Philosophy 137: Skepticism, Relativism, and Truth

The existence of objective truth is hotly debated, both within popular culture and in academic circles.  Whether it exists at all, and about which topics, seems to make a significant difference personally, politically, and intellectually.  In this course, we will begin by looking at skeptical and relativistic challenges to the existence and attainability of objective truth in general.  Then, we will examine a series of more specific challenges regarding the ability of science to reveal deeper objective truths about how the world works, regarding the possibility for genuine understanding and evaluation across languages and cultures, and regarding the existence of objective moral values.  We will end by considering the potential value of truth itself, and the relationship between truth and genuine happiness. This course is intended for first-year students and sophomores; open to juniors by consent; not open to seniors. Applies to the Analytic requirement for the philosophy major.