Department of Philosophy

Chair

Daniel Garber

Director of Graduate Studies

Gilbert H. Harman

Professor

Kwame Anthony Appiah, also University Center for Human Values

Paul Benacerraf

John P. Burgess

John M. Cooper

Daniel Garber

Gilbert H. Harman

Mark Johnston

Alexander Nehamas, also Council of the Humanities, Comparative Literature

Gideon Rosen

Michael A. Smith

Bastiaan C. van Fraassen

Associate Professor

Delia Graff Fara

Hans Halvorson

Assistant Professor

Karen E. Bennett

Adam Newman Elga

Michael G. Fara

Elizabeth Harman, also University Center for Human Values

Desmond Hogan

Thomas Kelly

Hendrik Lorenz

Instructor

Sarah-Jane Leslie

Lecturer

Victoria McGeer

Visiting Professor

Calvin Normore

Visiting Associate Professor

Benjamin Morison

Visiting Lecturer

Roger Scruton

Associated Faculty

Charles R. Beitz, Politics

Robert A. Freidin, Council of the Humanities

Simon B. Kochen, Mathematics

Sanjeev R. Kulkarni, Electrical Engineering

Alan W. Patten, Politics

Philip N. Pettit, Politics

Tamsin K. Shaw, Politics

Peter Singer, University Center for Human Values

Jeffrey L. Stout, Religion

Christian Wildberg, Classics

Edwin S. Williams III, Council of the Humanities

 

Application

All applicants for graduate study in the Department of Philosophy must submit a sample of written work in philosophy with their application. Those applying to the Program in Classical Philosophy must submit a paper on ancient philosophy.

Program of Study

The graduate program in philosophy is designed to equip promising students for careers as philosophers and teachers of philosophy. To that end, the program provides broad general training, an opportunity for specialized research in the major areas of philosophic inquiry, and experience in undergraduate teaching. Each student pursues an individual plan of study appropriate to his or her background, interests, and aims.

Normally, during the first two years of study a student becomes familiar with a number of areas and at the same time begins intensive work in a special field, which culminates in a dissertation. The program is designed to be completed in five years.

The program of study includes both courses and supervised individual research. Most graduate courses are conducted as seminars. The typical seminar is a combination of formal lectures, discussion of assigned reading, and reports offered by the members of the seminar. The needs and interests of the students are taken into consideration in determining which seminars are to be offered during any given year. In addition to taking graduate courses, graduate students may also attend a number of undergraduate courses. Where the enrollment and the subject matter warrant it, special graduate discussion sections are organized in connection with such courses. During the first term, special small seminars (with three to six students) are offered on a variety of topics for interested first-year students.

The program is flexible and is designed to provide enough latitude to meet diverse individual needs. There are no specific course requirements. Although students usually find it desirable to take three philosophy courses in each term of the first two years, they may wish to devote more time to independent research, supervised reading, or work in other departments that bear on their philosophical interests.

Except for visiting students from other universities, only Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree candidates are admitted to graduate work in philosophy. The Master of Arts (M.A.) in philosophy is earned by obtaining, at a sufficient level of achievement, the units required before taking the general examination. This degree is granted only as an incidental degree.

Distribution Requirements

Permission to take the general examination is granted after review of the student’s record by the department. It is normally necessary (the grounds for exception are explained below) and always sufficient that students satisfy the department that they have an adequate basic knowledge of each of the following fields: (1) history of philosophy, both ancient and modern; (2) metaphysics and epistemology; (3) ethics; and (4) logic. Before taking the general examination, students must complete seven units of work distributed as follows: at least two in the history of philosophy, at least two in metaphysics and epistemology, at least two in ethics, and at least one in logic. In addition, students must complete two further philosophy units, plus the language requirement or an alternative to it (see below). Completion of a unit can be accomplished by seminar or course work, examination, or submission of independent work, as prearranged with a faculty member. Up to three units may be satisfied by the submission of papers written before the student’s arrival at Princeton.

Regarding the four fields of study, the following rules apply:

1. At least one unit shall be awarded partly on the basis of an oral examination administered by at least two members of the faculty.

2. Students shall do at least two units in ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of law, social philosophy, philosophy of religion, or aesthetics. At least one unit shall be from among the first four options.

3. Field (2) is to be considered broadly, as including philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, parts of philosophy of language, and parts of philosophy of mathematics. Area (4) is to be considered as including formal work, as well as philosophy of logic, and parts of philosophy of language and philosophy of mathematics.

4. For the one unit in logic, students can successfully complete one of the undergraduate courses PHI 312 (Intermediate Logic) or PHI 323 (Advanced Logic), PHI 340 (Philosophical Logic) or the graduate course PHI 520 (Logic), or take an examination equivalent to the final examination in a course that has been or could appropriately be offered under one of these numbers.

5. At least one unit in the history of philosophy must be in ancient philosophy, and at least one in modern philosophy.

In all cases, satisfaction of a particular distribution unit through a course, a paper, or examination depends upon the recommendation of the appropriate faculty member(s). Students are minimally expected to complete these requirements on the following schedule: three units after one term, five after one year, seven after three terms, and nine after two years. (Neither of the first two units, and only one of the first five, may be satisfied by papers written before arrival. At least one of the first three units must be for new substantive work in philosophy beyond the minimal logic requirement and language units.)

Students who wish to specialize in philosophy of science may elect to satisfy an alternative set of distribution requirements: They must complete the logic requirement and the language requirement (or an alternative to it) as in the regular programs, and in addition, they must:

1. demonstrate proficiency at the graduate level in a field of science (mathematical or empirical) or in an area in the history of science (normally this involves doing satisfactory work in two graduate-level courses, or their equivalents, in the science or a relevant area in the history of science);

2. earn three units in the philosophy of science; and

3. demonstrate an adequate, basic knowledge of other areas of philosophy. This is done by earning four units in the areas of history of philosophy, ethics, and epistemology and metaphysics. Of these four units, at most two may be in any one of the listed areas.

To help guard against overspecialization, the department asks students opting for the philosophy of science track to submit an overall plan of study for approval by the Graduate Committee. Students who elect to follow the philosophy of science track must take the general examination in philosophy of science.

Students who wish to do especially intensive work in one area of philosophy through extra work either in the philosophy department or in related areas in other departments, may be granted variances permitting them to do less than the norm in some other areas of philosophy, if this is required to allow them to pursue their special interests. Such variances require the approval of the department.

Language and Alternative Requirements

In many areas of philosophy, including, but not limited to, the history of philosophy and recent European philosophy, satisfactory scholarship is not possible without a good reading knowledge of certain foreign languages. The languages most often needed are French, German, Greek, and Latin. A student having none of these languages will be significantly limited in choosing areas of research and in the choice of a dissertation topic. If a student’s dissertation is devoted to any considerable extent to an author, the student must be able to read the author’s works in the original language.

Every student must either demonstrate a reading knowledge of one of these languages or else satisfy an alternative requirement before taking the general examination. Reading knowledge is demonstrated by passing an examination on the translation of philosophical prose. This examination is administered by two members of the philosophy department.

A student electing to satisfy the alternative requirement must either (1) complete a 10th distribution unit in any area of philosophy (see above) or (2) complete a unit of advanced work in another department, in accordance with a plan previously approved by the Graduate Committee of the philosophy department. (This may not be work also used to satisfy any other requirement.)

General Examination

The general examination consists of an oral examination of approximately one hour, preceded by a three-to-four-hour-long written examination in the field within which the candidate proposes to write a dissertation. The examinations are administered by a committee of the faculty, the composition of which ensures that the student is questioned from a variety of points of view. The subject of the examinations is broadly construed. The candidate is not expected to defend a thesis plan in detail, but instead is asked to present and defend some ideas in the area of the planned dissertation. Advancement to continued candidacy for the Ph.D. is based on an assessment of a student’s performance on the general examination in light of the student’s level of achievement in gaining the required units.

Dissertation and Final Public Oral Examination

After passing the general examination, a student writes a doctoral dissertation under the guidance of one or two members of the department. The dissertation is normally limited to 100,000 words; a length of 30,000 to 50,000 words is recommended. When the dissertation has been satisfactorily completed, the student concludes his or her work for the doctorate with the final public oral examination as provided for in the general regulations of the University.

Teaching Experience

All graduate students in philosophy, including those receiving outside fellowships, engage in some classroom teaching under the guidance of a faculty member: leading discussion groups, setting and marking examinations and tests, and criticizing written papers. This work will normally amount to three hours of classroom teaching plus attendant preparation, or the equivalent, for three terms, and will, in no case, total less than six hours. Assignments are made with regard for the student’s aptitudes and interests. First-year students normally are not assigned teaching responsibilities.

Colloquium

The department conducts a colloquium, principally for members of the faculty and graduate students, at which professors from Princeton and other universities present papers for discussion. In addition, graduate students working on their dissertations present portions of their work in progress at a series of talks scheduled throughout the year.

Interdepartmental Programs

The Department of Philosophy, in cooperation with other departments, participates in two interdepartmental programs of graduate study: classical philosophy and political philosophy. For details, students should consult those sections of this catalog.

Courses

PHI 500 The Philosophy of Plato

Alexander Nehamas

A study of the development of Plato’s thought and an examination of the validity of his major contributions in the areas of metaphysics, epistemology, cosmology, and ethics.

PHI 501 The Philosophy of Aristotle

Hendrik Lorenz

An historical and critical study of the major concepts of the metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and ethics of Aristotle. Particular attention is given to the Metaphysics, parts of the Physics, Categories, Posterior Analytics, and the de Anima, and the Nicomachean Ethics.

PHI 502 The Philosophy of Kant

Staff

Selected works of Kant are read, analyzed, and discussed.

PHI 510 German Philosophy Since Kant

Staff

Course topics vary from year to year.

PHI 511 Pre-Kantian Rationalism

Staff

Focuses on reading and discussion of the works of one or more of the major rationalist philosophers of the early modern period. Normally the focus is on the writings of Descartes, Spinoza, and/or Leibniz.

PHI 512 British Empiricism

Staff

Focuses on reading and discussion of the works of one or more of the major British empiricists. Normally the focus is on the writing of Locke, Berkeley, and/or Hume.

PHI 513 Topics in Recent and Contemporary Philosophy (also COM 513)

Staff

Gives an intensive analysis of the major movements in philosophy in recent decades.

PHI 514 Recent and Contemporary Philosophy

Gideon Rosen

Gives an intensive investigation of the philosophy of pragmatism.

PHI 515 Special Topics in the History of Philosophy

Calvin Normore, Daniel Garber

An intensive study of selected philosophers or philosophical movements in the history of philosophy.

PHI 516 Special Topics in the History of Philosophy

Ben Morison, Paul Kalligas

An intensive study of selected philosophers or philosophical movements in the history of philosophy.

PHI 520 Logic

Staff

A study of selected topics in logic.

PHI 523 Problems of Philosophy

Kwame Anthony Appiah

Gives a systematic examination of selected philosophical problems.

PHI 524 Systematic Ethics

Michael A. Smith

Gives an analysis of theories of the nature and foundations of morality.

PHI 526 Philosophy of Law (see POL 563)

PHI 527 Philosophy of the Social Sciences

Staff

The focus is a presentation and discussion of key concepts and foundational issues in the cognitive and social sciences. The distinction between two types of representations, descriptions, and interpretations is explored. The ontology of culture; varieties of inferences, concepts, and beliefs; relevance and communication; and the epidemiology of representations are studied.

PHI 528 Social Justice and Related Problems

Staff

A critical study of selected concepts in the tradition of political philosophy, including sovereignty, rights, liberty, punishment, and social welfare.

PHI 529 Seminar in Political Philosophy (see POL 519)

PHI 530 Philosophy of Art

Staff

Gives a systematic examination of philosophical problems related to art criticism.

PHI 531 Philosophy of Science

Staff

A study of selected problems concerning the structure, methods, and presuppositions of the natural and the social sciences.

PHI 532 Philosophical Problems in Logic

John P. Burgess

An intensive study of selected problems in logical theory. In various years, topics include foundations of intuitionist theory, set theory, modal logic, or formal semantics.

PHI 533 Decision Theory

Staff

Several accounts of individual and group decision making and of preference, utility, and probability are examined.

PHI 534 Philosophy of Language

Delia R. Graff

Covers traditional philosophic issues concerning language, including meaning, reference, and analyticity. Particular attention is given to attempts to view these problems as amenable to solution by the methods of empirical linguistics.

PHI 535 Philosophy of Mind

Karen E. Bennett

Gives an analysis of psychological concepts and the philosophical problems in which they play a part.

PHI 536 Philosophy of Mathematics

Staff

A study of selected philosophic issues in mathematics: truth and proof, the relation of mathematics to logic, constructivity, the traditional viewpoints of formalism, intuitionism, and logicism.

PHI 538 Philosophy of Physics

Staff

A discussion of philosophic problems suggested by theories of physics, such as the logical status of Newton’s laws; the nature of theories of space and time; the foundations of special and general relativity theory; and problems of quantum theory, including causal versus statistical laws, complementarity, correspondence, and measurement in quantum mechanics.

PHI 539 Theory of Knowledge

Bastiaan C. van Fraassen

a critical study of the nature of knowledge.

PHI 540 Metaphysics

Michael G. Fara

an intensive study of concepts such as causality, being, time, and appearance and reality.

PHI 599 Dissertation Seminar

Michael A. Smith, John P. Burgess

Students make presentations of work in progress, discuss each other’s work, and share common pedagogical problems and solutions.

Undergraduate Courses of Interest

The department’s undergraduate courses numbered 300 and above are open to graduate students in philosophy.