Philosophy · Columbia University
Reading Aquinas' "Treatise on the Angels" in his Summa Theologica, I learned Aquinas' metaphysical view of incorporeal beings, such as angels and demons. The most interesting part of his account is how he explained angelic cognition and embodiment. We also read supplementing materials that related to Aquinas, and later, readings that had to do with AI cognition. I became a better reader of philosophy and developed a greater understanding of medieval metaphysics. I came to develop a better understanding of Aristotle, as Aquinas heavily draws from Aristotle. Furthermore, I developed a lens on how to think more critically about the differences between human cognition and AI cognition through thinking about angelic cognition.
Easier than most lithums. No passage ID's. Hard but fair on essays. Not too difficult to get an A in the class as long as you try hard on the essays.
How to perform individual research and work towards a philosophy paper of a considerable length.
I learned a lot in this course, and I found that even if I felt lost or lacked understanding, by the time I completed the midterm exam, that I did have that knowledge.
learned about philosophy of mind as it relates to angelic beings as well as its relation to artificial intelligence.
Amazing professor. Does a great job at guiding conversations so they're actually interesting. His excitement for the material is contagious.
I learned how to participate in a discussion section as well as how to skim through readings to gather the appropriate information for class.
A comprehensive and rigorous exposition of St. Thomas Aquinas's Treatise on the Angels; plus a brief but fascinating discussion of late-20th century debates on computational theories of the mind + AI. Some theology sprinkled throughout.
About 100 pages of reading per class (depending on the literature assigned); one short discussion question before each class. Two essays (6-8 pages) a term plus a midterm and final. Overall, a generous grader if you put the work in (attending office hours is very helpful).
In the Western tradition, there was a general survey of Ancient Greek philosophers spanning from Heraclitis/Parmenides, Socrates/Plato, Aristotle (Physics and Nichomachean Ethics), and the Stoics. In the Chinese tradition, there was a survey of Confucianism and Daoism/Zhuangzi with brief mentions of the Mohists. In the Indian tradition, there was a discussion of the Nyaya philosophers and Nagarjuna. Discussions of epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics were woven together.