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

Instructor: Conner Schultz. This course meets MTWRF 1:15 – 2:45 p.m. in CW 208 via in-person (IP) instruction.

What do we know? And how do we know anything at all? These two questions are central to epistemology – the branch of philosophy dealing with knowledge.

The course will be divided into two parts. The first part will investigate theoretical issues concerning the nature of knowledge, including: What is knowledge? Do we know anything? Does knowledge require certainty? Are our senses reliable, and if so, can we know it? The second part will investigate applied epistemological questions concerning the relationship between knowledge and society, including: What is fake news? Should we trust experts? Can it be rational to believe conspiracy theories?