The University of the West Indies, Mona

This course introduces students to the theories of the nature and justification of ethical concepts and decision procedures. Issues include the relation between motivation and moral justification, the question whether morality is objective or subjective, relative or absolute, and whether moral knowledge is possible. It considers the relation between morality and phenomena such as legality, religion, politics, and conscience, and also critically outlines some of the major theories of moral goodness and right action and their relationship with duty. Issues in applied ethics are explored to introduce students to burning contemporary moral issues.

This course examines the historical development of critical, sustained and reflective thinking of humans in ancient and pre-Christian societies (African, Asian, Eastern, American, European to the time of Thales) with a view to understanding the antecedents of contemporary philosophy on the one hand, and the variations of themes and factors responsible for such variations in various societies and cultures. For the Caribbean, located in the gateway between the Americas, the investigation of the intellectual foundations of the ancestors of the peoples of the region is urgent and pressing. This course provides the opportunity for this investigation.

This course is problem oriented, and critically explores contemporary answers to such questions as: What is knowledge? What are the limitations of knowledge? What is belief? The course also examines the status and extent of our knowledge of the world, of ourselves, and of others. Problems about the nature of knowledge, the justification of claims of knowledge, the relationship of knowledge to belief and truth, perception, and the viability of scepticism will be discussed.

This course considers philosophical questions pertaining to the nature, extent and significance of scientific knowledge. Problems will be discussed about the nature of scientific theories and models, about scientific explanation and prediction, about scientific growth, and the relationship between science, religion and morality. It will address the nature of truth in science and justification in science will be discussed, and consider whether science is a product of interest or is universal.

This course examines critically the definition, nature and subject matter of metaphysics and truth in metaphysics. It surveys the principal types of theories of reality that have been produced in western philosophy, e.g., materialism, idealism, dualism, monism, atomism, and investigates major problems and concepts in metaphysics, such as time, space, substance, essence, free will and determinism, causality, the nature of the self and the problem of universals.

This course examines the conceptual framework for ethical decision-making, using sports and moral conflicts presented in sports as prism through which to examine normative perspectives. Key ethical theories will be discussed, including hedonism, egoism, virtue ethics, deontology, utilitarianism, and social contract ethics. Moral ideas and concepts such as character, compassion, weakness of the will, self-sacrifice, self-love, self-interest, duty, obligation, rights, fairness, responsibility, autonomy and agency will be explored. Also considered are issues such as the ethics of competition; the business of sports; sports and the good life, sportsmanship; rights of athletes; fair play; cheating and the use of performance enhancing drugs; violence in sports; sports as entertainment, exercise, fun, recreation.

This course provides a context in which to reflect on the challenges of interpreting the textual traditions that constitute the inspiration for many Indian philosophers, and raises the question of whether and how we can describe general characteristics of “Indian philosophy.”  The course considers central questions in classical Indian philosophy such as: What are valid sources of knowledge? What are valid forms of reasoning?  Does God exist?  What is the nature of the self?  It also reflects on the application of the ethical teachings of Mahāyāna Buddhism, Jainism, and Vedānta to personal, social, political, and ecological concerns.

This course explores the philosophical and meta-philosophical issues that have pervaded contemporary African philosophical terrain. These include the ontological question in African philosophy and tradition of thinking, peculiarities of philosophy in "oral" societies, the relation between myth, legend, history and religion in philosophy, the natural order of things, phases of discourse, Bantu philosophy and the Intellectualist Thesis.

This course provides a systematic consideration of the fundamental issues in the conception and practice of law, including the origin of law, issues pertaining to sovereignty and subject, legitimacy and autonomy, ethics and justice, democracy and the law, gender and the law, discrimination and reverse discrimination, war and laws, and sanctity of life and law – addressing suicide, capital punishment, cloning, organ transplantation, etc. It provides a forum for the discussion of such perennial themes in legal theory as the nature and function of law, its relation to morality, and its connection with social policy. We look at philosophical issues in crime, civil rights, punishment, and the legislation of morality.

This course will deal with Caribbean attempts to understand, represent and interpret reality in all spheres of life, and engage in critical reflection on the various beliefs and cultural practices of the Caribbean, such as Caribbean conceptions of being, knowledge, ethics, aesthetics, and sexuality. The course will address the question of the existence of a Caribbean philosophy, and the influences on it of Western and African philosophies. Attention will focus on such social and political traditions and issues as Garveyism, Rastafari, Carnival, religious diversities, sports, and sexuality.  The course will also explore Marxist perspectives on Caribbean philosophy.

This year-long course begins with a consideration of different methods of philosophical research. It provides an avenue for critical readings in classical and non-classical works in philosophy, with the objective of developing an awareness of how different philosophers have dealt with issues in the past and in our contemporary time. The course will culminate in the selection and development of research topics and the production of a research essay.

This course introduces students to the philosophical theories, themes and perspectives of the twentieth century. These include existentialism, phenomenology, Marxism, utilitarianism, analytic philosophy, pragmatism, nihilism, pacifism, intuitionism, linguistic philosophy, positivism and phenomenalism. The course will attempt to underscore the multifaceted nature of the philosophical perspectives of the age.

Continental Philosophy is an umbrella term that conventionally refers to the philosophical work coming out of France, Germany, and elsewhere in continental Europe since the beginning of the nineteenth century. This course concentrates on the nineteenth century period of Continental Philosophy where three post-Kantian philosophers along with the originators of phenomenology occupy a central place: Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Brentano and Husserl. The course is designed to initiate students into the intricacies of their thoughts and their impact on the subsequent development of Continental Philosophy.