HUM2110 - SYL.F96

The Self-Discovery of Man - HUM 2110

Lecturer: Dr. Stephen Palmquist

“God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” — Bible (Genesis 1:27)

“Man is the measure of all things.” — Protagoras (quoted in Plato’s Theaetetus)

“Only the Perfect Man can wander in the world without taking sides, can follow along with men without losing himself.” — Chuang Tzu (section 26)

“I teach you the superman. Man is something that is to be surpassed.”

— Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Prologue)

Objectives

Discovering what it means to be a human being is one of the most important aspects of studying the humanities. In order to be fully effective such a study must be both theoretical and practical. This class will therefore have a twofold emphasis: students will be asked to learn how some of the most influential human beings ever to live have understood what it means to be human; they will then be expected to apply this theoretical understanding to the practical task of gaining a new depth of self-knowledge.

Grade Assessment

Grades will be based on three criteria:

1. Journal: Each student will be required to keep a journal for at least ten weeks, starting on or before the beginning of the second week of class (16 September) and ending on or after the end of the eleventh week (23 November). The journal should include reflections on the lectures and readings, applications of other practical exercises recommended in class (see especially Part III of the Lecture Plan), and any other relevant attempts to promote one’s own personal self-discovery. The journal will be handed in for an initial check in the sixth week (15 October) and returned in the next class session. The final product will be due on 26 November and will be worth 40% of your grade.

2. Class and tutorial participation: The class will be divided into six or seven tutorial groups, each of which will meet in my office (C905) every other week to discuss practical issues relating to your journals (see separate sheet for schedule). Each student should therefore bring his or her journal to each tutorial session. Attendance at and participation in the five tutorial sessions that meet in my office will be worth 10% of your grade.

3. Final examination: The exam will probably consist of two essay questions (or possibly one essay and a set of 20-30 short, objective questions) and will be worth 50% of your grade.

Readings

Required readings will be placed on reserve in the library (see list, below). This class will contain a significant amount of philosophical material, so students (especially those who have not taken an Introduction to Philosophy class) are recommended to (re)read, The Tree of Philosophy. This book may be purchased from the Campus Bookshop for $60. One copy is also available on two hour reserve in the library.

Office Hours

If you have questions about the readings or lectures, or if you would like to discuss anything else, feel free to come to my office (C905). My office hours are: Mondays 10am-12pm; Tuesdays 12-1pm; Wednesdays 11am-12pm and 4-5pm; and Thursdays 2-3pm. If you are unable to come during these hours, you may come at any other time, but please make an appointment first. If possible, do not come on Thursday mornings or Fridays. (These times will normally be reserved for research!)

Tentative Lecture Plan (with Required Readings in italics)

I. Introduction (week 1)

1. What is self-discovery? — Palmquist, ch.10

2. Feuerbach, Nietzsche, and human self-projection — Stevenson, ch.1

II. Historical Perspectives on Human Self-Discovery (weeks 2-3)

1. Religious theories: Hebrews vs. Greeks on the soul — Trigg, chs.1-2

2. Religious practice: Buddha vs. Jesus on enlightenment — Stevenson, chs. 3-4

3. Chinese theory and practice: Confucius vs. Chuang Tzu — Chuang Tzu, chs.1-2

4. The Copernican revolution: Ptolemy vs. Copernicus — Hanfling, ch.3

III. Practical Methods of Self-Discovery (weeks 4-5)

1. Philosophy and reflective insight — Palmquist, pp.iv-v,96-97,162-164

2. Psychology and dream analysis — Jung (a), pp.3-94

3. Aesthetics and artistic/poetic expression — Pope

4. Religion and learning to love — Fromm (a), ch.1; Tillich, ch.2

IV. Critical Limits of Self-Discovery (weeks 6-7) — Langford, pp.75-83

1. Knowledge and the boundaries of science — Palmquist, ch.7,8a

2. Freedom and the law of morality — Palmquist, ch.18

3. Purposiveness and the destiny of man — Palmquist, ch.24

4. Faith and the symbols of religion — Palmquist, ch.23

V. Two Centuries of Atheistic Self-Discovery (weeks 8-9)

1. Skinner and the closed universe of positivist science — Stevenson, ch.8

2. Freud and the new psychoanalytic ethic — Stevenson, ch.6; Trigg, ch.9

3. Darwin and human evolution — Trigg, ch.6

4. Marx and the social nature of man — Stevenson, ch.5; Trigg, ch.7

VI. Two Centuries of Theistic Self-Discovery (weeks 10-11)

1. The open universe of quantum physics — to be announced

2. Jung and the psychosynthesis of the soul — Jung (b), chs.1,6-7

3. Teilhard de Chardin and the “omega point” — Teilhard, pp.191-212,300-310

4. Kierkegaard and existential individuality — Palmquist, ch.26; Stevenson, ch.7

VII. Concluding Reflections on Life in the Modern World (weeks 12-13) — Hanfling, ch.10

Readings

I. Required texts (two hour reserve):

*Chuang Tzu, Basic Writings. 181.111 C559 B2

*Erich Fromm (a), The Art of Loving. 152.41 F927A (2 copies)

Oswald Hanfling, The Quest for Meaning. 128 H193G

Carl Jung (a), “Approaching the Unconscious”, in Man and His Symbols. 153.8 M311

*Carl Jung (b), The Undiscovered Self. 126 J954U

Peter Langford, Modern Philosophies of Human Nature. 128.09 L263M

Stephen Palmquist, The Tree of Philosophy. 100 P185T (2 copies)

Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man. 821.5 P81ESM (2 copies)

*Leslie Stevenson, Seven Theories of Human Nature. 128.301 ST48S (2 copies)

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man. 213 T234p (2 copies)

Paul Tillich, Love, Power, and Justice. 171.1 T456L

Roger Trigg, Ideas of Human Nature. 128 T734I

II. Supplementary texts (one day reserve):

James J. Dagenais, Models of Man. 128.4 D132M

Victor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning. 150.195 F854M4

*Erich Fromm (b), Marx’s Concept of Man. 335.4 M369FM

*Herbert Marcuse, One Dimensional Man. 303.483 M334O

Max Scheler, Man’s Place in Nature. 113.8 SCH26M

*Chinese version also available.