In this course, we consider philosophical questions arising from close scrutiny of the natural sciences. These questions include, what (if anything) is the scientific method? What can history tell us about the practice of science and the process of scientific change? What role/s should social and political values play in scientific inquiry, if any? And what should we make of the problem of “trust” in science?

In designing the course, I have tried to incorporate a diverse range of authors and viewpoints, and to achieve a mix of classic and cutting-edge topics. (Syllabus available upon request)

In this course, we examine the value and moral status of non-human entities: other animals, plants, “natural spaces,” etc. We also explore the nature and extent of our obligations to these things. Our ultimate goal is to answer the oldest question in philosophy: how should we live? But whereas traditional moral philosophy focuses on our dealings with other people, we cast a wider net. Special topics include animal welfare, the idea of “nature,” conservation, environmental displacement, food sovereignty, technological optimism, and hope and loss. (Syllabus available upon request)

What is “madness”? Can the concept of mental illness be a valid one? What assumptions underlie attempts to classify mental disorders? And can we be justified in compelling people to submit to psychiatric treatment?

In this course we examine these and other questions raised by mental disorder and our attempts to understand and treat it. We also address ethical issues like the social implications of clinical categories, the proper aims of clinical discourse and practice, and the prospects of alternative models (besides the medical model) for conceptualizing mental “dysfunctions.” (Syllabus available upon request)

Symbolic logic is the formal study of reasoning, inference, and proof. This course focuses on deductive logic, including the formal analysis of statements and arguments, sentential and quantified logics, formal semantics, and logical proofs. We also explore some philosophical questions about logic (e.g., is there only one correct system of logic?) as well as philosophical issues arising within our study of logic. (Syllabus available upon request)

Philosophy is one of the oldest and most diverse human activities. It encompasses everything from reflections on the basic structure of the universe to attempts to think through specific problems (e.g., how should we regulate offensive speech, if at all?). Although philosophy is often stereotyped as a leisure activity— Bertrand Russell called it “an intellectual sight-seeing adventure”— much philosophy is interested in ameliorating social problems, or instructing us as to how we should organize our lives. Other philosophy really is a sight-seeing adventure with no practical consequences to speak of, but this just goes to show that there is something in philosophy for everybody.

My goal in this class is to convey something of the fascination and urgency of philosophical inquiry. If you leave the class thinking that philosophy is relevant to your life, and that it has some role to play in resolving the problems that confront our communities and our world, then I will consider the course to have been a success. And if you think that philosophy is also good fun, then all the better! (Syllabus available upon request)

People have always had to cope with the natural world, but only recently have historians begun to explore the complex relationships between people and their environments. In this course, we examine the ways people in North America have interacted with their environments (for good and ill), as well as how they have thought about them. We also explore how the natural world has affected broad patterns of human society. By integrating nature into the study of human history— and the human past into the study of nature— we start to see connections and interdependencies between the two that traditional history has tended to overlook. (Syllabus available upon request)