Reasons for Action, the Self, and other Pathologies of Agency

Graduate / Professional

A skeptical inquiry into whether the concepts of reasons for action and of the self are coherent. Consideration of what kinds of ethical system, if any, are possible with or without such concepts. Attention to historical authors (such as Plato, Aristotle, Nāgārjuna, Spinoza, and Hume) and recent authors (such as Anscombe, Davidson, Korsgaard, Williams, Parfit, Scanlon, and McDowell). Prerequisite: two courses in philosophy. W 1:30pm-3:25pm