L I B E R A L A R T S A N D S C I E N C E S The Ethics of Belief: Constructing Your Personhood W hat kind of person are you? It seems likely that your beliefs play a significant or leading role in shaping who you are. If so, it is important to ask how you acquired your beliefs, how you maintain them, and whether they are warranted, no matter how fervently held. This course will delve into contemporary and classic works of Western philosophy to help us explore the influ- ence our beliefs have on our conduct, character, and life. The course will begin with an overview of the issues concerning the ethics of belief, including the motiva- tions for scrutinizing an ethics of belief. We will then look at the significance of context and how it can create insincere behavior. Next, our examination of the debate of evidentialism (the duty of inquiry) and non-evidentialism (the justification of beliefs without evidence) will compare the arguments put forward by William Clifford’s The Ethics of Belief and William James’s The Will to Believe. The latter part of the course will consider the acquisition and consequences of belief, as well as rationalization and construction of a unified personhood. The course will include weekly readings, live class meetings, and rich, thought-provoking discus- sions. Students will leave the class with an enlightened perspective on how their personhood is shaped by their beliefs. r ic h i e k i m Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, Stanford Richie Kim has taught philosophy at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and the University of San Francisco. In 2020, he received Stanford’s Centennial Teaching Assistant Award in philosophy and UC Berkeley’s Inspirational Instructors Award. He received a PhD in philosophy from Stanford. PHI 121 W 6 weeks, June 26 – August 4 1 unit, $420 Refund Deadline: June 29 Course Format: Flex Online P S Y C H O L O G Y Manage Emotions Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills E motions shape our worlds, yet they can be difficult, confusing, and draining. Whether we are trying to navigate our own distress or comfort loved ones through trying times, we may find ourselves wishing we had more tools to help us think about and handle emotions from a different perspective. Skills derived from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—a treatment especially effective for depression and anxiety—are one way of challenging the thought patterns and behavioral habits that keep people stuck in a spiral of negative emotion. For example, people who feel distressed after giving a presentation can learn to notice their thoughts (“Everyone could tell I was unprepared”), label thoughts that are distorted (in this case, mind reading), and then restructure the thought (“They asked me to speak again, Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840), Tiger lily illustration from Les liliacées, 1805. Original from New York Public Library. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel. Learn more about our new Continuing Studies course “Drawing Flowers: An Introduction to Botanical Art” (page 16). 36 S T A N F O R D C O N T I N U I N G S T U D I E S