Logic / Philosophy

Course summary

What is it to be human? Do we have free will? Does my life have meaning? What do we mean when we say something is right or wrong? These abstract questions arise out of our everyday experiences and Philosophy provides the tools to formulate possible responses. In Philosophy, students engage with some of the world’s most interesting and influential thinkers: from France, Germany, UK, the USA, China, India, Ghana, Egypt, Russia, and Cuba. Students are encouraged to think for themselves and “do Philosophy”, rather than passively repeating the ideas of dead philosophers. The course stimulates students’ intellectual curiosity, challenges them to examine their own perspectives, and enables them to grow into independent thinkers. Students will study: • Being Human - existentialism, personhood, consciousness, the self and the other, free will • Ethics - empathy, utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, virtue, cultural relativism, what does ‘good’ mean? • Political Philosophy - authority, revolution, anarchism, justice, rights, violence, ideologies • Mill’s On Liberty • Contemporary issues - the environment, technology, philosophical methodology