Philosophy Contact Us Artificial Intelligence Biotechnology Computer Science Cybersecurity Data Analytics and Visualization Digital Marketing and Media Mathematics Occupational Therapy Physician Assistant Physics Speech-Language Pathology The study of philosophy is significant to all who wish to live in a reflective and critical manner. At Yeshiva College, courses in philosophy cover the full range of historical periods. Students closely study many of the classic texts in the field, examine differing areas of philosophical inquiry, and learn rigorous methods of argument. Issues that affect our daily lives are central to philosophical inquiry and analysis: ethics, morality, the nature of knowledge and meaning, the character of the world, freedom, justice, and much more. Philosophy explores fundamental problems of human existence. Virtually every area of human activity—art, science, religion, politics—generates questions and ideas that call for philosophical reflection. As Socrates taught, the unexamined life is not worth living. Philosophy is a discipline unique in its methods and subject matter. Studying its sources and mastering its methods are invaluable in your general undergraduate education. You will learn to analyze complex ideas carefully and clearly; to eschew vague, impressionistic thinking in favor of critical, rigorous, precise reflection; to read with care, curiosity and wonder; to write in an organized and persuasive fashion.The philosophy program at Yeshiva College attempts to strike a balance between courses that discuss the history of philosophy (that is major thinkers and movements) and courses that cover particular areas and specific problems. Interdisciplinary courses probe the interface of philosophy with other fields, including religious thought (e.g., “Epistemology of Judaism”; “Metaphysics of Judaism”), mathematics (e.g., “Axiomatic Set Theory”), computer science (e.g., “Computability & Logic”), and political theory (e.g., “Rawls’ Theory of Justice”). Some of these courses provide perspectives unavailable at any other college. The seminar (PHI 4931, 4932) concentrates in depth, either on a particular philosopher, or on a particular issue (such as free will, or modal logic, or contemporary ethical and political philosophy), or on a philosophical movement.Mission StatementThe mission of the philosophy department is: (1) to make all students who take philosophy courses intellectually more rigorous (where intellectual rigor consists in being: (i) explicit, (ii) precise, and (iii) meticulously correct about matters of logic), and (2) to prepare students (who intend to do so) to pursue advanced studies in the field or in fields for which training in philosophy (and its attendant intellectual rigor) is especially important, such as Mathematics, Medicine, Law, and Religious Studies. Both aspects of the mission are accomplished by: (i) developing students’ ability to reason, (ii) acquainting students with a selection of fundamentally important philosophical arguments, claims, problems, and paradoxes, and (iii) training students in the intellectually rigorous expression of their own claims and arguments.Student Learning GoalsEvaluate philosophical arguments.Be well acquainted with philosophical issues pertinent to the field.Construct their own philosophical arguments.Effectively communicate their own philosophical arguments.For more information about the Philosophy Department at Yeshiva College, please contact Professor David Johnson at dajohnso@yu.edu. Program Information Courses Please see the Schedule of Classes for the current semester’s offerings. PHI 1010 or 1010H Philosophy and Propositional Logic 3 credits Truth, semantic paradoxes, conditionals and probability, possible worlds, vagueness, logical consequence, and other crucial topics in philosophy. PHI 1011 Introduction to Philosophy I 3 credit A rigorous introduction to philosophy PHI 1100 Logic Introduction to formal logic. 3 credits PHI 1130 Advanced Logic 3 credits Advanced logic. Topics are selected from the following: 1) soundness and completeness proofs; 2) meticulous examination of Godel’s proof of his first incompleteness theorem; 3) modal logic; and 4) axiomatic set theory. Prerequisite: PHI 1100. PHI 1220 Philosophy of Language 3 credits Theories of meaning, reference, and truth. PHI 1320 Theories of the Mind 3 credits Examination of rival conceptions of mind and self, and of differing explanatory models for human behavior. 3 credits PHI 1360 Theory of Knowledge Fundamental Issues concerning the nature of knowlege, justification, and belief 3 credits PHI 1400 Philosophy of Science Fundamental Issues concerning the nature of science, e.g., (i) What is a law of nature? (ii) What is evidence (iii) How are scientific hypotheses confirmed? 3 credits PHI 1550 Metaphysics What is the nature of reality? 3 credits PHI 1600 Ethics Fundamental moral problems such as the place of pleasure and happiness in the moral life, and the relation between individual interests and social obligations. Readings from classical and contemporary works. 3 credits PHI 1800 Philosophy of Art 3 credits PHI 2170 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy From the pre-Socratics to Thomas Aquinas, with emphasis on Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Boethius, and Aquinas. 3 credits PHI 2420 Modern Philosophy 3 credits Continental rationalism and British empiricism, from Descartes to Hume. PHI 2560 Philosophy in the 19th and 20th Centuries 3 credits The chief contributions of Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Russell, Moore, and Wittgenstein, and of very important philosophers from the latter half of the 20th century, including David Lewis and Saul Kripke. PHI 2650 Phenomenology and Existentialism Critical examination of these two related movements, with special attention to the works of Husserl, Heidegger, and Sartre. 3 credits PHI 3402 Philosophy of Law Fundamental questions about the nature and scope of law, grounds for legal obligation, and the justification of particular jural practices, such as punishment. 3 credits PHI 4901 Independent Study PHI 4911 Guided Project Meet with the Yeshiva College academic dean. PHI 4930 Topics 3 credits PHI 4931 Seminar Intensive study of a philosopher, a philosophical issue, or a philosophical movement. 3 credits Requirements Philosophy Major: 30 Credits Required Courses (21 credits) 1 course chosen (3 credits) from: Ethics, 1600 Or an approved course in Value Theory 3 courses chosen (9 credits total) from: Logic, 1100 Philosophy of Language, 1220 Theories of the Mind, 1320 Theory of Knowledge, 1360 Philosophy of Science, 1400 Metaphysics, 1550 Approved course in Metaphysics and Epistemology Ancient & Medieval Philosophy, 2170 (3 credits) Modern Philosophy, 2420 (3 credits) Phil 4931 or 4932 (Seminar) Electives - 3 Courses (9 credits total)* * Up to 6 credits in Jewish Thought and Philosophy (JTP) may count as electives toward the major with the approval of the Co-Chair of Philosophy at the relevant college. Philosophy Minor (18 Credits) Required Courses (12 credits) 1 course chosen (3 credits) from: Ethics, 1600 Or an approved course in Value Theory 2 courses chosen (6 credits total) from: Logic, 1100 Philosophy of Language, 1220 Theories of the Mind, 1320 Theory of Knowledge, 1360 Philosophy of Science, 1400 Metaphysics, 1550 Approved course in Metaphysics and Epistemology 1 course chosen (3 credits) from: Ancient & Medieval Philosophy, 2170 (3 credits) Modern Philosophy, 2420 (3 credits) Electives - 2 Courses (6 credits total)* * Jewish Thought and Philosophy (JPT) courses may count as electives toward the major with the approval of a with the approval of the Co-Chair of Philosophy at the relevant college . Faculty The following list includes faculty who teach at the Beren (B) and/or Wilf (W) campus. Shalom Carmy Associate Professor of Philosophy (W) David Johnson Associate Professor of Philosophy (W) Co-Chair, Department of Philosophy Herbert Leventer Adjunct Assistant Professor of Philosophy (B) Meir Rosensweig Adjunct Professor of Philosophy (W) Daniel Rynhold Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Dean of Bernard Revel Graduate School (W) David Shatz University Professor of Philosophy, Ethics, and Religious Thought (B) Co-Chair, Department of Philosophy Resources Please note: Links to external sites are offered as a convenience to visitors, as a starting point for exploration. Such sites are neither endorsed nor regulated by , which accepts no responsibility for their content. Research A portal to thousands of resources, ranging from bibliographies to manuscripts and Internet databases. A dynamic reference work, with entries maintained by experts in the field. The Indiana Philosophy Ontology Project Serves the metadata needs of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Includes major works of philosophy from the classical world, in the original languages and English translations. A professional statement by the American Philosophical Organization - University of Delaware Internships A database that comprises programs in philosophy and related fields. Graduate Study ’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies Includes Jewish philosophy and Talmudic studies. ’s affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Careers EpistemeLinks: Philosophy Jobs Links to job boards at major organizations and publications. News and Organizations News from The Philosophers’ Magazine An archive of articles of interest to philosophers. The leading professional organization for philosophers in the United States. A guide from the Yale University Library.
