Information about the department

The department of Philosophy caters to the emotional, spiritual and intellectual needs of students. It helps them to open up the horizons of the mind and to think beyond the conventional and mundane aspects of our everyday life.
No lecture is complete without thundering debates and discussions. The classroom interactions make students challenge their deepest convictions that he or she has always believed in.

The modern teaching methods adopted by the department are a balance of three styles of teaching:

1. Transmissive Approach: Lecture Method
2. Generative Approach: Through a process of enquiry, exploration and discovery of the subject.
3. Transformative Approach: To extend it from the classroom to the world.

The philosophy of the department is that if you’re not living on the edge then your occupying too much space in this world and that its better to jump into the unknown and keep coming up with creative yet constructive ideas than to be always sure of yourself and live within the parameters of the known.

Activities of the Department:

1. Visit to holistic healers.
2. Yoga camps at the Yoga Institute, Santacruz.
3. Talks by experts on topics like on Past Life Therapy, Colour Therapy, Importance of Proper Nutrition and Exercise, etc.
4. Meditation Session
5. Sessions of Aasanas, Pranayama and Yogic Meditation.
6. Sattvic Lunches
7. Tarot Sessions
8. Sessions on Existential Painting with Hermeneutical Interpretation.
9. Sessions on Food and Philosophy.
10. Plays presented by Students on Rebirth, Buddhism, Jainism, etc.
11. Session on Motivational Games and Exercises.
12. Session with TYBA students on Paintings on feelings aroused by terror attacks.
13. Going for movies related to the discipline for e.g., New York
14. Field trip to various religious sites like Gurudwaras, Haji Ali, Temples, Churches, etc.

USP

Study of philosophy touches the heart and soul of students.

Email-id : simminray@gmail.com

Faculty Dept of Philosophy Senior College

• Ms. Simmin Ray - Head of the Department
  B.A. (1st class), M.A. (1st class), NET
  Comparative Religion, Indian Ethics, J. Krishnamurti.
  
  

FYBA Paper I: Moral Philosophy

Section I

Unit I

1. Philosophy, Ethics and morality
   1. Definition of Philosophy - Branches of Philosophy
   2. Ethics - Definition, Nature & Scope
   3. Development of Morality - Statutory, Customary & Reflective
   4. Why should One Be Moral?
2. Values
   1. Judgement of Value & Judgement of Fact
   2. Types of Values
      1. Subjective & Objective
      2. Intrinsic & Extrinsic
   3. Good, Truth, Right & Beauty
3. Punishment
   1. Theories of Punishment
      1. Deterrent
      2. Retributive
      3. Reformative
   2. Capital Punishment - its justification

Unit II

4. Heterodox Ethics
   1. Jaina
   2. Baudha
   3. Charvaka
5. Hedonism - Psychological, Ethical, Utilitarian (Gross & Refined)

Section II

Unit III

6. Duty as a Standard - Kant & Gita
7. Virtues
   1. Plato & Aristotle
   2. Purusharthas
   3. Panchasheel
8. Self-Realisation
   1. Bradley's My Station & its Duties
   2. With reference to Kathopanishad
   3. Nirvana

Unit IV

9. Postulates of Morality
   1. Freedom of Will, God & Immortality of Soul
   2. RTA & RNA
10. Professional Ethics
    1. Definition and the Need for Professional Ethics
    2. Business Ethics

* Section I is for the First Term
* Section II is for the Second Term

SYBA Paper II : Social and Political Philosophy

Section I

Unit I

1. 1. Social Philosophy: it’s Nature & Scope - its relation to Sociology, Politics & Ethics
   2. Political Philosophy: it’s Nature & Scope - its relation to Politics, Economics & Ethics
2. Family & Marriage as Social Institutions
   1. Traditional Perspective of Family & Marriage - Sacredness, Legal & Heterosexual
   2. Contemporary Trends - Secular, same-Sex, Legal Live-in Relationship & Divorce
   3. Single-Parent Family through Choice - Adoption & Surrogacy
3. Views on Gender: A Critical Perspective
   1. Classical: Manu & Aristotle
   2. Modern: J. S. Mill
   3. Contemporary Feminist Thought

Unit II

4. Social Violence & Hate-Crimes
   1. Discrimination - Racial, Religious & Caste
   2. Crusades, Jehad & Dharmayudh
   3. Importance of tolerance in a Multicultural Society
5. Obligations towards the Marginalised
   
   1. Indian View:
      1. Sarvodaya - its relevance to modern time
      2. Social Equity (Ramchandra Guha)
   2. Western View: The views of Peter Singer

Section II

Unit III

6. An Appraisal of Political Ideologies
   1. Anarchism: Paul Wolf
   2. Marxism: Marx
   3. Democratic Socialism: Jawaharlal Nehru
7. Justice as a Value
   1. Mill's doctrine of Social Utility
   2. John Rawl's doctrine of Fairness
   3. Dr. Ambedkar's doctrine of Social Justice
8. Civil Disobedience - the views advocated by
   1. Plato (absolute obedience)
   2. Gandhi’s influence on Martin Luther King Junior

Unit IV

9. Liberty as a Value
   1. Right to Liberty (Mill)
   2. No Right to Liberty (Ronald Dworkin)
   3. Two Concepts - Positive & Negative (Isaiah Berlin)
10. War, Terrorism & Peace
    1. Just & Unjust war
    2. Terrorism - Can it be Justified?
    3. Pacifism

* Section I is for the First Term
* Section II is for the Second Term

 

SYBA Paper III: Indian and Western Philosophy

Section I

Unit I

1. Introduction to Philosophy - a general outline of Indian & Western Philosophy
2. Methods in Philosophy
   1. Socrates
   2. Descartes
   3. Mimamsa
3. 1. A Brief analysis of pre-Socratic Cosmology - Ionians, Heraclitus, Parmenides & Sophists
   2. Vedantic Philosophy: 'Tat Twam Asi' - Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya & Madhvacharya

Unit II

4. Sources of knowledge - Reason & Experience
   1. Descartes & Locke
   2. Nyaya & Charvaka
5. God & Evil
   1. The Problem of Evil
   2. The Views of Shankaracharya & St. Thomas Aquinas

Section II

Unit III

6. Basic Constituents of Reality
   1. Plato (Ideas) & Liebnitz (Monads)
   2. Vaisheshika's Atomism & Samkhya's theory of Evolution
7. 1. Theories of Truth - Coherence & Pragmatic
   2. Theories of Error - Akhyati, Anyathakhyati & Asatkhyati

Unit IV

8. Life after Death: Ressurection & Transmigration of Soul
9. Twentieth Century Philosophy
   1. Logical Positivism (Alfred Ayer)
   2. Radical Humanism (M.N.Roy)
10. Value of Philosophy: Russell & Swami Vivekananda (Practical Vedanta)

* Section I is for the First Term
* Section II is for the Second Term

TYBA Paper IV : Fundamental Issues in Philosophy

Unit I

1. Approaches to Philosophy
   1. Metaphysical Approach
   2. Analytical Approach
   3. Existential Approach
2. Contemporary Trends in Philosophy
   1. Phenomenological Approach
   2. Hermeneutics
   3. Post-modernism

Unit II

3. Knowledge & Scepticism
   1. Definition of Knowledge - Knowledge as Justified True Belief
   2. Scepticism western Standpoint
      1. Function of Scepticism
      2. Pyrrho, Descartes & Hume
   3. Scepticism - Indian Standpoint
4. Theories of Perception
   1. Western Theories
   2. Indian Buddhist Theories

Unit III

5. Causation
   1. Significance
   2. Aristotle
   3. Hume
   4. Kant
6. Universals & Particulars
   1. Philosophical Problem of Universals & Particulars
   2. Realism - Plato & Aristotle
   3. Nominalism

Unit IV

7. Mind-Body Problem
   1. Descartes
   2. Huxley's Epiphenomenalism
   3. J.J.C.Smart's Identity Theory
   4. J.Searle's Biological Naturalism
   5. Donald Davidson's Anomalous Monism
8. The Concept of Self & Personal Identity
   1. Nature of Self
   2. Substance Theory of Self - Descartes, Locke & Berkeley
   3. Phenomenalist View of Self - Hume
   4. Criteria of Personal Identity
      1. Memory Criteria
      2. Bodily Criteria
      3. Survival Theory of Derek Parfit

TYBA – Paper V – Philosophy of Religion
(No. of lectures : 90)
(Total Marks ; 100)
Unit – I
(No. of lectures:25)

1. Introduction: (12 Lectures)
   1. What is Philosophy of Religion : its nature and scope
   2. Creation: God and world – Pantheism, Deism, Theism
2. Arguments for the existence of God: (13 Lectures)
   1. Ontological
   2. Cosmological
   3. Teleological
   4. Moral

Unit – II
(No. of lectures:20)

3. Theories of religion: (06 Lectures)
   1. Sociological Theory
   2. Freudian Theory
   3. Erich Fromm’s Theory
4. (08 + 06 Lectures)
   
   1. Attributes of God:
      1. Ramanuja's Views
      2. Metaphysical
      3. Moral
   2. Religious Experience:
      1. Prayer
      2. Worship
      3. Rituals

Unit – III
(No. of lectures:25)

5. 1. Faith and Revelation: (08 + 08 Lectures)
      1. Propositional view of faith and revelation
      2. Voluntarist theories of faith
      3. Tillich’s conception of faith
   2. Mysticism: Sant Jnaneshwar, Rumi, Lalleshwari, St.Avila
6. Religious Language: (09 Lectures)
   1. Analogical
   2. Symbolic
   3. Non-cognitive

Unit – IV
(No. of lectures:20)

7. God and Human Freedom: The views of:
1. Saint Augustine
2. John Calvin
3. Jonathan Edwards (10 Lectures)
8. Religious Pluralism:
   1. Many faiths (their claim to be true)
   2. Religious Pluralism – a philosophical framework
   3. Religion of-and-for the future – the possibility of a universal religion. (10 Lectures)

TYBA – Paper VI – Living Ethical Issues (Applied Component)
(Marks: 100)
(Number of Lectures: 80)
Unit I (Bio-ethical Issues)
(Lectures:20)

1. 1. Abortion – the right to life of the mother and the foetus
   2. Euthanasia – the right to die with dignity
2. 1. Surrogacy – empowerment or exploitation?
   2. Cloning – an ethical evaluation of its pros and cons

Unit II (Environmental Issues)
(Lectures:20)

3. 1. Land Ethics (Aldo Leopold)
   2. Deep Ecology (Arne Naess)
   3. Eco-feminism (Vandana Shiva)
4. 1. Sustainable Development
   2. Obligations to future generations

Unit III (Contemporary Concerns – I)
(Lectures:20)

5. 1. Research on Animals – arguments for and against
   2. Rights of animals
6. 1. Trials on human subjects – the principle of ‘informed consent’
   2. Ethics of Nuclear Technology

Unit IV (Contemporary Concerns – II)
(Lectures:20)

7. 1. Freedom of Thought and Expression
   2. Ethics of Media
8. 1. Ethics of Sex – Homosexuality and pornography
   2. Trafficking in Women and Children

Examination:

1. The question paper will comprise of eight questions and each unit will have two questions.
2. Students have to answer one question from each unit.
3. 80 marks are for theory exam and 20 marks for Project.
4. The projects should be assigned on the practical application in areas related to the syllabus.

TYBA – Paper VI – Living Ethical Issues (Applied Component)
(Marks:100)
(Number of Lectures:80)

Unit I (Bio-ethical Issues)
(Lecture:20)

1. 1. Abortion – the right to life of the mother and the foetus
   2. Euthanasia – the right to die with dignity
2. 1. Surrogacy – empowerment or exploitation?
   2. Cloning – an ethical evaluation of its pros and cons

Unit II (Environmental Issues)
(Lectures:20)

3. 1. Land Ethics (Aldo Leopold)
   2. Deep Ecology (Arne Naess)
   3. Eco-feminism (Vandana Shiva)
4. 1. Sustainable Development
   2. Obligations to future generations

Unit III (Contemporary Concerns – I)
(Lectures:20)

5. 1. Research on Animals – arguments for and against
   2. Rights of animals
6. 1. Trials on human subjects – the principle of ‘informed consent’
   2. Ethics of Nuclear Technology

Unit IV (Contemporary Concerns – II)
(Lectures:20)

7. 1. Freedom of Thought and Expression
   2. Ethics of Media
8. 1. Ethics of Sex – Homosexuality and pornography
   2. Trafficking in Women and Children

Examination:

1. The question paper will comprise of eight questions and each unit will have two questions.
2. Students have to answer one question from each unit.
3. 80 marks are for theory exam and 20 marks for Project.
4. The projects should be assigned on the practical application in areas related to the syllabus.