History of Philosophy I

1) Familiarity with some of the fundamental problems and discussions of modern and contemporary thinking. 2) Ability for a dense and concentrated reading of philosophical texts and cultural history. 3) Handling of secondary literature 4) Writing essays and expository and argumentative texts. 5) Perform oral presentation based on source texts and secondary bibliography. 6) Participating in philosophical discussions with other colleagues about a specific problem.

History of Philosophy (II) presents a historical and conceptual introduction to Western Modernity from its beginnings in the 17th century until the mid-20th century. We select some of the most representative authors of this period, the problems they pose and discourses and theories produces over these three centuries. The course will attend both to the historical moment in which such theories emerge and to the profound contemporary implications of those theories and conceptualizations. At the end of the course, the student must attain a global vision of the philosophical meaning of Modernity and the processes it imples. This History of Philosophy (II) presents a historical and conceptual understanding of Western Modernity from its beginnings in the seventeenth century to its apogee in the mid-twentieth century. To this end, we will selectively study some of the most representative authors of this period, the problems they pose and the discourses and theories that are constructed on the basis of them. A dual focus will be maintained on the moment in which these theories emerged and on the profound contemporary implications of these theories and conceptualisations. At the end of the course, the student should have a global vision of the philosophical meaning of Modernity and the processes in which it develops. Theoretical Sessions: Unit 1: Introduction to Modern Philosophy. 2. Definition and Historical Context of Modern Philosophy. Text: "Discourse on Method" by René Descartes. Rationalism: Descartes and the Primacy of Reason. Text: "Metaphysical Meditations" by René Descartes. 2. Empiricism: Hume and Sensible Experience Text: "Inquiry into Human Understanding" by David Hume. 3. Criticism: Kant and the Synthesis of Rationalism and Empiricism Text: Selection from Immanuel Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason". 4. Kant's Moral Philosophy: Deontology and the Categorical Imperative Text: Selection from Immanuel Kant's "Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals". Unit 2: Contemporary Philosophy up to 1950 5. Idealist Philosophy: Hegel and the Absolute Spirit Text: Selection from Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's "Phenomenology of Spirit". 6. Romanticism: Kant and the Sublime Beauty Text: Selection of Romantic texts. 7. Pragmatism: William James and Practical Truth Text: "Principles of Psychology" by William James. 8. Nietzsche's Philosophy: Nietzsche and the Will to Power Text: "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" by Friedrich Nietzsche. Unit 3: Contemporary Philosophy: Issues and Problems 9. The Frankfurt School: Adorno and Horkheimer and the Critique of Instrumental Reason Text: "Dialectic of Enlightenment" by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. 10. Analytic Philosophy: Wittgenstein and the Analysis of Language. Text: "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus" by Ludwig Wittgenstein. 11. The Linguistic Turn: Heidegger and the Ontology of Language. Text: "Being and Time" by Martin Heidegger. 12. Existentialism: Sartre and Existence as Freedom. Text: "Being and Nothingness" by Jean-Paul Sartre. Practical Sessions: Unit 1: Applications of Modern Philosophy. Subject and body Debate based on texts by Spinoza and his contemporary re-reading. The Scientific Method: Kant and the Critique of Metaphysics. Analysis of modern texts and their influence on scientific methodology. Ethics and Morality in Rationalism and Empiricism. Comparative study of the ethical theories of Descartes, Hume and Kant from a contemporary perspective. Unit 2: Contemporary Issues Ethics in the Technological Age Ethical discussion based on the work of Nietzsche Frankfurt School. The Problem of Truth in the Post-Truth Era: Philosophical Perspectives Analysis of the notion of truth based on texts by Hobbes, Nietzsche and Heidegger. The Relationship between Language and Reality: Challenges of the Linguistic Turn Discussion of the relationship between language and reality based on texts by Wittgenstein and Heidegger. Unit 3: Interdisciplinary Applications Philosophy and Neuroscience: The Consciousness Debate Dialogue between philosophical texts and advances in neuroscience. Philosophy and Politics: Modern and Contemporary Contractualism Analysis of political texts from different philosophical perspectives. Philosophy and Art: Contemporary Aesthetics Exploration of the relationship between philosophy and art using texts on aesthetics by Nietzsche and Heidegger.

EEach of the sections will be divided into individual topics. For each topic, there will be a lecture session and practical sessions to be carried out in small groups. The practical sessions may correspond to the following activities: A) discussion based on texts previously assigned by the teacher and read from home by the students, B) documentation activities to find bibliography based on objectives and interpretative hypotheses, C) oral presentations, D) training activities in philosophical writing. The practical classes will complement the master classes, but need not correspond exactly to the authors and theories presented in the master class. The master classes will be assessed by means of the mid-term exams, while the practical classes will be assessed by means of the final paper. In order to be able to follow the course and carry out the readings and assignments, it is highly recommended that each student consult and read the additional bibliography that accompanies the topics of the course, which is indicated at the end of this programme. The theory sessions will be devoted to (a) the presentation of the main theses of each theory, current and author, (b) the reading of source and secondary texts during the session. Eventually, a flipped classroom methodology may be used so that the presentation of the subject is recorded by the teacher so that the students can watch it at home, and the class time is devoted to discussion, problem solving and reading of texts. The theory classes will be assessed by means of a final exam which will be independent of the assessment of the practical classes. The practical classes will pose diachronic problems whose theoretical resolution requires knowledge of the philosophical traditions and legacies of modernity in contemporary times. and contemporary readings of the modern age. Practical classes will be used to design hypotheses, identify bibliography and read and interpret the texts necessary to respond to the problems presented. In order to be able to follow the course and carry out the readings and assignments, it is highly recommended that each student consult and read the additional bibliography that accompanies the topics of the course, and which is indicated at the end of this programme.