Welcome to the History of Contemporary Philosophy.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

History of Contemporary Philosophy is the final subject in the study of the History of Philosophy. Building on the contributions of earlier centuries, we will study the thought of some of the major philosophers from the second half of the nineteenth century to the late twentieth century, and their influence today.

Duration: 25 classes

Format: Online

Time: Tuesdays, 7.30-9.00pm AEST (11:30am-1:00pm in Rome).

Zoom Link:

Dates: Tuesday 2 July – 27 August, 2024.

And 7 more classes

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course students should be able to:

  1. Be familiar with the names of major philosophers of the period and situate them within their historical and social contexts.
  2. Understand and explain at a basic level: Marxism, existentialism, utilitarianism, scientism, nihilism, personalism, and situate these ideas within their historical contexts
  3. Critically engage with the the principal philosophical ideas introduced in this course, assessing their strengths and weaknesses, and supporting your views with reasons
  4. Appreciate the legacy of these philosophers and identify their continuing influence in contemporary society
  5. Participate confidently and positively in contemporary philosophical discussions.

    PROGRAM

    1. Historical Context
    2. The Anti-Hegelian Reaction:
      1. Karl Marx
      2. Soren Kierkegaard
      3. Arthur Schopenhauer
    3. Utilitarianism and American Pragmatism:
      1. Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill
      2. American Pragmatism
    4. Scientism
      1. Auguste Comte
    5. The Crisis of Modernity:
      1. Friedrich Nietzsche
      2. Existentialism: Atheistic & Christian Existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre
      3. Phenomenology: Edmund Husserl, Max Scheler, Martin Heidegger
    6. The Permissive Society:
      1. Sigmund Freud
      2. The Frankfurt School
      3. Critical Theory
      4. Cultural manifestations: feminism & gender theory, the culture of death, ecological theories. The return to the sacred.
    7. Openness to Transcendence:
      1. French Spiritualism: Henri Bergson, Maurice Blondel, Gabriel Marcel
      2. Personalism: Emmanuel Mounier, Martin Buber, Emmanuel Levinas Karol Wojtyla
      3. Thomism: Aeterni Patris, Neo-Scholasticism, Jacques Maritain, Etienne Gilson
    8. Neopositivism & Analytic Philosophy
      1. The Circle of Vienna
      2. Karl Popper
      3. Linguistic Analysis and philosophy: Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein
    9. Postmodernism
      1. Jacques Derrida
      2. Michel Foucault

       

       ASSESSMENT

      TBA

       

      READINGS

      Will be provided

      OTHER REFERENCES

      Chronological List of Major Philosophers |  VIEW

      Copleston, F., A History of Philosophy: , v. 7 & 8, (New York: Doubleday, 1963). |  VIEW

      Interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of Science and Religion |  VIEW 

      Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy |  VIEW 

      Internet History of Philosophy |  VIEW

      History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps, Peter Adamson, Kings College, London (podcast) | HERE