Metaphysics: what there is
Systematic thought about the true nature of things is the very foundation of philosophical reasoning: idealism and materialism...realism, nominalism, and conceptualism...the noumenal and the phenomenal...logical positivism, emergentism, and modal re...
Philosophy of science
Does science explain the world, or does it simply describe it? Can science ever be truly objective? What is the boundary between science and non-science? Does nature have laws? This program seeks to answer questions such as these through the insight...
Political philosophy
Who should lead the world's only superpower? When is it acceptable to topple another country's leader? Are personal freedom and national security mutually incompatible? The answers to urgent political questions such as these are informed by 23 centu...
Aesthetics: philosophy of the arts
What do modern art, a symphony, and a documentary film have in common? They all require aesthetic considerations. This program presents the ideas of key figures in the shaping and understanding of aesthetics--from Plato, Francis Hutcheson, and Kant ...
Logic: the structure of reason
As a tool for characterizing rational thought, logic cuts across many philosophical disciplines and lies at the core of mathematics and computer science. Drawing on Aristotle's Organon, Russell's Principia Mathematica, and other central works, this ...
Ethics: what is right?
Moral philosophy lies at the heart of today's most heated issues - abortion, human cloning, assisted suicide, financial conflicts of interest, and environmental stewardship. In this program, Harvard University's Frances Kamm; Rutgers University's La...