TIMOTHY M. KWIATEK
I like to teach courses that bring different philosophical traditions into dialogue. Here is a list of courses I’ve taught and the descriptions for a few of them.
As Instructor of Record (FWS = First-Year Writing Seminar)
Social and Political Philosophy [Online]
Ancient Philosophy: Stoics and Buddhists (FWS)
American Philosophy: Transcendentalists to Pragmatists (FWS)
Moral Psychology and Technology Ethics (FWS)
Buddhism and Bioethics (FWS)
Zen Buddhist Philosophy (FWS)
Understanding Moral Emotions: Anger and Compassion (FWS)
Pointing at the Moon: The Forms and Methods of Buddhist Philosophy (FWS)
Pointing at the Moon: Forms & Methods of Buddhist Philosophy (FWS) [Online]
As Teaching Assistant
Moral Psychology (Instructor: Shaun Nichols)
Early Modern Philosophy (Instructor: Derk Pereboom)
Kant (Instructor: Derk Pereboom)
Bioethics (Instructor: Julia Markovits)
Introduction to Philosophy (Instructor: Karen Bennett)
Pointing at the Moon: The Forms and Methods of Buddhist Philosophy
What is the cause of our suffering? Can you think the thought of not thinking? Who can you trust as a source of information? How short should you clip your fingernails? Is there a difference between the profound and the everyday? In this class, we will consider such questions through the lens of Buddhist philosophy. This work takes interestingly different written forms. The writings attributed to the historical Buddha and Śāntideva were often in short verses. Other writers like Bodhidharma and Dōgen wrote longer form works. Zen koans can be just a few words. Each of these genres will provide unique interpretive challenges.
Understanding Moral Emotions: Anger and Compassion
Can it be wrong to feel resentment or to take pleasure in the suffering of others? Should we be blamed or praised for the anger we feel about social injustice? Philosophers call things like this “moral” emotions. Drawing from sources in philosophy, psychology, and Buddhism, we will investigate the role and the value of moral emotions, especially anger and compassion. Some questions include: What is the difference between compassion and empathy? Can we have positive feelings towards everyone? What role do these emotions play in our social lives or in creating social change? Can we cultivate or avoid them? And should we?
Moral Psychology and Technology Ethics
Why do people fear artificial intelligence (AI)? Could AI develop the kind of agency we might praise or blame? Could it be morally responsible? Or are any consequences just the responsibility of programmers? Can AI be taught moral principles? Can we outsource emotional labor to AI? What is it about communication on the internet that makes things spiral out of control so quickly? When you “like” a post, does that constitute praise? When you leave a mean comment, can that constitute blame? This course will focus on questions such as these that emerge at the intersection of ethics, moral psychology, and modern technology.