Philosophy at Mercer is dedicated to the Socratic motto that "the unexamined life is not worth living." Philosophy's ultimate purpose is disciplined reflection on life's "big" questions, universal questions about the meaning of Being that have occupied human beings since the dawn of history.
These questions, simply put, are "What are we?" and "Why are we?" That is, what is the ultimate nature of the universe we live in and what does it mean to be human in it? These animating questions immediately generate more detailed questions in metaphysics (What is ultimately real? Why should there be anything at all?), philosophy of religion (Is there a mind at the foundation of things and is it accessible to us?), ethics (What belongs to living a good life and what values are worthy of our allegiance?) and aesthetics (What is the nature of beauty and the basis of artistic discrimination?).
Answers to these questions are interconnected, and many answers are possible. And different answers have different implications for moral philosophy (how should we conduct ourselves in relation to other persons?) and social and political philosophy (how should we organize our lives together?). Moreover, the persistent pursuit of these questions reveals a constellation of other questions. For example, how are answers to such questions justified? This, in turn, leads to reflection on the scope, methods, and limits of human knowledge (what, if anything, can we know, and how can we know it?), which form the subject-matter of epistemology and philosophy of science, and also raises questions about the nature of thought and language that make up the disciplines of logic, semantics and linguistic analysis. Philosophy, accordingly, may be thought of as the exploration of this web of questions.
Philosophy Major
A major may be earned by taking 30 semester hours in philosophy, and must include 311, 314 and 355; one course selected from 312, 313, 315, 316; and one course selected from 360, 361, 390.
Philosophy majors must complete a comprehensive examination consisting of essay questions on broad philosophical topics. These questions will require significant reference to philosophers and philosophic positions central to the western philosophical tradition. Students will be eligible to take this examination after completing 75 hours of course credit and at least two History of Philosophy courses (311, 312, 313, 314, 315, or 316).
Philosophy Minor
A minor may be earned by taking 15 semester hours in Philosophy, including two courses selected from 311, 312, 313, 314, 315 and 316.
Departmental Honors
Majors may attain Departmental Honors in philosophy by meeting the following requirements: (1) maintain an overall 3.5 grade point average in philosophy; (2) complete satisfactorily one of the following courses: 360, 361, or 390; (3) present an honors thesis based on a closely supervised research project to be approved by all members of the Department.
Courses
PHI 180. Logic and Language (3 hours)
A study of the principles used in distinguishing correct from incorrect reasoning. Special emphasis will be placed upon the application of these principles to everyday language and reasoning. Topics to be studied include: informal fallacies, definitions, categorical propositions and syllogisms, elementary truth functional logic, truth and validity, and induction.
PHI 190. Introduction to Philosophy (3 hours)
An introduction to reading, writing, and thinking about philosophy. The western tradition of philosophical thought will define the subject matter of the course. Emphasis will be placed on the cultivation of a philosophical attitude and the development of the art of conceptual analysis and synthesis. Not open to seniors.
PHI 195. Introduction to Ethics (3 hours)
A study of the principal ethical traditions of Western culture and their application to contemporary moral issues and social problems. Not open to seniors
PHI 205. The Quest For Meaning (3 hours)
Prerequisite: FYS 101
Questions of the meaning and purpose of human life are a dominant theme in our reflections on ourselves and our world. What are the sources of meaning in human life? What ideals and possibilities for human life have people in the past envisioned? How does the present age shape or meet our needs for meaning and purpose? The course is designed to explore these questions through readings in philosophy, theology, literature, and the social sciences.
PHI 220. Philosophy of Science (3 hours)
Prerequisite: FYS 101
A study of the nature and logic of the sciences and an analysis of the relation of science to other human concerns: emphasis will be placed on the nature of scientific evidence, explanation, and theory, the nature and history of scientific discovery; the place of science in understanding humans, values, and society. Recommended for junior and senior science majors.
PHI 230. Political Philosophy (3 hours)
Prerequisite: FYS 101
This course will provide an introductory examination of fundamental political issues such as the meaning and requirements of justice and the legitimate source of political authority. The course may be taught with an historical emphasis, by looking at prominent political philosophers, or with an emphasis on key topics in political philosophy.
PHI 240. Philosophy of Religion (3 hours)
Prerequisite: FYS 101
A study of some of the major problems that arise in the encounter between philosophy and religious belief.
PHI 250. Philosophy of Mind (3 hours)
Prerequisite: FYS 101
This course is an introductory survey in topics in the philosophy of mind. Topics that will be covered in the course include theories of the nature of mind (dualism, behaviorism, functionalism, etc.), theories of personal identity, and puzzles and problems relating to role and nature of consciousness. Other topics may include philosophical treatments of: mental causation, perception, mental content and/or artificial or non-human intelligence.
PHI 290. Special Topics in Philosophy (3 hours)
Prerequisite: FYS 101
A study of some significant topic in philosophy. Suitable for students with no background in philosophy. May be repeated with a different topic.
PHI 311. History of Philosophy I: Ancient Greek Philosophy (3 hours)
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy
A survey of ancient Greek philosophy, including the pre-Socratics, Plato, and Aristotle.
PHI 312. History of Philosophy II: Hellenistic and Early Medieval Philosophy (3 hours)
Prerequisite: PHI 311
A survey of Hellenistic and early Medieval philosophy, which can include the Epicurean, Stoic, Skeptical, and Neo-Platonist schools of the Hellenistic world, as well as early Christian thinkers such as Augustine, Boethius, and Anselm.
PHI 313. History of Philosophy III: Scholastic and Humanistic Philosophy (3 hours)
Prerequisite: PHI 311
A survey of late Medieval philosophy, which can include Islamic, Jewish, and Christian philosophers (Averroes, Maimonides, Aquinas, Ockham), and the rise of humanism, possibly including new approaches to ethics and politics (Machiavelli, Montaigne) and new approaches to nature (Bacon, Galileo).
PHI 314. History of Philosophy IV: Early Modern Philosophy (3 hours)
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy
A survey of early modern philosophy, including figures such as Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, Berkeley, Hume, and Rousseau.
PHI 315. History of Philosophy V: Kant and the Nineteenth Century (3 hours)
Prerequisite: PHI 314
A survey of Kant and nineteenth century philosophy, including figures such as Hegel, Schopenhauer, Marx, Mill, and Nietzsche.
PHI 316. History of Philosophy VI: Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century (3 hours)
Prerequisite: PHI 314
A survey of late nineteenth and early twentieth century philosophy, which can include the schools of existentialism, phenomenology, pragmatism, and analytic philosophy. Possible figures to be covered include Peirce, James, Husserl, Dewey, Russell, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, and Sartre.
PHI 325. Existentialism and Phenomenology (3 hours)
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy.
A study of the major themes of existentialism and phenomenology with some attention to their historical roots in the nineteenth century.
PHI 337. Philosophy and Literature (3 hours)
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy.
An examination of the relationship between philosophy and literature, including reading classic and contemporary literary texts as philosophy, and reading representative philosophical texts as literature. Commonalities and distinctions between these two modes of discourse, as well as their historical influence on one another, will be considered.
PHI 355. Formal Logic (3 hours)
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or nine semester hours in mathematics or computer science.
This course is a formal study of inference. Subject matter may include the syllogism, modal logic, consequences, truth functions, and quantification theory.
PHI 360. A Great Ancient or Medieval Philosopher (3 hours)
Prerequisite: PHI 311
An intensive study of the works of an ancient or medieval philosopher of major importance in the Western tradition. The course is designed to acquaint the student with the principles of philosophical research, as well as to provide an extensive knowledge of the philosophy selected. Typical thinkers include but are not limited to: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas. The philosopher selected will appear in the annual schedule of courses and be recorded on the student's transcript. The course may be taken twice with the consent of the instructor, for a maximum of 6 semester hours credit.
PHI 361. A Great Modern Philosopher (3 hours)
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy
An intensive study of the works of a modern philosopher of recognized stature. Typical thinkers include but are not limited to: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, James, Dewey, Whitehead, Wittgenstein, Heidegger. The philosopher selected will appear in the annual schedule of courses and be recorded on the student's transcript. This course may be taken twice with the consent of the instructor, for a maximum of 6 semester hours credit.
PHI 380. Human Nature and Art (3 hours)
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or permission of instructor.
This summer course is a study of the changing notions of the human condition in the western tradition as discerned in great works of visual art and architecture studied in situ. At least one week is spent on the Macon campus, orienting students to the aims and requirements of the course; at least two weeks of study abroad, examining appropriate art objects and artifacts, follow.
PHI 390. Special Topics in Philosophy (3 hours)
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy, junior or senior status, and consent of the instructor.
An intensive study of some significant topic in philosophy, not otherwise covered in departmental course offerings.
PHI 420. Directed Independent Research (3 hours)
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy, junior or senior status, and consent of the instructor.
This course is intended to provide the student with the opportunities to do guided reading in a field of interest. At least one substantial paper is required, and the student must have the project approved by the end of the third week of the semester. The course is available each semester.