Department of Philosophy
The University of Hong Kong
2003-04
Contents
7. Second and third level courses for 2003/2004
9. Special joint major programmes
Major in politics and philosophy
Major in linguistics and philosophy
12. Staff-student consultative committee (SSCC)
13. Teachers in the department
Choices in Philosophy
·
If you are new to philosophy, our four general
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.
http://www.hku.hk/philodep/intro
- 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.
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 outside the Arts 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 general 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,
or with prior approval. Apart from 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.
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.19), or in LINGUISTICS AND
PHILOSOPHY (see p.23).
Key : * = offered in 2003/2004; 1
= first semester; 2 = second
semester
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
PHIL1005
Critical thinking and logic *1
PHIL1006
Elementary Logic (3 credits) *1, 2
PHIL2510 Logic *1
PHIL2110
Knowledge *2
PHIL2130
Philosophy of the sciences *1
PHIL2140
Philosophy of social science
PHIL2150
Philosophy and biology
PHIL2210
Metaphysics
PHIL2420
Chinese philosophy: metaphysics *1
Group II : Mind and Language
PHIL2070
Pragmatism
PHIL2075
The semantics/pragmatics distinction
PHIL2220
The mind
PHIL2230
Philosophy and cognitive science *2
PHIL2240 Consciousness in
philosophy and neuropsychology
PHIL2460
Philosophical Chinese
PHIL2510
Logic *1
PHIL2511
Paradoxes *2
PHIL2520
Philosophy of logic
PHIL2610
Philosophy of language *1
PHIL2080
Marxist philosophy *1
PHIL2310
Theories of morality *1
PHIL2340
Moral problems *2
PHIL2350
Philosophy of law *2
PHIL2355 Theories of justice
PHIL2360
Political Philosophy
PHIL2368 Environmental philosophy *2
PHIL2370
Aesthetics
PHIL2380
Philosophy and literature
PHIL2365 Philosophical problems of modernity
PHIL2390
Philosophy of religion *1
PHIL2430
Chinese philosophy: ethics
PHIL2480
Confucianism and the modern world *1
PHIL2001
The beginnings of philosophy
PHIL2002
Early modern philosophy *1
PHIL2010
Plato *1
PHIL2011
Aristotle
PHIL2020
Descartes
PHIL2025
Hume
PHIL2027
Rousseau
PHIL2030
Kant's critical philosophy
PHIL2035
Philosophy of the Enlightenment
PHIL2040
Nietzsche *2
PHIL2060
Wittgenstein
PHIL2077
Habermas
PHIL2085 Contemporary European philosophy
PHIL2440
Confucius
PHIL2442
Mencius
PHIL2450
Zhuangzi
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 course:
YPHI0002 Culture, value, and the meaning
of life (3 credits) *2
There are four general
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 to enroll. There are no prerequisites. Method of
assessment for all four courses will be 100% coursework, which may include
in-class tests.
Note: For PHIL1001 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.
Lecturers : Dr Cook, Professor Goldstein and Dr Martin
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.
Lecturer : Dr Deutsch
This course is an introduction to philosophical
issues about the mind. These include metaphysical questions about what minds
are, whether the mind is something non-physical or whether it is some kind of a
computer. Then there are the epistemological questions about the limitation of
human knowledge, such as whether we can really know what other people's
experiences are like, or whether there is a God.
PHIL1003 Ethics and politics: an introduction to
philosophy
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 Rousseau, Kant, Mill, Rawls and
contemporary feminists, we will explore questions about the way we relate to
other people.
Lecturer : Professor Hansen
The course compares central themes in the philosophical dialogues of
the Chinese and Western traditions.
Topics may include Confucian intuition, Daoist paradox, Greek
rationalism, British Empiricism, Existentialism, Pragmatism, Maoism, Zen
Buddhism, and positivism.
These courses are available to first year Arts Faculty students, and to
first, second and third year students from all other faculties.
Lecturer : Dr Lau
Critical thinking is a matter of thinking clearly and rationally. It is
important for solving problems, effective planning, and expressing ideas
clearly and systematically. We shall study the basic principles of critical
thinking, and see show how they can be applied in everyday life.
Assessment: 60% coursework, 40% final exam
PHIL1006 Elementary Logic (offered in both first and second semesters)
Course co-ordinator : Dr Lau
This is a web-based self-study course on elementary formal logic.
Formal logic uses special symbolic notations to study reasoning and arguments
systematically. In this course we shall look at some basic concepts in logic,
and learn how to use special logical symbols to construct and evaluate
arguments. There are no lectures in this course, and all teaching material is
available online for self-study. There are, however, optional tutorials for
students to ask questions. Registered students should visit the philosophy
department web site at the beginning of the semester to find out how they can
obtain access to the learning material.
Credit units: 3
Assessment: 60% coursework, 40% final exam
Not available to students who have taken
PHIL2510 Logic
Lecturer: Dr Lau
This is an introductory course on basic formal logic. We shall study
basic logical concepts, as well as formal systems of logic including sentential
and predicate logic. We shall learn how logical notations can be used to
identify logical truths, and to formalize and evaluate arguments. If we have
time we might discuss more advanced topics such as the connection between
computation and logic, and Gödel's Theorems. Students are expected to know some
elementary formal logic before studying this course. To prepare for the course,
they can either take PHIL1006 Elementary Logic, or study the online material on
logic produced by the Department. For further details, please contact the
Department.
Assessment: 100% coursework (may include in-class test)
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.
PHIL2110 Knowledge
(second semester)
Lecturer : Dr Deutsch
Theory of knowledge deals with the nature and
possibility of knowledge and its limits.
We shall address questions that include: Is Scepticism possible? Are some kinds of knowledge more basic than
others? Are our views of the world
really true or just elaborate stories that serve our purposes? Can philosophers learn about knowledge from
psychology and physiology? What could
philosophers add to their stories? Is
there one concept of justification (reason) or many (social and cultural
differences)? Is truth an important goal
of knowledge?
PHIL2130 Philosophy of the sciences (first semester)
Lecturers: Dr Cook, Dr Deutsch, Professor Goldstein
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 shall investigate
two related questions. First, what is scientific method? We shall 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 shall critically consider notions such as progress,
objectivity, and the difference between science and non-science. We shall
examine how philosophical questions arise in actual scientific practice. What
examples are selected for this purpose will, to some extent, be determined by
the interests of students.
There is no prerequisite for
this course.
Lecturer
: Professor Hansen
We study Chinese views of
reality, human nature, language, wisdom and the relation of each to human
society. Our main texts will be Daoist
texts from the classical period, but we shall also discuss Neo-Daoism, Buddhism
and Neo-Confucian metaphysics.
PHIL2230 Philosophy and cognitive science (second semester)
Lecturer : Dr Lau
We shall look at some of the
philosophical issues involved in studying minds and behaviour
scientifically. We might discuss
questions such as: Can we explain all mental phenomena in computational
terms? What is consciousness? What is the role of language in thinking? How useful are neural networks in
understanding the mind?
There is no prerequisite for this course.
Lecturer:
Dr Lau
See p.11.
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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. Students are expected
to know some elementary formal logic before studying this course. To prepare for the course, they can either
take PHIL1006 Elementary Logic, or study the online material on logic produced
by the Department. For further details,
please contact the Department.
PHIL2610 Philosophy of language
(first semester)
Lecturer : Dr Deutsch
What is a language, and what
is involved in knowing or understanding a language? In this course we will see how philosophers
and linguists answer such questions as the following: What can logic tell us
about the grammar of natural languages?
Are human beings born with a universal grammar? What makes a word meaningful? What is the difference between what we mean
and what we convey when we say something?
How does a metaphor work? Can we
learn something from slips of the tongue about the nature of language?
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 (first 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 is there any way it can 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.
PHIL2340 Moral problems (second semester)
Lecturer : Dr Martin
PHIL2350 Philosophy of law (second semester)
Lecturer :
Professor Hansen
We shall set the scene by contrasting classical Western and Chinese views of law. Then we shall focus on what moral and political presuppositions are required to justify the rule of law. This will guide our view of how one ought to reason in interpreting the law, and finally see what the implications of theory of law are for our views of punishment, rights, justice, equality, responsibility, insanity, and negligence. This course should help you evaluate the arguments for the importance of the rule of law in Hong Kong.
Lecturer : Dr Cook
In this course we will develop an understanding of historically and philosophically significant approaches to the environment such as anthropocentrism (mainstream environmentalism) and biocentrism (deep ecology). We will read authors both from the history of philosophy (Bacon, Descartes and Locke) as well as modern philosophers. We will look at the implications of these philosophies in recent environmental controversies in Hong Kong.
There is no prerequisite for
this course.
PHIL2390
Philosophy of religion (first
semester)
Lecturer : Dr Ci and Professor Hansen
Topics discussed will include: the nature of
religious experience, the existence of God, life after death, religion and
morality, religion and reason.
There is no prerequisite for this course.
PHIL2480
Confucianism and the modern world
(first semester)
Lecturer :
Dr Ci
This course introduces some of the central ideas of
Confucianism, particularly as they have been developed by Neo-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 whether and how
(Neo-)Confucianism promotes or hinders economic, political and cultural
modernization. We shall also discuss how
(Neo-) Confucianism interacts with Western ideas, and (in the case of the PRC)
Marxism in the process of social transformation.
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, stressing the
interconnections between them. We will
examine the claim by some of these philosophers that modern science and
technology hold the key to what Francis Bacon called ‘the relief of man’s
estate’. We will read Bacon, Descartes,
Bossuet, Locke, La Mettrie, Diderot and Rousseau.
PHIL2010 Plato
(first semester)
Lecturer : Dr
O’Leary
This course will address Plato's views on morality,
the mind, knowledge and reality.
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PHIL2040. Nietzsche (second 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.
PHIL3810 Senior seminar (second
semester)
Lecturers : Dr. O’Leary and Dr Cook
This course will focus each
year on a different key philosophical text.
Presentations will be made by students and discussed according to a
schedule worked out in advance between students and the course
co-ordinator. Selected third-year
students will be included. An MPhil
candidate who took this course as an undergraduate will be deemed to have
completed this graduate requirement.
Assessment: 100% coursework
This is a third-year course, and is normally offered every year. Permission to attend it will be given to
those students with good second year grades.
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. Only students majoring in philosophy may
offer a thesis.
Assessment will be based entirely on the completed thesis.
The following course qualifies as a university broadening course and is
open to all students in any Faculty except the Arts Faculty.
Course co-ordinator : Dr O’Leary
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.
Credit units: 3
Assessment: Portfolio (30%), written examination (70%)
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
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 and intellectual
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?
Candidates
must have taken the following junior-level courses:
1. POLI1002 Fundamentals of
public administration OR POLI1003 Making sense of politics, and
2. Any one course from PHIL1001
to PHIL1004.
Acceptance
into the programme is conditional upon satisfactory completion of these
courses.
The programme comprises
eight mandatory senior-level courses as follows:
(i)
Politics and Public Administration:
4 courses from
POLI0005 Capitalism and
social justice
POLI0010 Democracy and its
critics
POLI0029 Political theory
POLI0051 Issues in Chinese
Political Philosophy
(ii)
Philosophy: 4 courses. At least one of:
PHIL2001 The beginnings of
philosophy
PHIL2002 Early modern
philosophy
PHIL2365 Philosophical
Problems of Modernity
one of:
PHIL2080 Marxist philosophy
PHIL2350 Philosophy of law
PHIL2360 Political
philosophy
one of:
PHIL2310 Theories of
morality
PHIL2340 Moral problems
PHIL2430 Chinese philosophy:
ethics
and another course in
philosophy not listed above.
You may choose the remaining senior level 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:
POLI0013 Elections and
representative democracy
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.)
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
courses, preferably two from each Department in the first instance.
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. Max Deutsch
Department of Philosophy
Dr. K.K. Luke
Department of Linguistics
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.
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.
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
LING2027 Phonology: An introduction to the study of sound systems
LING2032 Syntactic theory
LING2050 Grammatical
description
Philosophy:
PHIL2230 Philosophy and
cognitive science
PHIL2610 Philosophy of
language
and any two of:
PHIL2060 Wittgenstein
PHIL2220 The mind
PHIL2240 Consciousness
in philosophy and neuropsychology
PHIL2380
Philosophy and literature
PHIL2460
Philosophical Chinese
PHIL2510 Logic
PHIL2511 Paradoxes
PHIL2520 Philosophy of logic
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.
Plagiarism, especially from the internet, is an increasing
problem in this department and at this University; it is a serious offence
against both the rules and the spirit of the University. Plagiarism is defined as the use of other
people's ideas without correct and full acknowledgement. Your coursework should be your own; you will
learn nothing by copying, either from peers or from websites. Furthermore, copying others’ work is unfair
to your fellow students. We certainly
encourage discussion of ideas among students, but any ideas not your own that
you introduce into your written work must be properly referenced. Please seek guidance about referencing from
your lecturers and tutors. We also have
essay guides on the departmental website authored by Professor Laurence
Goldstein, Dr. Joe Lau and Dr. Alexandra Cook to help you with all
aspects of essay-writing, including proper referencing. Please consult the Philosophy Study Guides
page at the following URL:
http://www.hku.hk/philodep/ugrad/study.htm
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.
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.
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 - Early-modern European philosophy (17th -18th centuries),
philosophy of nature and science, environmental philosophy, social and
political 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
·
J.Y.F. Lau - philosophy of mind and cognitive science, philosophy of
language
·
M.R. Martin - moral and social philosophy (including the ethics of
collecting and preserving cultural property), 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 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
Social 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 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 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. His most recent book is on Wittgenstein -- Clear
and Queer Thinking: Wittgenstein's Development and his Relevance to Modern
Thought (Duckworth, 1999). The
philosophical chapters of this have been well received, but a biographical
chapter in which Hitler's influence on Wittgenstein is explored has been the
subject of heavy criticism. He is
currently working on a book about paradoxes (The Bald Man, the Hangman and
the Liar) 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 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.
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. Intrigued by
the mystery of the universe, he decided to go to Oxford to study theoretical
physics and philosophy. While he was there, he became interested in the
philosophy of mind and cognitive science, and so he went to MIT for graduate
studies in philosophy. He finished his Ph.D. four years later and came to HKU
in 1994.
His main research interest
concerns the nature and scope of computational explanations of cognition and
consciousness. He is currently coauthoring a book on critical thinking. When he
is not working, he likes to go hiking, disassemble his computer, and conduct
post-modernist cooking experiments.
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 Chinese Philosophy: Ethics, Moral Problems, Theories of Morality and
Early Modern Philosophy. From 1993 to 2002, Dr Martin 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)
Timothy 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. In 1992 he went to Australia, where 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
and 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 published in the area of the
philosophy of literature, especially in relation to the works of contemporary
Irish writers. His current research is focused on the ambiguous place of
psychoanalysis in the work of Foucault. He has recently been a Visiting
Research Fellow at the School of Philosophy, University of New South Wales,
Sydney.
·
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
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.