permission of the Instructor or Department.
Exclusions: PHL430H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36S
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL440H5 • Seminar in the Philosophy of Mind

Advanced topics in Philosophy of Mind.

Prerequisites: 3.5 credits of PHL or by permission of the Instructor or Department.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36S
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL445H5 • Metalogic

A continuation of PHL345H5, this is a course in the mathematical study of logic, also known as meta-logic. We will investigate and prove theorems about logical systems. Topics covered will include: basic set theory and recursion theory, completeness, compactness, and the Loewenheim-Skolem theorems for first-order logic, and Gödel's incompleteness theorems.

Prerequisites: (PHL345H5 or MAT309H5) and 1.0 credit in PHL
Exclusions: PHL348H1 and PHL348H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36L
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL447H5 • Seminar in Philosophy of Logic

Study of advanced topics in logic or the philosophy of logic.

Prerequisites: (PHL345H5 and 3.0 credits of PHL) or by permission of the Instructor or Department.
Exclusions: PHL451H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36S
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL450H5 • Seminar in Philosophy of Language

Study of advanced topics in philosophy of language.

Prerequisites: (PHL245H5 and 3.0 credits of PHL) or by permission of the Instructor or Department.
Exclusions: PHL451H5

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36S
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL455H5 • Seminar in Philosophy of Science

Study of advanced topics in the philosophy of science.

Prerequisites: [(PHL355H5 or PHL357H5) and 3.0 credits of PHL] or by permission of the Instructor or Department.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36S
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL475H5 • Seminar in Moral and Political Philosophy

Advanced topics in moral, social, or political philosophy.

Prerequisites: 3.5 credits of PHL or by permission of the Instructor or Department.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36S
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL489Y5 • The Socrates Project

The Socrates Project (PHL489Y) is a full-year course with 3 components. First, you will serve as a TA for a section of PHL103H/PHL113H during the Fall and Winter terms. During the Fall semester, you will attend two 1-hour PHL103H/PHL113H lectures each week, and teach one tutorial of 20-25 students, meeting with them for 1 hour each week. You will grade their papers, hold office hours, and meet with the relevant professor as needed. You will be paid for approximately 100 hours of work each semester, for a total of 200 hours, at the current hourly wage for CUPE Unit 1. The second component of the course is a seminar that meets once per week for 3 hours each time, during the fall term. Most of the seminar will be devoted to more in-depth study of the topics taken up in the PHL103H/PHL113H; but you will also discuss the methods and challenges of teaching philosophy-grading papers, prompting and guiding discussion, and so forth. Third, during the winter term you will write a seminar paper, on a topic of your choosing, under the supervision of a UTM Philosophy faculty member working in the relevant area. You will also present your work orally at an undergraduate research conference held jointly with the Socrates students from the St. George campus. Admittance to the Socrates Project is by application only. Instructions and the application form are available on the web at: http://philosophy.utoronto.ca/employment/cupe-3902-unit-1


Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL495H5 • Special Seminar: Philosophical Problems

A seminar for advanced students in Specialist and Major Programs in Philosophy. Topic to vary from year to year.

Prerequisites: 3.5 credits of PHL or by permission of the Instructor or Department.

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Total Instructional Hours: 36S
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL496H5 • Individual Studies

Contact Undergraduate Advisor. Individual study courses are aimed at highly motivated students. They are not intended to duplicate course offerings already available. A student seeking to do an independent course must secure a faculty supervisor. Regular meetings between student and supervisor are required, and the workload should be the same as a fourth-year philosophy seminar.

Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL497H5 • Individual Studies

Contact Undergraduate Advisor. Individual study courses are aimed at highly motivated students. They are not intended to duplicate course offerings already available. A student seeking to do an independent course must secure a faculty supervisor. Regular meetings between student and supervisor are required, and the workload should be the same as a fourth-year philosophy seminar.

Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL498H5 • Individual Studies

Contact Undergraduate Advisor. Individual study courses are aimed at highly motivated students. They are not intended to duplicate course offerings already available. A student seeking to do an independent course must secure a faculty supervisor. Regular meetings between student and supervisor are required, and the workload should be the same as a fourth-year philosophy seminar.

Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Mode of Delivery: In Class

PHL499Y5 • Individual Studies

Contact Undergraduate Advisor. Individual study courses are aimed at highly motivated students. They are not intended to duplicate course offerings already available. A student seeking to do an independent course must secure a faculty supervisor. Regular meetings between student and supervisor are required, and the workload should be the same as a fourth-year philosophy seminar.

Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor

Distribution Requirement: Humanities
Mode of Delivery: In Class

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