Read the whole preface
text available at: http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/ph/phprefac.htm
Journals due on November 23.
Guidance questions
1. What's the commonness and difference between Hegel and Kant regarding scientific knowledge?
2. How do you understand the statement: "subject is pure and simple negativity" (Φ 18)?
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Midterm Presentation
Topics
Everybody should choose a philosopher (e.g. Hume) or a philosophical school (e.g. Buddhism) outside of the class readings for presentation. You should explain major points of her/his or their thoughts. It’s NOT a biographical introduction, but very brief background introduction is fine.
Below is a list of possible topics. You can also choose other topics, but they must be approved by me in advance. Everybody must choose a different topic.
Ancient: Democritus, Epicurus, Parmenides, Pythagoras, Protagoras, Heraclitus, Zeno, Plotinus, Sextus Empiricus, Marcus Aurelius
Medieval: Nicholas of Cusa, Boethius, Aquinas, Anselm, Scotus..
Modern: Machiavelli, Montaigne, Vico, Francis Bacon, Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Rousseau, Voltaire, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Husserl, Karl Marx,
Contemporary: Heidegger, Hanah Arendt, Enscombe, Levinas, Derrida, Judith Butler, Kristeva, Wittgenstein, Rawls, Putnam, Russell, Sartre
Other cultures: Confucius, Lao-tse, Buddhism, Islamic philosophy, African philosophy
Form:
The presentation dates are November 30 and December 2. Yet, Every student should be prepared to present by November 30. A student will be downgraded if he/she is found not ready to present by the due date.
The presentation should be limited within 5 minutes, followed by 1-2 minutes Q&A session. The presenter must prepare several questions for the audience.
You must NOT bring the paper to read. One may, however, bring an index card if one wishes to bring brief notes.
Grading
The presentation is to test students’ oral skills, capability of explaining philosophical arguments as well as ability to make meaningful philosophical discussion. The essential criterion is whether you can explain the thoughts of a philosopher precisely and clearly within five minutes.
Everybody should choose a philosopher (e.g. Hume) or a philosophical school (e.g. Buddhism) outside of the class readings for presentation. You should explain major points of her/his or their thoughts. It’s NOT a biographical introduction, but very brief background introduction is fine.
Below is a list of possible topics. You can also choose other topics, but they must be approved by me in advance. Everybody must choose a different topic.
Ancient: Democritus, Epicurus, Parmenides, Pythagoras, Protagoras, Heraclitus, Zeno, Plotinus, Sextus Empiricus, Marcus Aurelius
Medieval: Nicholas of Cusa, Boethius, Aquinas, Anselm, Scotus..
Modern: Machiavelli, Montaigne, Vico, Francis Bacon, Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Rousseau, Voltaire, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Husserl, Karl Marx,
Contemporary: Heidegger, Hanah Arendt, Enscombe, Levinas, Derrida, Judith Butler, Kristeva, Wittgenstein, Rawls, Putnam, Russell, Sartre
Other cultures: Confucius, Lao-tse, Buddhism, Islamic philosophy, African philosophy
Form:
The presentation dates are November 30 and December 2. Yet, Every student should be prepared to present by November 30. A student will be downgraded if he/she is found not ready to present by the due date.
The presentation should be limited within 5 minutes, followed by 1-2 minutes Q&A session. The presenter must prepare several questions for the audience.
You must NOT bring the paper to read. One may, however, bring an index card if one wishes to bring brief notes.
Grading
The presentation is to test students’ oral skills, capability of explaining philosophical arguments as well as ability to make meaningful philosophical discussion. The essential criterion is whether you can explain the thoughts of a philosopher precisely and clearly within five minutes.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason
Kant: The Critique of Pure Reason
a. Preface to the second edition 1787;
b. the whole Introduction:
namely from “I. Of the difference between Pure and Empirical Knowledge” to “VII. Idea and Division of a Particular Science, under the Name of a Critique of Pure Reason”)
text available at http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext03/cprrn10.txt
Journals due on November 11.
Guidance questions:
1. Which problem does Kant see in Mathematics, Natural Science (Physics) and Metaphysics (philosophy)? What does he aim to achieve?
2. How is judgment important for science? What means a priori synthetic judgment?
3. What means Copernican Turn in Kant's view of knowledge?
a. Preface to the second edition 1787;
b. the whole Introduction:
namely from “I. Of the difference between Pure and Empirical Knowledge” to “VII. Idea and Division of a Particular Science, under the Name of a Critique of Pure Reason”)
text available at http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext03/cprrn10.txt
Journals due on November 11.
Guidance questions:
1. Which problem does Kant see in Mathematics, Natural Science (Physics) and Metaphysics (philosophy)? What does he aim to achieve?
2. How is judgment important for science? What means a priori synthetic judgment?
3. What means Copernican Turn in Kant's view of knowledge?
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Empiricism & Rationalism
In order to understand Kant, we have to know the philosophers before him. Therefore please research on these two terms "Empiricism" and "Rationalism", and write explanations for each term before Tuesday Nov. 9.
Key question: their different accounts of knowledge, regarding the relationship between thinking beings (subjects) and existing things (objects). Do you agree with their explanation of knowledge?
Major philosophers: Hume for Empiricism and Leibniz for Rationalism
Methodology: Research on internet or in library
Format: explain each term with at least 100 words respectively and hand them in on Tuesday Nov. 9.
It counts as one journal.
Key question: their different accounts of knowledge, regarding the relationship between thinking beings (subjects) and existing things (objects). Do you agree with their explanation of knowledge?
Major philosophers: Hume for Empiricism and Leibniz for Rationalism
Methodology: Research on internet or in library
Format: explain each term with at least 100 words respectively and hand them in on Tuesday Nov. 9.
It counts as one journal.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Descartes: Discourse on Method
Descartes: Discourse on Method,(Part I-IV)
Text available at: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/59/59-h/59-h.htm
Journals due on October 28.
Questions for reading guidance:
What’s Descartes’ criterion for truth and knowledge?
What’s Descartes’ method to get such knowledge?
Do you think his method can guarantee the truth?
Text available at: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/59/59-h/59-h.htm
Journals due on October 28.
Questions for reading guidance:
What’s Descartes’ criterion for truth and knowledge?
What’s Descartes’ method to get such knowledge?
Do you think his method can guarantee the truth?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Augustine: Confessions
Read Book XI
text available at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/augustine/confessions.xiv.html
Focus on
1. How can we perceive past, present and future?
2. Why is it difficult to describe time?
3. What's the relationship between God and time?
Journals due on October 21.
text available at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/augustine/confessions.xiv.html
Focus on
1. How can we perceive past, present and future?
2. Why is it difficult to describe time?
3. What's the relationship between God and time?
Journals due on October 21.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics II
Read Book X
text available at: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html
Guidance question: Why contemplation is the best life? (Relate it to Book I)
journals due on October 12.
text available at: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html
Guidance question: Why contemplation is the best life? (Relate it to Book I)
journals due on October 12.
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