PHIL 432 — History of Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality
This course is a historical survey of major works in metaphysics and epistemology, the fields that cover foundational questions about the nature of reality and claims of knowledge. Students will further develop their writing, research, and critical thinking skills by examining questions such as: What is the nature of reality? Is this the only reality that exists? Could the universe be different than it is? Are mind, body, and spirit different substances? What is truth? What is knowledge? How can we acquire knowledge? Can we trust our senses, or should knowledge derive from pure thought? Possible historical figures covered include the pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, Rene Descartes, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, W.V.O. Quine, and Richard Rorty.