Spring 2010 Senior Seminar Topics for 2nd part of semester

Please add your comments and suggestions here, not only about the topics but about formats for class.

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Topic Ideas for Part Two of the Seminar

Existential Lit.

No Exit? Alfino 19:56, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

Phil science

I could see pulling up a standard account and some competitors. This isn't something we do well in your curriculum.Alfino 19:56, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

I'd be interested especially in some of the philosophy of mathematics in the last 130 years, maybe some Frege, Pierce, Russell, Whitehead, Putnam, etc.--DTuckerman

Phil mind

Lots to choose here. Maybe some of you who took the class could nominate topics.Alfino 19:56, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

Phil technology

We can borrow a topic from Kirk's class.Alfino 19:56, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

Free Will

Are we thinking "Compatibilism and It's Critics"?Alfino 19:56, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

Time

I am currently in the philosophy of time course, and here are some of the issues that have come up:

• absolute time vs. relative time (Newton vs. Leibniz)
• the mutability or immutability of the past
• the mutability or immutability of the future (freewill vs. a determined universe)
• the experience of the present
• being and becoming
• continuous and discreet time
• objective vs. subjective time (with respect to mind)
• the temporality of God
• cultural conceptions of time
• the arrow of time (direction, observation of movement into the future)
• and what science tells us about time --Jangello 21:56, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

Self/identity in community

Alfino: So, for me this might include some Rorty or Foucault. I'm also just finishing browsing a collection of essays, "Narrative and Consciousness" ed by Fireman, McVay, and, Flanagan. The last two chapters are good for arguing that the narrative quality of our experience is embodied in both the brain and our bodies ("Empirical Evidence for a Narrative Concept of Self" and "Sexual Identities and Narratives of Self"). Alfino 19:56, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

Brandon, did you have some sources here?

Brandon: I think Foucault would work well. Let me kind of lay out what I've been thinking and maybe you can form a topic between what either of us has. Two philosophies I kind of predicate all this on are Kant's Cognitive a priori categories, as well as Hegel's model of consciousness as a master/slave dialectic. Here is my central question:

Does the way in which we perceive anything, that is to say in terms of categories; the differentiations of any "property" of a thing such as quantity, quality and so on, necessitate a relation between such categories and by doing so form a master/slave dialectic? What I mean by this dialectic, is simply the property of privileging one role over the other in terms of worth or power. If we experience the world in terms of categorization, or better put, in terms of differentiation, then to what extent does a kind of competition form, between such properties?

Less abstractly put, does the differentiation between a self, a group, a community necessitate a un-mitigatory bias, thereby creating an oppressive relationship?

Even less abstractly put, can I distinguish myself without necessitating some kind of egoism? Can we form a community without by definition, excluding others? Can there be community without privileging and the short step to violence?

The readings that I've been looking at have been Hegel's Master/Slave dialectic, Kant's Categories, Kristeva's "Strangers to Ourselves" and Leon Trotsky's "Terroism." Anything else on power relations, communities in relation to power, philosophy of mind and power or how it relates to others, anything of that sort I think would hit what I've been wondering about. I have copies of Kristeva and Trotsky. Also, if this is too big or off the mark for the seminar then feel free to kind mold it or hit anything in the mix that you feel would be beneficial. I find it interesting, especially since we treat notions of self-hood and community as unquestionable good things, I'm wondering if there aren't downsides, such as alienation, exclusion and even violence...Byost 02:11, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

Existence of Evil

I would like to study this topicCfaller 02:59, 11 February 2010 (UTC)

I think this is one is very interesting as well Ehanson

Logic Topics

I would love to see Dr Hutchins come in - especially if we can go into relations and more advanced logic --DTuckerman

I would be interested in Dr. Hutchins coming in as well.Cfaller 18:27, 11 February 2010 (UTC)

Other Questions

1. How many topics should we choose?

2. Do any of you want to help "produce" a seminar session as part of your grading scheme?