PHIL 2001 — Ethics and Evolutionary Games
4 semester hoursUndergraduateLectureNUpath ERNUpath SItypical days: M/ThBostonTraditional
Surveys the basic ideas and principles from evolutionary game theory and how they can be applied to philosophical questions about ethical and social norms. Investigates how cooperation evolves and is maintained; where our sense of fairness comes from and how it affects the way we interact with others; why individuals are altruistic; and whether there is a rational basis for our most basic social norms. Basic ethical norms can involve cooperation, altruism, mutual aid, fairness, coordination, and communication. Evolution and game theory, the formal study of social interaction, have recently been applied to these areas in order to better understand how these norms can arise naturally. Prior completion of PHIL 1115, PHIL 1215, or the NU Core requirement for mathematical/analytical thinking level 1 recommended.
Offering history
| Term | Sections | Enrolled | Capacity | Full | Open seats/section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | 1 | 27 | 35 | 77% | 8.0 |
| Spring 2025 | 1 | 34 | 35 | 97% | 1.0 |
Snapshots from scheduled scrapes — not live seat availability. "Full" can exceed 100% when sections over-enroll.
Meeting times
Share of recent sections by weekday: M 100% · T 0% · W 0% · Th 100% · F 0%
Common patterns: MR (100% of sections) — in patterns, R means Thursday
Professors
Fall
- Rory Smead (100% of students) · reviews
Spring
- Rory Smead (100% of students) · reviews
Percentages are each professor's average share of the season's enrolled students in recent terms.
Links
Official catalog (PHIL course descriptions) · Student reviews on RateMyHusky · All PHIL courses · Plan it at numap.app