Course Listing
Every semester, professors offer courses taken from the following list.
Ethics and Political Philosophy
Ethics I – FIL3121
Analysis of some of the basic issues and concepts of ethics (good and evil, duty, happiness, justice, virtue, etc.) based on their development in modern philosophy, for example, the contractarian ethics, the theory of passions, ethics of the Scottish and French moralists, ethics of the German metaphysicians, common sense ethics, the ethics of duty or utilitarian ethics.
Ethics II – FIL3122
Analysis of some of the basic issues and concepts of ethics based on their development in contemporary philosophy, such as in the analytical moral philosophy, in deontological, utilitarian and contractarian theories, in the ethics of virtue, etc.
Political Philosophy I – FIL3123
Analysis of some of the basic issues and concepts of political philosophy (State, sovereignty, people, power, law, rights, etc) based on their development in modern philosophy, such as the contractarian model, the Hegelian-Marxian model, republicanism, liberalism, democratic radicalism, and socialism.
Ethics III – FIL3124
Advanced studies of topics developed in Ethics I and II, with special emphasis to the ethics of virtue.
Ethics IV – FIL3125
Advanced studies of topics developed in Ethics I and II, with special emphasis to the ethics of duty.
Ethics V – FIL3126
Advanced studies of topics developed in Ethics I and II, with special emphasis to the ethics of moral feelings, contractarianism, utilitarianism, and non-cognitivist ethics.
Political Philosophy II – FIL3127
Investigation of some of the basic issues and concepts of political philosophy regarding ancient and medieval texts (democracy, forms of government, the political nature of man, ideal models of the city, sovereignty, political theology, the city of god and the city of man, etc.).
Political Philosophy III – FIL3128
Investigation of some of the basic issues and concepts of political philosophy based on their development in contemporary philosophy, such as the debate between liberals and communitarians, or that between republicans and liberals, the different theories of democracy, the discussion on typical concepts of 20th century thinking, such as nationalism, fascism, totalitarianism, biopolitics, multiculturalism, etc., as well as the many theories of justice formulated in that century.
Political Philosophy IV – FIL3129
Advanced studies of some topics related to political philosophy, with special emphasis to liberal universalist political theories.
Political Philosophy V – FIL3130
Advanced studies of some topics related to political philosophy, with special emphasis to communitarian and republican political philosophies.
Special Topics in Ethics – FIL3131
Study of specific questions related to ethics according to ad hoc literature provided by the professor.
Special Topics in Political Philosophy – FIL3132
Study of specific questions or subjects related to political philosophy according to ad hoc literature provided by the professor.
Ethics and Language – FIL3133
Study of specific issues related to analytical moral philosophy and discursive ethics and analysis of conceptual questions inherent in this kind of study.
Theories of Justice – FIL3134
Study of specific issues related to the theory of justice, from Aristotle to the contemporaries, and analysis of conceptual questions inherent in this kind of study.
Practical Ethics – FIL3135
Study of specific themes related to practical and applied ethics, and bioethics.
Philosophy of Law – FIL3136
The law as an object of philosophical reflection. Law and justice. Law and politics. Law and justice concerning the application of rules to concrete situation. Theories of argumentation and juridical decision. Classic authors of philosophy of law. Law and constitution. The positivism and its critics.
Seminar of Philosophical Text Translation I – FIL3139
Seminar of Philosophical Text Translation II – FIL3159
Special Topics in Ethics: Seminar I – FIL3170
Special Topics in Ethics: Seminar II – FIL3171
Logic and Epistemology
Logic I – FIL 3001
The classical propositional calculus: syntax, semantics, axiomatizations; theorems of correction and completeness; decidability by means of truth tables. First order languages. Structures and definition of truth in structures. Validity and logical consequence. Formalized theories. Theorems of correction, completeness, and compactness. Other topics related to proof theory and model theory. Theories of second order languages. Notions of non-classical logics.
Theory of Knowledge I – FIL3002
Analysis of basic problems of the theory of knowledge based on its developments from modern philosophy, as in the doctrines of empiricism, rationalism, and transcendental idealism. The problems related to the possibility of knowledge, the sources of knowledge and the limits of human knowledge. The modern foundationalist perspective, the appearance of fallibilism with the empiricists and the revision of knowledge accomplished by Kantian criticism.
Philosophy of Science I – FIL3003
Definitions of science and scientific method. Conceptions of objectivity and experience. Controversies concerning the rationality of the evolution of knowledge, the acceptance and comparing of theories, and the scientific realism. Differences between human sciences and natural sciences.
Theory of Knowledge II – FIL3004
Analysis of basic problems of the theory of knowledge based on its treatment in contemporary philosophy. Issues related to the traditional conception of knowledge as true and justified belief. Attempts to solve them in contemporary trends, such as naturalized epistemology, reliabilism, etc. The reappearance of foundationalism.
Theory of Knowledge III – FIL3005
Controversies on classical themes of theory of knowledge, such as: rationality, certainty, evidence, truth, etc. Foundationalism, fallibilism, relativism, naturalized epistemology, skepticism, pragmatism, positivism, etc.
Philosophy of Science II – FIL3006
Reasons for and against the existence of a general scientific methodology. Distinction between theoretical and observational terms. Different conceptions of the relationship between science and truth. Theories about the progress of science. Types of explanation in natural science. The “pragmatic turn” in philosophy of science.
Philosophy of Science III – FIL3007
Unit or plurality of methodology in human sciences. Explanation and understanding of human phenomena. The specificity of theories in human sciences. The difficulties of predicting human behavior. The influence of values in social research.
History of Science – FIL3008
Selective and detailed study of some key aspect or moment in history of natural or human sciences; and analysis of the conceptual issues inherent in this type of study.
Special Topics of Logic – FIL3009
Study of specific issues of Logic, according to ad hoc literature.
Special Topics of Theory of Knowledge – FIL3101
Study of specific issues of Theory of Knowledge, according to ad hoc literature.
Special Topics of Philosophy of Science – FIL3102
Study of specific issues of Philosophy of Science, according to ad hoc literature.
Special Topics of Theory of Knowledge I – FIL3103
Study of specific issues of Theory of Knowledge, according to ad hoc literature.
Special Topics of Philosophy of Science I – FIL3104
Study of specific issues of Philosophy of Science, according to ad hoc literature.
Special Topics of Theory of Knowledge II – FIL3105
Study of specific issues of Theory of Knowledge, according to ad hoc literature.
Special Topics of Philosophy of Science II – FIL3106
Study of specific issues of Philosophy of Science, according to ad hoc literature.
Philosophy of Language – FIL3107
Analysis of the main topics of philosophical discussion in the analytical tradition. Theories of meaning and theories of reference. Contemporary conceptions of language. Language and knowledge. Specificities of syntactic, semantic and pragmatic approaches to the questions concerning human language.
Philosophy of Mind – FIL3108
The traditional dualism and the mentalist tradition. Oppositions to the traditional mentalism, such as the materialist and behaviorist traditions. The problem of intentionality according to its classical (Brentano) and contemporary (as Davidson and Dennett) formulations. Other trends in contemporary philosophy of mind.
Philosophy of Biology – FIL3111
Epistemological analysis of explanatory models and goals, and of fundamental concepts and methodological principles, which govern the different domains of life sciences. In addition to the classic theme of reductionism, topics such as the distinction between proximate and ultimate explanations, the grammar of the concepts of function and adaptation, the nature of functional and selectional explanations, and the difference between transformational and variational theories of evolutionary changes, will be also discussed.
Philosophy of Human Sciences – FIL3112
Analysis and structure of explanation, of the nature of observation and possibility of objectivity in different domains of human sciences, with special emphasis on the reflections on the scientificity of theories within the domains of history, sociology, psychology, anthropology, etc. The problem of unity of human and natural sciences.
Dissertation – FIL3113
Fundamentals and History of Psychology – FIL3114
Conceptions of psychology as empirical science and as a branch of humanities. Historical developments of behaviorism, cognitivism, intentionalism and other programs of research in psychology, such as functionalism and structuralism. Psychoanalysis, Gestalt, humanistic psychology, etc.
History of Biology – FIL3115
Epistemological study of the constitution of the different domains of life sciences and the conceptual evolution of their main theories, with emphasis on the emergence of Evolutionary Biology and Experimental Physiology in the nineteenth century. Regarding the first topic, the main themes will be the thesis of Buffon, Lamarck, Cuvier, Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, Humboldt and Darwin. Regarding the second topic, the main themes will be the programs for Physiology that were developed and proposed by X. Bichat and C. Bernard.
Seminars of Dissertation and Thesis – FIL3117
Philosophy of Technology – FIL3118
Technics and technology as forms of knowing. The relation between science and technology. Technoscience. Data, laws and technological theories. Technological explanations. Various philosophical approaches of technological knowledge: analytical, phenomenological, and critical.
Special Topics in Epistemology: Seminar I – FIL 3137
Special Topics in Epistemology: Seminar II – FIL 3138
Special Topics of History of Philosophy I: FIL3160
Special Topics of History of Philosophy II: FIL3161
Special Topics of History of Philosophy III: FIL3162
Ontology
Metaphysics – FIL3156
Analysis of recurrent problems in various ontological systems, with an emphasis on those discussions that link the determination of the essence of beings to the search of theological foundation of determination (or objectivity) in general.
Ontology and Phenomenology – FIL3157
Critical philosophy, transcendental method, the limits of metaphysical discourse, transcendental phenomenology, and ontology within the limits of transcendental reflection.
Ontology and Philosophy of Language – FIL3142
Study of theories and ontological concepts in its relations with an analysis of language; ontology within the limits of language; predication and categories; grammatical structure and constitution of the world.
Systems of Ontology I – FIL 3143
Analysis of the ontological problem in Platonic philosophy, with emphasis on the discussion of supreme genera.
Systems of Ontology II – FIL 3144
Analysis of the ontological problem in Aristotelian philosophy.
Systems of Ontology III – FIL 3145
Analysis of the problem of modalities and its correlation with the definition of truth. The realist interpretation and the nominalist interpretation of modalities.
Systems of Ontology IV – FIL 3146
Analysis of the ontological problem in the Middle Ages, with emphasis on the discussion of the Neoplatonic and Trinitarian foundations of Patristic ontology.
Systems of Ontology V – FIL 3147
Analysis of the ontological problem in the Middle Ages, with emphasis on the scholastic discussions on the modes of being, the transcendentals of being and the universals controversy.
Systems of Ontology VI – FIL 3148
Analysis of ontological discussions in the Renaissance and the seventeenth century, with emphasis on the following topics: method and metaphysics and substance theories.
Ontology and Method I – FIL 3149
Study of the main theories of proposition and judgment inspired by classical logic and through which philosophers occupied themselves to establish the enunciative conditions of the task of sheer determination of beings in general.
Ontology and Method II – FIL 3150
Study of the phenomenological project towards a foundation of arithmetic and logic, phenomenological investigation of the relationships between consciousness and transcendence, transcendental reduction and phenomenological idealism, criticism of classical naturalism and problems of the lifeworld.
Ontology and Method III – FIL 3151
Study of the hermeneutic project that aims to determine the connection between the constitution of linguistic significance and the constitution of objects of experience.
Ontology and Method IV – FIL 3152
Study of methodologies inspired by phenomenological critique of ontology and transcendental philosophy, which became known by the name “existential analytics”.
Ontology and Method V – FIL 3153
Study of the methodologies for research in ontological problems in general, based on the analysis of the logical-semantic properties of language, with special emphasis on theories of object and reference.
Ontology and Method VI – FIL 3154
Study of the methodological approaches of ontological problems, which are based on an analysis of grammatical properties or on the use of everyday language.
Special Topics in Ontology – FIL 3155
Study of specific issues in ontology, according to ad hoc bibliography.
Contemporary Metaphysics – FIL 410035
Discussion and interpretation of various accounts in contemporary metaphysics.
Ontology and Philosophical Anthropology – FIL 410036
Analysis of recurrent ontological and phenomenological problems in the classical systems of Philosophical Anthropology.
Ontology and Psychology – FIL 410037
Analysis of recurrent ontological and phenomenological problems in clinical speeches with phenomenological, psychoanalytical and Gestaltic influences.
Ontology and Philosophy of Art – FIL 410038
Study of ontological and metaphysical issues inherent in philosophical aesthetics and in the different discourses on the arts.
Philosophical Aesthetics – FIL 410039
The aesthetic experience of the beautiful and sublime according to the classical view and its modern and contemporary developments. Beautiful nature, fine art and philosophy.
Ontology and Deconstruction – FIL 410040
Study of the deconstructive critiques of ontology understood as a metaphysics of presence.
Ontology and Nihilism – FIL 410041
Analysis and discussion of the topic of the overcoming of metaphysics, from the perspective of the phenomenon of nihilism.
Philosophical Psychology – FIL 410045/510044
Psychology in traditional metaphysics. Intentionalist and non-intentionalist contemporary approaches. Personal identity criteria. The notions of behavior and action.
Fundamentals and History of Psychology II – 410046/510045
The transformation of philosophy into associationist psychology. The coexistence between metaphysics and psychology. The death of metaphysics and philosophy as psychology.
Fundamentals of Psychology I – FIL410047/510046
- Watson’s methodological behaviorism. The radical behaviorism of B.F. Skinner. Other analyzes of behavior not derived from Skinner.
Fundamentals of Psychology II – FIL 410048/510047
The psychic phenomenon according to Franz Brentano. Intentionality and Gestalt in the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl. Psychology of Gestalt and Gestalttheorie. Merleau-Ponty’s reading of the notion of Gestalt.
Fundamentals of Psychology III – FIL 410049/510048
Psychoanalysis before Freud and Breuer. The Freudian psychoanalysis. Post-Freudian psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis and Marxism. Schopenhauer and the psychoanalysis.
Fundamentals of Psychology IV – FIL 410050/510049
The cognitive revolution and the realm of contemporary sciences. Basic orientations in cognitive psychology. Cognitivism, environmentalism, and the debate with the behaviorist tradition.
Groundwork of Clinical Discourses – FIL 410044/510039
Analysis of recurrent ontological and phenomenological issues in the clinical discourses inspired by phenomenology, psychoanalysis, and Gestalt. The negative character of the notions of Gestalt, drive and excitement. The ethical sense of the analytic of Gestalten, drives and excitements. Clinical function of metapsychological elaborations.
