161-010 Scepticism and Reason

At least one single-semester first-year philosophy subject, or permission from the Head of Department or the subject coordinator.

This subject deals with two major topics in the contemporary theory of knowledge and rational belief. Firstly, scepticism: Are most of my ordinary commonsense beliefs about the world around me beliefs which I am justified in holding? Do I have good reasons for their truth? Secondly, a priori knowledge: Are there logically necessary truths? Is there a priori knowledge? If so, how are we to understand the capacity of human beings to possess a priori knowledge? Students should gain a sound general comprehension of the major recent advances in our philosophical understanding of the nature and structure of knowledge and the roles of experience and reasoning in contributing to this structure.

Written work totalling 4000 words, plus regular participation in tutorials.