Courses

Please note that if you need advising you should contact Prof. Elise Crull ( ecrull@ccny.cuny.edu "> ecrull@ccny.cuny.edu ). Office hours are by appointment.

Fall 2025 Philosophy Courses

City College of New York
—Questions? Feel free to reach out to Prof. Elise Crull, Philosophy academic advisor:
ecrull@ccny.cuny.edu "> ecrull@ccny.cuny.edu

PHIL 10200 - Introduction to Philosophy [Instructors t.b.a.]
Numerous sections offered, both in-person & online – check CUNYFirst for details

By studying both classical and contemporary thinkers, this course introduces students to some of
the central questions of philosophy – for example: how do we know there exists an external world?
What’s the nature of causation? Does God exist? What is consciousness? Are we free? When is an
action moral? When is it just?

PHIL 20100 • Logical Reasoning • [Various Instructors]
Several sections offered, both in-person & online – check CUNYFirst for details

This course provides students with an introduction to the elements of logical reasoning. Basic rules
and methods of assessing validity and proving arguments as they occur in natural language are
introduced (such as truth tables and rules of inference). The goal of the course is to enable students
to translate and evaluate arguments in natural language using the basic tools of modern logic. The
course serves as excellent preparation for SATs, LSATs and other standardized tests, as well as an
analytic resource for further academic studies in any domain.

PHIL 20600 • Philosophy of Science Fiction • Prof. Schabner
Online synchronous: Fri 9:00a – 11:30a • Fri 12:00pm – 2:30pm • Fri 3:00pm – 5:30pm

An analysis of some of the central questions of philosophy as they are represented in science fiction
(and occasionally, science fact). Selections from science fiction works will range over topics such
as space and time, infinity and eternity, identity, knowledge of other minds; artificial intelligence;
moral dilemmas and technology; the meaning of life.

PHIL 30500 • History of Phil 1: Ancient Philosophy • Prof. Pappas
In-person: T/Th 11:00am – 12:15pm • T/Th 2:00pm – 3:15pm

A survey of early Greek philosophy, centered on the figures of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Some
attention is paid to pre-Socratic philosophers (e.g. Heraclitus, Parmenides) and to at least one
current of thought after Aristotle (e.g. Stoicism, Skepticism, neo-Platonism, or early Christian
theology).

PHIL 30800 • Ethics • [Instructors t.b.a.]
Online synchronous: M 6:00pm – 8:30pm • W 6:00pm – 8:30pm

Analysis of the concepts employed in moral reasoning, such as good, right, duty, obligation, virtue,
freedom and choice. Critical study of various theories of moral justification-such as utilitarianism,
deontological ethics, virtue ethics-and of status of moral judgments-such as subjectivism,
objectivism, relativism and skepticism. The relation between morality and religion, moral
dilemmas, and some problems in practical ethics (abortion, famine, the environment, etc.).

PHIL 31126 • The Human Condition • Prof. Blustein
In-person: M/W 9:30am – 10:45am

This course will examine some of the main challenges that human beings everywhere confront in
their lives. Grief, loneliness, disappointment, and the inevitability of death are universal
experiences; disability of one sort or another affects everyone as they age and for some is the result
of more contingent accident. Philosophical texts, classical and contemporary, will be mined for
the insights they provide. Autobiographies, short stories, and movies will add the richness of lived
experience to our discussions.

PHIL 31129 • Eurocentrism & Decolonization • Prof. Kidd
In-person: T/Th 11:00am – 12:15pm

This course will introduce and critically assess the philosophical roots of Eurocentric and Colonial ideology as found in Edmund Husserl's phenomenological philosophy of history. In writings in the 1920's and 1930's, Husserl argued that the scientism and naturalism of Western culture threaten, paradoxically, to undermine the social value of objective truth and human meaning. His solution to this crisis is to renew and disseminate the Western/European conception of philosophy as the intuitive grasp of timeless, objective, and ideal truths, which is associated with a conception of universal human rationality stemming back to ancient Greece. Decolonial philosophers have argued that this picture hides a totalizing dynamic that erases particular difference. We will explore and critically assess some of these Decolonial critiques developed over the course of the 20thCentury. In particular, we will study the critiques of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jacques Derrida,Michel Foucault, and the overlooked Beninese philosopher and political activist Paulin Hountondji. We will also relate this debate in phenomenology to programs of Decolonial resistance in Feminist (Audre Lorde, Maria Lugones), Caribbean (Aime Césaire, Frantz Fanon), Native American (Standing Bear, Brian Burkhart), and Palestinian thought (Fayez Sayegh).

PHIL 31133 • Philosophy of Cognitive Science • Prof. Pion
In-person: M/W 12:30pm – 1:45pm

The human mind is the most complex system we’ve ever encountered, yet it’s one we carry with
us every day. How does this remarkable organ create thoughts, solve problems, or even imagine
entire worlds? Despite centuries of study, we are only beginning to uncover the secrets of how
minds – human, animal, and artificial – work. Cognitive science seeks to answer these profound
questions by combining insights from philosophy, psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, and
computer science, among other disciplines. In this course, you’ll examine the philosophical
foundations of cognitive science and explore how empirical evidence can bear on our
understanding of the mind. Together, we’ll investigate questions like: What frameworks best
capture the nature of thought? Are humans born with innate knowledge? How does thought relate
to language? Can non-human animals think or communicate like us? And what can artificial
intelligence teach us about ourselves?

PHIL 31136 • Kant’s Transcendental Idealism • Prof. Vilhauer
In-person: T/Th 3:30pm – 4:45pm

Kant’s transcendental idealism is a revolutionary approach to philosophy that says there is a
difference between phenomena (things as we experience them) and noumena (things in
themselves). We experience phenomena in space and time, but noumena transcend space and time.
Science can only explain phenomena, but ethics tells us something about noumena. Ethics tells us
about our own noumenal natures as human beings, and it is because of our noumenal natures that
we have free will, rights, and responsibilities. This class explores and critiques these ideas and
their implications for his views about other topics, which may include consciousness, free will,
personal identity, non-human intelligences, mysticism, moral psychology, political philosophy,
and criminal justice. This class explores Kant’s views and applies them to contemporary
philosophy.

PHIL 31207 • Topics in History of Philosophy: Renaissance Philosophy—When
Everything Changed • Prof. Pigliucci
In-person: T/Th 2:00pm – 3:15pm

This course explores one of the most dynamic periods in intellectual history, when scholars,
artists, and philosophers revolutionized how we think about human nature, politics, science, and
our place in the cosmos. From the revival of ancient wisdom to the birth of modern thought, we'll
examine how Renaissance thinkers transformed philosophy while grappling with timeless
questions about knowledge, power, love, and human potential.

PHIL 32200 • Philosophy of Science • Prof. Apparicio
In-person: T/Th 9:30am – 10:45am

A critical survey of philosophical theories of scientific explanation and development. The course
will focus on topics such as inductive and hypothetico-deductive accounts of scientific method;
confirmation and falsification of scientific theories; the logic of scientific explanation; theories and
models; the structure of scientific revolutions.

PHIL 33400 • Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence • Prof. Marinoff
Online synchronous: T/Th 6:30pm – 7:45pm

This course addresses philosophical issues raised by computers and other machines capable of
performing tasks indicative of intelligence (e.g. multiplication, logical reasoning, playing chess,
learning a language). The course will focus on topics such as the Turing test; strong and weak AI;
concepts of representation, memory and understanding; the frame problem; symbolic versus
connectionist approaches to cognitive processing.

PHIL 33600 • Philosophy of Space and Time • Prof. Crull
In-person: M/W 2:00pm – 3:15pm

In this course we will investigate, via engagement with historical and contemporary texts, the
unique philosophical questions raised by the concepts of space and time in both scientific and
metaphysical thinking. The course will cover topics including but not limited to: identity through
space-time, substantival versus relational theories of space, the special and general theories of
relativity, time travel, multiverses, the problem of time in quantum gravity, and whether time is a
‘normal’ dimension.

PHIL 34600 • Feminist Philosophy • Prof. Arvedon
In-person: M/W 3:30pm – 4:45pm

This course charts the historical evolution of the feminist approach to philosophy, and the
contribution of feminists to topics in epistemology, philosophy of mind and moral, social and
political philosophy.

PHIL 34905 • Biomedical Ethics • [Various instructors]
Numerous sections offered, both in-person & online – check CUNYFirst for details

Biomedical Ethics is a philosophical overview of leading theories, principles, and problems in the field of bioethics. Ethical theories and principles are examined to provide a theoretical structure for analysis of concrete ethical problems. The course considers the ethics of the doctorpatient relationship, including paternalism, informed consent, confidentiality, and truth telling, as well as larger systemic issues of social justice and access to health care. Topics in reproductive ethics, end-of-life ethics, and some of the newest developments in the field arising from genetics and neuroscience are also discussed. Extensive use is made of case studies.

PHIL 35101 • Topics in Major Philosophers: Einstein as Philosopher • Prof. Crull
In-person: M/W 11:00am – 12:15pm

The name Albert Einstein conjures images of a wild-haired, pipe-smoking intellectual along with
descriptors like “genius” and “world-famous scientist”. These are fitting words, as Einstein was
responsible for not just one but two of science’s biggest revolutions since the Renaissance: the
twin pillars of contemporary physics, Quantum Theory and Relativity Theory. Thus it comes as a
surprise to many that according to Einstein himself, the basis for his staggering achievements was
not science per se but rather philosophy. He was driven throughout his life by a fierce hunger to
resolve primarily philosophical questions about the nature of space, time, energy and motion. One
might even say he wasn’t as interested in the mathematics as he was in the metaphysics. In this
course we will study the same philosophical texts that motivated and shaped Einstein – from
Descartes and Newton to Mach and Schopenhauer – as well as reading Einstein himself, including
brand-new English translations of his letters to other famous scientists like Bohr, Heisenberg and
Schrödinger. We will see how his constant engagement with the historical and philosophical
aspects of science shaped his storied career not just in physics, but also in arenas like religion and
politics. In short, we shall get to know Einstein as "philosopher."

Philosophy Department, North Academic Building (NAC 5/144C)
160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031
Phone: (212) 650-7291
E-mail: philosophy@ccny.cuny.edu