History of Philosophy in the 19th Century

Code:

MFIL058

Acronym:

HFS19

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Philosophy

Instance: 2023/2024 - 1S

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

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MFIL	10	study plan	1	-	3	21,5	81

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

- Acquire a detailed knowledge of a classic text of 19th century Philosophy, On the Genealogy of Morality (1887) by Friedrich Nietzsche, based on close reading and discussion of the entire text as well as of selected secondary literature.

- Reach an adequate historical appreciation of On the Genealogy of Morality in the context of Nietzsche’s work as well as of 19^th century Philosophy, including its relation to the thought of Arthur Schopenhauer and Paul Rée, among others.

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of the seminar, students are expected to be able to assess the relevance of the moral psychology presented in On the Genealogy of Morality for different contemporary philosophical debates and issues, among which: i) the meta-ethical debate on the nature of values and moral judgments; ii) the role of resentment in moral practise; iii) the problem of free-will; iv) epistemological perspectivism; v) the genealogical method.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

- Knowledge, in very broad lines, of 19th century philosophy's development;
- Acquaintance with relevant philosophical terminology (in particular, from areas such as metaethics and moral psychology).

Program

1. Preliminary contextualization.
- 1.1 Historical contextualization: genealogy of morality before On the Genealogy of Morality
- 1.2 Conceptual contextualization: moral psychology


2. The text and its problems
- 2.1 Preface
2.1.1 Morality and self-knowledge.
2.1.2 The problem of the origin and value of moral values.

- 2.2 Essay I
2.2.1 Moral concepts and language
2.2.2 Types of morality and hierarchical relations
2.2.3 Resentment and the “slave revolt”

- 2.3 Essay II
2.3.1 Memory and promise: the cognitive pre-history of morality
2.3.2 Bad conscience
2.3.3 From debt to guilt

- 2.4 Essay III
2.4.1 The ascetic ideal
2.4.2 Art, science and the ascetic ideal
2.4.3 Nihilism and the will

Mandatory literature

Friedrich Nietzsche; Para a genealogia da moral. ISBN: 972-708-552-0

Complementary Bibliography

Ken Gemes; The^Oxford handbook of Nietzsche. ISBN: 978-0-19-877673-4
Brian Leiter; Nietzsche on Morality, Routledge, 2002
Simon May (org.); Nietzsche’s On the Genealogy of Morality. A Critical Guide, 2011
Christopher Janaway; Beyond Selflessness: Reading Nietzsche’s Genealogy, 2007

Comments from the literature

Additional literature to be indicated at the beginning of the seminar and during the classes.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Seminar sessions devoted to the interpretation and critical discussion of the work On the genealogy of morality. In each session: (i) students are expected to read some sections of the work (as well as additional materials deemed relevant) according to a seminar plan to be distributed at semester start; (ii) is included a short presentation by one (or more) student(s) to introduce the relevant work sections, while the rest of the session is dedicated to the instructor-guided discussion of them (as well as of additional materials). Possibly, some sessions will be taught by invited specialists.

keywords

Humanities > Philosophy
Humanities > Philosophy > Ethics

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	20,00
Trabalho escrito	80,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	10,00
Frequência das aulas	21,50
Trabalho escrito	20,00
Estudo autónomo	29,50
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

Attendance: 75% of the seminar sessions (does not apply to students who regularly attended the seminar in the previous year as well as to exemptions established by the law).

Calculation formula of final grade

Paper (80%) + presentation (20%)

Classification improvement

Paper review (no grade improvement for the presentation).