Department of
Philosophy
The
2004-05
Contents
8. Second and third level courses for
2004/2005
10. Special joint major programmes
Major in Politics and Philosophy
Major in Linguistics and Philosophy
13. Staff-student consultative committee
(SSCC)
14. 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.
- 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” programme in
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 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.
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 LINGUISTICS AND PHILOSOPHY (see p.24).
4. Minoring in philosophy
Students who take a minor in
Philosophy must complete 24 credits of second and third-year courses.
5. List of courses
Key : * = offered in 2004/2005; 1 = first semester; 2 = second semester
All courses are worth 6
credit units unless otherwise stated.
First
Level
PHIL1001
Knowledge of the world: an introduction to philosophy *1
PHIL1002
The human mind: an introduction to philosophy *1
PHIL1003
Ethics and politics: an introduction to philosophy *2
PHIL1004
Chinese and Western thought: an introduction to philosophy *2
All Levels
(students to
consult regulations of their own faculty)
PHIL1005
Critical thinking and logic *2
PHIL1006(A)
Elementary Logic (3 credits) *1
PHIL1006(B)
Elementary Logic (3 credits) *2
Second/Third Levels
Group
I : Knowledge and Reality
PHIL2110
Knowledge
PHIL2130
Philosophy of the sciences
PHIL2140
Philosophy of social science
PHIL2150
Philosophy and biology
PHIL2210
Metaphysics*1
PHIL2420
Chinese philosophy: metaphysics
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 *1
PHIL2510
Logic
PHIL2511
Paradoxes
PHIL2520
Philosophy of logic
PHIL2610
Philosophy of language
Group
III : Moral and Political Philosophy
PHIL2080
Marxist philosophy
PHIL2310
Theories of morality
PHIL2340
Moral problems
PHIL2350 Philosophy of law
PHIL2355 Theories of justice *1
PHIL2360
Political philosophy
PHIL2362 Liberal democracy *2
PHIL2365 Philosophical problems of modernity
PHIL2369
Philosophy of nature *2
PHIL2375
Philosophy of art *1
PHIL2380
Philosophy and literature
PHIL2390
Philosophy of religion
PHIL2430
Chinese philosophy: ethics *2
PHIL2480
Confucianism and the modern world
Group IV : History
of Philosophy
PHIL2001
The beginnings of philosophy
PHIL2002
Early modern philosophy
PHIL2010
Plato
PHIL2011 Aristotle *2
PHIL2020 Descartes
PHIL2025
Hume *1 CANCELLED
PHIL2027 Rousseau *1
PHIL2030
Kant’s critical philosophy
PHIL2035
Philosophy of the Enlightenment
PHIL2040
Nietzsche
PHIL2060 Wittgenstein *2 CANCELLED
PHIL2077
Habermas
PHIL2085 Contemporary European philosophy
PHIL2090
Foucault *2
PHIL2440
Confucius
PHIL2442
Mencius *1
PHIL2450
Zhuangzi *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) *1
YPHI0005 Food for thought – the philosophy of
food (3 credits) *2
6. First level courses
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.
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)
Lecturers : Dr Cook 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.
PHIL1002 The human mind: an introduction to philosophy
(first semester)
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
(second semester)
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.
PHIL1004 Chinese and western thought: an introduction to philosophy (second semester)
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.
7. Introductory Logic courses
These courses are available to first year Arts Faculty students, and to
first, second and third year students from all other faculties.
PHIL1005 Critical thinking and logic (second semester)
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)
PHIL 1006(A) (first semester):
Course co-ordinator : Dr Robins
PHIL 1006(B) (second semester):
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
8. Second and third level courses for 2004/2005
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
PHIL2210 Metaphysics (first semester)
Lecturer: Dr Ci
This course covers both the nature of reality and
the nature of knowledge of it and treats the two questions as intrinsically
connected. We shall examine a number of
important theories of metaphysics, as well as anti-metaphysics, including those
of Plato, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and contemporary
philosophers such as Habermas, Rorty
and Putnam. We will treat these theories
not only as representing different views on metaphysics but also as forming a
logical order of development.
Group II : Mind
and language
PHIL2230 Philosophy and cognitive science (second
semester)
Lecturer : Dr Deutsch
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.
Note: This term,
the course will also emphasize some of the issues more central to the
philosophy of mind. For example: the
debate over whether there is a “language of thought”, the prospects for
“naturalizing the mind”, and the arguments for and against physicalism. Students who are interested in the philosophy
of mind are encouraged to register for this course.
PHIL2460 Philosophical Chinese (first semester)
Lecturer : Professor
Hansen
In this course, we shall learn to analyse
grammatically and semantically the language used in the classical texts of
Chinese philosophy. The analysis will
help us construct arguments in favour of or against
various interpretations and translations.
We briefly discuss texts from the Analects
of Confucius, the Mozi,
the Zhuangzi and then do a detailed analysis of the Daode Jing.
Group III : Moral and political
philosophy
PHIL2355 Theories of justice (first semester)
Lecturer
: Dr Ci
All of us care about justice but perhaps you seldom pause
to reflect on the nature of justice and the many difficult issues which justice
raises.
This course introduces you to these issues and systematic ways of thinking
about them. In a nutshell, justice is concerned with the question, How should the benefits and burdens of social cooperation be
distributed among members of society under conditions of scarcity and
conflicting values? Or, as Serge-Christophe Kolm puts it, “What should be done when different people’s
desires or interests oppose one another and cannot all be fully satisfied?
Justice is the justified answer to this question and its science is the theory
of justice.” We will think about this
question at two levels: the distribution of fundamental rights and duties in
the basic structure of society; and the distribution of goods in particular
domains, such as health care. Since controversy abounds at both levels, we will
discuss and compare a variety of positions, including those of John Rawls,
Brian Barry, Amartya Sen,
Ronald Dworkin, Robert Nozick,
Serge-Christophe Kolm,
Norman Daniels, and Francis Kamm. We will also
consider whether, and to what degree, Western theories of justice such as these
are useful for thinking about issues of justice in Hong
Kong and the PRC at large.
PHIL2362 Liberal democracy (second semester)
Lecturer : Dr Ci
Liberal democracy is the
dominant political value and form of government in terms of power and influence
in the world today. It is supposed to be
a coherent combination of liberalism and democracy, and yet there are deep
tensions between these two components.
It is by identifying these tensions that we can best understand the
workings of liberal democracy as a form of government and assess
its plausibility and appeal as a political value. Within this context, such familiar topics as
political agency, freedom, rights, and private life will be seen in a fresh
light.
PHIL2369 Philosophy of nature (second semester)
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
There is no prerequisite for this course.
PHIL2375 Philosophy of art (first semester)
Lecturer : Dr O’Leary
This course focuses on the
philosophical issues which arise when we consider the nature of aesthetic appreciation
and judgement.
These are some of the questions which will be discussed in the course:
Is beauty merely ‘in the eye of the beholder’?
What differences might there be between aesthetic appreciation of art
and aesthetic appreciation of nature? What is ‘representational art’? (Are film and
photography representational art forms?)
Do artworks ‘express emotion’?
(If so, how can they do
this?) Can censorship of artworks be
justified? What is wrong with artistic
fakes and forgeries?
There is no prerequisite for
this course.
PHIL2430 Chinese philosophy: ethics (second
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 likely to be taken up
include Confucius,
Group IV : History
of philosophy
PHIL2011 Aristotle (second semester)
Lecturer : Dr Cook
The ancient Greek
philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE) researched virtually every aspect of human
knowledge, producing works that influence philosophy and many other fields down
to the present. This course looks at his political and social philosophy; we
will read his Parts of Animals, Politics
and Constitution of
There is no prerequisite for this course.
PHIL2025 Hume (first semester)
Lecturer : Dr Martin
This course will be concerned with reading Hume’s Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. The main focus of the course will be to
understand the features and consequences of Hume’s new naturalistic approach to
philosophical issues.
Note: This term, as background
material, the course will also look at main selections from Hume’s A
Treatise of Human Nature. Topics to
be covered may include Hume’s theory of ideas; the formation of reason and
imagination; knowledge of the external world and skepticism with regard to the
senses; induction; causation; probability and the idea of necessary connection;
personal identity; freedom and determinism; reasoning in animals; miracles;
virtue and vice in the context of Hume’s naturalism.
David Hume (1711-1776) was one of the
great founders of modern empiricism.
This course will serve not only as an introduction to Hume’s philosophy,
but also as an introduction to modern empiricism, as developed in the
analytical tradition of modern philosophy.
The course should appeal to students interested in the theory of
knowledge, metaphysics and the philosophy of mind, as well as to students
interested primarily in the history of philosophy.
PHIL2027 Rousseau (first semester)
Jean-Jacques
Rousseau (1712-1778) was one of the most important philosophers of the French
eighteenth century. He was critical of
the Enlightenment’s fascination with science, arguing that virtue, community and
a kind of freedom, not technological ‘progress’, should be the goal of human
striving. In this course we seek to
understand Rousseau’s thought in its historical context; we consider how he can
be considered a philosopher for our own time, who respected the rights of
nature as well as those of humanity. We
read selections from his Confessions, and the entire texts of his Discourse
on the Sciences and the Arts, and his Discourse on the Origins of
Inequality among Men.
There is no prerequisite for this course.
PHIL2060 Wittgenstein (second semester)
Lecturer : Professor Goldstein
Wittgenstein said that his aim in philosophy
was ‘to show the fly the way out of the fly bottle’. By this he meant that certain preconceptions,
oversimplifications and poor analogies had led philosophers to construct
misguided theories about such things as sensation, meaning, understanding and
the nature of language, and that it was his task not to construct alternative
theories but to point out the ways in which the theorists (including his
earlier self) had become entrapped. This
programme may appear modest, but Wittgenstein’s
approach has had far-reaching consequences and his work has received more
discussion than that of any other twentieth century philosopher and has influenced
philosophy and many other disciplines.
PHIL2090 Foucault (second
semester)
Lecturer : Dr O’Leary
The work of
French philosopher Michel Foucault (1924-1984) has been enormously influential
in many fields: from philosophy and politics to social theory and gender
studies. This course offers a general
introduction to this work, with particular focus on power, knowledge and
sexuality. It will end with a
consideration of Foucault’s contribution to a contemporary re-thinking of
subjectivity and ethics.
There is no prerequisite for this course.
PHIL2442 Mencius (first semester)
Lecturer
: Dr Robins
Mencius, the most
influential of Confucian philosophers, presents interesting challenges to
interpretation. Does his philosophy
provide a basis for a Chinese theory of human rights? Is his conception of human nature defensible
today? Which tradition of interpretation
(mind or principle) gives the most plausible interpretation? We shall discuss these questions while
looking at some modern scholarly interpretations of Mencius
in his ancient context.
PHIL2450
Zhuangzi (second semester)
Lecturer : Professor Hansen
In this course we
shall explore different lines of interpretation of Zhuangzi’s
Daoist philosophy.
Students will participate in defending either relativist, sceptical or mystical readings of key passages. We shall start our analysis with the
historical context and some textual theory.
Then we shall discuss several chapters in some detail, including the
historical account of the development of Daoism in ‘Tianxia’,
the relativism in ‘Autumn Floods’ and ‘Free and Easy Wandering’, and finally
the analytic scepticism and pluralism of the ‘Essay
on Making Things Equal’.
Other courses
PHIL3810 Senior seminar (second semester)
Lecturers : Dr Cook, Dr Deutsch and
Professor Hansen
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.
Assessment: 100% coursework.
PHIL3910 Senior thesis (12 credits)
A thesis may be prepared under supervision for
submission not later than March 31 of the final year. Students have to
decide a topic on which they would like to write, then select a teacher in the
relevant field and discuss the project with him/her, before the end of their
second year. If the teacher deems the project viable, then a thesis title must
be agreed by the closing date of June 15. The student will then have to work on
the thesis over the summer, and be able to demonstrate progress made. If
the progress is adequate, work on the thesis may continue; if not, the student
will have to take two courses instead.
There are no word
limits prescribed, but theses tend to be between 15,000 and 25,000 words in
length. Assessment will be based entirely on the completed thesis. This course
is only available to students majoring in Philosophy.
9. Broadening courses
The following courses
qualify as university broadening courses and are open to all students in any
Faculty except the Arts Faculty.
YPHI0002 Culture, value, and meaning of life (first semester)
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 will
explore in this course. Topics will
range from Zen to evolution and sociobiology.
Teaching will comprise lectures; tutorials; practical meditation; and a
field-trip.
Credit units: 3
Assessment: assignment (20%), portfolio (30%), written exam (50%)
YPHI0005 Food for thought – the
philosophy of food
(second
semester)
Course co-ordinator : Dr Lau
People spend a
lot of time eating, thinking about what to eat, and working for long hours so
that they may have something to eat. The
course will look at the diverse philosophical issues that relate to food, be
they political, moral, or metaphysical.
Through the focus on food, students will see how philosophy can bring
fresh perspectives and a deeper understanding to everyday life issues. Topics include: (1) Food appreciation and
global hunger – Is it immoral to indulge in good food when other people are
suffering from hunger and famine? (2)
Issues concerning animal rights – Do we violate the rights of animals when we
use them for food? Can modern meat
farming be morally justified? (3) Food
and drugs – What makes something a drug instead of food? Should marijuana be prohibited when alcohol
is legal? (4) The value of bodily
pleasures – Is the enjoyment of food of little value compared with
"higher" intellectual pursuits?
(5) The aesthetics of food – How should we decide which dish or cuisine
is better? Are food preferences relative
and subjective? (6) The metaphysics and
objectivity of culinary experiences – Can science explain something as
subjective as the conscious experience of taste and smell? (7) Food and globalization – What are the
implications of fast food chains? What
about GM food? Should we allow
commercial firms to acquire genetic patents of plants and animals? (8) Food, identity, and power – How is food
related to culture and identity? What
are the implicit assumptions in the portrayal of food consumption and preparation
in the popular media?
Credit units: 3
Assessment: assignment (20%), portfolio (40%), test (40%)
10. Special joint major programmes
Major in Politics and Philosophy
This programme
aims at providing a structured course of study in politics and philosophy with
a special emphasis on political philosophy. 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.
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
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?
This programme is only available to students who are already in
their third year of study, as it will be discontinued at the end of 2004-05.
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.
What is the content of this programme?
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
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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 courses, preferably two from each Department in
the first instance.
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. Max Deutsch
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
LING2027 Phonology: An introduction to the study of sound systems
LING2050 Grammatical description
(core)
Philosophy:
PHIL2230 Philosophy and cognitive science
PHIL2610 Philosophy of language
and any two of:
PHIL2060 Wittgenstein
PHIL2075 The semantics/pragmatics distinction
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.
11. Plagiarism
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
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. Teachers in the department
The main areas of research
of the current department members are:
·
J. Ci – agency and subjectivity, theories of
justice, philosophical and cultural dimensions of capitalism, ethics and
politics of modern and contemporary
·
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 – epistemology and philosophy of language, history of early
modern philosophy, classical Confucianism, comparative philosophy, moral and
social philosophy (including the ethics of collecting and preserving cultural
property)
·
T.E. O’Leary – contemporary European philosophy (especially Michel
Foucault), ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of art and literature
·
D. Robins – early Chinese philosophy, metaphysics, philosophy of
mathematics
Jiwei Ci, Ph.D. (Edin)
Jiwei Ci
was born in
Alexandra Cook, B.A. (Wellesley
Alexandra Cook was born in
Max Deutsch, B.A. (Calif. Santa Barbara Calif. Rutgers )
Max Deutsch came to
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. (
Laurence Goldstein
started teaching at the
He has also been part of
a group of scholars in
Chad Utah Michigan
Chad Hansen first came
to
From there he went to the
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
Joe Lau, B.A. (Oxon); Ph.D. (MIT)
Joe Lau left
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.
Michael Martin, A.B. (Princeton ); M.A., Ph.D. (Harvard)
Dr Martin grew up on the
relaxed and environmentally pure shores of
Timothy O’Leary,
B.A. (
Timothy
O’Leary left
Dan Robins, B.A.
(McGill); Ph.D. (HK)
Dan Robins came to
15. Administrative staff
·
·
Tang Chiu Chee, George; Computer Technician
·
Wan Li Fung Yi, Loletta;
Clerk
16. 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.