The goal of this course is to prepare students to understand and critically evaluate various ethical perspectives on human beings' interactions with nature and these perspectives' applications to environmental issues. The principal ethical perspectives studied are: anthropocentrism, biocentric individualism, environmental holism and environmental pragmatism. We will study representative descriptions and defenses of these perspectives and will examine in particular whether they can validly and effectively help us resolve environmental problems.

Topics course. For many philosophical and religious thinkers, desire has been a source of some anxiety: depicted as being by their very nature powerful and insatiable, desires appear to weaken people's capacities to control themselves and at the same time to open up opportunities for other people to control them. Focusing especially on the important of desire to a consumer society, we shall be examining questions such as: Is it possible to make a clear distinction between need and desire? To what extent are desires plastic, pliable, amenable to re-shaping?

This course provides a survey of major figures and developments in continental philosophy. Topics to be addressed include: human nature and the nature of morality; conceptions of human history; the character and basis of societal hierarchies; and human beings' relationship to technology. Readings from Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Marx, Heidegger, Sartre, Beauvoir and others. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy.

Case studies in the history of science are used to examine philosophical issues as they arise in scientific practice. Topics include the relative importance of theories, models and experiments; realism; explanation; confirmation of theories and hypotheses; causes; and the role of values in science.

An examination of the works of some major moral theorists of the Western philosophical tradition, and their implications for our understanding of the nature of the good life and the sources and scope of our moral responsibilities. Enrollment limited to 25 students.

Same as PSY 213. The course will examine how the child learns her first language. What are the central problems in the learning of word meanings and grammars? Evidence and arguments will be drawn from Linguistics, Psychology, and Philosophy, and cross-linguistic data as well as English. Prerequisite: either PSY 111, PSY 233, PHI 100, or PHI 236, or permission of the instructor.

An introduction to the six classical schools of Indian philosophy. What are their views on the nature of self, mind and reality? What is knowledge and how is it acquired? What constitutes right action? We will read selections from the Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Nyaya and Yoga Sutras, and the Samkhya-Karika, amongst others. At the end of the semester we will briefly consider the relation of these ancient traditions to the views of some influential modern Indian thinkers like

A study of Western philosophy from the early Greeks to the end of the Middle Ages, with emphasis on the pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics and Epicureans, and some of the scholastic philosophers.

A scholarly project completed under the supervision of any member of the program. Permission of the instructor required.

A laboratory course exploring anatomical research methods, neurochemical techniques, behavioral testing, design of experiments, and data analysis. Prerequisites: PSY 210 or 221 and CHM 111 or 118 or permission of the instructor. Not open to seniors. Enrollment limited to 16.