PHIL 458.001 – Formal Techniques in Philosophy
IDEAs in Action: Which curricular requirements does this course satisfy?
Instructor: Daniel Muñoz. This course meets W 4:40 – 7:10 p.m. in CW 213.
Logic rules. But it’s not the only formal technique that philosophers should know about. It is also useful to know a bit about probability, conditionals, decision theory, game theory, and social choice theory. This course will be an accessible introduction to such topics. After a boot camp on logic, proofs, and sets, we will take a tour through some of the most exciting uses of formal techniques in ethics, epistemology, and philosophy-adjacent social science. For the final project, students may choose either an exam or a paper; this paper can be on any topic of the student’s choice and must substantially incorporate techniques from the course.
Prerequisite (for undergraduates): PHIL 155 or equivalent.