Collins Living-Learning Center

This course explores a range of topics at the intersection of philosophy and literature, all of which are related to the question of what it would mean to pursue a philosophical problem through fiction. We will begin by reading some classics of both philosophy (Plato, Descartes, and others) and literature (Tolstoy, Munro, and others), with a view to getting clear on what the goals of each discipline are, how they conceive of themselves, and the extent to which these self-conceptions are compatible. Next, we will turn to a central debate in the philosophy of literature, concerning the so-called cognitive value of fiction: can we learn truths about the actual world by reading about events that take place in fictional ones? Finally, we will study a collection of pieces that blur the line between philosophy and fiction, including short stories by Ted Chiang and Jorge Luis Borges.  

Instructor: Jake Walerius

Selected by Board of Educational Programming (BOEP)

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