Brigham Young University
Back Philosophy

   

K. Codell Carter, Chair
3196 JKHB, PO Box 26279, (801) 378-2721

College of Humanities Advisement Center
3078 JKHB, PO Box 26101, (801) 378-4789

Admission to Degree Program

All degree programs in the Department of Philosophy are open enrollment.

The Discipline

From its first appearance in ancient Greece down to the present, philosophy has sought to understand the world and the place of human beings within it. As it frames ideas by means of which to clarify and explain experience, philosophy discloses its faith in the ultimate lucidity of things. Philosophy's respect for the authority of intelligence fosters a preference for persuasion that is fundamental to personal growth and democratic society.

Students who study philosophy will find that it not only provides insight into life's fundamental concerns, it also helps them develop their capacity for clear thinking and perceptive judgment. Such competence will serve them well as they pursue further education or begin their careers.

Career Opportunities

Philosophy offers excellent career preparation, but not in the way that, say, accounting does. The value of a major in philosophy resides in the intellectual development it promotes. It lays a foundation on which more specialized study may build. In various standardized tests, philosophy majors tend to do extremely well on the verbal aptitude and on the analytic thinking sections. So philosophy can prepare a student for any type of work that requires highly developed reading and writing skills. Students who elect to major in philosophy should look beyond their bachelor's degree right from the start. For example, philosophy is an excellent background for the study of law or medicine. Those who intend to enter graduate school will need to start early on the foreign-language requirement.

Graduation Requirements

To receive a bachelor's degree a student must fill three groups of requirements: (1) general education requirements; (2) university requirements; and (3) major requirements.

General Education Requirements

Please see your college advisement center for information about general education courses you should take to dovetail with your major program.

Languages of Learning

Precollege Math (zero to one course)
(or Math ACT score of at least 22)
0–3.0 hours
First-Year Writing (one course) 3.0
Advanced Writing (one to four courses) 3–8.0
Advanced Languages/Math/Music
(one to four courses)
3–20.0

Liberal Arts Core

Biological Science (one to two courses) 3–6.0
Physical Science (one to two courses) 3–7.0
American Heritage (one to two courses) 3–6.0
Wellness (one to three courses) 1.5–3.0
Civilization (two courses) 6.0

Arts and Sciences Electives

Arts and Letters (one course) 3.0
Natural Sciences (one course) 3–4.0
Social and Behavioral Sciences (one course) 3.0

Note 1: For a complete list of courses that will fill each GE category, see the General Education section of the current class schedule.

Note 2: Additional information about general education requirements can be found in the General Education section of the current class schedule or this catalog.

Minimum University Requirements

Religion 14.0
Upper-division hours 40.0
Residency 30.0
Total hours 128.0

Cumulative GPA must be at least 2.0.

Note: See the Graduation section of this catalog for more information.

Major Requirements

Complete the major requirements listed for one of the following undergraduate degree programs.

Undergraduate Programs and Degrees

BA Philosophy
Minors Philosophy
Analytic Thinking
Logic

For help or information on the undergraduate programs, please see your college advisement center.



BA Philosophy (44 hours*)

Major Requirements

  1. No D credit is allowed in major courses.

  2. Complete the following analytic thinking courses:
    Phil 105, 205, 305, 311.

  3. Complete the following figures courses:

    • Complete the following:
      Phil 201, 202.

    • Select one course from the following:
      Phil 321, 322.

    • Select one course from the following:
      Phil 330, 331, 332.

    • Select two courses from the following:
      Phil 340, 341, 342, 343.

  4. Complete the following topics courses:

    • Select one course from the following:
      Phil 213, 214, 215, 413, 414, 415.

    • Select one course from the following:
      Phil 420, 421, 422, 423.

    • Complete 6 more hours of philosophy courses at the 400 level (excluding 449R).

  5. Complete the following religion course:
    RelA 115 (preferably from a philosophy professor).

*Hours include courses that may fulfill GE or university requirements.



Minor Philosophy (18 hours*)

  1. No D credit is allowed in minor courses.

  2. Complete the following:
    Phil 201, 202, 205.

  3. Complete three other philosophy courses.

*Hours include courses that may fulfill GE or university requirements.



Minor Analytic Thinking (15 hours*)

  1. No D credit is allowed in minor courses.

  2. Complete the following:
    Phil 105, 205, 311.

  3. Select one course from the following:
    Phil 201, 202.

  4. Complete one other philosophy course.

*Hours include courses that may fulfill GE or university requirements.



Minor Logic (15 hours*)

  1. No D credit is allowed in minor courses.

  2. Complete the following:
    Phil 105, 205, 305, 405.

  3. Complete one other philosophy course.

*Hours include courses that may fulfill GE or university requirements.



Philosophy (Phil)

Class Schedule Major Academic Plan (MAP)

Undergraduate Courses

105. Reasoning and Writing. (3:3:0) Honors also.

Informal grammar, logic, and rhetoric as tools for reading and writing. Library research. Recommended for philosophy majors and minors. Fulfills GE First-Year Writing requirement. No course challenges accepted.

110. Introduction to Philosophy. (3:3:0) Honors and Independent Study also.

Articulating, assessing, and defending fundamental positions on topics such as reason, knowledge, science, education, ethics, politics, and religion.

201. History of Philosophy 1. (3:3:0) Honors also.

Western civilization from Greek antiquity to Renaissance, primarily from perspective of philosophy; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

202. History of Philosophy 2. (3:3:0) Honors also. Prerequisite: Phil 201.

Western civilization from Renaissance to present, primarily from perspective of philosophy; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

205. Deductive Logic. (3:3:0) F, W, Sp, Su Honors and Independent Study also.

History and use of syllogistic and propositional logic; evaluating arguments with Venn diagrams, truth tables, and Copi-style proofs and proof strategies.

210. Science and Civilization 1. (3:3:0) Honors also.

Civilization from Greek antiquity to scientific revolution; methods in early science and their philosophical significance; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

211. Science and Civilization 2. (3:3:0) Honors also. Prerequisite: Phil 210.

Civilization from scientific revolution to present; concepts and methods in modern science and their philosophical significance; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

213. Introduction to Ethics. (3:3:0)

Nature and justification of moral standards, beliefs, and decisions.

214. Introduction to the Philosophy of Art. (3:3:0)

The experience of beauty in nature, in literature, and in the arts.

215. Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. (3:3:0)

Existence and nature of God, God's foreknowledge and man's free will, faith, immortality, and religious experience and language.

305. Predicate Logic. (3:3:0) W, Su Prerequisite: Phil 205.

History and use of predicate logic; evaluating arguments with counterexamples and proofs; informal mathematical proofs. Fulfills GE Language/Mathematics requirement.

311. Philosophical Writing. (3:3:0) F, W Honors also. Prerequisite: Phil 105, 205.

Writing philosophical papers about philosophical texts or problems. Research methods in philosophy. Library research paper. Fulfills GE Advanced Writing requirement. No course challenges accepted.

320. Ancient Philosophy. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: Phil 201.

Selected figures or problems.

321. Plato. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: Phil 201.

322. Aristotle. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: Phil 201.

330. Medieval Philosophy. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: Phil 201.

Selected figures or problems.

331. Augustine. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: Phil 201.

332. Aquinas. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: Phil 201.

340. Modern Philosophy. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: Phil 202.

Selected figures or problems.

341. Hume. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: Phil 202.

342. Kant. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: Phil 202.

343. Hegel. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: Phil 202.

405. Metalogic. (3:3:0) Alt. yr. Prerequisite: Phil 305.

Completeness and undecidability of predicate logic; incompleteness of arithmetic and set theory; treatment of related philosophical topics and of nonclassical topics as time permits.

413. Ethics. (3:3:0) Alt. yr. Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

414. Philosophy of Art. (3:3:0) Alt. yr. Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Selected figures or problems in aesthetics.

415. Philosophy of Religion. (3:3:0) Alt. yr. Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Selected figures or problems.

416. Philosophy of Law. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

The relation between natural and enacted law; theories of punishment; utilitarian and nonutilitarian theories of law; liberty.

417. Philosophy of Education. (3:0:Arr.) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Critical examination of educational theories, ancient and modern, and their implications for current practice.

418. Science and Religion. (3:0:Arr.) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Epistemological and metaphysical similarities and differences undergirding historical problems in science and religion. Nature and effects of past reconciliations; possibility and desirability of current reconciliations.

419. Philosophy and Literature. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Philosophical ideas in literature; philosophical ideas about literature and about the interpretation of literature.

420. Philosophy of Language. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Meaning and reference, synonymy, metaphor, exemplification, translation; linguistic, artistic, and perceptual symbol systems.

421. Metaphysics. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Basic categories of being: appearance and reality, law, causality, space, time, eternity, deity.

422. Epistemology. (3:3:0) Honors also. Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Meaning, limits, and justification of knowledge.

423. ( Phil 423-Phscs-Hist 314) History and Philosophy of Science. (3:3:0) Honors also. Prerequisite: PhyS 100 or instructor's consent.

Scientific explanation, concepts, and models. Philosophical assumptions and criteria for theory selection, as exemplified by historical development of basic ideas in science.

424. Philosophy of the Social Sciences. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Consciousness, individuality and community, agency, authenticity, and the sciences of individual and social behavior.

449R. Philosophical Lecture Series. (1:1:0 ea.) F, W

Lectures on philosophical topics by faculty and advanced students.

450R. Contemporary Figures and Problems. (3:3:0 ea.) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

499R. Honors Thesis. (1–6:Arr.:Arr. ea.) Prerequisite: instructor's consent.

Selected topic or figure in philosophy.

500-Level Graduate Course (available to advanced undergraduates)

501R. Graduate Seminar. (2–5:5:0 ea.) Prerequisite: instructor's consent.

Selected topic, figure, or movement in philosophy, as announced in current class schedule.



Philosophy Faculty

Professors

Carter, K. Codell (1973) BS, MA, U. of Utah, 1963, 1964; PhD, Cornell U., 1968.

Faulconer, James E. (1981) BA, Brigham Young U., 1972; MA, PhD, Pennsylvania State U., 1975, 1977.

Graham, Daniel W. (1986) AB, Davidson Coll., 1970; MA, Brigham Young U., 1975; PhD, U. of Texas, Austin, 1980.

Packard, Dennis Jay (1974) AA, Miracosta Coll., 1966; BA, PhD, Stanford U., 1968, 1974.

Paulsen, David L. (1973) BS, Brigham Young U., 1961; JD, U. of Chicago, 1964; PhD, U. of Michigan, 1975.

Rasmussen, Dennis F. (1970) BS, U. of Utah, 1966; MPhil, PhD, Yale U., 1968, 1970.

Warner, C. Terry (1967) BA, Brigham Young U., 1963; MA, PhD, Yale U., 1965, 1967.

Associate Professor

Anderson, Travis T. (1991) BFA, BA, Brigham Young U., 1985, 1985; MA, PhD, U. of Loyola, Chicago, 1989, 1991.

Assistant Professors

Hedengren, Paul C. (1981) BA, MA, Brown U., 1971, 1973; PhD, U. of Toronto, Canada, 1983.

Siebach, James L. (1994) BA, Brigham Young U., 1982; PhD, U. of Texas, 1994.

Emeriti

Madsen, Truman G. (1957) BS, MS, U. of Utah, 1951, 1952; MA, PhD, Harvard U., 1957, 1960.

Nielsen, Fred Kent (1956) BA, MA, Harvard U., 1954, 1955.

Riddle, Chauncey C. (1952) BS, Brigham Young U., 1947; MA, PhD, Columbia U., 1951, 1958.

Yarn, David H. (1950) BA, Brigham Young U., 1946; MA, EdD, Columbia U., 1949, 1958.






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