Modern and Contemporary Philosophy II

Code:

FILO012

Acronym:

FILC2

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Philosophy

Instance: 2023/2024 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Philosophy
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Philosophy

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
FILO	44	FILO - Study Plan	3	-	6	41	162

Teaching language

Portuguese
Obs.: Erasmus students should contact the Professor - the course has been prepared to accomodate them as well

Objectives

The main objective of the course is to map the tendencies and movements of Contemporary Philosophy in the 20th and 21st centuries, starting from an introduction where rationalist and irrationalist authors of the 19th century, especially influential in future philosophy, are identified. The achievement of the objective will be done by concentrating the analysis on key figures and works, seeking to understand philosophical projects, positions and arguments.

 

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of the course the students should be able: 
1. To show that they have acquired a global understanding of twentieth century Philosophy (reaching to the begginings of the 21st century).
2. To  read texts of contemporary philosophy.
3. To  articulate the understing mentioned above with mastery in domains of philosophy such as logic, metaphysics, epistemology and philosophy of language, ethics, aesthetics and political philosophy.

Working method

Presencial

Program

Introduction – What do we mean by ‘contemporary philosophy’?

Nineteenth century rationalists and irrationalists - a very brief journey (Kant, Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche)

PART I - The first haf of the 20th century

1. Frege and Husserl: early analytic philosophy and early phenomenology. What they have in common.
1.1 G. Frege - a profile of his works.
1.2 E. Husserl - a profile of his works
2. Diverging: Wittgenstein e Heidegger as 'disciples' of Frege and Husserl.
2.1 L. Wittgenstein:the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus as background of the 'Lecture on Ethics'. The  Philosohical Investigations.
2.2 M. Heidegger: how to read and how to understand Sein und Zeit.

PART II The second half of the 20th century - a portrait

3. French thought
  3.1 The generation of Sartre and Merleau-Ponty
  3.2 The generation of Foucault, Derrida and Deleuze
  3. 3 Some hard to classify cases: Ricoeur, Lévinas
4. The Frankfurt School (M. Horkheimer, T. Adorno, W. Benjamin e J. Habermas)
5. Ordinary language philosophy (J. L. Austin)
6. Mind and Interpretation (W.V. Quine and D. Davidson)
7. Pragmatism (the case of  R. Rorty)


Part III Applying philosophy: strands and orientations in ethics and aesthetics

1. A. Badiou, J. Ranciére, S. Zizek, G. Agamben
2. Feminism and gender (around J. Butler)
3. Wittgensteinian orientations: C. Diamond, J. McDowell, S. Cavell

Note: Introduction and Part I are the philosophical core of the syllabus. Students are encouraged to explore authors and topics of Parts II and III of the syllabus in their essays.

Mandatory literature

Frege Gottlob 1848-1925; Écrits logiques et philosophiques. ISBN: 2-02-002742-9
Heidegger, Martin, 1889-1976; El^ser y el tiempo
Husserl Edmund 1859-1938; Investigações lógicas. ISBN: 972-8531-34-6
Wittgenstein Ludwig 1889-1951; Uma^conferência sobre ética. ISBN: 978-989-26-0951-5
Sofia Miguens; Figuras e Movimentos - uma leitura da filosofia contemporânea
Moore, A.W.; The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics: Making Sense of Things, Cambridge University Press, 2012

Complementary Bibliography

Austin, J.L.; Sense and sensibilia, Oxford University Press, 1962
Habermas Jurgen 1929-; O^discurso filosófico da modernidade. ISBN: 978-972-47-4152-9
Wittgenstein Ludwig 1889-1951; Philosophical investigations
Wittgenstein, Ludwig, 1889-1951; Tratado lógico-filosófico
Austin, John L.; How to do things with words. ISBN: 0-19-281205-X
Husserl, Edmund, 1859-1938; Idées directrices pour une phénoménologie
Merleau-Ponty, Maurice - Fenomenologia da percepção (1945), Gallimard, Paris, 1945.
Sartre, Jean-Paul, 1905-1980; L.être et le néant
Richard Rorty; Consequências do pragmatismo. ISBN: 972-771-100-6
Benoist, Jocelyn; Les limites de l'intentionalité: Recherches phénoménologiques et analytiques, Vrin, 2005
Dummett, Michael; Origins of analytical philosophy, Harvard University Press, 1993

Teaching methods and learning activities

Mixed seminary and lecture-based course, including tutorials.  Discussions with students.

keywords

Humanities > History > History of philosophy > Contemporary philosophy

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	50,00
Trabalho escrito	50,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	121,00
Frequência das aulas	41,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Not applicable.

Calculation formula of final grade

Original essay 50% + final exam (50%).

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Not applicable.

Classification improvement

Regulations in force apply to both components of the evaluation (exam and essay).
Students may try to improve the grade of the exam and the essay. In case only the essay is at stake, the new version should be handed over on the date of the exam.

Observations

Teaching language. Portuguese. Over the years Erasmus students who have attended this course have been guided through bibliography in English, French or Spanish and written their essay in English, French or Spanish.