Spring 2025
Saints, Heretics and Atheists: An Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion
Jeffrey McDonough PhD, Professor of Philosophy, Harvard University
Does God exist? What is the nature of evil and where does it come from? Are humans free? Responsible? Immortal? Does it matter? This course explores foundational questions in the philosophy of western religion through the study of classic works by Plato, Augustine of Hippo, Anselm of Canterbury, Ibn Sina, Al-Ghazali, Thomas Aquinas, Blaise Pascal, Baruch Spinoza, David Hume, John Stuart Mill, Friedrich Nietzsche and William James, as well as discussions by contemporary authors such as Pamala Milne, Marilynne Robinson, and Daniel Dennett. Students have the opportunity to reexamine their own views and assumptions about religion in dialogue with great thinkers of the past and present.
Fall 2024
The Meaning of Life
Mathias Risse PhD, Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights, Global Affairs and Philosophy, Harvard Kennedy School
Many of us have good reasons for doing this or that, making this decision rather than that, choosing this path over another. There is often a point to these choices that we can identify and sometimes have thought hard about. But is there a point to life as a whole? That is the question about the meaning of life. Though the question is notoriously hard to make precise, one way or another it has animated much literature and art, and also much philosophy. Some philosophers have provided very disheartening answers to the questions of whether life has meaning, including that life is suffering and then it ends; life is absurd and never gains any meaning; life is all about creating hell for each other and we cannot escape. But other philosophers have provided more uplifting answers. Both kinds of answers deserve serious scrutiny. Such scrutiny should be of interest to anybody who wishes to make reflection on their life as a whole part of their education. After reviewing a number of pessimistic and more optimistic approaches to the meaning of life we also turn to the subject of death. We all die eventually. We normally encounter death among family and friends before we have to deal with our own. These themes too are the subject of philosophical reflection. The course finishes with a discussion of an important set of lectures on the topics of this course by a contemporary philosopher. This course is quite wide-ranging and integrates historical figures and references to art and literature as appropriate, but its main focus is on contributions by relatively recent thinkers in the Anglo-American analytical tradition of philosophy. The methodology of this course is philosophical. Some of the topics may touch you quite personally and you should take this into account before enrolling.
Prerequisites: None, but prior exposure to philosophy is a plus.
Spring 2025
Buddhist Philosophers and Their Critics: Mind, Matter, and Meditation
Parimal G. Patil PhD, Professor of Religion and Indian Philosophy, Harvard University
Buddhist theories in epistemology, metaphysics, and mind were contested by a broad range of philosophers, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist. In this course, we discuss rival views on the epistemology of perception, the metaphysics of momentariness, and the nature of consciousness. In addition to understanding these arguments in their historical contexts, we ask what we can learn from them today and, when relevant, investigate how they are being used in contemporary philosophy.
Prerequisites: Previous coursework in philosophy.
Spring 2025
Camus, Sartre, Beauvoir, and Current Social Debates
Raymond F. Comeau PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University - Tiffany Nancy Lin ALM, Staff Scientist, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University
The writings of Albert Camus (1913-1960) and Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980), both Nobel Prize winners, and Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), winner of the prestigious Goncourt Prize, are all representative of French existentialism and have made a lasting impact. Their ideas resonate today on a number of fronts that still cause lively debate, among them antisemitism, racism, epidemics, terrorism, suicide, feminism, capital punishment, authoritarianism, and ageism. These writers are also masters of thought and expression. We study their creative works aesthetically and intellectually, and follow their mode of philosophical thinking closely as they develop such concepts as freedom, the absurd, revolt, justice, individual responsibility, ethics, authenticity, committed writing and action, and the appeal to the conscience. Among works to be studied by Camus are The Myth of Sisyphus, The Guest, Reflections on the Guillotine, The Plague, and The Fall; by Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism, No Exit, Anti-Semite and Jew, and What is Literature?; and by Beauvoir, The Second Sex, The Monologue, The Ethics of Ambiguity, and The Coming of Age. Most of the works are read in their entirety, the very long ones in carefully selected excerpts. Students write one-page opinion papers to help them crystallize their thoughts and prepare for class discussion.
Spring 2025
Philosophy of Technology: From Marx and Heidegger to Artificial Intelligence
Mathias Risse PhD, Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights, Global Affairs and Philosophy, Harvard Kennedy School
Technology shapes how power is exercised in society and thereby also shapes how the present changes into the future. Technological innovation is all around us and new possibilities in fields like artificial intelligence, genome-editing, and geoengineering not only reallocate power, but might transform human life itself considerably, to the point of modifying the essence of what it is to be human. While ethical considerations enter prominently, the philosophy of technology is broader than its ethics. It aims to interpret and critically assess the role of technology for human life and guide us to a more thoughtful integration of technology in our individual lives and in public decision making. This course aims to teach students to do just that, starting with basic stances and key figures in the field and then progressing towards a number of challenges around specific types of technology as they arise for the twenty-first century. At times it is tech optimism that dominates these debates (sometimes even techno-boosterism that sees technology as key to heaven on earth), at other times it is more low-spirited attitudes from Romantic uneasiness to doom-and-gloom Luddism and technology-bashing. A closer look at these attitudes alongside reflection on how technology and power are intertwined helps generate a more skeptical attitude toward all of them and contribute to more level-headed debates, which are badly needed.
Fall 2024
Self, Science, and Sport: Mindfulness from Aristotle to Lebron James
Sheza Alqera MTS, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Resources espousing mindfulness as a lifestyle, practice, or means of self-growth have exploded in the last few decades. Celebrities and scientists alike have taken to academic platforms and social media to champion the significance of a present state of mind. But what, if anything, do figures such as Lebron James and some of the earliest practitioners of contemplative practices like Aristotle have in common? This course studies mindfulness in its historical and contemporary context, examining the long and ancient history of looking inward and examining the self. We consider the emergence of mindfulness as a term and practice in the last century, whilst also considering the ways in which it is connected to and distinct from traditions past. We study some of the earliest discussions on reflective and meditative practices, beginning with the ancient Greek philosophers, moving on to Sufi and dervish literature, and ending with a study of the teachings of the popular, contemporary Vietnamese Thi n Buddhist monk, Th ch Nh t H?nh. We consider how the notion of contemplation and mindfulness is presented and negotiated in the writings of each of these authors, and whether there are parallels to be found across histories and cultures. Then, we switch gears and adopt a more contemporary lens, studying mindfulness from the perspective of modern science. Several recent studies in psychology and medicine have attempted to place mindfulness and meditation in conversation with cognition and neuroscience. Our task is to better understand how mindfulness is measured, defined, and studied in these relatively new fields. Finally, we study the role of body and movement in contemplative practice. We ask why the body is so critical in ancient yogic wisdom on the mind, what modern notions of a flow state mean, and consider why athletes such as Bruce Lee and Lebron James understand their physical craft as intimately connected to a mindful mental state. As we study mindfulness beyond the mind, we supplement our studies of texts with analysis of non-literary and contemporary resources, such as the modern podcast, and artistic endeavors. Throughout the course we consider how our history and our present merge in the study of mindfulness and what it can disclose of our understanding of human experience.
Fall 2024
Happiness
Susanna Rinard PhD, Professor of Philosophy, Harvard University
Should we pursue happiness, and if so, what is the best way to do it? This course critically assesses the answers to these questions given by thinkers from a wide variety of different places, cultures, and times, including Stoicism, Epicureanism, Buddhism, Daoism, and contemporary philosophy, psychology, and economics.
Spring 2025
Happiness
Susanna Rinard PhD, Professor of Philosophy, Harvard University
Should we pursue happiness, and if so, what is the best way to do it? This course critically assesses the answers to these questions given by thinkers from a wide variety of different places, cultures, and times, including Stoicism, Epicureanism, Buddhism, Daoism, and contemporary philosophy, psychology, and economics.
Fall 2024
Love, Lust, and Loyalty: The Ethics of Intimacy from Plato to Martin Luther King
Sergio Imparato PhD, Lecturer on Government, Harvard University
This course explores the moral dimension of love, sex, and friendship through a philosophical lens. Students embark on a historical journey through the philosophical insights of ancient philosophers like Plato, Confucius, Augustine, and Aristotle, examining their perspectives on the nature of love and the virtues of friendship. Building upon this foundation, the course then transitions to modern ethical concerns about sexual ethics and social justice, drawing upon the teachings of Immanuel Kant, Simone de Beauvoir, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Through critical analysis of primary texts, students explore questions concerning the ethics of desire, consent, intimacy, autonomy, social responsibility, and the pursuit of happiness. Case studies include ethical dilemmas concerning polyamorous love, online dating, sex work, and friend rental services. This course empowers students to critically evaluate their own beliefs and behaviors in the ream of intimate relationships, while drawing inspiration from a set of influential ethical theories throughout history.
Fall 2024
Empiricists, Scientists, and Charlatans: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
Jeffrey McDonough PhD, Professor of Philosophy, Harvard University
Science has become a defining feature of modern life. But what is science? How did it arise? What are its foundations and implications? In this course, students explore key philosophical ideas such as empiricism, evidence, induction, naturalism, realism, and explanation, as well as the relationships between science, philosophy, and society. They emerge with a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the nature of modern science and are positioned to form considered views concerning its presuppositions, commitments, and consequences.
Fall 2024
Philosophy in Classical India
Parimal G. Patil PhD, Professor of Religion and Indian Philosophy, Harvard University
Classical Indian philosophy is one of the great philosophical traditions of the world. And yet, it is all but invisible in contemporary philosophy, let alone the humanities more generally. Debates between rival Indian philosophers on topics such as the sources of knowledge, the nature of persons, consciousness, the meaning of words and sentences, moral motivation, the goals of life, aesthetics, and poetic language inspired generations of their successors. Even in the twenty-first century, philosophers writing in classical Sanskrit (as well as modern South Asian languages) continue to debate these issues. In this course, we focus on some core areas of Indian philosophy and engage in the arguments that were of interest to philosophers who wrote in classical Sanskrit. We situate their arguments in their historical contexts and inquire into what we can learn from them today. Indirectly, we also consider what it takes to diversify our curriculum.