Philosophy Course Information

Philosophy 110

Introduction to Philosophy.

Articulating, assessing, and defending fundamental positions on topics such as reason, knowledge, science, education, ethics, politics, and religion.

Philosophy 150

Reasoning and Writing.

Informal grammar, logic, and rhetoric as tools for reading and writing. Library research. Recommended for philosophy majors and minors. Fulfills GE First-Year Writing requirement. No course challenges accepted.

Philosophy 150 Honors

Reasoning and Writing.

Informal grammar, logic, and rhetoric as tools for reading and writing. Library research. Recommended for philosophy majors and minors. Fulfills GE First-Year Writing requirement. No course challenges accepted.

Philosophy 201

History of Philosophy 1.

Western civilization from Greek antiquity to Renaissance, primarily from perspective of philosophy; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

Philosophy 201 Honors

History of Philosophy 1.

Western civilization from Greek antiquity to Renaissance, primarily from perspective of philosophy; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

Philosophy 202

History of Philosophy 2.

Western civilization from Renaissance to present, primarily from perspective of philosophy; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

Philosophy 202 Honors

History of Philosophy 2.

Western civilization from Renaissance to present, primarily from perspective of philosophy; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

Philosophy 205

Deductive Logic.

History and use of syllogistic and propositional logic; evaluating arguments with Venn diagrams, truth tables, and Copi-style proofs and proof strategies.

Philosophy 210

Science and Civilization 1.

History of Civilization from Greek antiquity to scientific revolution; methods in early science and their philosophical significance; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

Philosophy 211

Science and Civilization 2.

History of Civilization from scientific revolution to present; concepts and methods in modern science and their philosophical significance; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

Philosophy 213

Introduction to Ethics.

Nature and justification of moral standards, beliefs, and decisions.

Philosophy 214

Introduction to the Philosophy of Art.

The experience of beauty in nature, in literature, and in the arts.

Philosophy 215

Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion.

Existence and nature of God, God's foreknowledge and man's free will, faith, immortality, and religious experience and language.

Philosophy 218

Science and Religion.

Epistemological and metaphysical similarities and differences undergirding historical problems in science and religion. Nature and effects of past reconciliations; possibility and desirability of current reconciliations.

Philosophy 300

Philosophical Writing.

Writing philosophical papers about philosophical texts or problems. Research methods in philosophy. Library research paper. Fulfills GE Advanced Written and Oral Communication requirement. No course challenges accepted.

Philosophy 305

Predicate Logic.

History and use of predicate logic; evaluating arguments with counterexamples and proofs; informal mathematical proofs. Fulfills GE Language/Mathematics requirement.

Philosophy 320R

Studies in Ancient Philosophy.

Selected figures or topics.

Philosophy 330R

Studies in Medieval Philosophy.

Selected figures or topics.

Philosophy 340R

Studies in Modern Philosophy.

Selected figures or topics.

Philosophy 350R

Studies in Contemporary Philosophy.

Selected figures or topics.

Philosophy 405

Metalogic.

Completeness and undecidability of predicate logic; incompleteness of arithmetic and set theory; treatment of related philosophical topics and of nonclassical topics as time permits.

Philosophy 413

Ethics.

Selected figures or problems.

Philosophy 414

Philosophy of Art.

Selected figures or problems in aesthetics.

Philosophy 415

Philosophy of Religion.

Selected figures or problems.

Philosophy 416

Philosophy of Law.

The relation between natural and enacted law; theories of punishment; utilitarian and nonutilitarian theories of law; liberty.

Philosophy 420

Philosophy of Language.

Meaning and reference, synonymy, metaphor, exemplification, translation; linguistic, artistic, and perceptual symbol systems.

Philosophy 421

Metaphysics.

Basic categories of being: appearance and reality, law, causality, space, time, eternity, deity.

Philosophy 422

Epistemology.

Meaning, limits, and justification of knowledge.

Philosophy 423- Physcs 314

History and Philosophy of Science.

Scientific explanation, concepts, and models. Philosophical assumptions and criteria for theory selection, as exemplified by historical development of basic ideas in science.

Philosophy 449R

Philosophical Lecture Series.

Lectures on philosophical topics by faculty and advanced students.

Philosophy 499R

Honors Thesis.

Selected topic or figure in philosophy.

500-Level Graduate Courses (available to advanced undergraduates)

Philosophy 501R

Graduate Seminar

Selected topic, figure, or movement in philosophy, as announced in current class schedule.

Graduate Courses

For 600- and 700-level courses, see the BYU 2006–2007 Graduate Catalog.