Major Streams in Western Philosophy (PHIL
1620)
Lecturer: Dr. Stephen Palmquist
"...God orders me to fulfil the philosopher's mission of searching
into myself and other men..." -- Socrates
"I will insist on the truth
liar that I am"
-- Wolf Biermann
Introduction
Perhaps the best single word to describe the history of western
philosophy is the word "tension", which comes from the Latin word tensus,
meaning "stretched out". Stretching something out is usually the result of
two forces acting on that thing in opposite directions. Just as the human
mind naturally thinks in terms of opposites (e.g., "white" and "black";
"day" and "night"; "right" and "wrong"; etc.), so also the history of
philosophy is full of examples of opposing viewpoints. Because most
people believe that only one of two opposing viewpoints can be correct, a
tension inevitably arises between the supporters of the two viewpoints. All
the major streams in western philosophy have developed as a direct result of
such tensions: tensions between different schools of thought, between
different thinkers within each school, and between different ideas held by
the same individual.
Our overall approach in this class will be to examine the three most
important periods of tension in the history of Western philosophy (ancient
Greece, the Enlightenment, and the 20th Century) and how they relate to the
single most important attempt to resolve these tensions in a single System.
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is generally recognized as a kind of
"watershed" in the history of western philosophy: he takes all of the
tensions passed on to him by his philosophical predecessors and tunes them
into the fine harmony of a balanced philosophical System. As a result, as
one writer puts it, "Kant, in modern times, has replaced Aristotle as a kind
of intellectual reference system". Kant's philosophy will therefore be the
focal point of the class, in the sense that our discussion of the ancient and
early modern philosophers will serve as a lengthy introduction to the
tensions with which Kant was presented, and the contemporary tensions in
philosophy will be viewed specifically in their relation to Kant's System.
Requirements and Grade Assessment
Read as many philosophy books as possible, attend the lectures, and
participate in the weekly tutorial! Also, write two essays and take the final
exam.
Readings: You will be free to choose exactly which readings to do,
though a list of suggested readings will be handed out.
Lectures: Attending the lectures will not only help you to participate
more intelligently in the tutorials, but will also serve as the basis for the final
exam.
Tutorials: The class will be divided into two groups, which will
meet for a discussion in C410 either on Wednesday (10-11am) or on Friday
(12-1pm). Opportunity will be given in these sessions for students to ask
questions about the lectures and readings, with a view towards
understanding how the ideas being discussed relate to the way we actually
live our lives. Some extra credit might be given to those who participate
most actively in these (and other) class discussions.
Essays: 60% of your grade will be based on two essays (1000-1500
words and 3-5 typed A4 pages each). One of these will be read by you to
your tutorial group as a way of initiating discussion on one of the
philosophers we will have discussed by that point. (At some point during
the first two weeks of class you should sign up for the week and topic of
your choice.) This paper should interact primarily with one of the books
listed in the suggested readings, though you may also criticize or comment
on relevant material which has already been discussed in class. Your grade
will not be based on your ability to read English, though your written
English will count for a small part of your grade. The second paper can be
written on any philosophical topic, but should use at least two or three
different sources (either from the list of readings or from other philosophical
books). If you have any doubt about the appropriateness of your topic, you
should ask for the lecturer's approval. The due date for the second paper
will depend on when you choose to do the first paper (the earlier you do the
first paper, the later you can hand in the second one).
Examination: 40% of your final grade will be based on the exam,
which will probably consist of one or two essay questions and some short
answer questions. Your answers will be graded primarily on how well they
show an understanding of the issues discussed in the lectures and tutorials.
Tentative Lecture Schedule
I. Tensions in Ancient Greek Philosophy: ideas vs. substances
1. Socrates against the City
2. Plato's Cave
3. Plato on virtue and the mediation of love
4. Aristotle's teleological science
5. Aristotle on happiness and the types of friendship
6. God and immortality in Plato and Aristotle
II. Tensions in the Enlightenment: reason vs. experience
7. Descartes on mind and body
8. Descartes' solution to the mind-body problem
9. Locke's account of human understanding
10. Berkeley's tree in the forest
11. Spinoza's two perspectives
12. Hume's radical scepticism
III. Tensions in Kant: theory vs. practice
13. The problem and its Critical solution
14. What can I know?
15. What can I never know?
16. What ought I to do?
17. What may I hope?
18. What is man?
IV. Tensions in Post-Kantian Philosophy: analysis vs. synthesis
19. History and the Absolute in Hegel
20. Two reactions to Hegel: Kierkegaard and Marx
21. The existentialist revolt against analysis (Heidegger)
22. The linguistic revolt against synthesis (Wittgenstein)
23. Wittgenstein's conversion to ordinary language
24. Conclusion: prospects for a unified perspective
Office Hours
If you have questions about the readings or lectures which you were
unable to ask during the tutorials, or if you would like to discuss anything
else, feel free to come to my office (C410). My office hours are: Mondays
12-1pm; Tuesdays 10-12am, 4-5pm; and Wednesdays 12-1pm, 2-3pm. If
you are unable to come during these hours, you are welcome to come at any
other time, except, if possible, do not come on Thursdays.