Numbering Code	U-LET01 35131 LJ34	Year/Term	2022 ・ First semester
Number of Credits	2	Course Type	special lecture
Target Year		Target Student
Language	English	Day/Period	Mon.2
Instructor name	OTSUKA JUN (Graduate School of Letters Associate Professor)
Outline and Purpose of the Course	The humanities is an attempt to understand human activities. However, as long as humans are part of the biological world, the search for human nature must necessarily be accompanied by an understanding of humans as biological organisms. Ever since the birth of Darwin's theory of evolution in the 19th century, biology has had a great influence on our view of human beings, morality, and society. In this class, we will examine the philosophical implications of biology, referring to the debates in the contemporary philosophy of biology.
Course Goals	- To understand the theoretical structure of evolutionary biology - To understand the philosophical and social implications of biology - To be able to read articles in contemporary philosophy of science
Schedule and Contents	1. Orientation 2. Evolutionary theory 101 - Darwin and Mendel - Population genetics and the development in the 20th century 3. The theoretical structure of evolutionary theory - Essential vs. population thinking - Is evolution tautology? - Evolutionary explanations 4. Goal-directedness in nature - The history of teleology - Function and teleology in modern evolutionary theory - Adaptationism and agent thinking 5. Altruism - Evolutionary game theory - Evolution of altruistic behavior 6. Evolution and society - Eugenics - Genetics of race 7. Wrap up 8. Feedback
Evaluation Methods and Policy	- Homeworks (30%) - Term essay (70%)
Course Requirements	None
Study outside of Class (preparation and review)	Students must read assigned texts before class.
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