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| PHIL10020 - Introduction to the Problems of Philosophy Spring, Level 1, Credits 5 This module introduces students to contemporary philosophical thinking by focusing on four classic problems of philosophy: (1) free will and determinism; (2) personal identity; (3) knowledge and scepticism; (4) consciousness. It is a hands-on philosophy course, where the task is... |
| PHIL10030 - Introduction to Modern Philosophy Spring, Level 1, Credits 5 Can I be certain that there is a world outside me, or am I confined to my own mind alone? What can I know reliably about the world, if there is one? And if it exists knowably, how can I live with other people within it? Are we naturally selfish and dangerous? Or do we have a comp... |
| PHIL10040 - Introduction to Ethics Autumn and Spring (separate), Level 1, Credits 5 This module is taught in both the autumn and the spring trimesters, and students are welcome in either. The teaching staff and the content will differ slightly, but the assessment will be the same. Ethics is all about doing the right thing and about becoming the right sort of ... |
| PHIL10070 - The First Philosophers Spring, Level 1, Credits 5 Philosophy began in Greece, and it remains true to say that the greatest philosophers were the Greeks. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle shaped the course of Western Civilization. The best possible introduction to philosophy as a subject is through engagement with Ancient Greek Phil... |
| PHIL10100 - Existentialism and Humanism: An Introduction to Continental Philosophy Spring, Level 1, Credits 5 What makes us 'human'? Is our humanity something we 'do' or something we 'are'? Can we be more or less human? How do we give meaning to our human existence or is that existence ultimately meaningless? Are we now post-human? What is humanism and how has it affected our political a... |
| PHIL10160 - Critical Thinking Autumn, Level 1, Credits 5 In his 2005 book *On Bullshit*, the philosopher Harry Frankfurt (1929-2023) writes that: "One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes their share. But we tend to take the situation for granted.”... |
| PHIL10190 - Introducing PPE Autumn, Level 1, Credits 5 This module is core for all students enrolled in the Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) programme. Although students will be taking separate modules in all three subjects, this module is designed explicitly to compare and contrast the approaches of the three subjects, to lo... |
| PHIL20010 - Rationalism and Empiricism Autumn, Level 2, Credits 5 How do modern treatments of substance and causality differ from what came before? Do we require certain knowledge, or is probable knowledge enough? Do we really need to go outside nature to explain nature? Are there such things as innate ideas, or is the mind at its beginning a '... |
| PHIL20020 - Logic Spring, Level 2, Credits 5 Logic is the study of arguments and formal logic is the study of formal features of arguments. We will look at the formal elements that distinguish good arguments from bad arguments. Consider the argument: If statues are constituted of lumps of clay, then two objects can be ... |
| PHIL20240 - Applied Ethics Spring, Level 2, Credits 5 Syllabus: Applied Ethics 20240 This course will examine a range of perennial ethical problems using the crisis of accelerating climate change as our focal point. One of the most fundamental ethical questions we can ask is what do we owe each other? What do we owe those suffer... |
| PHIL20440 - Feminism & Gender Justice Autumn, Level 2, Credits 5 This module introduces students to contemporary feminist ideas and key feminist debates, specifically feminist gender theory (including discussions of Queer Theory and Hegemonic Masculinity), and feminist political ethics (including systems of power and intersectionality) and th... |
| PHIL20490 - Knowledge & Scepticism Autumn, Level 2, Credits 5 "A common refrain heard around New Scientist‘s offices in recent weeks has been “episte… what?!” Even among educated and well-informed people, epistemology – the study of knowledge – is neither a familiar word nor a well-known field of enquiry. But it has never been more importan... |
| PHIL20500 - Phenomenology & Existentialism Autumn, Level 2, Credits 5 This course offers an introduction to and critical assessment of some of the key figures of the phenomenological tradition, the most prominent European philosophical movement of the twentieth century, and the movement that inspired the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone d... |
| PHIL20570 - Philosophy & Literature Spring, Level 2, Credits 5 This module explores the intersections of philosophy and literature in the areas of alienation, dislocation and the post-human. By bringing major works of literature into conversation with key philosophical texts, the course interrogates our imagination and articulation of the hu... |
| PHIL20580 - Plato's Republic Spring, Level 2, Credits 5 The Republic is Plato's most famous, and most influential, work. It is justly regarded as one of the greatest works of philosophy ever written, and as such it is a work with which every student of philosophy ought to be familiar. Its central concern is with the nature of justice,... |
| PHIL20620 - Philosophy of Social Science Autumn, Level 2, Credits 5 The module starts with developing a conception of what science itself is. What distinguishes science from pseudo-science? What are the distinctive methodologies of science? What is it to have a scientific explanation of something? How does science progress? Are scientific cl... |
| PHIL20640 - Philosophy of Mind and AI Spring, Level 2, Credits 5 What is the nature of the human mind? How are thought and consciousness related to one’s brain and body? How do we know that what we experience is real rather than a convincing simulation or illusion? These foundational questions in the philosophy of mind have returned to the for... |
| PHIL20700 - Introduction to the Philosophy of History Spring, Level 2, Credits 5 This module explores the various ways in which the conventional idea of history is wrong. It will work with students on these ideas (among others): • there is no such thing as ‘objectivity’ in history; • the ‘past’ is ‘our’ account of it, and therefore history is tied to the pr... |
| PHIL20710 - Body, Mind, World Spring, Level 2, Credits 5 In this module we explore the interrelation between mind and body through a series of reflections on social and epistemological issues. We examine these issues in terms of the way they affect human action and shape our bodily habits, lived experience, and social identity. Man... |
| PHIL20750 - Intro to Premodern Thinking Autumn, Level 2, Credits 5 What is the point of studying philosophy from the past? Most people ignore them and numerous academics decide not to read them. Why should we care about another kind of philosophy than what is commonly taught in other universities? We can either 'answer' with a shrug of the shou... |
| PHIL20760 - Intro to Buddhist Philosophy Autumn, Level 2, Credits 5 This module is designed to provide students with no prior knowledge of Buddhist thought with a comprehensive understanding of the core teachings and philosophical principles of Buddhism. The module aims to dispel common misconceptions about Buddhist teachings and highlight their ... |
| PHIL20770 - Emotions & Morality in 18th-century Philosophy Spring, Level 2, Credits 5 What role do emotions play in our personal and moral development? What role do emotions and reason play in moral decision making? Should emotions be regulated and controlled? Is education essential for personal and moral development? How can we grow and improve as moral agents? W... |
| PHIL31010 - The Philosophy of Nietzsche Autumn, Level 3, Credits 10 This module introduces students to all the major themes in Nietzsche’s philosophy. The module textbook is The Nietzsche Reader, edited by Keith Ansell Pearson and Duncan Large (Blackwell, 2006). We will examine, among other topics, Nietzsche’s rejection of morality, of metaph... |
| PHIL31020 - Kant on Freedom & Morality Spring, Level 3, Credits 10 Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) introduced a conception of freedom and moral autonomy that has ever since been one of the most influential conceptions of the nature and ground of universal human rights and of our free rational agency. Whether in defence or criticism of Kant's moral ph... |
| PHIL31030 - Philosophy of Perception and the Senses Autumn, Level 3, Credits 10 Much of our knowledge and experience depends, directly or indirectly, upon our senses. But do the senses provide us with an accurate impression of the world, or is sensory experience itself a kind of hallucination or illusion, as some philosophers and neuroscientists have claimed... |
| PHIL31040 - Philosophy of Interpretation Autumn, Level 3, Credits 10 What philosophical issues are raised in expressing, translating and understanding? Can we even perceive things without interpreting them? What are the best ways to understand the works of other cultures and epochs, and why? Is the interpreter passive and neutral before the text, ... |
| PHIL31060 - History of Ethics Autumn, Level 3, Credits 10 In this module we will study important moral theories that were developed in eighteenth-century Scottish and German Enlightenment philosophy. The module will focus on philosophical debates concerning the role of sentiments and empathy, rationality and duty, promise keeping, and r... |
| PHIL31070 - Aristotle: Ethics & Politics Autumn, Level 3, Credits 10 Aristotle's 'Nicomachean Ethics' and 'Politics' are masterpieces of moral and political philosophy, and remain of great interest and influence today. As Aristotle sees it, ethics and politics are both concerned with the same thing: the pursuit of happiness. In the 'Nicomachean Et... |
| PHIL31080 - Hist & Phil: Nazi Germany Spring, Level 3, Credits 10 This co-taught module (School of History and School of Philosophy) will focus on the history of the Holocaust/Shoah and the philosophical questions to which it gives rise. The material is ordered in such a way as to lead students to an interdisciplinary perspective on various asp... |
| PHIL31090 - Hume and Kant Autumn, Level 3, Credits 10 In this course we will survey, through selected primary and secondary source readings, the overall views of two of the most important philosophers of the Eighteenth century Enlightenment period: David Hume and Immanuel Kant. (For background, the lecturer's book is available onlin... |
| PHIL31100 - Philosophy of Fiction Spring, Level 3, Credits 10 This module will introduce students to philosophical questions to which fictional works, such as novels or movies, give rise. In particular, we will discuss what fiction is, what fictional characters are, and what role imagining plays in our engagement with fiction. The module ... |
| PHIL31120 - Wittgenstein Spring, Level 3, Credits 10 Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) is one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century. The course will take you from his first enigmatic book, the _Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus_ (1921), the only book published during his lifetime, through a chronological and themat... |
| PHIL31130 - Training as a Phil Researcher Autumn, Level 3, Credits 10 Are you interested in developing a philosophical research project of your own? Would you like to develop the skills that will help you to pursue research projects in philosophy? Do you enjoy thinking and writing about philosophical problems and discussing your ideas with your pee... |
| PHIL31150 - Phenomenology and History Autumn, Level 3, Credits 10 The fundamental question of this Module will be: in which manner and according to which Law are we to confront the question pertaining to the meaning of History. Our primary task will therefore lie in deploying the Hegelian systematic appropriation of historical becoming through ... |
| PHIL31160 - The Medieval Mind Spring, Level 3, Credits 10 The Middle Ages in general, and medieval thought in particular, are little known because of the many clichés that have been attached to them: the Dark Ages, the hold of dogmatism over rationality, gullible and superstitious faith, and censorship of reason. In reality, these clich... |
| PHIL31170 - Philosophy of Language Spring, Level 3, Credits 10 This module is an examination of philosophical questions concerning thought, communication, and human language. What is the nature of meaning? How do words refer to things? What is the relationship between thought and language? Theories of meaning and communication will also be a... |
| PHIL40030 - Dissertation Summer, Level 4, Credits 30 This is a research project on a topic selected from one of the modules you have taken for credit during the year. Some initial guidance will be offered by the module coordinator. However, the work is largely autonomous and is expected to be conducted by the student throughout t... |
| PHIL40250 - Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 This module comprises a close reading of Phenomenology of Perception, one of the most significant treatments of philosophy of perception in the European tradition. Merleau-Ponty offers a sustained critique of the portrait view of perception and argues that the embodied perceiver ... |
| PHIL40410 - Philosophy & Literature Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 In this course we will approach the relationship between philosophy and literature through a phenomenological framework by asking: 'what is the experience of reading philosophy and what is the experience of reading literature?' The aim is to discover the manner in which each genr... |
| PHIL40420 - The Good Society Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 Our specific topic is "Human Agency in the Anthropocene". Ecological catastrophe has happened and continues apace. Many disastrous processes are irreversible, much has been irretrievably lost. ‘The Anthropocene’ has gained currency as a way of describing this unprecedented momen... |
| PHIL40920 - Guided Reading Spring, Level 4, Credits 7.5 Selected readings in philosophy of mind and embodied cognition... |
| PHIL40960 - The Cultural Mind Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 This course will look at recent research on the interdependence between culture and mind. Two aspects of culture that the course will particularly focus on are language and moral norms. One of the broad themes that we will explore is relativity. So called ‘linguistic relativity... |
| PHIL40970 - Topics in Philosophy of Mind and Cognition Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 This Masters-level module examines one or more topics arising from recent empirically-informed philosophy of mind, action, perception and/or cognition. Through guided reading, critical argument and classroom discussion, students will develop an understanding of some key philosoph... |
| PHIL40980 - Guided Reading Autumn and Spring (separate), Level 4, Credits 5 Selected readings in philosophy of mind and embodied cognition... |
| PHIL40990 - Guided Reading Autumn and Spring (separate), Level 4, Credits 2.5 Selected readings in philosophy of mind and embodied cognition... |
| PHIL41120 - Ethics (TCD) Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 This module explores contemporary problems in metaethics.... |
| PHIL41170 - Post Kantian Philosophy (TCD) Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 There are broadly three dominant ways of accounting for the self. The first group are the idealists who argue that the self is never part of the world. The second group are the no-self theorists who question the existence of the self because we cannot be introspectively aware of ... |
| PHIL41240 - John Henry Newman - Philosophical Perspectives Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 This course will provide an overview of the relationship between John Henry Newman and philosophy. After having considered the two main philosophical sources of his formation, namely Aristotle and Cicero, his contribution to the 19th century intellectual debates will be examined... |
| PHIL41280 - Feminist & Gender Theory Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 This seminar will introduce students to key contemporary feminist philosophers and debates between feminist philosophers with a view to understanding how their work draws from and challenges dominant philosophical traditions in the creation of new philosophical understandings of ... |
| PHIL41320 - Topics in Continental Philos Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 How do we understand encounters between self and other? What is the relation between subjectivity and intersubjective life? This module examines different philosophical perspectives for analyzing encounters between self and other, and investigates alternative theories of recognit... |
| PHIL41330 - Philosophy of Time Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 This course is all about time and change, which I think are two of the most important, fundamental, and mysterious topics in philosophy. It's open to *all* students, including those with no background in philosophy of time, or in the 'analytic' philosophical tradition. (Many of o... |
| PHIL41510 - Ethics in Public Life Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 Should we be permitted to say whatever we want, whenever we want on social media? Or should our freedom of expression be restricted? Are interferences with other people’s decisions regarding their well-being or careers ever justified? Which responsibilities do scientific experts ... |
| PHIL41530 - Reading and Research Autumn&Spring&Summer(separate), Level 4, Credits 10 Individual supervision... |
| PHIL41640 - Development of Analytical Philosophy (TCD) Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 First, we will look at some basic issues regarding propositions—including what they are, how they are individuated, and what the “analysis” of a proposition involves. We will identify certain differences between Frege’s views and Russell’s regarding propositions and will conside... |
| PHIL41660 - Moral Agency Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 Are all human beings moral agents? How can we best grow and develop as persons and moral agents? In what senses does moral agency require freedom? What role do reason and emotions play in moral actions? In what ways do we and should we depend and rely on family members, friends, ... |
| PHIL41700 - Metaphysics (TCD) Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 In this module, students will explore contemporary issues in metaphysics, with a view to developing their own ideas about the nature and purpose of metaphysics. Metaphysics presents itself as the study of the fundamental nature of the world. It promises to provide a guide to real... |
| PHIL41710 - Modern European Philosophy (TCD) Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 The aim of this course is to introduce you to the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. The focus will be on his key text Being and Time.... |
| PHIL41720 - Intro to Philosphical Research (TCD) Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 In this module, we shall be introduced to and critically appraise a variety of approaches to and understandings of philosophical methodology. The course will revolve around the question ‘is philosophy a priori or a posteriori?’, and structured (roughly) in accord with development... |
| PHIL41730 - Neurophilosophy (TCD) Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 Perhaps since Plato, and certainly since Descartes, there has been a thesis in philosophy that there are two substances, the one mental (the mind) and the other physical (the body). This view arose in response to certain difficulties in philosophy, but has raised more problems s... |
| PHIL41740 - Theories of Rights (TCD) Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 The language of moral rights is pervasive both in everyday life and in legal, moral, and political philosophy. They are commonly invoked in support of claims of a certain weight. But there is no philosophical consensus on what rights are, what status or weight they have or indeed... |
| PHIL41770 - Metaphysics (TCD) Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 The metaphysical concern with being, at its most general, naturally includes questions of what there is and how things are. But what of the modal questions? What things could there have been? How might things have been? Are there some matters that must be so? Modal realists hold ... |
| PHIL41780 - Ancient Philosophy (TCD) P&A Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP IN PLATO AND ARISTOTLE The aim of the seminar is to explore ideas of love, of friendship, and of the relation between them. We will take our starting point in Plato’s two dialogues on love, Phaedrus and Symposium, as well as his dialogue Lysis in which he co... |
| PHIL41810 - Critique, Destruction & Deconstruction Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 Our Module will address the inception and the development, the confrontations as well as the similitudes, both the historical sources and the philosophical orientations, between three fundamental "gestures" in contemporary European philosophy: "critical theory" in Adorno and Ho... |
| PHIL41840 - Invention of the Modern Self Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 The aim of this MA module is to explain why Descartes is considered the "father of modern philosophy". However, numerous scholars insisted in the past decades on the medieval heritage of Descartes and on his training in the Jesuit schools. Building upon this scholarship, the purp... |
| PHIL41850 - Self Refutation Arguments -TCD Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 The purpose of this seminar is to examine such “self–refutation” arguments—in particular, to consider if they have a common structure and to examine what, if anything, they establish. To do so, we will look at a number of sources, including recent writings of such philosophers as... |
| PHIL41860 - Plato & Care of the Soul (TCD) Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 The aim of this M.Phil seminar is to work together on a research project that I am currently undertaking on Plato and the Care of the Soul. To set out the project, I have written the following research proposal and proposal for a monograph. This gives, I think, a good idea of the... |
| PHIL41870 - Responsible Innovation Spring, Level 4, Credits 2.5 The New Technology and Responsible Innovation micro-credential addresses urgent and fascinating questions regarding technology and the ethical challenges arising from its impact on our everyday lives, work environment, and society, especially in terms of privacy and responsibilit... |
| PHIL41880 - Reading Nietzsche Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 This module will engage closely with several major works by Friedrich Nietzsche. Each year students work through two or three of his books from cover to cover. This year’s texts will be chosen from: The Birth of Tragedy (1872) Untimely Meditations (1876) The Gay Science (1882)... |
| PHIL41890 - Authenticity and Implicit Attitudes Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 What does it mean to be authentic? Are some desires more authentically ours than others? What is the difference between faking or lying and being sincere or true to oneself? In this module, students are introduced to new developments in the philosophy of language, philosophy of m... |
| PHIL41900 - Adv Topics Value Theory 1(TCD) Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10 Since Arendt keeps morality and politics sharply distinct, the first part of the module will be dedicated to Arendt’s conception of morality and politics, her reasons for keeping moral values out of the political realm, and her reasons for keeping moral and political judgment dis... |
| PHIL41910 - Adv Topics Value Theory 2(TCD) Spring, Level 4, Credits 10 In this course we will explore a number of current and emerging ethical issues facing our societies... |