PHI 125 — Philosophy of Biology: Life, Evolution, and Everything in Between
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Stephen Friesen
Date(s): Jan 12—Mar 16
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Mondays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 6:00—7:50 pm (PT)
Please Note: No class on January 19 and February 16
Tuition: $475
Refund Deadline: Jan 14
Unit(s): 1
Status: Open
Quarter: Winter
Day: Mondays
Duration: 8 weeks
Time: 6:00—7:50 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 12—Mar 16
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $475
Refund Deadline: Jan 14
Instructor(s): Stephen Friesen
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
Please Note: No class on January 19 and February 16
Imagine Aristotle sketching the anatomy of a sea creature or Darwin pacing the rooms of Down House, wrestling with the idea that life evolves through chance and struggle. What counts as life, and how should it be understood? These questions have long engaged science and philosophy. But the philosophy of biology only emerged in the 20th century, as thinkers asked not just what biology discovers, but how it discovers, and what its methods and assumptions reveal about life itself.
This course examines key ideas in biology, from Darwin’s “struggle for existence” to Peter Godfrey-Smith’s contemporary work on animal consciousness. We’ll trace the development of evolutionary and ecological thought and consider how these ideas inform enduring questions about human nature, responsibility, and our connection to the planet. We’ll also ask whether artificial intelligence could develop the awareness we attribute to ourselves and other species. The course concludes with debates in evolutionary theory and ecology, including process philosophy’s view of reality as dynamic, relational, and perpetually in flux.
This course examines key ideas in biology, from Darwin’s “struggle for existence” to Peter Godfrey-Smith’s contemporary work on animal consciousness. We’ll trace the development of evolutionary and ecological thought and consider how these ideas inform enduring questions about human nature, responsibility, and our connection to the planet. We’ll also ask whether artificial intelligence could develop the awareness we attribute to ourselves and other species. The course concludes with debates in evolutionary theory and ecology, including process philosophy’s view of reality as dynamic, relational, and perpetually in flux.
STEPHEN FRIESEN
Adjunct Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of San Francisco
Stephen Friesen teaches philosophy of biology, philosophy of science, and environmental ethics at the University of San Francisco. He also teaches environmental history and environmental literature at Sonoma State. He creates learning content that crosses boundaries. Friesen received a PhD from Indiana University Bloomington. Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Peter Godfrey-Smith, Metazoa: Animal Minds and the Birth of Consciousness (ISBN 978-0008321239)