Descriptif

In this course, we'll cover the different branches of philosophy (predominantly, but not exclusively the Western tradition) as they manifest themselves in cultural phenomena. For example: what theses about knowledge and morality are being upheld by Hercule Poirot? or by the BBC's Sherlock? Why do we love to hate Moriarty? We'll also have a look at the ethical, moral or even political belief structures that seem to underlie games like baseball, American football or rugby - and we'll discuss the position of the player versus that of the spectator. For help with these questions we'll turn to philosophical writings and debates. Project: students will observe popular, “high-brow” or even fringe culture (film, sport, video games, tv, art and the like) and analyze the philosophical questions, assumptions and/or conclusions these productions entail.

Philosophical themes include: the limits of knowledge, consciousness and personhood, bio and techno-ethics, virtue theory and philosophy of language.