Module description
Many ideas in non-analytic philosophy have roots in either the critique or the productive appropriation of ideas by G.W.F. Hegel. This module introduces three important thinkers of the continental (and pragmatist) tradition in dialogue with corresponding key insights by Hegel, namely C. S. Peirce, Martin Heidegger, and Simone de Beauvoir. An important strand of Hegel’s thinking is the idea that truth is usually not accessible in an immediate way but must instead be grasped in a process of gradually improving our thinking. In the first part of the module, we will therefore trace this line of argument first in Hegel and then in Peirce’s idea that truth can be found only “at the end of inquiry”. The second part of the Module is dedicated to Hegel’s equally basic as controversial claim that reality is fully accessible through thought. While many authors have articulated worries about this “panlogicism”, Heidegger has voiced a particularly influential critique of Hegel’s approach. Finally, we will be looking at Hegel’s impact on de Beauvoir’s thinking and how this surfaces in surprising parallels between Hegel’s early work on love and de Beauvoir’s critique of inauthentic love in The Second Sex.
Assessment details
Summative assessment: 1 x 3,000-word essay (100%)
Formative assessment: 1 x 2,500-word essay
Educational aims & objectives
The module aims at introducing students to important figures and ideas in non-analytic philosophy. It seeks to establish a basic understanding for the philosophy of G.W.F. Hegel and its relevance for 20th century non-analytic philosophy. In doing so, the module also creates awareness for the historical interrelatedness of philosophical ideas and enables students to further, independent study of the authors discussed.
Learning outcomes
Students will have gained an overview of 20th century non-analytic philosophy and critically engaged with key ideas by Peirce, Heidegger, and de Beauvoir. They will be familiar with important elements of Hegel’s philosophical project and understand its relevance for 20th century non-analytic philosophy.
Teaching pattern
One one-hour weekly lecture and one one-hour weekly seminar over ten weeks.
Suggested reading list
Readings will likely include:
- Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich. 1977. Phenomenology of Spirit. Translated by A. V. Miller. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (“Preface” pp. 1–45)
- Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich. 2010. The Science of Logic. Translated by George di Giovanni. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (“Introduction” pp. 23–38)
- Peirce, Charles Sanders. 1992. The Essential Peirce, Volume 1: Selected Philosophical Writings' (1867–1893). edited by Houser Nathan and Christian Kloesel. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. (“The Fixation of Belief” pp. 109-123 & “How to Make Our Ideas Clear” pp. 124-141)
- Beauvoir, Simone de. 2010. The Second Sex. Translated by Constance Borde and Sheila Malovany-Chevallier. London: Vintage. (Book II, Chapter 12 „Love“)
- Heidegger, Martin. 1969. Identity and Difference. Translated by John Stambough. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (“The Onto-Theo-Logical Constitution of Metaphysics” pp. 42–74)