Philosophy

Professor Alison Simmons, Head Tutor

Philosophy seeks to illuminate fundamental aspects of the world, of our relation to and knowledge of the world, and of our own nature as rational, purposive, and social beings. There is a wide variety of approaches to this end: they differ not just in the accounts they offer but in the questions they take to be important and in the methods they use to answer these questions. A philosophical training is in part intended to provide a grasp of what it is to have an approach: what is involved in developing and defending positions on questions of a general and fundamental nature.

Philosophy divides into a number of special areas, principally philosophy of logic and philosophical semantics, epistemology and philosophy of science, metaphysics, moral and political philosophy, and aesthetics. But an appreciation of philosophy cannot be parochial; none of these areas can be pursued in complete isolation from the others. For this reason concentrators must satisfy a distribution requirement so as to become familiar with the central issues of several subdisciplines and with contemporary treatments of these issues.

Philosophy is not a unified body of doctrine, but rather a family of traditions of thought whose development is intertwined and from each of which we still learn. Thus the study of classical works of older traditions is of great importance, and so concentrators must fulfill a requirement in the history of philosophy.

The range and generality of philosophical concern often make it appropriate to combine the study of philosophy with that of other disciplines. Ordinarily, programs of this sort can easily be worked out within the requirements of a Philosophy concentration, due to the flexibility of the category "related courses." However, in some cases a joint concentration in Philosophy and another concentration may be more compatible with the goals of such a program, even though the differences in requirements are small.

Philosophy is not a practical subject; a knowledge of its traditions does not especially suit one for any particular office or occupation. Nonetheless, the skills developed by its study are widely applicable. A student of philosophy is practiced in the close reading of texts, in the extraction from them of positions and arguments, and in the construction and criticism of lines of reasoning. But the chief value of studying philosophy is intrinsic. It lies in understanding, or in attempting to understand, what cannot be understood in any other way.

OPTIONS

Philosophy
Mind, Brain, and Behavior Track
Joint Concentrations with Philosophy

REQUIREMENTS
Basic Requirements: 12 half-courses

1. Required courses:
1. One introductory half-course in Philosophy, which may be either an introduction to the problems of philosophy (preferred), an introduction to the history of philosophy, or a cross-listed Moral Reasoning course.
2. One half-course in each of the following four areas, taken by the end of the first term of senior year and passed with a grade of C- or better:
1. Logic.
2. Contemporary metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language.
3. Ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics.
4. History of ancient, medieval, or modern pre-20th-century philosophy.
3. Four additional half-courses in Philosophy; tutorials count toward this requirement.
4. Three additional half-courses in Philosophy or approved related subjects. Related courses are approved individually by the Head Tutor, in many cases depending on the interests and overall program of the student. They count for concentration only if they are needed to reach the minimum number of concentration courses required.
2. Tutorials:
1. Sophomore year: Philosophy 97, group tutorials on different philosophical topics, required. Letter-graded.
2. Junior year: Philosophy 98, group tutorials on different philosophical topics, required. Letter-graded.
3. Thesis: None.
4. General Examination: None.
5. Other information:
1. Philosophy courses include all courses listed under Philosophy in Courses of Instruction, regardless of title, but no others.
2. Pass/Fail: All courses counted for concentration must be letter-graded.
3. No more than four half-courses numbered lower than 97 may be counted for concentration.

Requirements for Honors Eligibility: 13 half-courses

1. Required courses:
1. One introductory half-course in Philosophy, which may be either an introduction to the problems of philosophy (preferred), an introduction to the history of philosophy, or a cross-listed Moral Reasoning course.
2. One half-course in each of the following five areas, taken by the end of the first term of senior year and passed with a grade of C- or better:
1. Logic.
2. Contemporary metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language.
3. Ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics.
4. History of ancient or medieval philosophy.
5. History of modern pre-20th-century philosophy.
3. Five additional half-courses in philosophy; tutorials count toward this requirement.
4. Two additional half-courses in philosophy or approved related subjects. Related courses are approved individually by the Head Tutor, in many cases depending on the interests and overall program of the student. They count for concentration only if they are needed to reach the minimum number of concentration courses required.
2. Tutorials:
1. Sophomore year: Same as Basic Requirements.
2. Junior year: Same as Basic Requirements.
3. Senior year: Philosophy 99, individual supervision of senior thesis. Permission of the Head Tutor is required for enrollment. Letter-graded. Honors candidates ordinarily enroll in both fall and spring terms. Enrolled students who fail to submit a thesis when due must, to receive a grade above E for the course, submit a substantial paper no later than the beginning of the spring term Reading Period.
3. Thesis: Required of all senior honors candidates. Due at the Tutorial Office on the Friday before spring recess. No more than 18,000 words (approximately 65 pages). Oral examination on the thesis, by two readers, during the first week of spring Reading Period.
4. General Examination: None.
5. Other information: Same as Basic Requirements.

Mind, Brain, and Behavior Track
15 half-courses

Students interested in studying philosophical questions that arise in connection with the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior may pursue a program of study affiliated with the University-wide Mind, Brain, and Behavior (MBB) initiative, that allows them to participate in a variety of related activities. MBB track programs must be approved on an individual basis by the Philosophy MBB Adviser. Further information can be obtained from the Undergraduate Coordinator.

1. Required courses:
1. Three basic MBB half-courses:
1. Science B-29, recommended first year.
2. MCB 80 (formerly Biological Sciences 80).
3. Junior year seminar in Mind, Brain, and Behavior.
2. One introductory half-course in Philosophy, preferably an introduction to the problems of philosophy.
3. Philosophy 156.
4. One half-course in logic.
5. Two further half-courses in contemporary metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, or philosophy of language.
6. Two half-courses covering two of history of ancient philosophy, history of modern philosophy, ethics.
7. Two further MBB-listed half-courses from outside the Philosophy Department, to be selected in consultation with the MBB adviser.
2. Tutorials:
1. Sophomore year: Same as Basic Requirements.
2. Senior year: Same as Basic Requirements.
3. Thesis: Same as Requirements for Honors Eligibility.
4. General Examination: None.
5. Other information: Same as Basic Requirements.

Joint Concentrations
Philosophy as Primary Concentration
9 half-courses in Philosophy

1. Required courses:
1. One introductory half-course (see item 1a of Requirements for Honors Eligibility).
2. One half-course in four of the five areas (see item 1b of Requirements for Honors Eligibility).
3. Four additional half-courses in philosophy; tutorials count toward this requirement.
4. At least four half-courses in the other field. Many departments require more; consult Head Tutor of other field.
2. Tutorial: Philosophy 97 (usually taken in the sophomore year). Normally a tutorial is also required in the other field.
3. Thesis: Required as for honors eligibility in Philosophy, but must relate to both fields. Oral examination by two readers, one from each department.
4. General Examination: None required in Philosophy.
5. Other information: See Basic Requirements. Joint Concentrations: with Classics, Economics, Government, History, Mathematics, Psychology, Religion, and occasionally others by special arrangement.

Another Field as Primary Concentration
6 half-courses in Philosophy

1. Required courses:
1. One introductory half-course (see item 1a of Requirements for Honors Eligibility).
2. One half-course in three of the five areas (see item 1b of Requirements for Honors Eligibility). The introductory course (item 1a) also counts toward this requirement.
3. Three additional half-courses in philosophy; tutorial counts toward this requirement.
2. Tutorial: Philosophy 97 (usually taken in the junior year).
3. Thesis: Required. Must relate to both fields. Directed in the Primary Field; one reader from Philosophy.
4. General Examination: None required in Philosophy.
5. Other information: See Basic Requirements. Primary Fields: Classics, Government, History, Mathematics, Religion, and occasionally others by special arrangement.

ADVISING

Advising is done by the Head Tutor, Professor Alison Simmons, and other faculty in the Department. The Head Tutor's hours are posted outside the Tutorial Office.

RESOURCES

The Department of Philosophy is housed in Emerson Hall, which contains the Department and Tutorial Offices, the offices of faculty members and teaching fellows, and the Robbins Library of Philosophy.

HOW TO FIND OUT MORE

Further information may be obtained from Ms. Nanette de Maine, Undergraduate Coordinator, in the Tutorial Office, Room 303 Emerson Hall (617-495-2153); philtut@fas.harvard.edu.

ENROLLMENT STATISTICS
Number of Concentrators as of November