58 courses with the subject PHIL, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
PHIL 1000Introduction to Philosophy3
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Introduces a broad spectrum of philosophical problems and approaches. Topics include basic questions concerning morality, skepticism and the foundations of knowledge, the mind and its relation to the body, and the existence of God. Readings are drawn from classics in the history of philosophy and/or contemporary sources. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/
Effective Date 09/28/2023 This class explores the intersection of philosophy with issues concerning VR, computer simulation, AI, etc. Can traditional philosophical problems be seen through the lens of VR and AI- and do VR and AI raise new and distinctive philosophical issues? This will show how reflection on modern technologies can help with ancient philosophical questions and how philosophy can help in the development of new technologies and society’s response to them.
Effective Date 01/01/2026 Analyzes the structure of informal arguments and fallacies that are commonly committed in everyday reasoning. The course will not cover symbolic logic in any detail. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 05/01/2026 Discussion groups devoted to some philosophical writing or topic. Information on the specific topic can be obtained from the philosophy department at course enrollment time. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Examines a wide variety of theories of human nature, with the aim of understanding how we can fulfill our nature and thereby live good, satisfying and meaningful lives. Focuses on the questions of whether it is in our nature to be rational, moral and/or social beings. Readings are taken from contemporary and historical sources. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
PHIL 1730Introduction to Moral and Political Philosophy3
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Examines some of the central problems of moral philosophy and their sources in human life and thought. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Studies the fundamental principles underlying contemporary and historical discussions of such issues as abortion, euthanasia, suicide, pacifism, and political terror. Examines Utilitarian and anti-Utilitarian modes of thought about human life and the significance of death. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Examines and evaluates some basic practices and principles of Anglo-American law. Discusses the justification of punishment, the death penalty, legal liability, good samaritan laws, and the legal enforcement of morality. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
PHIL 2110History of Philosophy: Ancient and Medieval3
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Survey of the history of philosophy from the Pre-Socratic period through the Middle Ages. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Surveys the history of modern philosophy, beginning with Descartes and extending up to the nineteenth century. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 12/12/2022 This course surveys foundational issues in the philosophy of cognitive science. Part 1 asks, what is a mind? Are minds brains? Computers? Do minds extend into the body & environment? What it would take to make a machine with a mind? Part 2 turns to the problem of personal identity over time. Once you were a kid, now you’re an adult, and one day you’ll grow old. What (if anything) makes you the same person over your life. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken PHIL 2500 topic #8 Minds, Machines, and Persons
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Introduces the concepts and techniques of modern formal logic, including both sentential and quantifier logic, as well as proof, interpretation, translation, and validity. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2026 Seminars aimed at showing how philosophical problems arise in connection with subjects of general interest. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 04/30/2010 Topics vary annually. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 01/01/2020 In this class, we will examine philosophical puzzles about our ability to make rational choices that affect or determine our own happiness. How can we rationally decide to undergo a significant experience - such as having a child or moving to a new country - when have no way of knowing what that experience will be like? How can we rationally choose to make decisions about our future?
Effective Date 12/12/2018 Other species seem to represent objects in their environments, think about the thoughts of their conspecifics, and perhaps even use language. Some seem to have long-term memory, emotion, and self-awareness. Do they in fact do all of these things, and if so, how, and in what sense? We will engage philosophically with the best scientific evidence available to answer these and similar questions before considering their ethical implications.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Considers the problems raised by arguments for and against the existence of God; discussion of such related topics as evil, evidence for miracles, and the relation between philosophy and theology. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 A survey of the political ideas and theories of the ancient Greeks and Romans, including such works as Plato’s REPUBLIC, Aristotle’s POLITICS and Cicero’s DE RE PUBLICA. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2022 In this class, we’ll discuss philosophical theories of health and explore difficult issues in the measurement and treatment of health-related issues
Effective Date 02/08/2016 This course investigates the history and the scientific and philosophical implications of Darwin’s revolutionary idea that the wholly unguided process of natural selection could explain the magnificent variety and adaptedness of living things and their descent from a common ancestor. One of the philosophical topics we will explore is how scientific theories are supported by evidence and how science yields knowledge
Effective Date 08/01/2023 Introduces the philosophy of Plato through careful examination of selected Platonic dialogues. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 An introduction to the philosophy of Aristotle, covering his major works in ethics, political philosophy, metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and literary theory. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Examines the continued development of philosophy from after Aristotle to the end of the Middle Ages. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 01/01/2026 Primarily a study of Kant’s metaphysics and epistemology, followed by a brief look at the views of some of Idealist successors. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.philosophy.virginia.edu.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 A comprehensive study of the philosophy of Nietzsche, with an examination of his views on life, truth, philosophy, art, morality, nihilism, values and their creation, will to power, eternal recurrence, and more. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
instructor permission (previous course in philosophy preferred) Credits: 3
PHIL 3185Hegel3
Effective Date 08/01/2026 An introduction to the philosophy of Hegel. Students will explore Hegel’s distinctive method of dialectical reasoning and his systematic approach to metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, art, and history. The course situates Hegel within the broader context of German Idealism, examining his responses to Kant, Fichte, and Schelling, while also tracing his lasting impact on later traditions such as Marxism, Existentialism, Phenomenology, and Critical Theory.
Effective Date 08/01/2026 Examines central metaphysical issues such as time, the existence of God, causality and determinism, universals, possibility and necessity, identity, and the nature of metaphysics. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Studies problems concerned with the foundations of knowledge, perception, and rational belief. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 06/01/2013 Studies some basic problems of philosophical psychology. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2026 What distinguishes science from pseudoscience, or from other human practices more generally? How does evidence confirm theories? What does it mean for a scientific theory to explain some aspect of the world? Should we believe scientific theories are true? How do values and social forces shape scientific inquiry? Such questions point to core issues in philosophy of science. In this course, we will examine these and similar topics drawing on both historical and contemporary scientific research.
Effective Date 08/01/2026 Topics change from semester to semester and year to year. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2026 Studies some recent contemporary philosophical movement, writing, or topic. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 10/10/2019 Science fiction is a distinctively philosophical genre. Science fiction stories can cause us to question the bounds of what is possible, explore ethical questions that arise in alien circumstances, explore the nature of the self and the very nature of reality, and so on. This course will investigate philosophical questions via science fiction literature, and use philosophy to explore the nature of science fiction.
Effective Date 08/01/2026 Words have power. They can inform and deceive, delight and hurt. They can be rousing, illuminating, poignant or hilarious. Written words encode our laws and transmit knowledge and testimony across generations. Questions covered may include: How do the words we use get their meanings? By what mechanism do sequences of arbitrary sounds combine to express thoughts and feelings? How does language enable you to express a new thought you had, even if it has never been thought before?
Effective Date 08/01/2021 This course will consider three central questions in political philosophy: Why do political societies exist? What kind of political society is best? And, what is the proper role of the state in the social and economic affairs of its citizens? Rather than a comprehensive overview of the subject, this course will offer a chance to carefully examine some of the most influential attempts to answer to these core questions. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken PHIL 3500 #13 Political Philosophy
Effective Date 08/01/2026 This course focuses on contemporary philosophical discussions of justice covering a wide array of theoretical traditions, including liberalism, communitarianism, utilitarianism, libertarianism, socialism and feminism. Students will explore real-world consequences of these disputes by examining Supreme Court rulings on a variety of issues, possibly including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, campaign finance regulation, gay rights, abortion, and marriage and divorce law.
Effective Date 08/01/2026 Economics is the study of how the various goods and resources that members of a community need are produced and distributed. This course will study various fundamental questions that concern economic thinking. Questions addressed can include: what is the relationship between economy and society? What is market value, and how does it relate to other kinds of value? What kinds of economic arrangements are required as a matter of justice?
Effective Date 08/01/2010 History of modern ethical theory (Hobbes to Mill) with especial emphasis on the texts of Hume (Treatise, Book III) and Kant, (Grundlegung), which will be studied carefully and critically. Among the topics to be considered: Is morality based on reason? Is it necessarily irrational not to act morally? Are moral standards objective? Are they conventional? Is it a matter of luck whether we are morally virtuous? Is the morally responsible will a free will? Are all reasons for acting dependent on desires? For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Studies Anglo-American ethics since 1900. While there are selected readings from G. E. Moore, W. D. Ross, A. J. Ayer, C. L. Stevenson and R. M. Hare, emphasis is on more recent work. Among the topics to be considered: Are there moral facts? Are moral values relative? Are moral judgments universalizable? Are they prescriptive? Are they cognitive? What is to be said for utilitarianism as a moral theory? What against it? And what are the alternatives? For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2026 This course focuses on philosophical issues in applied ethics. Students will explore how moral and political theory provides answers (and sometimes fails to provide answers) to some of our most pressing ethical questions. Topics may include: when, if ever, are abortion and euthanasia morally permissible? What do we owe the global poor? Do we have a right to immigrate? What is the moral status of AI, and what does it mean to use AI ethically? Do we have a right to digital privacy?
Effective Date 01/01/2022 In this class, we’ll first examine the question ‘What is gender?’ Then we’ll look at ways in which gender can interact with traditional philosophical topics, including epistemology, philosophy of language, political philosophy, etc.
Effective Date 03/28/2017 In this class, we’ll be talking about philosophical issues at the intersection of sexuality, sexual experience, and gender experience. What is sexual consent? What is the relationship between sexual consent and sexual morality? What is sexual orientation, and what is its relationship to sex and gender? Is there such a thing as biological sex? Is there a difference between sex and gender?
Effective Date 02/20/2024 This class explores philosophical issues in the nature of mental health and mental illness. Topics may include: What is the difference between a mental illness and a physical illness? How do we understand the difference between mental difference and mental dysfunction? Does our current approach to understanding mental health overly pathologize or medicalize people? What is a social contagion? What does it mean to be mentally healthy? Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken PHIL 3500 topic #19 Philosophy of Mental Health
Effective Date 08/01/2026 A heterodox belief is a belief that is held in opposition to received wisdom or status quo. Heterodox beliefs play an important role in challenging the status quo and advancing knowledge. But they are also central to conspiracy theories and misinformation. In this class, we’ll discuss when and how heterodox beliefs can be warranted, and whether we can tell the difference between good and bad cases. Requisites Students cannot enroll if they previously completed PHIL 3500 Topic #21 Heterodoxy
Effective Date 08/01/2019 Examination of the nature and function of liberty in social theorists such as Adam Smith, JJ Rousseau, Ayn Rand, John Rawls, Robert Nozick. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Topic changes from year to year. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
PHIL 4410Mathematics, Computability, and Philosophy3
Effective Date 08/01/2026 This class is about some of the fascinating and mind-bending issues that arise in the intersection of logic, philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. Some of the issues we will discuss are: the nature of infinity; set theory, including non-well-founded set theories; whether math is all about structure and what that might mean; Turing machines and the limits of computability and mathematical proof; Godel’s incompleteness theorems; paradoxes and the nature of logic and truth.
Effective Date 08/01/2010 Independent study under the direction of a faculty member. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
Effective Date 08/01/2011 Independent study under the direction of a faculty member. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
