PHIL 216Probability and Decision Making
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- Philosophy
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 1 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
This course covers a set of related topics in decision theory and game theory. Three themes are developed: rational action, the importance of good information, and strategic moves. The student is given a variety of theoretical tools for understanding what makes a decision rational, how to make decisions using incomplete information, and how to avoid being snared by unfavourable outcomes. Class activities will give students the opportunity to apply course concepts and to explore how the theories apply to broader philosophical areas such as epistemology, political philosophy, ethics, and economics.
Prerequisites
None listed.
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 7685 | 0 / 60 | T 18:30–21:20 |
| LEC 701 | 8252 | 66 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
87% liked it91% easy62% useful
From 23 ratings and 7 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Content is a cakewalk and is quite interesting to learn, especially if you are indecisive. Lots of participation marks and no exams are a nice change. I would not say the content here is particularly useful but it is fun to think about.
Jul 2021 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Very chill. 2 midterms that were half online and open-book; the other part was group work in class. Other than that, there were weekly "worksheets" in class (open-book, group work allowed). All assessments were incredibly straightforward, and the prof was great. Interesting concepts as well.
Aug 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Despite the large amount of knowledge condensed in slides and lectures, the graded works are fairly easy as most of them are group works.
Going to class is quite important. Group works were enjoyable, even for an extreme introvert like me. Would take again.Aug 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
good course
May 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
It was an interesting course and the philosophical along with the mathematical approach to game theory was nice to consider.
Mar 2020 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
26 posts and comments in 23 threads mention PHIL 216, August 2012 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2021
What are your favourite classes at UW 56 points, 87 comments
u/Tsu_Dho_Namh: “Phil 216 - Probability and Decision Making It was Game Theory. Optimal strategies, Nash equilibrium, decision matrices, social action problems, formal logic, monty hall problem, prisoner's dilemma, etc... It was the best because of the prof. …”
Languages and Humanities Bird Courses 1 point, 3 comments
“I was wondering what courses from CLAS, ENGL, HIST, MEDVL, PHIL, RS are bird courses. Also which courses from the language requirement are bird courses.”
u/Lil-Shiro: “… PHIL 115 and 216 are petty well regarded. And I’m an English major so I don’t really know what’d be considered bird, it depends on what you like, since I’m assuming you’re not an English major. …”
Bird Course Recommendations for this term 4 points, 2 comments
u/AdmiralPoetry: “… Already took HRM 200, REC 101, REC 280, PHIL 135, PHIL 216, CLAS 104. (I recommend all of these as bird courses). …”
[deleted by user] 6 points, 4 comments
u/chanaeru: “phil 216 has weekly in person lectures”
Winter 2021
gamestop? more like brainstop! 77 points, 12 comments
u/roopdhar: “I can see this being discussed in phil216 probability and game theory by Greg. Imma be bagholding for a while probably. It's not a loss until you sell.”
I love my major, I don’t need the bad vibes from you eng people 149 points, 49 comments
u/Tsu_Dho_Namh: “Not everything in life is about money. I did a minor in philosophy for no reason other than I loved that shit. …”
u/Tsu_Dho_Namh: “… I don't know if you're into game theory, but Phil-216: Probability and Decision Making was one of my favorite classes. The prof I had isn't teaching anymore, but hopefully some of his ideas are still in the curriculum. …”
Spring 2020
What are your top 5 courses at Waterloo? 29 points, 43 comments
“After 3 years of this place, these were my favourite courses that I found (no particular order): CS 341 CS 251 MATH 135 MATH 239 ENGL 332 (Comics) I liked CS 341, MATH 135, and MATH 239 because they …”
u/332_markovchainz: “Stat 332, Stat 442, CO 380, Phil 216, Hist 258”
Winter 2020
One last elective 8 points, 8 comments
u/ClassicISTP: “… The ones I am considering are- Hist 102, BET 300, PHIL 216. …”
u/Luckehh: “Try to get into PHIL 216 if you can. I took it a few years ago with Greg Andres and he was one of the best profs I had. He even brought homemade brownies to class occasionally. Super easy course if you've taken stat 230 and are interested in rational decision making too.”
Fall 2017
CO456 or ECON212, what game theory dream should I pursue 8 points, 6 comments
“I want to get into game theory, and I don't know what path I should go down. What does each path entail? Should I do more reading by myself?”
u/whiteguyinCS: “Neither, take phil 216”
Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments
“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”
u/Jackhofmann: “PSYCH 483 PSYCH 484 PSYCH 485 PSYCH 486 PSYCH 490R PSYCH 499A PSYCH 499B PSYCH 499C PSYCH 621 PSYCH 630 PSYCH 677A PSYCH 704A PSYCH 704B PSYCH 707 PSYCH 710 PSYCH 714 PSYCH 717 PSYCH 720A PSYCH 721A …”
u/Jackhofmann: “… 101 PHIL 110A PHIL 120J PHIL 121 PHIL 145 PHIL 201 PHIL 201W PHIL 202 PHIL 209W PHIL 215 PHIL 216 PHIL 220J PHIL 221 PHIL 226 PHIL 240 PHIL 247W PHIL 251 PHIL 256 PHIL 258 PHIL 265 PHIL 283 PHIL 284 PHIL 319J PHIL 320 PHIL 327 PHIL 329 PHIL 340 PHIL 356 PHIL 371 PHIL 420 PHIL …”
Are you a Bayesian or frequentist? 1 point, 3 comments
“Text (Optional)”
u/korkskrue: “Phil 216 memes”
Spring 2017
What courses are you taking this fall? 28 points, 129 comments
“With course selection and add/drop happening this week I figured this would be a cool discussion post. …”
u/onepissman: “… STV202 - Design and Society (I'm hoping to drop this for ECE240 - Electronic Circuits 1) PHIL216 - Probability and Decision Making (I want to overload this course, especially if I don't get ECE240) Wish me luck with my UG advisor and the ECE240 prof (lecture time conflicts)”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
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