Aims

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the critical thought of Immanuel Kant, as expressed in the Critique of Pure Reason; to develop a clear sense of his approach to epistemology, and to understand his philosophy in the context of the history of ideas and the problems of philosophy with which he was faced, especially those of empiricism and rationalism.

The module then aims to introduce students to the great period in philosophy that follows Kant’s Copernican revolution, with a particular focus upon the movement known as German Idealism, along with Kant one of the two pinnacles in later Modern thought, and indispensable reference points for almost all 20th- Century continental philosophy . A number if not all of the three great thinkers of German Idealism, J. G. Fichte, F. W. J. Schelling, and G. W. F. Hegel will be considered.

Subsequent to the section of the module devoted to idealism, the course turns to the materialist response to this idealism. The module then aims to introduce students to those responses to Kantian philosophy that can broadly be classified as anti-idealist, materialist, or realist.

Outline Of Syllabus

- Students will focus on key ideas in Kant’s major theoretical work;
- Students will explore how Kant’s ideas were responding to problems in the recent history of philosophy as well as setting the scene for subsequent developments in European philosophy;
- Students will explore the meaning of the terms with which the Critique of Pure Reason operates, such as dogmatic metaphysics, critique, sensibility, understanding, reason, etc.

Students will cover certain of the key thinkers associated with the idealist and materialist movements that flourished in the wake of the Kantian revolution, including but not limited to:

F. H. Jacobi
Moses Mendelssohn
Karl Reinhold
Solomon Maimon
J. G. Fichte,
F. W. J. Schelling,
G. W. F. Hegel
Early theories of the will (Schopenhauer and Nietzsche).

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

This module provides an examination of Kant’s critical philosophy, and key responses to it. Lectures introduce concepts to students and provide a framework for weekly readings. Students read key texts as guided independent study. Readings are unpacked in workshops, which mix lecture and seminar formats. Two-weekly seminars allow small group teaching and evaluation of student learning.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The first assessment task provides students with a chance to understand where their learning is and the strength of the their foundational conceptual knowledge.

The end-of-semester essay provides students with the opportunity of identifying and discussing some philosophical implications of the modules content account, and so of exhibiting their newly-acquired capacity to render historical work as a critical practice. The assessment’s focus on issues that consider ontological and epistemological possibilities allows students the opportunity to avail themselves of one or more of the various perspectives offered to them by secondary commentaries and therefore to hone their skills in research.