Issues in the History of Philosophy - 1st semester
Code
722031059
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Filosofia
Credits
10
Teacher in charge
Marta Mendonça
Weekly hours
3 letivas + 1 tutorial
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
a) Detailed understanding of the importance of the history of Philosophy as an integral part of philosophical questions and as a source of problems and non one-sidedness in philosophical contemplation.
b) Detailed knowledge of fundamental questions in the history of Philosophy, so as to combine an understanding of the questions involved, their systematic significance (and their importance for contemporary debate) with a wide mastery of any important historical links.
c) Detailed knowledge of fundamental texts from the history of Philosophy, with a mastery of the interpretative tradition, the current state of research and all the relevant bibliography.
d) Carrying out of research work, under supervision, on the history of Philosophy, demonstrating original explanations and complying with scientific quality standards.
e) Acquisition of skills for carrying out independent research into the history of Philosophy.
Prerequisites
None
Subject matter
Error, illusion and ignorance
Both the awareness that knowledge is part of an horizon of ignorance and that the error is a possibility inscribed in the exercise of thinking, as well as the interest in recognizing the illusion as such are part of the matrix of philosophical attitude and, accordingly, they characterize the philosophy of all periods. But the relationship between philosophy and these notions - the delimitation of their respective fields, the identification of their role and the determination of the potential of conflict they pose to the philosopher´s task - changed significantly over the centuries. During modernity ignorance sometimes was taken as an operator of philosophical discourse, giving the reason why the natural attitude is constitutively illusory and philosophical truth counterintuitive. The seminar will analyse how some writers of the modern period resorted to ignorance to found their theses or to refute others´ theses.
Bibliography
Hume, D. (1964), The Philosophical Works. 4 vols. Aalen: Scientia Verlag.
La Mettrie, J. O. (1796). Oeuvres philosophiques de La Mettrie, III volumes, Berlin: Chez C. Tutot.
Leibniz, G. W. (1965). Die philosophischen Schriften. 7 vols. Hrsg. Von K. I. Gerhardt. Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlag.
Popkin, R. H. (2007), Skepticism: An Anthology. New York: Prometheus Books.
Spinoza, B. (1985). The Collected Works of Spinoza. 2 vols. Edited and translated by Edwin Curley. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Teaching method
The course will work as a seminar, with a double explanatory and hands-on approach. The dominant methodology will be the analysis of literature, especially sources. The guiding principle will alternate between a chronological approach to the philosophers and a comparative analysis of their positions. The different meanings that error, illusion and ignorance have in each philosopher, their roles in philosophical activity and how these concepts operate in the philosophical debate and its resolution will be debated.
In class teachig
Evaluation method
Active participation in the seminar (30%).
Writing a small research paper (between 18000 and 25000 characters with spaces). The topic for the paper will be chosen by the student in consultation with the teacher (70%).