Making Sense of Ourselves (PHIL 112)

This course is designed as an introduction to philosophy, in which we will grapple with several of the most fundamental philosophical puzzles one encounters when trying to understand ourselves and our place in the world.

Among the issues we will be discussing: If God exists, why is there so much evil in the world? If there is no God, are our lives meaningless? How can we live meaningful lives? How can we, as physical beings, have mental experience? If we don’t have free will, can morality exist? Why should we be moral at all?

We will be reading both contemporary and historical philosophical works.

Vida Yao’s webpage