PHIL 2016 — The Philosophy and Ethics of Lying and Deception
4 semester hoursUndergraduateLectureNUpath ERNUpath SItypical days: M/W/ThBostonHybridTraditional
Examines lying and other forms of deception in a wide range of modern contexts from advertising to politics, using different theoretical approaches. Offers students an opportunity to use philosophical and economic theories to investigate what lying is, why people lie, when and why it is wrong to lie, how we can learn from other people even though they might be lying, and how social institutions affect—and are affected by—all of this lying. In modern society, we are confronted with lies, spin, fake news, and even “BS” on a daily basis. Since these forms of deception play such a central role in human life, many philosophers—including Plato, Augustine, and Kant—have studied the ontology, ethics, epistemology, economics, and logic of lying and deception.
Offering history
| Term | Sections | Enrolled | Capacity | Full | Open seats/section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | 1 | 34 | 35 | 97% | 1.0 |
| Spring 2025 | 1 | 35 | 35 | 100% | 0.0 |
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 100% · Th 100% · F 0%
Common patterns: MWR (100% of sections) — in patterns, R means Thursday
Professors
Fall
- Don Fallis (100% of students) · reviews
Spring
- Don Fallis (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