PHL 219 - 19th Century Continental Philosophy

Course Units: 1

This course examines the beginnings of ‘continental’ philosophy, a broad tradition that began in the 19th century on mainland Europe. In particular, we will focus on the reactions of German Idealist philosophers like Hegel to the Enlightenment philosophies of Rousseau and Kant, and on subsequent reactions to German Idealism from radical philosophers like Kierkegaard, Marx, and Nietzsche. Questions to be explored include: What is a ‘Self,’ or ‘subject,’ and how is it different from mere objects? What kind of freedom can humans have? Is freedom realizable within our material and social reality? CC: HUM,