This is one of the advanced global liberal arts courses of global nuclear safety and security agents.
Typically, there are no definite answers in philosophy. However seemingly cogent and enticing, they are in all likelihood tentative and open to further questioning. This situation is not to be deplored, because it means we can pose a new question from the place we have reached. This kind of radicalism is a characteristic of philosophical way of thinking. In this sense, philosophy does not mean one discipline among many, but an intellectual orientation which is common to every science.
The instructor will focus on some polemical topics of contemporary philosophy in this course. He hopes students can get a sense of radical way of thinking through them.
To understand and improve the skills to criticize many kinds of social issues from a philosophical viewpoint
realism vs anti-realism, scientific knowledge, mind, other, justice, utilitarianism, distribution
Specialist skills | ✔ Intercultural skills | ✔ Communication skills | Critical thinking skills | ✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
To ask you to present your own remarks based on the content of lecture and discuss them with each other in the last part of every class.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Introduction | Understand what the philosophical way of thinking is in general. |
Class 2 | Epistemology 1: scientific recognition and philosophy | Examine scientific knowledge from a philosophical viewpoint |
Class 3 | Epistemology 2: realism vs anti-realism | Understand the relationship between scientific knowledge and the nature |
Class 4 | Philosophy of mind 1: other’s mind | Explain the theory of mind |
Class 5 | Philosophy of mind 2: philosophy of mind reading | Explain philosophical and psychological argument about understanding others' minds |
Class 6 | Philosophy of justice 1: the limitation of utilirarianism | Explain utilitarianism and the theory of justice |
Class 7 | Philosophy of justice 2: consideration for the social vulnerability | Understand a philosophical argument on justice of distribution |
Class 8 | Review | Make sure of the level of understanding and self-evaluate your achievement for classes 1–7. |
No text book required. Handouts will be distributed.
Baggini and Fossil, Philosopher's Toolkit, Blackwell. ISBN: 1405190183
Class discussion (30%), Term paper (70%)
None
saito.masaki[at]nr.titech.ac.jp
E-mail in advance