Teaching | Joshua Duclos, PhD

Teaching

Courses Descriptions

God: An Investigation (upper level) – Theology was long considered the “queen of the sciences,” and questions about God were taken to be fundamental and unavoidable. Believing that they still are, this course uses classic and contemporary texts to study cosmological, teleological, ontological, and moral arguments about the existence of God. We will explore the logic of theism, pantheism, and atheism. Using epistemology and philosophy of language, we will pursue the scope and limit of what might be known and said the Divine nature. Finally, we will confront the rationality, irrationality, and arationality of faith.

Memory, History, and Forgetting: Philosophy of the Past (upper level) – The past is always with us. The goal is to say what we, who live in the present, should be doing with the past. This class will be grounded in a close reading of Nietzsche’s On the Uses and Abuses of History for Life. We will analyze and evaluate Nietzsche’s claims about historical monumentalism, antiquarianism, and criticism. Nietzsche’s views will be contextualized and challenged with selections from Hegel, Comte, and Ricoeur. We will also read Dangerous Games: On the Uses and Abuses of History by contemporary historian Margaret MacMillan as a way into timely debates on commemoration and historical truth-telling.

Ethics and the Environment (upper level) – At the 1973 World Congress of Philosophy, philosopher Richard Routley surveyed the growing environmental crises and posed a question: “Is there a need for a new, an environmental ethic?” The question is alive today. This course addresses it by studying theories of nature; comparing value systems like sentientism, biocentrism, and ecocentrism; and engaging practical problems concerning future generations and climate change. Special attention will be paid to philosophies of wilderness. Though the course is grounded in moral philosophy, we will embrace insights from economics, anthropology, and environmental science.

Introduction to Philosophy – More than two millennia ago, the Greek philosopher Socrates argued that the unexamined life is not worth living. To better examine our lives, he urged us to do philosophy. This course is an introduction to the four major areas of philosophy: logic, epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics. We will address questions such as: What is philosophy and how is it done? What is knowledge? Is reality subjective or objective? How does logic help us find truth? Is there such a thing as human nature, and is it good or bad? How should we interact with the natural world? We will read ancient and modern texts (and watch a few contemporary films) in order to discuss topics such as the nature of identity, the purpose of education, and the scope and limit of human reason. Texts include Laches and Charmides (Plato); A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality (John Perry); How to Think about Weird Things (Schick and Vaughn); The Case Against Perfection (Michael Sandel).

Utopia, Dystopia, and Democracy (upper level) – This course, meant for students with a strong foundation in political philosophy, will explore 20th and 21st century theories of democracy and utopianism. We will consider whether all political theory is necessarily utopian (as some have claimed), or whether there is value in deliberately avoiding utopian aspirations. We begin reading several contemporary democratic and anti-democratic theorists: Amy Guttman, Jason Brennan, Adam Swift, Patrick Deneen, Jurgen Habermas, and Michael Sandel. Next we read Utopianism by Lyman Sargent, giving special attention to the chapters "Two Traditions of Utopia", "Utopianism in Christian Traditions", "Utopianism and Political Theory", and "Utopia and Ideology." We then read selection of Arendt's On the Origins of Totalitarianism. Finally, we connect the theoretical readings with two works of utopian-dystopian literature: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell. This is a seminar class: students are expected to actively participate in each discussion, and the final paper should bring several, if not all, of the class texts into conversation with each other.

Biomedical Ethics (intro level) – Biomedical Ethics explores moral philosophical issues that arise in connection with medicine and emerging biotechnologies. Topics to be considered include: medical paternalism and patient autonomy; research ethics; euthanasia; genetic engineering and genetic enhancement; reproductive ethics; and healthcare policy. The course will include a review of some major theories in normative ethics, and will then consider how to best apply these theories to the practical problems of biomedical ethics.

Existentialism (upper level) – This course will analyze existentialism as a movement in 19th and 20th century philosophy. Topics include contingency and the grounds for belief and value; depth, superficiality, and the intense life; commitment and open-mindedness; mortality; the presence and absence of God in the human experience; boredom, anxiety, adventure; and existentialism as a philosophy of the possible. Authors to be considered include: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Camus.

Introduction to Ethics – This course introduces students to the fields of metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. We will inquire into the nature of moral truth, moral knowledge, and moral action. We will question whether it is possible to prove something in ethics, and, if so, how ethical proofs differ from other kinds of proofs. We will consider specific moral problems pertaining to medical science, the environment, terrorism, race, and sports. The goal of this course is an increased understanding ethics such that one is able to think, act, theorize, debate, and decide in new, more informed, more critical ways. Course material will be based on classic works of moral philosophy from Plato through the 20th century and supplemented with literature, film, and various pieces of popular culture.

Foundations in Political Philosophy – This course is an introduction to several major themes and questions in political philosophy, such as: What is justice? Does a free and fair society include a free market? What, if anything, legitimizes the exercise of governmental power? What are the arguments for and against the “social contract”? Are anarchism and utopianism defensible? What are the foundations of property rights, liberty, and equality? Can and should politics be conducted philosophically? Current topics (likely concerning immigration and climate justice) will be discussed as well. Throughout, we will cultivate the fundamental philosophical skills of analysis and argumentation as we delve into issues of contemporary and historical importance.

Forces that Shaped the Modern World (Core Curriculum) – As the capstone course in a Core Humanities Curriculum, this class uses literature, history, philosophy, and economics to explore the forces that shaped the modern world (c.1800-present). These forces include: capitalism and communism; industrialization; romanticism and scientism; colonization and decolonization; authoritarianism and liberal democracy; WWI, WWII, and the Cold War; nuclear power; religion; and globalization. Students bring various cultures, times, places and canons into conversation with each other, always seeking to answer the questions: How did we get here? Where are we going? How shall we live?

Additional Courses Taught