Curriculum
Introduction to the History of Modern Thought
Dr. Idan Shimoni
Although philosophy has a long and impressive history beginning in ancient Athens, the conceptual constructs which constitute the heart of this discipline have been to a great extent reinvented in early modernity. Modern thinkers have revived the basic concepts of philosophy by asking fundamental questions like 'What can we know?' 'Is there a real world outside the mind?' 'Can we prove the existence of God?' 'What is personal identity?' 'What is the relation between body and mind?' 'What is the nature of human rationality?' We will discuss the main ideas and key concepts of 17th and 18th centuries by means of close reading of the metaphysical and epistemological writings of the most important philosophers of this era: Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes, Baruch Spinoza, Wilhelm Gottfried Leibniz, George Berkeley, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. We shall also at timed consider the ethical, religious and political aspects of their systems of thought.
Introduction to Philosophy of Science
Mr. Nevo Spiegel (Sheffi)
The course will review central philosophical approaches in the philosophy of science in the 20th century. First, we will try to understand what the philosophy of science is and where it stands in relation to science and philosophy. Afterwards, we will discuss several main issues in the philosophy of science, such as: the problem of demarcation between science and non-science, falsification and scientific progress, the problem of induction and the new riddle of induction, scientific realism, scientific revolutions, and other topics. Throughout the course, we will read foundational texts by various thinkers, including: Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn, Nelson Goodman, Larry Laudan, Charles Taylor, Joseph Agassi, and Wilfrid Sellars.
Introduction to Metaphysics and Epistemology in Western Philosophy
Dr. Ori Belkind
This course will provide a broad survey of metaphysical and epistemological theories in the history of western philosophy. The course begins from Parmenides' fragments, and shows how western philosophy responds to Parmenides' argument regarding the one Being that does not move and does not change. Through the analysis of Zeno's paradoxes and possible responses to the paradoxes, we shall see how various metaphysical theories developed; the ancient atomistic theory, Plato's theory of the Forms, Aristotle's theory of substance, the debate during the middle ages on realism and nominalism, and the influence on early modern theories of substance.
From Homo Sapiens to Smart Robot: The Digital Revolution as a Culture Revolution
Dr. Noa Gedi
This course explores the meaning of the digital turn and its wide cultural implications. We begin with a conceptual mapping of the phenomenon of human culture and an anthropological survey of its origins: When does it first emerge in the world of nature? What are its identifying components? Is human culture unique or singular? What is the difference between biological and cultural evolution? We will then attempt to understand the circumstances in which culture revolutions take place; specifically, the dramatic change which ensued from the invention of digital technology which is a veritable overall cultural revolution. To fully appreciate and evaluate the meaning of the digital turn we will delve into some fundamental philosophical questions like the mind-body problem, the nature of consciousness, the relation between thought and language and between morality and society. These controversial questions which have always been relevant to human existence in every culture and at every stage of cultural development become all the more acute in the cybernetic era of VR and AI, in a world populated with a new artificial and mega smart species. Might the next phase of our cultural evolution imply a departure from humanistic ethnocentrism? Who or what might take the place of the human subject as the grand creator of culture?
