Philosophy of Nature
Code
711031065
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Filosofia
Credits
6
Teacher in charge
João Pardana Constâncio
Weekly hours
4
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
a) Place the Philosophy of Nature in the general context of philosophical knowledge;
b) Identify and precisely describe the main questions dealt with by the Philosophy of Nature;
c) Know directly some of the historically most important texts in the Philosophy of Nature sphere;
d) Study the concepts of \"nature\" and \"natural\" and place them in the context of the concepts to which they are related as either complements or opposites;
e) Study important Philosophy of Nature issues.
Prerequisites
None.
Subject matter
The course consists mainly in a reflection on the meaning and implications of Darwin’s Origin of the Species for the philosophy of nature. The first part of the course is a Darwinian critique of Kant’s “critique of teleological judgment”. In Kant, the revolutionary view of the basic laws of nature as posited by human cognition casts doubt over the objectivity of teleological judgments, but is still held to be compatible with the view that such judgments can be justified as regulative judgments. Darwin’s discovery of the mechanisms of evolution makes this view untenable. The second part of the course focuses on Nietzsche, particularly on how Nietzsche’s (post-)Darwinism leads to the conception of philosophy as “genealogy” and of nature as “chaos”. The third part of the course focuses on human nature. Here, Hegel’s pre-Darwinian view of the relation between spirit (or freedom) and nature (or animality) is questioned (but still partially defended) in the light of Nietzsche’s Darwinism.
Bibliography
-Constâncio, J. (2010). Darwin, Nietzsche e as Consequências Filosóficas do Darwinismo. Cadernos Nietzsche 26, 109-154.
-Constâncio, J. (2012). Darwin e Nietzsche. In O. Pombo, O. & M. Pina (Org.), Em torno de Darwin (pp. 113-151). Lisboa: Fim de Século
-Darwin. C. (1982) [1859]. The Orgin of Species. London: Penguin.
-Dennett, D. C. (1995). Darwin´s Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life, London: Penguin.
-Kant, I. (1998) [1790]. Crítica da Faculdade do Juízo, trad. A. Marques & V. Rohden. Lisboa: Imprensa Nacional.
-Lewens, T. (2007). Darwin, London/New York: Routledge.
-Pinkard, T. (2012). Hegel´s Naturalism: Mind, Nature, and the Final Ends of Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
-Richardson, J. (2004). Nietzsche’s New Darwinism. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.
-Stegmaier, W. (1987). Darwin, Darwinismus, Nietzsche, Zum Problem der Evolution. Nietzsche-Studien 16, 264-287.
Teaching method
(a) Most classes are dialogued lectures.
(b) Several of them work as a \"seminar\" (with reading, commentary, and analyses of texts projected in pdf format).
(c) Other classes (so-called \"practical\" classes) consist in critical discussions — with the students — of previously presented themes and problems.
Evaluation method
(d) Students are firstly evaluated by an exam that takes place after the first half of the course, which weighs 20% in the final mark;
(e) The crucial element is an exam at the end of the semester (70%);
(f) A positive participation in the classes is valued (10%)