Honors History of Philosophy: Modern and Contemporary

Catalog description

54 hours lecture per term. This Honors-enhanced course is a historical introduction to the western philosophic tradition. Selected philosophers will be examined from the Modern and Contemporary periods. For the early modern period (roughly the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries) we will focus on philosophers from Descartes to Kant, along with those who have both influenced and been influenced by them. The central questions that will be asked relating to the early modern period will include: What can we be certain of? What is right? For the contemporary period (the nineteenth century to the present) we will focus on philosophers from Nietzsche to Wittgenstein, along with those who have both influenced and been influenced by them. The central questions that will be asked relating to the contemporary period will include: Is Philosophy practical? What is the meaning of existence? (Degree Credit) (CSU) (UC) AA GE