PHL.1008 Being Human
What exactly does it mean to be human? What does it mean philosophically to be a human being? It means to ask what kind of a thing I am: what kind of a substance I am. Am I my mind? Am I my body? Am I both? Am I an animal? What is an animal? Am I naturally social? Would I exist if I didn't have relations with others? These are some of the basic questions that this course will ask and ask you to reflect upon. They are some of our most basic questions. Can we even be, and be well, if we don't know what we are? We will deal both with the means with which we try to answer these questions, and with some of the most important answers to this question. Course readings will include works by Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Michael Loux, Alvin Plantinga, and John Searle.
LA