Idealism (PHIL 830.001)
Instructors: Thomas Hofweber and Bill Lycan. This seminar meets on Wednesdays from 2:30 – 5:00 p.m. in Caldwell 208.
Idealism is a term that covers a group of philosophical positions which hold, in some form or other, that minds are central to what reality is like. Many of the greatest philosophers in the history of the discipline were idealist of a kind, but there are hardly any to be found these days. In this course we will revisit the case for idealism in a non-historical setting. We hope to distinguish different versions of idealism, what their problems and advantages are, which ones are clearly false, which ones might be true, and why. Topics will include at least the metaphysics of idealism, idealism and the philosophy of perception, and idealism and the philosophy of mind. This course will not focus on the history of idealism, but instead on whether a case for idealism can be made now, despite the position’s almost universal disappearance.
Thomas Hofweber’s webpage
Bill Lycan’s webpage