Professor of Philosophy
Email: hauptli@fiu.edu
Copyright © 2011 Bruce W. Hauptli
Department of Philosophy
Office: DM 341 D
Florida International University
Modesto Maidique Campus
Miami, FL 33199
Phone/Voice Mail: 305-348-3350
Fax: 305-348-1799
Office Hours: Mondays and Fridays 11:00-10:45, 3:00-4:00, and by appointment.
Spring 2012 Courses:
PHH 2063 U01 [17020]: Classics In Philosophy: Introduction to the History of Philosophy; Monday's, Wednesdays, & Fridays 9:00-9:50. This course introduces the history of philosophy by examining the works of Plato, Anselm, Hobbes, and Descartes.
PHI 3300 U01 [15700]: Epistemology: Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays 10:00-10:50. A basic upper division course in the theory of knowledge. It addresses skepticism, the nature of knowledge, epistemic justification (what is requisite if we are to support our claims to knowledge), and alternative orientations within contemporary epistemology.
PHH 4930 U02 [17711]: A Major Philosopher: Wittgenstein; Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays 2:00-2:50. A course concentrating on the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Pages for Recent Courses:
PHH 3401 16th and 17th Century Philosophy (last offered: Summer 2011). A course in the Department's History of Philosophy sequence which deals with orientations of four philosophers: Rene Descartes, Blasé Pascal, Benedict Spinoza, and Gottfired Leibniz.
PHH 3402 U01: British Empiricism (last offered Fall 2011). A course in the Department's History of Philosophy sequence which deals with orientation of three philosophers: John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume.
PHI 3601 Ethics (last offered: Spring 2007). A basic course in ethical theories, this course will concentrate upon a critical analysis of the theories of Hobbes, Mill, Kant, and Aristotle.
PHI 5934 Wittgenstein (last offered: Fall 2006) a graduate section of PHH 4930: Wittgenstein.
IDS 6937 Great Ideas Seminar: Special Topics--Liberal Education and Democracy (last offered: Summer 2004). The seminar focused on a historical survey of the evolving idea (and ideal) of liberal education and its relationship to democracy. Attention was directed to its cultural origins and contexts, and to its importance for democratic citizenry. This course is one of the Great Ideas Seminars for the Master of Liberal Arts [MALS] Program. For more information on the program select this link: FIU MALS Program.
A General Statement of My Course Objectives and Expectations for Students
Writing Philosophy Papers For Professor Hauptli
Writing Essay Exams for Professor Hauptli
A Note for Students Taking Multiple Courses With Me
Regarding Independent Study Requests
Regarding Requests for Letters of Recommendation
Further Information, Position Statements, and Unpublished Work: The following provide a picture of my educational philosophy, my view of the university and its constituencies, and other items of possible interest.
My View of The Nature of A Liberal Arts Education
My View of the Relation of Academic Administration and Collegial Governance
Education, Indoctrination, and Academic Freedom
Why Tenure Is Important To Universities and Colleges--My View
On The Connection Between Research and Undergraduate Teaching
Business Models Are Inappropriate for University Communities
Regarding Professional Responsibility and Ethics
Why Non-Faculty Senates Are Important To Universities
Why I Belong To An Academic Union
An Unfounded Critique of Florida's Tenure System
Information on my book, The Reasonableness of Reason
Student Malapropisms Collected Over My Years of Teaching
My Lecture Supplement Introducing Philosophy: "What Is Philosophy?"
Here are a number of unpublished papers which I believe are worth a look, but which are no longer submitted for consideration for publication. While many were written in the 1980's and 1990's, the copyright date indicates when they were first placed on the "web."
William Alston's Epistemic Level Confusion and Disguised Fideism
Perpetual Noon and Strained Analogies (a critique of J.L. Mackie's "Five O'Clock On The Sun").
Good Philosophy Is Unavoidably Technical--A Criticism of Adler (a criticism of Mortimer Adler's Six Great Ideas PBS video program).
Philosophy and The Quest For A Justified World-View--A Review of Kekes (a criticism of John Kekes' The Nature of Philosophy).
Below are a number of lectures which I have given to others' classes at FIU:
The Enlightenment Project (Readings: Chapters 1-3 of E.O. Wilson's Consilience)
Can We Inhabit Other Lives? and Consilience and Consciousness (Reading: Thomas Nagel's "What Is It Like To Be A Bat?")--the two are very similar (with the first one being the most recent version)
A Quick and Dirty Argument Against Moral Relativism
Relativism, Objectivism, and Judging (Readings: Ambrose Beirce's "A Horseman In The Sky" and Jonathan Bennett's "The Conscience of Huckleberry Finn)
Some Things Are Just Plain Wrong (Readings: William Gass's "The Case of the Obliging Stranger" and Ted Bundy's "Letter To A Victim")
What Is A Self, and Why Should You Care? (Reading: Daniel Dennett, “Why Everyone Is A Novelist”)
Other Presentations To FIU Groups:
Presentation to Phi Sigma Tau Panel--Introduction to Skepticism
Presentation to Phi Sigma Tau Panel--Living One's Skepticism Contra Burnyeat
FIU Department of Philosophy (includes information of faculty, Student Advising Guide, etc.)
Arts and Letters Daily--an excellent source of daily information of interest.
Links to Philosophy Web Sites---Episteme Links
The Elements of Style OnLine by Strunk and White--A Classic guide.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Revised: 01/06/2012.