Бакалавриат 2026/2027

Философия

Статус: Курс обязательный (Политология и мировая политика)

Кто читает: Школа философии и культурологии

Где читается: Факультет гуманитарных наук

Когда читается: 1-й курс, 3, 4 модуль

Онлайн-часы: 30

Охват аудитории: для всех кампусов НИУ ВШЭ

Преподаватели: Тискин Даниил Борисович

Язык: английский

Кредиты: 3

Контактные часы: 30

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The present course provides an introduction to several major areas of philosophy, including metaphysics, epistemology, logic, ethics, philosophy of religion, political philosophy, and philosophy of mind. Among the issues we will examine are the following: (a) “What is an argument? How can it be correctly evaluated?”; (b) “What is the fundamental nature of being?”; (c) “What is happiness? What does it take to be happy?”; (d) “What is the best way to organize society?”; (e) “Is there God?”; (f) “If God exists, why does he allow evil?”; (g) “Can it be proven that we are not living in a computer simulation (such as the Matrix)?”; (h) “Are there objective moral truths?”; (i) “Is there a principle or a set of principles that makes it possible to establish whether an action is morally right?”; (j) “What is the meaning of life?”; (k) “Can machines think?”; (l) “Do animals have a moral status?”; (m) “Is abortion morally permissible?” The course proceeds chronologically, and at each historical stage, it focuses on one or more of the foregoing issues. We will begin with an examination of the philosophical views of a number of Ancient Greek philosophers, including Thales of Miletus, Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, and Epicurus. We will then turn to medieval philosophy. In particular, we will study the philosophies of Saint Augustine, Anselm of Canterbury, and Thomas Aquinas. Next, we will examine philosophical views put forward by some philosophers of the modern period, including René Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill. Finally, we will explore contemporary philosophy—in particular, the philosophical views advanced by Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Peter Singer, Judith Thomson, and some others. The course has three main goals. The first goal is to explain to students what philosophy is and why it is valuable. The second goal is to introduce students to a number of central ideas in philosophy, such as the nature of being, skepticism about the external world, free will, the problem of evil, and the meaning of life. The third goal is to improve students’ critical thinking skills—through learning how to (a) correctly interpret texts, (b) identify, construct, and evaluate arguments, and (c) advance strong objections. In closing, it is worth noting that despite its chronological structure, the present course is not aimed at covering a range of historical facts (after all, this is not a course in the history of philosophy!). Rather, its focus is on (a) demonstrating that fundamental reality is considerably more problematic than it may seem at first blush, (b) identifying the problems we all face, and (c) suggesting possible solutions to these problems, including those offered by the greatest thinkers of all times. Upon completing the course, students are expected to have a clear vision of what philosophy is and why the topics it examines are important—both theoretically and practically.