Teacher(s)
Language
French
> English-friendly
> English-friendly
Prerequisites
/
Main themes
The course is intended as an introduction to the study of texts and doctrines of modern philosophy.
It identifies the main aspects of the history of modern philosophy, its key trends and prominent thinkers, and will develop students' critical reading of the great works of modern philosophy. Authors studied will include Bacon, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Hume, Kant and Hegel.
It identifies the main aspects of the history of modern philosophy, its key trends and prominent thinkers, and will develop students' critical reading of the great works of modern philosophy. Authors studied will include Bacon, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Hume, Kant and Hegel.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 |
By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the major movements and significant writers of modern philosophy, and will be able to identify its key underlying issues and describe the important ongoing debates. They will be able to comment on, analyse and critique one or more major modern philosophy texts and situate them in the overall context of modern philosophy, from Bacon and Descartes to Hegel. |
Content
History and texts of Modern philosophy
LFILO1240
Course taught this year by Aurélien Chukurian, Q1 2024–2025
The course will explore the history of Modern philosophy, focusing on one of its paradigmatic expressions, the so-called “Rationalist” movement. We will study a series of key texts from this philosophical current, in order to identify the main characteristics of this historiographical category. We will begin by focusing on two of the most illustrious representatives of Rationalism: René Descartes (1596-1650) and Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677). By examining some of their key works, we'll see how Descartes and Spinoza laid the foundations of Rationalism through their conceptions of God, the human subject, knowledge and moral action: we'll be guided by their metaphysical, anthropological, epistemological and ethical theories. We will continue our exploration of Rationalism by looking at the contribution of the philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), both in his fierce critique of a Rationalism understood by reason alone, and in the broadening he confers on it by bringing in other faculties, such as that of the heart. Bridges will also be built between the authors, highlighting not only the way in which they dialogue and respond to each other, but also how their approaches crystallise different conceptions of what a Rationalist philosophy is, in order to bring out the tensions and conceptual knots bequeathed to posterity.
At the end of the course, students will have an overview of modern Rationalism, and will be able to reflect problematically on the themes that punctuate it, knowing in particular how to refer to the corresponding texts in support of a rigorous, well-argued analysis.
LFILO1240
Course taught this year by Aurélien Chukurian, Q1 2024–2025
The course will explore the history of Modern philosophy, focusing on one of its paradigmatic expressions, the so-called “Rationalist” movement. We will study a series of key texts from this philosophical current, in order to identify the main characteristics of this historiographical category. We will begin by focusing on two of the most illustrious representatives of Rationalism: René Descartes (1596-1650) and Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677). By examining some of their key works, we'll see how Descartes and Spinoza laid the foundations of Rationalism through their conceptions of God, the human subject, knowledge and moral action: we'll be guided by their metaphysical, anthropological, epistemological and ethical theories. We will continue our exploration of Rationalism by looking at the contribution of the philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), both in his fierce critique of a Rationalism understood by reason alone, and in the broadening he confers on it by bringing in other faculties, such as that of the heart. Bridges will also be built between the authors, highlighting not only the way in which they dialogue and respond to each other, but also how their approaches crystallise different conceptions of what a Rationalist philosophy is, in order to bring out the tensions and conceptual knots bequeathed to posterity.
At the end of the course, students will have an overview of modern Rationalism, and will be able to reflect problematically on the themes that punctuate it, knowing in particular how to refer to the corresponding texts in support of a rigorous, well-argued analysis.
Teaching methods
Lessons alternate between thematic lectures and discussions of texts.
Evaluation methods
3-hour written final exam.
Depending on the number of students enrolled, a written and/or oral examination may be held during the quadrimester.
Depending on the number of students enrolled, a written and/or oral examination may be held during the quadrimester.
Other information
Documents will be distributed as the sessions progress, and posted on Moodle.
Bibliography
De nombreuses références seront faites à l’ensemble des corpus cartésien et spinoziste. On peut d’ores et déjà signaler que quelques ouvrages occuperont une place importante, dont les Méditations métaphysiques, les Principes de la philosophie(avec la Lettre-Préface), et des extraits de la correspondance pour René Descartes ; pour Spinoza, il s’agira du Traité théologico-politique et de l’Éthique. Ces ouvrages existent aux éditions Garnier Flammarion. Pour les Pensées de Blaise Pascal, nous utiliserons l’édition dite objective (seconde copie) de Philippe Sellier, accessible dans la collection Classiques du Livre de Poche.
Faculty or entity
Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)
Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Learning outcomes
Certificat universitaire en philosophie (fondements)
Bachelor in Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Minor in Philosophy
Bachelor in Philosophy
Certificat universitaire en philosophie (approfondissement)