Philosophy

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu/.

About the Program

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The Department of Philosophy offers an undergraduate major in Philosophy leading to the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.

Declaring the Major

To declare the major, students should pick up a Declaration of Major form from 206 Evans Hall. They need to fill it out, bring it to 314 Moses Hall (Philosophy Department office) for signature, and then return it to 206 Evans.

Honors Program

With the consent of the major adviser, a student with an overall 3.5 grade point average (GPA) or higher and a GPA of 3.7 or higher in courses in the major may apply for admission to the honors program. Students in this program must complete a graduate seminar in the Department of Philosophy and write an acceptable honors thesis, for which four units of credit will be given under PHILOS H195.

Minor Program

To declare the minor, students should get a Declaration of Minor form from 206 Evans Hall. After filling it out, they should take the form to 314 Moses Hall and ask the Student Affairs Officer to verify that they have taken the required courses or are in the process of taking them. The Student Affairs Officer will then file the form at the end of the semester after students have received their final grades.  Normally the minor is declared at the start of a student's last semester at Berkeley

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Major Requirements

In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
  2. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters and Science.
  3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper- and lower-division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.

For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

One of the following courses may be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis.

Lower-division Requirements

PHILOS 12AIntroduction to Logic4
PHILOS 25AAncient Philosophy4
PHILOS 25BModern Philosophy4

Upper-division Requirements 

Methods
PHILOS 100Philosophical Methods (or equivalent see footnote 1 below) 14
Ethics
Select one of the following:
Ethical Theories
PHILOS 105
Course Not Available
Moral Psychology
Political Philosophy
History
Select one course numbered between PHILOS 160-PHILOS 178
Select one course numbered between PHILOS 160-PHILOS 187
Epistemology/Metaphysics
Select two courses from different groups below:
Group A:
Theory of Knowledge
Group B:
Metaphysics
Group C:
PHILOS 131
Course Not Available
Philosophy of Mind
Group D:
Philosophy of Language
Theory of Meaning
Electives
Select three additional upper-division Philosophy courses 2,3
1

You may satisfy this requirement without taking PHILOS 100 by presenting evidence that you received an A or an A+ in at least two out of the first three eligible philosophy courses that you have taken at Berkeley. Here are the eligible philosophy courses: PHILOS 25A; PHILOS 25B; any upper-division philosophy course except PHILOS 140A or PHILOS 140B

2

 One elective may be a course offered in another department, provided the course is approved by the Undergraduate Adviser.

3

 PHILOS H195, PHILOS 198, and PHILOS 199 do not count as electives.

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements and are noted officially on the transcript in the memoranda section, but they are not noted on diplomas.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements below must be taken for graded credit.
  2. A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.
  3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for courses used to fulfill the minor requirements.
  4. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth Requirement for Letters and Science students.
  5. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
  6. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which the student plans to graduate. Students who cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time should see a College of Letters and Science adviser.
  7. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

Requirements

Lower-division
History:
PHILOS 25AAncient Philosophy4
or PHILOS 25B Modern Philosophy
Upper-division
Ethics: Select one of the following:
Ethical Theories
PHILOS 105
Course Not Available
Moral Psychology
Political Philosophy
Epistemology/Metaphysics: Select one of the following:
Theory of Knowledge
Metaphysics
PHILOS 131
Course Not Available
Philosophy of Mind
Philosophy of Language
Theory of Meaning
Electives: 3 additional upper-division Philosophy courses12

College Requirements

Undergraduate students in the College of Letters and Science must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.

For detailed lists of courses that fulfill college requirements, please see the College of Letters and Sciences  page in this bulletin. 

Entry Level Writing

All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing Requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley. 

American History and American Institutions

The American History and Institutions requirements are based on the principle that a U.S. resident graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.

American Cultures

American Cultures is the one requirement that all undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.

Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course.

Foreign Language

The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work.

Reading and Composition

In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing and critical thinking the College requires two semesters of lower division work in composition. Students must complete a first-level reading and composition course by the end of their second semester and a second-level course by the end of their fourth semester.

Breadth Requirements

The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship.  Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.

Unit Requirements

  • 120 total units, including at least 60 L&S units

  • Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units

  • Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department

Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters and Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes here for four years. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you go abroad for a semester or year or want to take courses at another institution or through University Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to see an adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.

Senior Residence Requirement

After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.

You may use a Berkeley summer session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence Requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the College.

Modified Senior Residence Requirement

Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) or the UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence Requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding EAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.

Student Learning Goals

Mission

The Undergraduate Student Learning Initiative (USLI) is a campuswide project that has been under development at Berkeley since Fall 2007. This initiative is designed to promote and facilitate learning for undergraduates across campus. In connection with this initiative, the Philosophy Department has articulated the following goals for our undergraduate majors.

The primary goal that we expect our undergraduate philosophy majors to achieve is to become capable of engaging with the main topics and issues in contemporary academic philosophy and with the historical tradition by which contemporary philosophy is informed. Students who graduate from our program should be able to think both analytically and creatively about philosophical issues and texts. They should be able to analyse and raise objections to philosophical views and arguments that are presented to them, and to develop and defend their own views on philosophical topics. They should be able to do this both in writing and in oral discussion with other students and with instructors. Achieving these objectives requires that students acquire more general skills in writing, reading and oral argument: they need to be able to organize their ideas, express them clearly both in writing and in speaking, and construct plausible arguments in their defence.

Learning Goals for the Major

This primary goal includes the following more specific goals:

  1. A broad general understanding of the work of major figures in the history of philosophy, including Plato, Aristotle, Descartes and Kant.
  2. A deeper and more detailed understanding of the work of at least two historically important philosophers.
  3. Familiarity with the most important topics in a range of areas which are typically regarded as lying at the center of contemporary philosophical thought, including metaphysics, theory of knowledge, philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language.
  4. Familiarity with the most important topics in ethics and the related field of political philosophy.
  5. Familiarity with formal logic, including both the ability to understand the logical symbolism used in many contemporary philosophical texts, and to carry out logical proofs and derivations within a formal system.
  6. The general capacity to think analytically and creatively about philosophical texts and issues.
  7. The general capacity to express philosophical ideas and defend them effectively in argument, both in writing and orally.

Assessment

Students’ attainment of these goals is measured by assessment of their performance in the courses required for the major. All philosophy undergraduate courses, with the exception of those in logic, require students to write several essays over the course of the semester; many of them also require a final exam where the questions also take the form of short philosophical essays. These essays are evaluated by the instructor with an eye both to the student’s mastery of the specific subject matter covered by the course, and to the student’s mastery of more general skills in philosophical thinking and writing. A higher standard of thinking and writing is required for upper-division than for lower-division courses. More ambitious students have the option of taking graduate seminars as electives, where the standard for philosophical writing is higher still.

In logic courses, students’ competence in formal logic is evaluated through assessment of their performance in weekly problem sets and examinations (typically including a mid-term and a final).

All of our courses, again with the exception of those in formal logic, require students to engage in oral philosophical discussion, typically during sections taught by graduate student instructors. In many courses, students’ contributions to discussion are assessed as part of the overall assessment of their performance in the class. We recognize it as a shortcoming in our program, however, that our courses are often too large to allow much discussion, and as a result, we are not confident that all of our students do in fact become proficient in this aspect of the primary goal of the program. We think it very important that students have the opportunity to develop their skills in oral discussion of philosophical issues, and we are hoping to be able to introduce as a requirement that students take one undergraduate seminar which offers ample opportunity for discussion with a faculty member and with their peers. So far, the small size of the faculty compared with the large size of enrollment in philosophy classes has prevented us from doing this, but we hope that faculty size will increase to a degree that will make this change in the program feasible.

Curriculum

Students are required to take twelve courses overall, including a number of required courses; these required courses are selected and designed with reference to the specific goals from the numbered list above, as follows:

Goal 1: PHILOS 25A and PHILOS 25B (both required)

Goal 2: Courses in the 160-187 sequence (two of these required)

Goal 3: PHILOS 122, PHILOS 125, PHILOS 131, PHILOS 132, and PHILOS 135 (two of these required)

Goal 4: PHILOS 104, PHILOS 105, PHILOS 107, PHILOS 115 (one of these required)

Goal 5: PHILOS 12A (required)

Goal 6: All of our courses, except for those in formal logic

Goal 7: All of our courses (except for those in formal logic), but especially PHILOS 100, which is a dedicated course in philosophical writing

The goals described in this statement will be communicated to our undergraduate students by posting a prominent link to this statement on our department website, on the same page that is used to inform students about the course requirements for the philosophy major.

Courses

Philosophy

PHILOS R1B Reading and Composition Through Philosophy 4 Units

Training in writing expository prose in conjunction with reading philosophical texts. Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement.

PHILOS 2 Individual Morality and Social Justice 4 Units

Introduction to ethical and political philosophy.

PHILOS 3 The Nature of Mind 4 Units

Introduction to the philosophy of mind. Topics to be considered may include the relation between mind and body; the structure of action; the nature of desires and beliefs; the role of the unconscious.

PHILOS 4 Knowledge and Its Limits 4 Units

Introduction to the theory of knowledge.

PHILOS 6 Man, God, and Society in Western Literature 4 Units

Philosophical issues as expressed in poetry, drama, and the novel. This course will compare and contrast the Greek, Medieval, and modern worlds, as reflected in their greatest literature, with special emphasis on the role of the community in reconciling conflicts between sub-groups in society and the individual's ability to understand and control his own life. We will also follow man's realization that the changing answers to these questions are themselves self-interpretations.

PHILOS 7 Existentialism in Literature and Film 4 Units

Christian, agnostic, and atheistic existentialism as expressed in the works of Dostoyevsky, Melville, Kafka, Antonioni, Goddard, etc.

PHILOS 11 Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion 4 Units

A survey of basic issues in contemporary philosophy of religion, exploring arguments about God's existence, the status of religious experiences and beliefs, how souls might interact with bodies, and the relationship of God to morality.

PHILOS 12A Introduction to Logic 4 Units

Syntax, semantics, and proof theory of sentential and predicate logic.

PHILOS 13 Business Ethics 3 Units

This course addresses the nature of ethical motivation and agency, with special attention to the individual's role in a business organization. Topics include theories of ethical motivation; individual character and organizational culture; personal integrity; corporate agency; corporate responsibility to society.

PHILOS 16 Introduction to Metaphysics 3 Units

This course is an introduction to some of the traditional questions in metaphysics--the study of what there is in the world and how what there is is structured. Topics will include free will and determinism, the mind-body problem, and personal identity. If time permits, we will also examine arguments for the existence of God.

PHILOS 17 Concepts of the Person in Novel, Drama, and Film 3 Units

In any culture, the way we act implies some view of what it is to be a person, and indeed what it is to be a particular kind of person, e.g., black or white, male or female, citizen or non-citizen. This view determines what roles and privileges are available to specific individuals and how these individuals will think of themselves and evaluate their actions and obligations. We will focus on works of philosophy, literature and film which have had a powerful and lasting impact on our culture.

PHILOS 18 Confucius for Today 4 Units

The teachings of Confucius (6th to 5th century B.C.) have had a profound influence on Chinese and East Asian cultures, and have attracted significant interest throughout the world. In what ways are they still of relevance to life in the twenty-first century? The course will consider the contemporary implications of Confucius’ teachings for such topics as: family, rituals, life and death, fate, contentment and anxiety, anger and resentment, courage, respectfulness, modesty and humility, trustworthiness, learning, self-cultivation, semblances of virtue. In addition to reading selected passages from the Analects, we will also consider commentaries by later Confucians and read contemporary philosophical articles on the relevant topics.

PHILOS 21X Philosophy of Biology 4 Units

Are living things simply complex machines? Many philosophers and biologists think that they are, for to think otherwise seems to fly in the face of recent scientific advances and threatens to reintroduce into biology unscientific notions like "spirit" and "vital force". This course takes seriously the position that life can not be reduced to chemical and physical processes. We will also study ways this question affects our understanding of the freedom of the will, the relation of the mind to the body, and "evolutionary" explanations of gender differences.

PHILOS 22X The Self and the World 4 Units

What sort of thing am I? And what is my relation to others, and to the world in general? We will consider versions of these questions, as they are asked and answered in a variety of classical and contemporary philosophical texts: what can we know about the world? Is the skeptic right to answer: nothing? What is it in the nature of minds (and bodies) which makes knowledge seem so problematic? How are minds and bodies related to those things which have them: persons? And how does this bear on the question of the meaning of life?

PHILOS 23X Philosophy and Medicine 4 Units

We will consider the following questions: Is medicine a science? What are its aims? How are the central concepts of "health" and "disease" defined? What is meant by the charge that there is an "overmedication of everyday life" in our society and is that charge justified? What is "medical reductionism" and what are its limits? What are the assumptions behind "specialistic" and holistic"approaches to medicine and which of these two approaches serves better the aims of medicine? What is the proper place of medicine in the social, legal, and moral contexts?

PHILOS 24 Freshman Seminar 1 Unit

The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Freshman seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment is limited to 15 freshmen.

PHILOS 24X Social Justice 4 Units

This course will examine the values underlying different visions of a just society. Freedom, equal opportunity, and community are considered important, for example, but there is little agreement on how theses values should be realized. The course will consider various perspectives on these values and their practical implications. Special attention will be devoted to the role of the government in economic affairs, equal educational opportunities, and nationalism.

PHILOS 25A Ancient Philosophy 4 Units

The history of ancient philosophy with special emphasis on the Presocratics, Plato, and Aristotle.

PHILOS 25B Modern Philosophy 4 Units

The history of modern philosophy from Descartes through Kant.

PHILOS 39 Freshman Seminar 2 - 4 Units

Study of various fields of philosophy of special interest to freshman. Topics will vary from semester to semester and will be individually announced. Freshman seminars are restricted to fifteen students each.

PHILOS 39M Freshman Seminar 3 Units

Study of various fields of philosophy of special interest to freshman. Topics will vary from semester to semester and will be individually announced. Freshman seminars are restricted to fifteen students each.

PHILOS 98 Directed Group Study for Lower Division Students 1 - 4 Units

Directed study on special topics.

PHILOS 98BC Berkeley Connect 1 Unit

Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate.

PHILOS 100 Philosophical Methods 4 Units

The course is designed to acquaint students with the techniques of philosophical reasoning through detailed study of selected philosophical texts and through extensive training in philosophical writing, based on those texts. Should be taken as early as possible after declaring the major.

PHILOS 104 Ethical Theories 4 Units

The fundamental concepts and problems of morality examined through the study of classical and contemporary philosophical theories of ethics.

PHILOS 107 Moral Psychology 4 Units

An investigation of central issues in moral psychology, such as: free will, weakness of will, self-deception, moral motivation, emotions, virtues, moral education.

PHILOS 108 Contemporary Ethical Issues 4 Units

This course will be devoted to in-depth discussion of a variety of problems in moral philosophy raised by real-life questions of individual conduct and social policy. Its contents will vary from occasion to occasion. Possible topics include philosophical problems posed by affirmative action, abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, terrorism, war, poverty, and climate change.

PHILOS 109 Freedom and Responsibility 4 Units

A systematic examination of freedom and responsibility. The following topics will be addressed (among others): the relations between freedom of will, freedom of action, and autonomy; moral responsibility and its conditions; naturalism, determinism, and their relevance for human freedom; practical deliberation and the structure of the will; weakness and strength of will. Readings may be drawn from both historical and contemporary sources.

PHILOS 110 Aesthetics 4 Units

Visual arts/literature and music. Form, expression, representation style; interpretation and evaluation.

PHILOS 112 Special Topics in Aesthetics 3 Units

This course is intended to allow a more focused exploration of particular topics in aesthetics than is possible in Philosophy 110. Its contents will vary from occasion to occasion. Topics may include philosophical questions arising for particular art forms such as painting, music, or dance; questions about form, expression, representation, and emotion in aesthetic experience; or the ideas of particular aesthetic movements or schools of thought.

PHILOS C112 Music and Meaning 3 Units

This course will explore the question of whether music has meaning, and if so, what kind. Can music represent, say, birdsong, or the sea, or merely imitate? If music expresses emotions, then whose--those of the listener? The composer? The performer? We will consider parallels and contrasts between linguistic and musical meaning, theories of how music can be expressive, and the question of whether music can convey political meaning.

PHILOS 114 History of Political Philosophy 4 Units

A survey of the major political philosophers, including some or all of Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Bentham, Mill, and Marx.

PHILOS 115 Political Philosophy 4 Units

Analysis of political obligation and related problems.

PHILOS 116 Special Topics in Political Philosophy 4 Units

This course is designed to deal with a variety of topics in political philosophy. Its contents will vary from occasion to occasion. Possible topics include problems in liberal theory; justice, desert, and responsibility; communitarianism, nationalism, and cosmopolitanism.

PHILOS 119 Feminism and Philosophy 4 Units

This course will introduce students to a range of historical and contemporary feminist issues.

PHILOS 122 Theory of Knowledge 4 Units

PHILOS 125 Metaphysics 4 Units

An advanced introduction to contemporary metaphysics, focusing on the ideas of objectivity, existence, naturalness, identity, time, causation, and possibility.

PHILOS 127 Rationality and Irrationality in Science 3 Units

Science is often regarded as preeminently rational. Yet recent work in philosophy, history and sociology of science suggests that scientific knowledge is no more rationally established than other sorts of knowledge, and that scientists' convictions are driven more by party loyalty and ego than by a pureminded pursuit of truth. This course will consider the case for and against the rationality of science. It will also consider the recent controversy concerning "scientific" creationism.

PHILOS 128 Philosophy of Science 4 Units

A survey of main topics in the logic of science and of other issues coming under the general heading of philosophy of science.

PHILOS 132 Philosophy of Mind 4 Units

Mind and matter; other minds; the concept "person."

PHILOS C132 Philosophy of Mind 4 Units

Mind and matter; other minds; the concept of "person."

PHILOS 133 Philosophy of Language 4 Units

PHILOS 134 Form and Meaning 4 Units

How is the meaning of a whole sentence determined by the meanings of its parts, and by its structure? This question is addressed in empirical semantic theories for natural language. The character and content of such theories has been a central concern both of the philosophy of language and of recent linguistics, and it is the central focus of this course.

PHILOS 135 Theory of Meaning 4 Units

Language as social behavior. Language compared to other sign systems. The foundations of semantics, truth, meaning, reference. Issues of logical form in belief sentences, indirect discourse, sentences about causality, events, actions. Relations between thought and language.

PHILOS 136 Philosophy of Perception 4 Units

The philosophy of perception is a microcosm of the metaphysics of mind. Its central problems - What is perception? What is the nature of perceptual consciousness? How can one fit an account of perceptual experience into a broader account of the nature of the mind and the world? - are problems at the heart of metaphysics. It is often justifiably said that the theory of perception (and especially vision) is the area of psychology and neuroscience that has made the greatest progress in recent years. Despite this progress, or perhaps because of it, philosophical problems about perception retain a great urgency, both for philosophy and for science.

PHILOS 138 Philosophy of Society 4 Units

This course deals with the ontology of society and thus provides a foundation for the social sciences. The main questions discussed are: 1) What is the mode of existence of social reality? 2) How does it relate to psychological and physical reality? 3) What implications does social ontology have for social explanations?

PHILOS 140A Intermediate Logic 4 Units

Major concepts, results, and techniques of modern logic. Basic set theoretic tools. Model theoretic treatment of propositional and first-order logic (completeness, compactness, Lowenheim-Skolem). Philosophical implcations of these results.

PHILOS 140B Intermediate Logic 4 Units

Major concepts, results, and techniques of modern logic. Turing machines, computability theory, undecidability of first-order logic, proof theory, Godel's first and second inompleteness theorms. Philosophical implications of these results.

PHILOS 141 Philosophy and Game Theory 4 Units

An exploration of how game theory and rational choice theory shed light on traditional philosophical problems; and of new paradoxes and problems introduced by these theories.

PHILOS 142 Philosophical Logic 4 Units

The course aims at introducing students to the basic topics in philosophy of logic. Among the topics to be treated are the notions of validity, truth and truth functionality, quantification, and necessity.

PHILOS 143 Modal Logic 4 Units

An introduction to the logical study of modality in its many forms: reasoning about necessity, knowledge, obligation, time, counterfactuals, provability, and other modal notions. Covers core concepts and basic metatheory of propositional modal logic, including relations to first-order logic; basics of quantified modal logic; selected philosophical applications ranging from epistomology to ethics, metaphysics to mathematics.

PHILOS 146 Philosophy of Mathematics 4 Units

Foundations of mathematics: logicism, intuitionism, formalism. Set theoretical parardoxes, definition of numbers, problems of continuum.

PHILOS 149 Special Topics in Philosophy of Logic and Mathematics 4 Units

This course is conceived in analogy with Philosophy 129 (Special Topics in Philosophy of Science). It is supposed to allow the class to focus on more specific problems in philosophy of logic or mathematics than can be treated in a broad introductory course such as Philosophy of Mathematics (Philosophy 146) or Philosophical Logic (Philosophy 142).

PHILOS 155 Medieval Philosophy 4 Units

A study of some of the major philosophical texts from the medieval period with a focus on issues in metaphysics and epistemology. Topics may include universals, individuation, the nature and existence of God, faith and reason, skepticism, freedom, language, human nature and human cognition.

PHILOS 156A Foundations of Analytic Philosophy: Frege 4 Units

The work of Gottlob Frege with special emphasis on his contributions to logic, the philosophy of mathematics, and the philosophy of language.

PHILOS 160 Plato 4 Units

PHILOS 161 Aristotle 4 Units

PHILOS 163 Special Topics in Greek Philosophy 4 Units

The course is designed to deal with a variety of topics in Greek philosophy. Its contents will vary from occasion to occasion. Possible topics are: the close study of one or more of Plato's dialogues, the reading of one of Aristotle's texts, stoicism, scepticism, and neo-platonism.

PHILOS 170 Descartes 4 Units

PHILOS 172 Spinoza 4 Units

PHILOS 173 Leibniz 4 Units

PHILOS 176 Hume 4 Units

PHILOS 178 Kant 4 Units

PHILOS 181 Hegel 4 Units

PHILOS 183 Schopenhauer and Nietzsche 4 Units

An examination of the philosophy of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.

PHILOS 184 Nietzsche 4 Units

PHILOS 185 Heidegger 4 Units

A study of Heidegger's .

PHILOS 186B Later Wittgenstein 4 Units

A close reading and extended discussion of central parts of Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations.

PHILOS 187 Special Topics in the History of Philosophy 4 Units

The course's specific content will vary from occasion to occasion but either the course will focus narrowly upon problems drawn from the work of a philosopher in the 160 to 178 series, or it will study several influential philosophers, active mainly before the twentieth century, who shared a common outlook or who were linked by other types of philosophically significant reaction to one another's work.

PHILOS 188 Phenomenology 4 Units

Backgrounds of phenomenology and existentialism. Husserl and Merleau-Ponty.

PHILOS N188 Phenomenology 4 Units

Backgrounds of phenomenology and existentialism. Husserl and Merleau-Ponty.

PHILOS 189 Special Topics in Recent European Philosophy 4 Units

The course is designed to deal with a variety of topics in recent European philosophy. Its contents will vary from occasion to occasion. Possible topics include: further work in phenomenology and existentialism, the study of a particular text by an important figure in contemporary European philosophy, current French and German philosophy.

PHILOS 190 Proseminar 3 Units

A seminar-style exploration of some topic in philosophy. The students and insturctor will investigate the topic in a collaborative way, through discussion rather than lecture. Topics vary from semester to semester. Enrollment is limited to 15 undergraduate philosophy majors.

PHILOS H195 Philosophy Tutorial 4 Units

The department will designate a tutor, under whose guidance the student will seek to satisfy the thesis requirement of the Honors Program.

PHILOS 198 Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Directed study on special topics.

PHILOS 198BC Berkeley Connect 1 Unit

Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate.

PHILOS 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

Enrollment restrictions apply; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section in this catalog.

Faculty

Professors

Janet Broughton, Professor. Descartes, Hume, 17th and 18th century philosophy.
Research Profile

John Joseph Campbell, Professor. Theory of meaning; philosophy of mind; causation in psychology.
Research Profile

Hannah Ginsborg, Professor. Philosophy, Kant and on Kantian themes in contemporary epistemology and philosophy of mind.
Research Profile

Niko Kolodny, Professor.

John MacFarlane, Professor. Ancient philosophy, philosophical logic, philosophy of language, epistemology.
Research Profile

Paolo Mancosu, Professor. Philosophy, philosophy of mathematics and its history, philosophy of logic, mathematical logic.
Research Profile

Alva Noe, Professor. Cognitive science, phenomenology, consciousness, philosophy, theory of perception, theory of art, Wittgenstein, analytic philosophy origins.
Research Profile

Thomas A Ryckman, Professor.

John R. Searle, Professor. Philosophy, problems of mind and language.
Research Profile

Hans D. Sluga, Professor. Wittgenstein, Nietzsche, Foucault, political philosophy, recent European philosophy, Frege.
Research Profile

Barry Stroud, Professor. Language, metaphysics, philosophy, epistemology, modern philosophy.
Research Profile

R. Jay Wallace, Professor. Ethics, moral philosophy, philosophy.
Research Profile

Associate Professors

Lara Buchak, Associate Professor. Game theory, decision theory, epistemology, philosophy of religion.
Research Profile

Klaus Corcilius, Associate Professor. Ancient philosophy.
Research Profile

Daniel Warren, Associate Professor. Philosophy, Kant, history and philosophy of science.
Research Profile

Seth Yalcin, Associate Professor. Philosophy of language, logic, philosophy of mind, cognitive science, semantics, metaphysics.
Research Profile

Assistant Professors

Timothy Clarke, Assistant Professor.

Wesley H. Holliday, Assistant Professor. Philosophy, logic, epistemology, Epistemic Logic, Modal Logic.
Research Profile

Geoffrey Lee, Assistant Professor. Metaphysics, philosophy of mind, foundations of cognitive science.
Research Profile

Adjunct Faculty

Michael Gerard Fitzgerald Martin, Adjunct Faculty.

Veronique Munoz-Darde, Adjunct Faculty. Moral philosophy, Rousseau, political philosophy.
Research Profile

Lecturers

Timothy Crockett, Lecturer.

Katharina U. Kaiser, Lecturer.

Contact Information

Department of Philsophy

314 Moses Hall

Phone: 510-642-2722

Fax: 510-642-4164

phildept@berkeley.edu

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

John MacFarlane, PhD

231 Moses/302 Moses

Phone: 510-328-3546

jgm@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Student Affairs Officer

Janet Groome

Phone: 510-642-2722

jmgroome@berkeley.edu

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