PHIL 230.001 – Mind, Matter, and Metaphysics: the Philosophy of Experience and Reality

Instructor: Michaela Tiller. This course meets MWF 1:25 – 2:15 p.m. via remote synchronous (RS) instruction.

In this class, we will ask questions concerning the relation between our phenomenological experiences and the reality of the world. We will look at texts, both historical and contemporary, on topics like the following: Am I my mind, my body or some combination of the two? What makes me the same person today as I was yesterday? Can we know that our experiences are real? Can free will be reconciled with scientific or religious determinism? How can we distinguish between knowledge and error? What is the true nature of the properties (like colors and tastes) we experience and which we attribute to objects? Is it rational to make predictions about the future? Is the way in which we know mathematical truths the same as that in which we know historical facts? This course will acquaint you with work done in the fields of metaphysics, epistemology and philosophy of mind.

Counts for PH and NA Gen Ed credits. No prerequisites.