Philosophy Spring 2025 Course Offerings
SO courses are online courses that meet Synchronously Online.
AO courses are online courses that meet Asynchronously Online.
If nothing is listed, then this is an in-seat course.
There could be some adjustments in delivery mode options, like an additional SO section associated with an in-seat class. These changes will be found at classes.isu.edu.
PHIL 1101 (Objective 4A): Introduction to Philosophy
Multiple sections offered, see MyISU class schedule.
An introduction to major thinkers and major problems in philosophy. Topics may include the existence of God, the nature of knowledge, and the meaning of life.
For more information about this course, watch this video.
PHIL 1103 (Objective 4A): Introduction to Ethics
Multiple sections offered, see MyISU class schedule.
How should we live? This is the fundamental question of ethics, and it is in this sense that ethics, as a branch of philosophy, is practical rather than theoretical: it is concerned not primarily with what to believe or with what exists but with what to do, how to act. This course will introduce you to some of the most important questions that arise in ethics: What would constitute a good human life? What is the highest good? What is the foundation of morality? Can moral claims be objectively true or false? What could make them true or false? What is the content of morality? What (kinds of) actions are morally right or wrong, and why? Why should I be moral? What is the relationship between morality and self-interest? Is it always in my interest to behave morally? If so, how?
For more information about this course, watch this video.
PHIL 2210 (Objective 9): Introduction to Asian Philosophies
01: TR 11-12:15 with Evan Rodriguez (CRN: 21668)
02: TR 11-12:15 SO with Evan Rodriguez (CRN: 25401)
In this course, we will discuss classics of Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist thought. A particular focus will be on the nature of the self, its relationship to the rest of the universe, and what this relationship means for how we should live our lives.
PHIL 2230: Medical Ethics
01: MW 10-10:50 with Jim Skidmore (CRN: 20779)
02: MW 10-10:50 SO with Jim Skidmore (CRN: 20780)
03: AO with Ralph Baergen (CRN: 20781)
04: AO with Nobel Ang (CRN: 24778)
05: AO with Nobel Ang (CRN: 24779)
The practice of medicine raises ethical issues unlike those encountered in other spheres of life. The purpose of this course is to explore a number of these issues, drawing out the ethical considerations involved and examining how ethical decisions are made. The course will begin with a brief overview of ethical theories and their application. The issues to be examined include refusing life-sustaining treatment, medical futility, making medical decisions for others, assisted suicide, managed care, abortion, etc.
For more information about this course as taught by Professor Ang, watch this video.
For more information about this course as taught by Professor Baergen, watch this video.
PHIL 2250: (Objective 7) Contemporary Moral Problems
01: AO with Jim Skidmore (CRN: 22970)
In this course we’ll investigate some of the most interesting and urgent moral questions in contemporary life: Is the death penalty a just form of punishment? When is abortion morally permissible? What forms of human genetic engineering could be morally justified? Could torture ever be permissible in grave emergencies? Do non-human animals have rights? Is it morally wrong to eat meat? Do we have any obligation to preserve natural environments? Do we have any obligation to help people in the world who are desperately poor?
PHIL 2255: Political and Social Philosophy
01: TR 9:30-10:45 with Jim Skidmore (CRN: 24256)
02: TR 9:30-10:45 SO with Jim Skidmore (CRN: 24258)
Human beings live in societies, rather than simply on our own. This raises important philosophical questions: What is the proper relationship between the individual and society (or the state)? Why should I obey the laws of the society in which I live? What justifies the coercive power of the state? What is the source of its authority? What does it mean to say that individuals have rights (like the right to life or liberty), and what rights must the state respect? How should wealth and other social goods be distributed in societies?
PHIL 3315: Early Modern Philosophy
01: TR 1-2:15 with Evan Rodriguez (CRN: 24776)
02: TR 1-2:15 SO with Evan Rodriguez (CRN: 24780)
Descartes walks into a bar. “The usual?” asks the bartender. “Actually,” he replies ”I think not” and poof! Descartes ceases to exist. The famous Cartesian phrase ‘I think, therefore I am’ has permeated representations of philosophy in contemporary culture, but in this course we will delve much deeper into the central philosophical and scientific problems that European philosophers of the 17th and 18th century grappled with. In many cases their unique solutions are still driving the philosophical debate today. We’ll take up Descartes’ famous meditations on what we can be absolutely certain of and how to build upon that certainty, we’ll enjoy a healthy dose of skepticism about the nature of everyday objects with Berkeley’s idealism, and we’ll question how we can come to know even the simplest scientific generalizations with Hume’s problem of induction. We’ll then end with Kant’s bold claim that he has brought about a Copernican revolution in philosophy.
We will cover the better-known figures mentioned above, as well as less familiar but equally important philosophers like Baruch Spinoza and Anne Conway. Exploring the impressive range of philosophical thought in this period will familiarize with the general scope and methods of philosophy as a discipline. Course assignments will in turn help us develop the necessary skills for engaging in the conversation ourselves.
PHIL 4435/5535: Metaphysics
01: MW 1-2:15 with Mike Roche (CRN: 24777/24781)
02: MW 1-2:15 SO with Mike Roche (CRN: 24782/24783)
If a tree falls in the forest but no one is around, does it make a sound? This is a metaphysical question. It asks about the fundamental nature of reality: are sounds a part of reality independent of hearers? Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy because its subject matter is both more abstract and more general than that of the empirical sciences. This class will study: the nature of objects; space and time; individuals and properties; persistence and change; possibility and necessity; identity; cause and effect; personhood; freedom and determinism; and the possibility of time travel. Topics will, at times, be examined through the lens of Buddhist philosophy.
PHIL 4454/5554: Topics in Biomedical Ethics: Money in Healthcare
01: AO with Ralph Baergen (CRN: 22420/22419)
Money is ubiquitous in healthcare – especially in America. It plays a big role in how drugs are developed, tested, and marketed. It influences how clinicians pursue their careers and which patients they want to see. It guides how hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, etc. are run. Sometimes money is an effective tool for improving efficiency or shaping behavior. But sometimes money is involved in ways that raise ethical concerns about fairness, effectiveness, honesty, and safety. This course will dig into these issues, looking for ethical guidelines for healthcare dollars.