Philosophy
14 courses · El Camino College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Fall 2026 · Winter 2027 · Spring 2027
PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- Eligibility for English C1000 or equivalent
- Formerly
- Philosophy 2
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course investigates the big questions of philosophy, such as: What is the meaning of life? What can I know? Do I have free will? How do we know we are not living in a computer simulation? Emphasis is on how philosophers go about answering such questions, and how these questions are relevant to our lives. Note: Students may take either Philosophy 101 or Philosophy 101H. Duplicate credit will not be awarded.
PHIL 101H Honors Introduction to Philosophy
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- Eligibility for English C1000 or equivalent
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, investigates the big questions of philosophy, such as: What is the meaning of life? What can I be sure of? How do I know I'm not living in the Matrix? What is truly valuable and what is overvalued? What is the best life? Do I have free will? Emphasis is placed on how philosophers go about answering such questions and how these questions are relevant to our lives. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments. Note: Students may take either Philosophy 101H or Philosophy 101. Duplicate credit will not be awarded.
PHIL 103 Ethics and Society
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000)
- Formerly
- Philosophy 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course offers a critical study of the major ethical theories and their application to contemporary moral issues, such as abortion, the death penalty, poverty, war, and euthanasia.
PHIL 105 Critical Thinking and Writing
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- Eligibility for English 1A
- Formerly
- Philosophy 5
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course focuses on the study and development of critical reasoning and effective argumentation. Emphasis is placed on the application of critical thinking skills to the production of clear, well-argued position and advocacy papers and to the linguistic and logical analysis of the writings of others. Students' papers and other writings will total a minimum of 6,000-8,000 words.
PHIL 105H Honors Critical Thinking and Writing
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- Eligibility for English 1A
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, focuses on the study and development of critical reasoning and effective argumentation. Emphasis is placed on the application of critical thinking skills to the production of clear, well-argued position and advocacy papers and to the linguistic and logical analysis of the writings of others. Students' papers and other writings will total a minimum of 6,000-8,000 words. This course is enriched through extensive rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.
PHIL 106 Introduction to Symbolic Logic
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ENGL 1 or eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000) or qualification by appropriate assessment
- Formerly
- Philosophy 8
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course focuses on the representation of arguments for formal analysis, and the skills and techniques needed to do so effectively. The focus will be on the basic elements of classical and propositional logic with a brief introduction to predicate logic. Also discussed will be informal fallacies, inductive logic, and language.
PHIL 107 Philosophy of Religion
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- Eligibility for English C1000 or equivalent
- Formerly
- Philosophy 7
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an introduction to traditional philosophical problems connected with religious belief. Prominent issues include whether God, souls, and an afterlife exist, the paradox of an all-good God and so much suffering in the world, the nature of religious language, the clash between religion and science, religious faith, the existence of miracles, religious experience, and mysticism.
PHIL 111 History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ENGL 1 or eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000) or qualification by appropriate assessment
- Formerly
- Philosophy 10
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course offers a chronological examination of Western philosophical thought developed between 600 B.C.E. and 1300 C.E., including the principle ancient and medieval philosophies of this time period. Topics include Greek and Roman thought, and the rise and development of Christianity.
PHIL 112 History of Modern Philosophy
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ENGL 1 or eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000) or qualification by appropriate assessment
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course addresses 16th through 18th century Western philosophy with an emphasis on broad epistemological and metaphysical developments in philosophical thought from Descartes to Kant, and may include some precursors and successors. Some of the concepts explored include empiricism, rationalism, idealism, the limits of knowledge, skepticism, the nature of reality, and arguments for and against the existence of God.
PHIL 113 Contemporary Philosophy
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ENGL 1 or eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000) or qualification by appropriate assessment
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course addresses the main themes and ideas of 19th and 20th century philosophy. In addition to major contributions in the philosophy of language and ethics, some of the major philosophical movements covered include existentialism, phenomenology, analytic philosophy and logical positivism, pragmaticism, plus post-modernism and post-structuralism.
PHIL 115 Existentialism
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ENGL 1 or eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000) or qualification by appropriate assessment
- Formerly
- Philosophy 12
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course will examine the philosophical thought of the two strands of existentialist writers: the religious existentialists such as Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, and Heidegger, and the atheistic existentialists such as Nietzsche, Camus, and Sartre. Issues that will be examined include authenticity, free will, responsibility for one's character and actions, the essence, possibilities and limits of human beings, and the meaning of life.
PHIL 116 Introduction to Inductive Logic and Probability Theory
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- Intermediate algebra or appropriate assessment for CCSM (common core standards for math)
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course will focus on the basics of inductive logic and probability theory. Students will learn about traditional statistical methods, the basics of probability theory, Bayes' rule, the role of induction in scientific reasoning, and the philosophical problem of induction. Students will also learn about normative issues surrounding inductive inference.
PHIL 117 Political Philosophy
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- Eligibility for English C1000 or equivalent
- Formerly
- Philosophy 17
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
In this course, students will examine political theory as presented in the primary works of major Western thinkers from Plato to Marx. Fundamental issues to be explored include human nature, justice, power, the role of the state, and the legitimate scope of government. Note: Philosophy 117 is the same course as Political Science 7.
PHIL 374 Medical Ethics
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Transfers to
- CSU
This course explores the application of ethical theories and moral reasoning to the major ethical issues confronting the fields of medicine and biomedical science. Students will become familiar with legal and institutional positions, evaluate opposing arguments on the various topics, and examine relevant case studies. Topics include: the Hippocratic tradition; the virtues of healthcare professionals; paternalism vs. patient autonomy; informed patient consent and confidentiality; genetic and reproductive ethics; abortion; infanticide; hospice, death and dying, and advance directives; quality and sanctity of life; and just allocation of resources. Note: This upper division course is a required course for students in the Respiratory Care B.S. program.