Program
Advisor: Harry Huebner, Ph.D. (web page)
Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Theology
Philosophy, in its traditional sense, is understood as the love of wisdom. In its modern form, philosophy is a search for general theoretical explanations in an attempt to answer certain basic questions: what is real? (metaphysics); what can I know? (epistemology); what should I do? (ethics).
Philosophy at CMU explores aspects related to each of these questions, but also involves the ongoing task of rethinking the very idea of philosophy itself. In particular, it investigates the philosopher’s desire for general explanations, and seeks instead to explore philosophies as ways of life. Of special interest is how all of this relates to that peculiar way of life called church. Such an enquiry will approach philosophy historically and contextually, rather than as a series of answers to abstract theoretical questions—which suggests that philosophy is best understood in its more traditional sense as the love of wisdom.
Studies in Philosophy will equip you with skills essential for many pursuits, including careers in post-secondary education, law, government, policy-making, and administration.
Students may choose courses in Philosophy to fulfill requirements for humanities or general electives in any degree program. Students who wish to concentrate in this subject field may choose a major or a minor, either in the four year or the three year Bachelor of Arts.
At CMU, you can
study Philosophy as a four-year major (minimum 48 credit
hours), a three-year major (minimum 30 credit hours), or
a minor (minimum 18 credit hours) within the Bachelor of
Arts.
Click here for information about the
requirements of this program (PDF). For specific
questions about this program, contact the Program
Advisor.
Find below a list of all the courses CMU offers in the field of Philosophy. The introductory course is offered each year. Other courses are offered in a rotation so that students will have opportunity to take them over the years of their studies at CMU. Since CMU does not offer sufficient courses to fulfil all the requirements of majors in Philosophy, students will go as visiting students to other universities to complete some of the requirements.
Courses
The following section contains a complete list of courses approved by the CMU Senate for its curriculum. For current course listings please see the Course Description section of our website.
PHIL-1000/3 History of Philosophy I (Formerly: 62.100/3):
An introduction to Western philosophical thought from the
classical period to the medieval period.
PHIL-1010/3 History of Philosophy II (Formerly: 62.101/3):
An introduction to Western philosophical thought from early
modern to contemporary times.
PHIL-2020/3 Postmodern Philosophy (Formerly: 62.202/3):
An examination of several key themes of postmodern
philosophy, including the interrelationship between power
and knowledge, otherness, difference, madness,
punishment, multiplicity, deconstruction, and gift. Special
attention will be given to the work of Michel Foucault,
Jacques Derrida, and Gilles Deleuze.
PHIL-2030/3 Aquinas and Wittgenstein—Language,
Reality, and God (Formerly: 62.203/3): An examination of the
philosophy of Thomas Aquinas and Ludwig Wittgenstein,
focusing on questions concerning the meaning of language,
the nature of reality, and the possibility of human talk about
God. Special attention will be given to an exploration of the
implications of our understanding of language for how and
what we think about reality, knowledge, the self, ethics, and
God.
PHIL-2040/3 Lying and Truthfulness—An Introduction to
Epistemology (Formerly: 62.204/3): How might we
distinguish truth from the lie? In discussing this question,
this course serves as an introduction to the field of
contemporary epistemology. It examines questions
concerning the nature of knowledge, its sources, goals,
limits, and social forms. Foundationalism, coherentism, virtue
epistemology, and a variety of other approaches will be
considered.
PHIL-2050/3 Nihilism—An Introduction to Metaphysics (Formerly: 62.205/3): Do we understand the world as the
expression of something (that which is) or nothing (that
which is not)? Is reality best approached through categories
of presence or absence? In discussing these questions, this
course serves as an introduction to the field of contemporary
metaphysics.
PHIL-2060/3 Hegel and Kierkegaard—Subjectivity,
System, and Paradox (Formerly: 62.206/3): For Hegel,
philosophy is defined by its systematic character, its
movement towards a resolution. Kierkegaard, by contrast,
was resolutely anti-systematic, emphasizing paradox and the
necessity of proceeding in the absence of reasoned
justifications. Focusing on Hegel and Kierkegaard, this course
examines some basic options in 19th Century philosophy.
Topics to be considered include the Absolute, Spirit,
transcendence, subjectivity, love, paradox, sacrifice, choice
and the possibility of repetition.
POLS/SOCI/PHIL-2600/3 Social and Political Philosophy (Formerly: 31/42/62.260/3): What is human nature? Should
society be organized to reflect this? What is justice? Are
states coercive by nature? How does property inform
politics? What is ethical citizenship? These questions are
explored through a survey of Western political thinkers
including Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke,
Rousseau, de Gouges, Burke, Wollstonecraft, Mill, and Marx,
and by examining their contemporary legacy.
PHIL-2950/3 Topics in Philosophy (Formerly: 62.295/3): The
content of this course will vary from year to year, depending
on the needs of students and the interests and availability of
instructors.
MATH/PHIL/INTG-3000/3 Philosophy of Mathematics: The
philosophy of mathematics includes matters of metaphysics,
semantics , and epistemology. This course will provide an
overview of the philosophy of mathematics, including (1) the
views of some historical philosophers of mathematics, from
Plato and Aristotle to Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill, (2)
the three major positions of the twentieth century, namely,
logicism, intuitionism, and formalism, and (3) some
contemporary accounts of mathematics, such as ontological
realism, anti-realism, and structuralism. Prerequisite: 30 credit
hours of university-level studies, including MATH-2000 with a
minimum grade of “C.”
PCTS/PHIL-3800/3 Whose Violence? Which Peace? (Formerly: 20/62.380/3) The art of naming peace and
violence well requires an appreciation of the different and
related varieties of peace and violence. It also requires an
understanding of how peace and violence are bound up with
a variety of complex related practices and realities that might
not appear on the surface to be relevant matters. For
example, what do speed, technology, media, and virtual
reality have to do with questions of violence and peace?
What difference does it make if we think about peace and
violence in terms of the categories of nation-state, civil
society, or church? Prerequisite: 30 credit hours of universitylevel
study, including either PCTS-1010/3 and 1020/3 or former
PCTS-1100/6 or 6 credit hours of Philosophy.
PHIL-3950/3 Topics in Philosophy (Formerly: 62.395/3): The
content of this course will vary from year to year, depending
on the needs of students and the interests and availability of
instructors. Prerequisite: 30 credit hours of university level
study, including 6 credit hours of Philosophy at the 1000- or
2000-level.
PHIL-4940/3 Independent Study in Philosophy (Formerly:
62.494/3): A study in a specific area of Philosophy under the
direction of a faculty member. Prerequisites: fifteen credit
hours of Philosophy and a minimum of 60 credit hours of postsecondary
education.
PHIL-4950/3 Topics in Philosophy (Formerly: 62.395/3): The
content of this course will vary from year to year, depending
on the needs of students and the interests and availability of
instructors. Prerequisite: 30 credit hours of university level
study, including six credit hours of Philosophy at the 1000- or
2000-level.