Teacher(s)
Language
French
Main themes
The theme of the course will change each year, depending on the theme chosen by the Mercier Chairholder for that year.
This theme will be based on an ongoing research project carried out by the Chairholder; it may be related to theoretical philosophy, practical philosophy, or philosophical anthropology.
This theme will be based on an ongoing research project carried out by the Chairholder; it may be related to theoretical philosophy, practical philosophy, or philosophical anthropology.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 | Attend high-level academic conferences in a specific field of philosophy |
| 2 | Elucidate links between the Chair's subject and your own work questions or the subject of your thesis. |
| 3 | Write a clear and well-structured paper in dialogue with the Chair's content. |
Content
The course aims to offer an in-depth and comprehensive philosophical exploration of the notion of evil from the perspective of the history of Western moral philosophy, drawing comparisons and highlighting selective affinities between complementary or rival “patterns” that emerge from different approaches to the question of evil. The rationale behind this approach is the conviction that only a tapestry of such patterns can do justice to the multiple aspects and elusiveness of the phenomenology of evil. For reasons of time, however, the course will only home in on Aristotle’s and Arendt’s conceptions of evil and offer a text-centered interpretation of them as they are developed in—to mention only the most pertinent texts—Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Rhetoric, and Politics, and Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism, Eichmann in Jerusalem, and Responsibility and Judgment.
Teaching methods
The 2025–26 Chaire Mercier holder is Professor Pavlos Kontos (University of Patras).
The course consists of a series of severn lectures and a two hours seminar. The lectures will take place in the weeks of march 15 and 22. The seminar will take place in May. The precise date will be determined at the beginning of Q2.
On the basis of the lectures, participants will write a piece of philosophical reflection of no more than 1000 words. They will submit this reflection on or before April 4th, and will receive written comments by the teacher. On the basis of this return, they will turn their reflection into a short essay of no more than 2000 words. Each participant will present and defend their essay in the seminar in May.
The course consists of a series of severn lectures and a two hours seminar. The lectures will take place in the weeks of march 15 and 22. The seminar will take place in May. The precise date will be determined at the beginning of Q2.
On the basis of the lectures, participants will write a piece of philosophical reflection of no more than 1000 words. They will submit this reflection on or before April 4th, and will receive written comments by the teacher. On the basis of this return, they will turn their reflection into a short essay of no more than 2000 words. Each participant will present and defend their essay in the seminar in May.
Evaluation methods
The final note will be composed of three components:
1) regular participation in lectures (20%)
2) first, short reflexion (30%)
3) final essay and its defense (50%)
1) regular participation in lectures (20%)
2) first, short reflexion (30%)
3) final essay and its defense (50%)
Other information
English is a requirement for this course. In case of major difficulty with English, the student is invited to contact Professor David Machek no later than during the first class.
Faculty or entity
