· If you are new to philosophy, our four first-level courses all aim to give you an introduction, and to get you thinking for yourselves. They do not require any previous background in philosophy. All these courses are available to students in different faculties.

If you want to learn some logic, we have three logic courses which may sharpen your mind, including CRITICAL THINKING AND LOGIC, a three-unit self-learning course called ELEMENTARY LOGIC, and a more advanced formal logic course.
If you have already studied philosophy and want to take further courses, or to major in the subject, there are lots of possibilities. We are a very varied group of teachers, with different points of view, and a wide range of interests. We give you as students the opportunity to help us decide some of the courses to be put on.
If you are a B.A. student going into the second year, note that your choices include taking a double major, combining philosophy with another discipline (including disciplines from the Social Sciences Faculty, like Psychology, Political Science or Sociology), as well as the “joint major” programmes in POLITICS & PHILOSOPHY and LINGUISTICS & PHILOSOPHY.
For more information, please visit our department's web site at:

http://www.hku.hk/philodep

If you want to know more about what philosophy is, please look at our on-line philosophy guide at:

http://www.hku.hk/philodep/intro

1. Why do philosophy?

Philosophy is fun, and challenging.
It helps you reflect on the deeper issues in life.
It helps you improve your critical thinking skills.
Philosophy provides a solid background for those who intend to go on for further studies in philosophy and many other areas.
Studying philosophy is good for your career prospects :

- You acquire skills valued by most employers, like the ability to analyse and solve problems, to communicate, to organize ideas and issues, to assess pros and cons. These skills are important not just in philosophy but also in the modern job market.

- Many employers prefer students with broad intellectual experience and skills. This is particularly true of students who study philosophy in combination with other subjects. You can take a social science subject (e.g. politics or psychology) as one of your double majors.

- The study of philosophy is useful for at least the following careers: business, management, public administration, journalism, law, communication, public relations, teaching and publishing.

2. Types of courses

Our courses are divided into three levels and four groups. The three levels correspond to the three years of study for an undergraduate degree. But it is open to students in any Faculty to take, for instance, a first level philosophy course in any year of study (provided that the regulations of their own degree programme permit it). The four groups are rough indications of courses related to each other in subject-matter, though not necessarily in approach. The four first-level courses correspond to the four groupings of higher-level courses.

Students wishing to take the second/third level courses should normally have taken at least one first-level course, except where otherwise indicated. Apart from PHIL3610 SEMINAR ON TOPICS IN LINGUISTICS AND PHILOSOPHY, PHIL3810 SENIOR SEMINAR and PHIL3910 SENIOR THESIS, they are all second or third level courses. Some of these courses are also available to students of other faculties as “broadening courses”.

Most of these courses consist of 18 lectures in one semester, together with tutorials.

Of all the second and third level courses listed, twelve to sixteen will normally be given each year. This means that not every course will be available in any two-year period. Therefore, student preferences will play a part in determining which courses are given. Some courses, however, are likely to be given every year (because of our commitments to curricula outside the B.A., and for other reasons), and some we prefer to give at least once every two years to make sure that every student has an opportunity to take them.

3. Majoring in philosophy

Students who major in philosophy must take at least eight courses in philosophy (i.e. eight second or third level 6 unit courses), and are recommended to take at least one course from each of the following categories:

Group I : Knowledge and Reality
Group II : Mind and Language
Group III : Moral and Political Philosophy
Group IV : History of Philosophy

Third year majors are recommended to take the SENIOR SEMINAR (PHIL3810) in their final year, especially if they are considering further study in philosophy, provided that their second year grades reach a good level.

You may also double major, by combining Philosophy equally with any other discipline in the Faculty of Arts or the Faculty of Social Sciences. This is a favoured and good pattern of work.

You may also major in a cross-disciplinary programme in POLITICS AND PHILOSOPHY (see p.20), or in LINGUISTICS AND PHILOSOPHY (see p.24).

4. List of courses

Key : * = offered in 2001/2002; 1 = first semester; 2 = second semester

All courses are worth 6 credit units unless stated otherwise.

First Level

PHIL1001 Knowledge of the world: an introduction to philosophy *1

PHIL1002 The human mind: an introduction to philosophy *2

PHIL1003 Ethics and politics: an introduction to philosophy *1

PHIL1004 Chinese and Western thought: an introduction to philosophy *2

All Levels

PHIL1005 Critical thinking and logic *1

PHIL1006 Elementary Logic (3 credits) *1, 2

PHIL2510 Logic

Second/Third Levels

Group I : Knowledge and Reality

PHIL2110 Knowledge *2

PHIL2130 Philosophy of the sciences *2

PHIL2140 Philosophy of social science *2

PHIL2150 Philosophy and biology

PHIL2210 Metaphysics

PHIL2370 Aesthetics

PHIL2420 Chinese philosophy: metaphysics

Group II : Mind and Language

PHIL2070 Pragmatism *1

PHIL2220 The mind

PHIL2230 Philosophy and cognitive science *1

PHIL2460 Philosophical Chinese

PHIL2510 Logic

PHIL2511 Paradoxes *1

PHIL2520 Philosophy of logic

PHIL2610 Philosophy of language *1

PHIL2660 Symbolism

Group III : Moral and Political Philosophy

PHIL2080 Marxist philosophy *2

PHIL2310 Theories of morality *2

PHIL2340 Moral problems

PHIL2350 Philosophy of law

PHIL2360 The philosophy of politics

PHIL2370 Aesthetics

PHIL2380 Philosophy and literature *1

PHIL2390 Philosophy of religion

PHIL2430 Chinese philosophy: ethics *1

PHIL2480 Confucianism and the modern world *2

PHIL3610 Seminar on topics in linguistics and philosophy

Group IV : History of Philosophy

PHIL2001 The beginnings of philosophy

PHIL2002 Early modern philosophy *1

PHIL2010 Plato

PHIL2011 Aristotle *2

PHIL2020 Descartes

PHIL2025 Hume

PHIL2027 Special topic: Rousseau’s philosophy *2

PHIL2028 Locke and Leibniz

PHIL2030 Kant's critical philosophy

PHIL2040 Nietzsche *1

PHIL2055 Sartre and phenomenology

PHIL2060 Wittgenstein

PHIL2077 Habermas

PHIL2083 Special topic: Philosophical problems of modernity *2

PHIL2440 Confucius

PHIL2442 Mencius

PHIL2450 Zhuangzi *1

PHIL2702 Special topic: philosophy and medicine *2

Other courses

PHIL3810 Senior seminar *2

PHIL3910 Senior thesis (double course, 12 credit units) *

(only students majoring in philosophy may offer a thesis)

In addition to the above courses, the Department also offers the following broadening courses:

YPHI0002 Culture, value, and the meaning of life (3 credits) *2

YPHI0003 Philosophy of public issues (3 credits) *1

5. First level courses

There are four introductory courses in philosophy with different themes, each earning six credits :

· PHIL1001 Knowledge of the world: an introduction to philosophy

· PHIL1002 The human mind: an introduction to philosophy

· PHIL1003 Ethics and politics: an introduction to philosophy

· PHIL1004 Chinese and Western thought: an introduction to philosophy

All these courses are available to Arts, Science, and Social Sciences students, and students of any other Faculties whose regulations allow them. There are no prerequisites. Method of assessment for all four courses will be 100% coursework, which may include in-class tests.

Note: For PHIL1001, PHIL1002, and PHIL1004, Arts students may opt to use them to fulfil the information technology requirement specified in Regulation UG3, and thereby earn an extra three credit units. Those taking this option should also register for PHIL1007 USING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN PHILOSOPHY (though this is not a separate course).

All first year students are encouraged to learn some logic, for example by taking the three-unit ELEMENTARY LOGIC course.

PHIL1001 Knowledge of the world: an introduction to philosophy (first semester)

Lecturer : Dr James

Human beings have always attempted to understand and control the world they live in by asking questions, and seeking effective answers, about that world. These attempts have taken many forms, but philosophy has always been a central part of this process of explanation and the progress of knowledge. The questions of what we can know, how we can know, and how we can use what we know, are prime examples of philosophical questions that have come down to us in a long history of inquiry - philosophy is a part of the natural and practical curiosity of mankind.

PHIL1002 The human mind: an introduction to philosophy (second semester)

Lecturer : Dr Lau

This course introduces students to some central philosophical questions about the human mind. For example: What is it to have a mind? What is it to think or believe something? Can computers think or be conscious? Do we have freewill? We might also discuss other topics such as the existence of God.

PHIL1003 Ethics and politics: an introduction to philosophy (first semester)

Lecturer : Dr O’Leary

One of the founders of Western philosophy, Socrates, claimed that the most important philosophical question is “How is one to live?” How are we to live in our relations with others as individuals (ethics)? And how are we to live together as communities and societies (politics)? This course will introduce some of the ways that key philosophers in the Western tradition have answered these questions. Reading texts by Plato and Aristotle in ancient Greece, and modern and contemporary writings by Kant, Nietzsche, Rawls, Singer and others, we will explore questions about the way we relate to other people. Is there any reason why we should avoid exploiting our fellow human beings? Why should we keep our promises? Can we expect virtue to make us happy? What is the best way to organise the societies we live in? Why is government necessary?

PHIL1004 Chinese and western thought: an introduction to philosophy (second semester)

Lecturer : Professor Hansen

This course introduces philosophical thought from both the Chinese and Western traditions. We will discuss six philosophers from major movements in the history of philosophy: Plato (Ancient Greece), Mencius (Classical Confucianism), Zhuangzi (Classical Daoism), Nietzsche (Existentialism), Zen (Chan Buddhism), and John Dewey (American Pragmatism).

A set of ten possible examination questions will be delivered in advance of examinations.

6. Logic courses

These courses are available to first, second and third year students from all faculties.

PHIL1005 Critical thinking and logic (first semester)

Lecturer : Dr Lau

The aim of this course is to teach students how to think clearly and rationally. Through lectures and tutorials students will learn how to evaluate arguments and avoid typical mistakes in reasoning. There is no prerequisite for this course, and it is suitable for all students, not just those who intend to major in philosophy. This is because being able to think critically is very important, whatever you choose to do in the future.

Students who have enrolled the broadening course YEDU0001 CRITICAL THINKING FOR EVERYDAY LIFE are not allowed to take this course.

Assessment: 100% coursework, which may include in-class tests

PHIL1006 Elementary Logic (offered in both first and second semesters)

Course co-ordinator : Dr Lau

This on-line course teaches elementary formal logic. Students learn how to analyse and evaluate arguments using simple logical symbols. Although there are no lectures and tutorials, there are opportunities for consultation. This course is available also as a broadening course to students of any faculty.

Students who took PHIL2510 LOGIC last year are not allowed to take this course.

Credit units : 3

Assessment: 100% coursework, which may include in-class tests

7. Second and third level courses for 2001/2002

Courses listed under Group I to Group IV below are also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadening purposes.

Unless otherwise indicated, all second- and third-level courses are assessed by 100% coursework, which may include in-class tests.

Each second/third-level course carries 6 credits, except for PHIL3910 SENIOR THESIS which earns 12 credits.

Group I : Knowledge and reality

PHIL2110 Knowledge (second semester)

Lecturer : Dr Deutsch

This course will examine some of the main problems in epistemology arising from the traditional analysis of knowledge and belief. We will look at several theories which link knowledge with certainty, reason, and experience and note the difficulties each has in dealing with the challenge of skepticism. Then we will look at some of the current naturalistic analyses of knowledge to see if they fare any better. Readings will be drawn from historical as well as contemporary sources and will include selections from Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, C.I. Lewis, A.J. Ayer, G.E. Moore, W.V. Quine, Hilary Putnam and others.

PHIL2130 Philosophy of the sciences (second semester)<![if !supportLineBreakNewLine]><![endif]><o:p></o:p>

Lecturers : Professor Goldstein and <![if !supportEmptyParas]><![endif]>Dr Deutsch<o:p></o:p>

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If we want to find out about the world around us, we look to science to provide the answers to our questions. But why? What justifies our faith in this enterprise? In this course, we will investigate two related questions. First, what is the scientific method? We will examine answers ranging from the rigid prescriptions of Popper to the anarchism of Feyerabend. Second, what reason do we have to think that the explanations provided by science are true? Here the answers range from optimism based on the success of science, to pessimism based on our repeated rejection of past theories. Along the way, we will critically consider notions such as progress, objectivity, and the difference between science and non-science. Depending on the interests of students, we may apply what we have learned to the creation/evolution debate in biology or the problem of measurement in quantum mechanics.

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<![if !supportEmptyParas]><![endif]><o:p></o:p><![if !supportEmptyParas]><![endif]>PHIL2140 Philosophy of social science (second semester)

<o:p></o:p>Lecturer : Dr Mallon

This course will begin by asking some very general questions about the character of the social sciences. Is the nature of the social sciences fundamentally different from that of the natural sciences? Does the study of human life require radically different methodology? How do the generalizations of the social sciences relate to those of the natural sciences? The course will then proceed to consider some specific instances of human sciences, including philosophy of psychology, philosophy of economics, and cultural anthropology. What sorts of explanation do these approaches require, and how do these explanations relate to one another. We will then turn again to the general questions we began with, and attempt to arrive at answers that are both philosophically satisfying and take into account the practices of working social sciences.

Group II : Mind and language

PHIL2070 Pragmatism<o:p></o:p>

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Lecturer : Dr James

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lthough Pragmatism is generally assumed to have begun in the USA at the turn of the century with Peirce, James and Dewey, its historical roots can easily be traced to the beginning of modern philosophy. In this course we will briefly consider these historical roots and then see how they help us to understand in what ways Pragmatism can be a genuine alternative in modern philosophical thinking.

<![if !supportEmptyParas]><![endif]>PHIL2230 Philosophy and cognitive science (first semester)

Lecturer : Professor Goldstein

Although our sciences have given us a lot of knowledge about the universe and the world we are in, the nature of our own mind remains an area about which we know very little. Cognitive science is the science of the mind and it is an exciting area which has undergone tremendous development in recent years. By building computational and studying the neurobiology of the brain, cognitive scientists help us better understand how the mind works. But some people argue that certain mental phenomena, such as thinking and consciousness, can never be explained using scientific methods. Others argue that it is a matter of time before we can build robots and computers that think and behave as we do. In this course we shall discuss these and other related philosophical debates.

This is a compulsory course for Cognitive Science students, but it is also suitable for all other students who are interested in finding out how the mind works.

PHIL2511 Paradoxes<o:p></o:p>

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Lecturer : Professor Goldstein

<o:p></o:p>Paradoxes are arguments which proceed from highly plausible assumptions, through highly plausible and usually simple steps to highly implausible conclusions. Some examples: Zeno's paradoxes of motion, Kant's antinomies, the Liar and the paradox of the surprise examination. What such paradoxes show is that there is something deeply wrong with some of our most fundamental ways of thinking. We shall attempt to find solutions to certain of these paradoxes.<o:p></o:p>

PHIL 2610 Philosophy of Language (first semester)

Lecturer : Dr Deutsch

This course is an examination of some of the central issues in the philosophy of language. Topics will include at least some of the following:

- the debate over the semantics of proper names

- the debate over the semantics of definite descriptions

- the semantics/pragmatics distinction

- the issue of whether meaning is "holistic"

- the prospects for employing a Tarskian theory of truth as a theory of meaning

- the debate over the semantics of sentences that ascribe mental states to agents

- how to account for the functioning of "empty" names and fictional names

- what metaphors mean

- the use of translation and translation arguments in establishing theses about meaning

- the analytic/synthetic distinction

- the semantic paradoxes

Group III : Moral and political philosophy

PHIL2080 : Marxist philosophy (second semester)

Lecturer : Dr Ci

The world has changed a great deal since the time of Marx. But Marxism, duly updated and refined, still has a lot to teach us about the nature of human society and historical change, the capitalist organization of society, the foundation and limits of liberal democracy, the constitution of power and the political. These and other issues raised by Marxism are, or ought to be, among the central concerns of political philosophy or philosophy of history. We will examine how Marxism, especially contemporary Marxism, can serve as a useful critique of liberal political philosophy and liberal political institutions. We will also discuss how Marxism itself needs to be transformed or reconceived in order to create an appealing democratic vision of genuine contemporary relevance.

PHIL2310 Theories of Morality (second semester)

Lecturer : Dr Martin

This course covers some of the main highlights of 20th century moral philosophy, with passing attention to some of the earlier, historical background as needed. Questions covered include: Is morality relative or absolute? Can a moral practice be right in one culture but wrong in another? Is morality basically a form of personal or social opinion, or can it be made objective or even scientific? If morality is not science, is there any rational way of resolving moral disputes? Perspectives considered include religious and nature-based theories, performative theories, rational intuitionism, utilitarianism and Modern theories of justice.

PHIL2380 Philosophy and Literature (first semester)

Lecturer : Dr O’Leary

This course introduces two ways of studying philosophy and literature in relation to each other. On the one hand, we shall try to illuminate a range of philosophical, particularly ethical and political, problems through a close reading of literary texts (which may include works/extracts by Dostoevsky, Conrad, Beckett, Lu Hsun, Gao Xingjian and others). On the other hand, we shall bring the resources of philosophy to bear on questions of literary theory and interpretation (e.g. theories of interpretation, the intention of the author, the ethics and politics of reading). Philosophers to be covered may include Sartre, Ricoeur, Derrida, Foucault, Rorty and Nussbaum.

PHIL2430 Chinese Philosophy: ethics (first semester)

Lecturer : Dr Martin

An introduction to comparative moral philosophy, with readings drawn from the classical Chinese tradition as well as from modern, analytical sources. Figures to be taken up include Confucius, Mencius, Mo Tzu and Han Fei Tzu. Attention will be given to the historical development of Chinese moral thinking through these key representatives. Questions to be taken up include the question of whether traditional Chinese thought can have relevance to us in the modern world and how our beliefs about human nature may shape our beliefs about what is moral or immoral.

PHIL2480 Confucianism and the modern world (second semester)

Lecturer : Dr Ci

This course introduces some of the central ideas of Confucianism, particularly as they have been developed by modern Confucian thinkers, and considers the contemporary meaning and relevance of these ideas for societies with a Confucian tradition. The thematic focus of the course is on the role Confucianism might (or might not) be able to play as a set of philosophical resources in the process of economic, political and cultural modernization.

Group IV : History of philosophy

PHIL2002 Early modern philosophy (first semester)

Lecturer : Dr Cook

This course examines the works of early modern philosophers writing on politics and science. The course will stress the many connections between works of scientific and political philosophy. We will examine the claim of many of these philosophers that modern science and technology hold the key to what Francis Bacon called “the relief of man’s estate”, i.e. the improvement of physical and moral aspects of the human condition. We will read Bacon, Descartes, Bossuet, Locke, La Mettrie, Diderot, Rousseau and Kant.

PHIL2011 Aristotle (second semester)

Lecturer : Dr Cook

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle researched virtually every aspect of human knowledge available at the time, producing a body of work that influences philosophy and many other fields down to the present. This course will look at some of his writings in the physical sciences and in human affairs, examining the interconnection of these areas of inquiry. We will read selections from Aristotle’s Physics, his zoological writings, his Politics and his Ethics.<o:p></o:p>

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PHIL2027 Special topic: Rousseau’s philosophy (second semester)

Lecturer : Dr Cook

In this course we examine several of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's works with a view to understanding his thought within its historical context; we will also look at how Rousseau can be considered a philosopher for our own time, who respected not only the rights of humanity, but also those of nature. Rousseau was one of the most important philosophers of the French eighteenth century; he was critical of the Enlightenment's fascination with science, believing that virtue, community and a kind of human freedom, not technological 'progress', should be the goal of human striving.

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PHIL2040 Nietzsche (first semester)

Lecturer : Dr Ci

Nietzsche occupies a special place in Western thought, both as a wholesale critic of the philosophical tradition that went before him (e.g. Socrates, Kant), and as a precursor of certain philosophical trends that are important today (e.g. Foucault, Derrida). This course offers an overview of Nietzsche's philosophy (including the will to power, perspectivism, nihilism, eternal return) and discusses Nietzsche's influence on contemporary thought.

PHIL2083 Special topic: Philosophical problems of modernity (second semester)

Lecturer : Dr O’Leary

This course will focus on responses to one of the key questions that is posed by twentieth century European philosophy: that is, what is the nature of this modernity in which we live? According to Marx, the experience of modernity is one in which 'all that is solid melts into air'; while according to some contemporary philosophers this is precisely the experience of post-modernity. In this course, we will examine the responses of key 20th century philosophers to the question of modernity and postmodernity (including, Benjamin, Adorno, Habermas, Foucault and Lyotard). Particular attention will be paid to the way this questioning has lead to a reconceptualisation of ethics and politics in contemporary societies.

PHIL2450 Zhuangzi (first semester)

Lecturer : Professor Hansen

This course explores the different lines of interpretation of Zhuangzi’s Daoist philosophy. We start our analysis looking at the historical context and textual theory. Then we introduce three “lines” of interpretation (skeptical, relativist, or mystical). Students will participate in defending one of the ways of reading a cluster of key passages. We will focus most on four influential chapters, the historical account of the development of Daoism in ‘Tianxia’, the relativistic ‘Autumn Floods’, the popular ‘Free and Easy Wandering’, and the theoretically crucial ‘Essay on Making Things Equal’.

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PHIL2702 Special topic : philosophy and medicine (second semester)

Lecturer : Dr James

This course will explore the intimate and fascinating relationship between medical practice and metaphysical thought since the early modern period. The lectures consider representative authors from each century: John Locke (17^th); Julien La Mettrie (18^th); William James (19^th) and Georges Canguilhem (20^th). No medical background is assumed, and no technical reading will be required.

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Other courses

PHIL3810 Senior seminar (second semester)

Lecturers : Dr James, Dr. O’Leary, Professor Hansen

The Senior Seminar provides an opportunity for third year students who have shown philosophical talent, as well as for first year postgraduate students, to pursue topics through intensive discussion. The choice of texts or topics, the assessment method, and the overall theme, if any, will be determined at the beginning of the course in light of the interests of the participants. Enrolment restricted (normally by invitation).

Assessment: 100% coursework

PHIL3910 Senior thesis

A thesis may be prepared under supervision for submission not later than March 31 of the final year. Notice of intention to offer a thesis must be given before June 15 of the second year, and this intention will be confirmed or modified on the supervisor's advice by the end of the first week of the first semester of the final year, after the candidate has had the opportunity to do and submit preliminary work over the summer vacation. The thesis will earn twelve credits. Only students majoring in philosophy may offer a thesis.

Assessment will be based entirely on the completed thesis.

8. Broadening courses

The following two courses qualify as university broadening courses and are open to all students in any Faculty except the Arts Faculty.

These two courses are assessed by one two-hour examination (100%), and both earn 3 credit units.

YPHI0002 Culture, value, and meaning of life (second semester)

Course co-ordinator : Professor Hansen

Human life has value. Why? What is value? Do values come from nature? From biology? Or from history? We transmit cultures, histories, and social practices. What makes such cultural transmission possible? If we have different cultures, do our lives have different values? Do cultures create our values? Why do we value art? Why is death bad? These are some of the questions we might explore in this course. Topics may range from: Zen to evolution and sociobiology.

YPHI0003 Philosophy of public issues (first semester)

Course co-ordinator : Dr Ci

The issues covered in this course all involve public policy in one way or another, with the potential to affect every member of society. There are no easy and uncontroversial answers to such issues, but philosophy can help us think about them in a reasoned and open-minded way. This course should stimulate students’ interest in a wide range of public moral issues of both academic and practical importance and improve their ability to think about such issues both as students and as members of society. While all the instructors come from the Philosophy Department, we also seek to adopt interdisciplinary approaches, involving medicine, jurisprudence, political science, and economics, as the issues themselves cut across disciplinary boundaries.

This course is not available to students who have taken YPHI 0001 or PHIL 2340.

9. Special joint major programmes

Major in Politics and Philosophy

Bachelor of Social Sciences and Bachelor of Arts

This programme aims at providing a structured course of study in politics and philosophy with a special emphasis on political philosophy. This is an option in the B.Soc.Sc and B.A. degree curricula which has been on offer since September 1993. The programme is jointly offered by the Department of Politics and Public Administration and Department of Philosophy. The teaching of the programme will also be undertaken by lecturers from the two departments. If you want to know more about this programme, you may contact either of the following, who will be happy to answer your questions:

Dr Timothy O’Leary

Department of Philosophy

Dr. Joseph Chan

Department of Politics and Public Administration

What is special about this programme?

This programme provides a unique opportunity for academic dialogue and cross-fertilization between the two disciplines. Politics and Philosophy may be distinct disciplines, but they have some areas in common. Political science aims to offer empirical descriptions and explanations of politics. But it is not entirely descriptive. Politics is concerned with the problems of living together, and it necessarily raises moral issues. Philosophers have long raised fundamental questions about justice, democracy, the relation between law and morality, and so on. Philosophy thus serves students of politics by equipping them with conceptual resources and theories of ethics. Political science in turn serves students of philosophy by providing them with concrete understanding of the empirical and political context of morality.

This programme is intellectually challenging and rewarding. This programme covers some of the most fundamental and challenging issues and theories in the humanities and social sciences, including : the nature of knowledge, theories of morality, human rights, social justice, law and morality. More important, the primary aim is not only to impart information to you, but also to help you learn how to think and argue effectively about philosophical, moral and political issues.

This joint study of politics and philosophy has at special relevance at a time of rapid political change in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is in a state of flux. The 1997 issue has had enormous impact on our political system, economy, and way of life. The challenges confronting us are tremendous, and the responsibilities bestowed on our leaders formidable.

As future leaders of the society, university students should be given the opportunity to equip themselves to face up to the tasks that lie ahead. It is hoped that this programme will help students develop intellectual capacities that are essential to fulfill these tasks : critical and analytical capabilities as well as the knowledge and technique to understand and evaluate social and political issues in the contemporary world and especially in Hong Kong.

What are the career prospects for students graduating from this programme?

This programme follows the best tradition of Liberal Arts education. It aims to attract students who share the belief that the university is primarily a place of learning. The programme aims at developing a number of capacities, including :

- the ability to think independently and critically

- the ability not to be deceived by fallacies in argument

- the ability to read attentively and speak and write lucidly

- the ability to be careful, accurate, and determined

Although the programme does not aim primarily at vocational training, the personal qualities it seeks to foster and promote are very much valued in a great variety of fields. In fact our past students in politics and philosophy have worked successfully in the business sector, in journalism and the media, in the voluntary sector, in the academic field, and especially in government.

Who can enrol in this programme?

This programme is open to all Arts and Social Sciences students who have completed the following first-year courses :

1. POLI1002 Fundamentals of public administration

2. POLI1003 Making sense of politics, and

3. Any one course from PHIL1001 to PHIL1004.

The number of places on this programme will be limited to thirty.

What is the content of this programme?

(a) Compulsory courses

The programme comprises eight mandatory courses as follows:

(i) Politics and Public Administration: 4 courses from

POLI0029 Political theory

POLI0010 Democracy and its critics

POLI0005 Capitalism and social justice

POLI0051 Issues in Chinese Political Philosophy

(ii) Philosophy: 4 courses. At least one of:

PHIL2001 The beginnings of philosophy

PHIL2002 Early modern philosophy

one of:

PHIL2350 Philosophy of law

PHIL2080 Marxist philosophy

PHIL2360 The philosophy of politics

one of:

PHIL2340 Moral problems

PHIL2310 Theories of morality

PHIL2430 Chinese philosophy: ethics

and another course in philosophy not listed above.

(b) Elective courses

You may choose the remaining eight courses in any department, subject to Faculty regulations. In the interest of providing a coherent programme, however, you are strongly advised to select at least four electives from the following courses:

Department of Politics and Public Administration Politics:

POLI0006 China and Hong Kong : the politics of transition

POLI0020 Hong Kong politics

POLI0021 Understanding global issues

POLI0022 Governing China

Department of Philosophy :

PHIL2140 Philosophy of Social Science

PHIL2210 Metaphysics

PHIL2230 Philosophy and cognitive science

PHIL2390 Philosophy of religion

(Note that these Philosophy courses are not offered every year.)

How to enrol in the programme

Enrolment in this programme simply involves your signing up for the eight compulsory courses listed above. You should:

1. enrol by registering with the Politics and Public Administration Department and the Philosophy Department, and

2. sign up for four compulsory papers, preferably two from each Department in the first instance.

If you wish to opt out of the programme at any stage in your second and third years, you will be permitted to do so provided that you satisfy the faculty requirements for switching among courses.

Upon satisfactory completion of all requirements of the programme, students registered in the Social Sciences Faculty will be awarded a Bachelor of Social Sciences, and those in the Arts Faculty will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts. The title of the programme “Major in Politics and Philosophy” will be formally recorded in the transcripts.

Major in Linguistics and Philosophy

Bachelor of Arts major in linguistics and philosophy

This programme is jointly organised by the Department of Linguistics and the Department of Philosophy. If you need any further information you may contact either of the following members of staff who will be happy to answer your questions:

Dr. Joe Lau

Department of Philosophy

Dr. K.K. Luke

Department of Linguistics

Why Linguistics and Philosophy?

Philosophers have long been interested in languages for various reasons. First, our linguistic capacity is one of our most distinguishing features. It allows us to express and record complex ideas, and to communicate with each other. Understanding this capacity is one way to find out more about human nature and our psychology.

Second, many philosophers think that language has a deep connection with many philosophical problems. Some philosophers think that we should study languages because they reflect the structure of reality. Others think that our ordinary languages are actually not precise enough and that artificial languages should be constructed for philosophical and scientific purposes. Still others think that philosophical problems are not real problems, and that they arise because we misunderstand the nature of our own languages.

Finally, many philosophers are interested in language simply because it is in itself a fascinating topic. This is especially more so with the recent growth of linguistics. Linguistics is the scientific study of our language capacity. The development of linguistics is exciting because it offers new perspectives and methods in looking at many philosophical questions about language, questions such as: How are the rules of language different from other social norms? To what extent is our language capacity innate? Is it possible to build machines that understand languages as well as we do? These and similar issues involve not just empirical studies but also conceptual clarification. This is why philosophers and linguists collaborate and debate with each other actively on such matters, and this makes the field even more interesting.

What can I do with a Major in Linguistics and Philosophy?

Studying philosophy improves critical thinking and analysis, since you will have to think systematically about both sides of an issue, and evaluate arguments and reasoning carefully. In studying linguistics, students will learn more about the role of language in our psychology and society, and acquire concepts that help them gain a deeper understanding of the grammar, history and sound system of natural languages. By majoring in these two areas, students not just gain the benefits of studying both disciplines. It also helps develop the ability to integrate theories and information from two different subjects. The intellectual and linguistic skills you acquire as a result will be very important for a wide variety of occupations, both in the private commercial sector and in the public sector.

Who can enrol in this Programme?

This programme is open to all Arts students who have passed the following first-year courses:

1 LING1001 Introduction to Linguistics

2 Any introductory philosophy course from PHIL1001 to PHIL1004.

Course Structure

In order to major in Linguistics and Philosophy, a student must study in the second and third year no less than eight courses in the two departments, including:

Linguistics:

LING2003 Semantics : meaning and grammar

LING2028 Syntactic description

LING2032 Syntactic theory

Philosophy:

PHIL2610 Philosophy of language

and any two of:

PHIL2220 The mind

PHIL1005 Critical thinking and logic

PHIL2510 Logic

PHIL2520 Philosophy of logic

PHIL2511 Paradoxes

PHIL2230 Philosophy and cognitive science

PHIL2460 Philosophical Chinese

PHIL2060 Wittgenstein

and an obligatory third year course

PHIL3610 Seminar on Topics in Linguistics and Philosophy

In addition, a student should choose either an extra philosophy course from the above list, or any course from the Linguistics Department, provided that the relevant prerequisites are satisfied.

The remaining eight courses in a student's second/third year programme may be selected from those offered by any department, as permitted by the regulations. It should be noted that not all philosophy courses are offered every year. Choices are subject to approval by the head of the department.

10. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of other people's ideas and research without proper acknowledgment. Your homework should be your own work. You would not learn anything by copying, and it is unfair to other students. We do encourage you to discuss with other students, but any ideas which are not your own should be properly acknowledged. Plagiarism is a very serious offence, and can lead to expulsion from the University in serious cases.

11. Postgraduate study

The department offers two higher degrees by research, the MPhil and the PhD, and can arrange for supervision over a wide range of philosophical topics. If you are interested in pursuing postgraduate studies, please contact Dr. Ci.

12. Staff-student consultative committee (SSCC)

This committee meets regularly to discuss any matters of concern, and to consider ways of improving the work of the department. All students are welcome to make suggestions, and to attend the meetings.

13. Teachers in the department

The main areas of research of the current department members are:

· J. Ci - theories of justice, philosophical and cultural dimensions of capitalism, ethics and politics of modern and contemporary China

· G.A. Cook - social and political philosophy, continental philosophy, especially of the 17^th and 18^th centuries, philosophy of nature and science, environmental ethics and philosophy

· M.E. Deutsch - philosophy of language, philosophy of mind

· L. Goldstein - philosophy of logic and language (especially paradoxes), cognitive science, Wittgenstein

· C. Hansen - Chinese philosophy, comparative philosophy, Daoism, Chinese theory of language, Chinese theory of mind, meta-ethics, philosophy of law

· E.P.T. James - William James: physiology, psychology and philosophy; history and philosophy of science (especially medicine), history and philosophy of mathematics (especially Hilbert and Brouwer)

· J.Y.F. Lau - philosophy of mind and cognitive science, philosophy of language

· R.J. Mallon - philosophy of mind, philosophy of social science, social and political philosophy

· M.R. Martin - moral and social philosophy, epistemology and philosophy of language, history of early modern philosophy, classical Confucianism, comparative philosophy

· T.E. O’Leary - contemporary European philosophy (especially Michel Foucault), ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of literature.

Jiwei Ci, Ph.D. (Edin)

Jiwei Ci was born in Beijing and studied in Beijing and Edinburgh. Before coming to Hong Kong, he had taught in Beijing and had been an Andrew Mellon Fellow at the Stanford Humanities Center, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center in North Carolina, and a Member of the School of Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He teaches various subjects in moral and political philosophy, from time to time also offering courses on continental philosophy and on Confucianism. His research interests include theories of justice, the philosophical and cultural dimensions of capitalism, and the ethics and politics of communist and post-communist China. He is the author, in English, of Dialectic of the Chinese Revolution: From Utopianism to Hedonism (Stanford University Press, 1994) and, in Chinese, of a study of the moral psychology of justice entitled Zhengyi de liangmian (SDX, 2001).

Alexandra Cook, B.A. (Wellesley); M.A. (Virginia); Ph.D. (Cornell)

Alexandra Cook was born in Washington, DC. She studied at Wellesley College, the University of Virginia and Cornell University. She received the PhD in political philosophy from Cornell in 1994, where she specialized in Continental thinkers. She has taught in the College at The University of Chicago, at Colgate University (Hamilton, NY), and at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Her major interests are early modern philosophy and the European Enlightenment, environmental philosophy and history and philosophy of science. Her research on the botanical writings of the eighteenth-century philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau brings all these interests together. She has published a translation and critical edition of Rousseau's botanical writings; currently she is writing a book on Rousseau’s theory of nature.

Max Deutsch, B.A. (Calif., Santa Barbara); M.A. (Calif., Berkeley); Ph.D. (Rutgers)

Max Deutsch came to Hong Kong in 2001. He began his graduate studies in philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. After finishing his M.A., he moved to New Jersey to begin a dissertation on the mind-body problem at Rutgers University. He completed his Ph.D. in May 2001.

Max's current research is focused on the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of language. Topics in the philosophy of mind that interest him include the mind-body problem, the nature of consciousness, representational theories of phenomenal character, and the internalism/externalism debate. Topics in the philosophy of language that interest him include the semantics of names, the semantics of attitude reports, the semantics/pragmatics distinction, and theories of indexicals and demonstratives.

Max reads novels and listens to music in his spare time.

Laurence Goldstein, B.A. (Liv.); Ph.D. (St. Andrews)

Laurence Goldstein started teaching at the University of Hong Kong in 1976. He has taught at universities in the U.S.A., Scotland, New Zealand, Germany and South Africa. His main areas of research at present are the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of language. He has just finished a book on Wittgenstein, and is currently working on a book about paradoxes in which he hopes to finally solve problems some of which have remained unsolved for over 2000 years. He has also been part of a group of scholars in Bergen, Norway, transcribing all of Wittgenstein's manuscripts to CD-ROM. Under Laurence's skilful captaincy, the staff 5-a-side football team has never lost against the students, and we plan to keep it that way.

Chad Hansen, B.A. (Utah); Ph.D. (Michigan)

Chad Hansen first came to Hong Kong over thirty years ago where he became fascinated with Chinese language and culture and set out to understand and explain Chinese philosophy. Returning to the United States, he went to University where he majored in philosophy then went to the University of Michigan to study for a Ph.D. He studied Mandarin in Taiwan for a year then returned to Hong Kong after a decade for his dissertation research. He finished his dissertation at the University of Michigan and began teaching philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh in 1972 where he was enlightened two years later.

From there he went to the University of Vermont after the publication of Language and Logic in Ancient China. Later he was selected as University scholar for his second book, A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought. He has also served as visiting professor at The Universities of Michigan, Hawaii, Hong Kong, UCLA and Stanford before returning to HKU in 1991 where he was appointed Professor in 1994.

He is presently translating the Daode-Jing and writing a book on Comparative East-West Ethics and an introduction to Chinese Philosophy. Besides Chinese philosophy, his main interests are in comparative ethics, philosophy of law, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind. He values the dynamism of Hong Kong as well as the language and especially the food.

Eric James, B.A. (Kent); B.Phil., D.Phil. (Oxon)

Eric James came to Hong Kong in 1990. Prior to his arrival he had been a lorry driver, a psychotherapist, a professional musician, and a lecturer for two years at the University of Oxford. His initial research was in the history and philosophy of science and mathematics, but he is now undertaking an intensive series of studies of William James which involve detailed investigations of the 19th century medical and physiological background of James' metaphysics. He is also interested, in general, in the historical interplay between medicine, physiology and philosophy since the early modern period.

Outside of academia Eric's life is entirely dominated by music. He is the director of The Utility Room Music Foundation, which provides recording and production services for Hong Kong's flourishing amateur musical scene. Details can be found at www.utilityroomrecords.com

Joe Lau, B.A. (Oxon); Ph.D. (MIT)

Joe Lau left Hong Kong after Form 5 and spent two wonderful years at Atlantic College in Wales. Having read too many books by the physicist Paul Davies, he decided to go to Oxford to do physics and philosophy. But while he was there, he became interested in the philosophy of mind. So he went to MIT for graduate studies in philosophy. He finished his Ph.D. four years later and came back to Hong Kong in 1994.

His research interests include mainly the philosophy of mind and cognitive science, in particular issues regarding the scope and limits of computational explanations of mental phenomena such as thinking and consciousness. He is now the director of the HKU Cognitive Science Centre. When he is not working, he likes to go hiking, watch movies, disassemble his computer, or conduct cooking experiments.

Ron Mallon, B.A. (Kansas); Ph.D. (Rutgers)

Ron Mallon studied philosophy at Rutgers University from 1994-2000. While he began by focusing primarily on the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of cognitive science, over his time at Rutgers he grew increasingly interested in the connections between these areas and questions in the philosophy of social science, social theory, and social and political philosophy. After completing his dissertation on social constructionism in 2000, he taught for a year at the University of Utah before coming to Hong Kong to take up a Research Assistant Professorship.

His research interests currently include the nature of the social sciences, the character of social roles, race theory, the philosophical import of intuitions, and the cognitive architecture of self-deception. When not philosophizing, Ron enjoys films, hiking, and running, and he spends far too much time playing chess.

Michael Martin, A.B. (Princeton); M.A., Ph.D. (Harvard)

Dr Martin grew up on the relaxed and environmentally pure shores of Honolulu, Hawaii. After receiving his university and postgraduate training on the east coast of the United States, he came to HKU in 1980. His main philosophical interests are moral and social philosophy, and early Chinese philosophy, especially Confucianism. In his teaching Dr Martin's main courses include Topics in Social Philosophy, Theories of Morality, Philosophy East and West: Ethical Topics, and Early Modern Philosophy. Since 1993, Dr Martin has served as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, after serving five years as Associate Dean. In his leisure time Dr Martin enjoys art collecting, travel and swimming.

Timothy O'Leary, B.A. (Dublin); M.A. (Paris); PhD (Deakin)

Dr. O’Leary left Ireland in 1989 having completed a BA at University College Dublin, and went to Paris where he did a Maîtrise de Philosophie at the University of Paris X. His research area was the dispute between Foucault and Habermas on the nature of power. In 1992 he went to Australia where, at Deakin University (Victoria), he completed a PhD on ethics and aesthetics in Foucault's late work. A book based on this research will be published in 2002 (Foucault: the Art of Ethics, Continuum). He taught at several Australian universities before joining the Department of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong in January 2001.

His major research interests are in the fields of ethics and politics, with a particular focus on European philosophy since (and including) Nietzsche. In recent years he has begun to work and publish in the area of the philosophy of literature, especially in relation to the works of contemporary Irish writers. He is interested in developing a philosophical approach to literature which is capable of accounting for the profound subjective and social effects literature can have in particular socio-political contexts.

14. Administrative staff

· Chu Pa Suen, Vivian, MIL; Dip Trans IoL; Executive Officer

· Lau Tsui Kwan Tai, Ping; Clerk

· Tang Chiu Chee, George; Computer Technician

· Wan Li Fung Yi, Loletta; Clerk

15. Further information

To find out more about the department, please visit the department web site at http://www.hku.hk/philodep. There you will find study guides and links to other philosophy resources on the web.

First Level

Group I : Knowledge and Reality

Group III : Moral and Political Philosophy

Other courses

PHIL1003 Ethics and politics: an introduction to philosophy (first semester)

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Group III : Moral and political philosophy

PHIL2430 Chinese Philosophy: ethics (first semester)

YPHI0002 Culture, value, and meaning of life (second semester)

Major in Politics and Philosophy

Bachelor of Arts major in linguistics and philosophy

Alexandra Cook, B.A. (Wellesley); M.A. (Virginia); Ph.D. (Cornell)

Max Deutsch, B.A. (Calif., Santa Barbara); M.A. (Calif., Berkeley); Ph.D. (Rutgers)

Ron Mallon, B.A. (Kansas); Ph.D. (Rutgers)