Previous courses

Outline programmes for previous years (pdf):

Some courses previously given at the LSP not included in the current programme.

Anja Steinbauer

Jane O’Grady

Keith Barrett

Sam Fremantle

Shahrar Ali

Metaphysics of Descartes, Locke and Berkeley

Guest lecturers

Adrian Brockless: Themes in Plato’s Dialogues
John Heyderman: Philosophy of Religion
John Heyderman: Spinoza and Spinozism
Rachel Paine: The Open Self
Isabella Muzio: Phenomenology

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Ideas in the Ancient World

Can ideas change the world, do they change with it, or are they independent of it? In this course we will discuss great thinkers (such as Plato and the Buddha) in their socio-historical contexts.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Classical Greek Philosophy

Philosophy is two and a half thousand years old, no longer a spring chicken and, as we all like to do when we get older, it sometimes looks back to its youthful beginnings. But how can we identify a “beginning” at all? Philosophising has become so much part of our culture it would seem to have always existed. In this course we will study the backgrounds, ideas and assumptions of the earliest philosophers in the Greek tradition, and discuss what made them distinctive and philosophically relevant.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Hellenistic Philosophy

The philosophical interests of the Epicureans, Stoics and Cynics were manifold but ultimately they sought nothing less than to show us the way to a happier, more meaningful life. We will examine what the most prominent thinkers of the Hellenistic age had to say about moral ideals as well as hands-on life coaching and how their conceptions of the good life relate to all other areas of their philosophies.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Ethics 1 & 2

The ethics courses are designed to give a comprehensive introduction to the subject as well as to critically examine its limits. Apart from standard texts such as extracts from Hume and Kant, serious philosophical alternatives, such as the perspectives suggested by the Stoics and various Buddhist and Feminist philosophers have been included.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Philosophy in China: Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism

The course is designed to give an introduction to Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist thought, all in their historical context. We will study and discuss the ideas of great representatives of all three traditions, including Confucius and Laozi. The course will mainly focus on the teachings of classical thinkers but we will also discuss if and in what way their ideas are and could be made use of in today’s world.

Course tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Buddhist Philosophy

This course is an introduction to fundamental Buddhist ideas and their philosophical implications. We will discuss Buddhist metaphysics and ethics, their origins in the teachings of the Buddha and their contribution to philosophical discussions in ancient and medieval India and beyond.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Philosophy and Literature

Both philosophy and literature represent the world and reflect on it. They inspire us to look critically at issues and they stimulate debate. They clearly belong to different orders, yet converge, overlap and relate to one another in various ways. Can anything be gained philosophically by examining literature? Conversely, does it add to our understanding of literature to look at it from a philosophical point of view? We will discuss these general questions as well as a number of philosophical issues reflected in literature.

Our discussions will be informed by a selection of literary and philosophical texts. The focus this term will be on classical literature. We will use the works of Plato, Sophocles, Euripides and Seneca as a basis for our discussion. We will read these texts alongside Enlightenment and more recent philosophers such as Rousseau, Friedrich Nietzsche, Bernard Williams and Martha Nussbaum.

Course tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Shakespeare and Philosophy

Should philosophers go to the theatre? Can philosophy learn from Shakespeare? We will explore themes in political and moral philosophy using five plays by Shakespeare: King Lear, Titus Andronicus, Richard II, Merchant of Venice and Othello.

Course tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

New Shakespeare and Philosophy

We will discuss philosophical issues concerning the conditions of human decision making and action using a selection of plays by Shakespeare, including Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Henry V.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Philosophy and Literature: Shakespeare and Tragedy

This term our focus will be on Shakespeare’s tragedies. We will use three of the most famous to discuss problems within philosophical aesthetics relating to the tragic form as well as to explore what these plays can add to a philosophical understanding of themes such as scepticism and love. The chosen plays for the course are Hamlet, Anthony and Cleopatra, and King Lear. Some basic familiarity with at least one of these plays will be necessary to get the most out of the course. There will also be an opportunity to see a Globe performance of Hamlet together.

Course tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Romanticism in Literature and Philosophy

Who am I? Do my emotions define me? Will I find myself in a focus on knowledge, gender, religion or aesthetic experience? We will discuss these and other philosophical questions that haunted Romanticism using the insights of philosophers who particularly influenced the Romantics such as Spinoza, Rousseau and Kant, as well as examples of Romantic literature including Blake, Goethe and Pushkin.

Course tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Philosophy and Theatre

Should philosophers go to the theatre? What makes the theatre a distinctive art form? What do actors do? What defines an audience? Guided by philosophical texts as well as examples of dramatic art we will discuss the theatre from the point of view of various philosophical disciplines, including ontology, ethics and aesthetics.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Philosophy and the Theatre I: Text, Performance & Audience

What is Shakespeare’s Hamlet: an idea, a text, a performance? What do actors do? Would you agree with Aristotle that in drama “character comes in as subsidiary to the actions”? We will use philosophical tools and ideas to analyse these and other questions, discussing concepts such as imagination, emotion, identity and “pretending”.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Philosophy and the Theatre II: Existentialist Plays

Is it true that “hell is other people”? Is human life ultimately absurd? How can drama in particular enhance our understanding of Existentialism? We are going to explore philosophical themes such as “bad faith”, human relationships, freedom, values and even the meaning of life using plays by writers such as Ionesco, Sartre, Camus, Stoppard and Tennessee Williams.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Philosophy and the Theatre III: Humour & Comedy

What do we mean by “humour” and why is it important? Aristotle thought of wit as “educated insolence” and jokes as “a kind of abuse”, Plato believed the basis of comedy to be “foolish false conceit”. Schiller of all people believed comedy to be the superior artform compared to tragedy. We will discuss the nature and value of what makes us laugh.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Ghosts in Philosophy and Literature

Not only have ghosts haunted literature from Homer to Dante, from Shakespeare to Terry Pratchett, they also creep into philosophy in various forms, affecting philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, cultural criticism and philosophical anthropology. We will use both literary and philosophical texts to explore the critical function of the “ghost” in the Western tradition.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Imagined Futures: SciFi and Philosophy

Sci-Fi authors have imagined what our future might bring. They are, in this respect, in a better position than philosophers; philosophy is, by its nature, reactive rather than predictive. Yet it can help us identify and analyse trends in our time which can be thought through to their possible conclusions: Technological progress, medical possibilities, transhumanism, pollution, exploitation and more. Where are we going?

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Philosophy of the Enlightenment I: Science, Knowledge and Religion

Sapere aude! “Have courage to use your own reason!” – This is Immanuel Kant’s Enlightenment battlecry, expressing the 17th and 18th century spirit of questioning tradition and authority. We will examine how the great thinkers of that time applied it to accepted scientific truths that had been preserved from antiquity, as well as prevailing religious dispensations. The results were momentous!

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

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Philosophy of the Enlightenment II: Ethics, Politics and Anthropology

Finding out more about the laws of nature inspired philosophers to search for similar laws to govern human interactions. The Enlightenment accordingly produced a wide variety of views on human nature, as well as education, politics and ethics. Come and discuss the ideas of prominent thinkers such as Rousseau, Locke, Hobbes, Adam Smith and Kant.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Philosophy, Lies and Politics

Might Nietzsche be right, claiming that lying is “a condition of life?” – Or Kant, arguing that lying means annihilating human dignity? We will discuss the moral status of lying, and then focus on the function of lies in politics, exploring ideas about lies in totalitarian and democratic systems by thinkers such as Hannah Arendt, Herbert Marcuse and Noam Chomsky.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Ideas in the Modern World

Can ideas change the world, do they change with it, or are they independent of it? How do movements of the past such as the Reformation, Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment affect us today? In this course we will critically discuss important thinkers of Modern Europe in their socio-historical contexts and the ideas which have shaped our world.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Ideas in the 20th and 21st Centuries

This course will continue to examine the relation between ideas and history, focusing on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We will focus on ideas in philosophy, science, religion, politics and economics, and discuss how they have contributed to shaping our world.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Democracy

Plato hated it, Bertrand Russell loved it, Jean-Jacques Rousseau thought it couldn’t be done: The greatest minds are divided when it comes to the value of democracy. This course focuses on the meaning, the contexts, the pitfalls and benefits, as well as the voting procedures of different systems.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Poverty, Wealth and Identity

What is poverty? Is it an inevitable evil? Why is poverty also a philosophical problem? How does being rich or being poor define the identity of individuals and groups and what are the consequences of such definition? We will discuss these and other issues concerning the origin, nature and forms of poverty and wealth, drawing on some of the world’s greatest thinkers.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Biology, Culture and Human Behaviour

Why did the chicken cross the road? This course will introduce several different approaches to explaining human behaviour, including philosophy, genetics, evolutionary biology and neuroscience. We will critically discuss their usefulness and apply them to examples of behaviour such as aggressive, competitive and sexual behaviours.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Philosophers’ News Talk

A late lunch philosophical discussion group about issues currently in the news – political economic, moral or aesthetic. We will discuss these from a philosophical perspective, using the ideas of relevant thinkers from Plato to Rawls, Aristotle to Sartre, Mill to Marx.

Course Tutor: Anja Steinbauer.

Existentialism 1: Kierkegaard and Nietzsche

This is the first half of a two-term course in Existential Philosophy. Together with Existentialism 2 (running next term), this course will offer a thorough introduction to the central existentialist themes of death, responsibility, guilt, decision, commitment, meaning, and authenticity; and examine the relationship of existential philosophy to Buddhism, to the monotheistic religions, and to atheistic humanism. We will undertake the close study of two foundational works: Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling (1843) and Nietszche’s On the Genealogy of Morals (1887). (1887).

Course Tutor: Keith Barrett.

Nietzsche, Freud and Heidegger on Violence

We will discuss the problem of violence as it emerges as a theme – or remains tantalisingly beneath the surface – in the work of three great contemporary theorists of the human condition. The texts studied will include Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy and On the Genealogy of Morals; Freud’s Totem and Taboo and Beyond the Pleasure Principle; and Heidegger’s ‘Building, Dwelling, Thinking’ and ‘The Question concerning Technology’.

Course Tutor: Keith Barrett.

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Philosophers of Otherness 1: Levinas, Foucault, Lacan

‘We are all responsible for everyone else – but I am more responsible than all the others’ wrote Dostoyevsky. We will explore the ideas of three major contemporary thinkers for whom the character of our existence is truly defined by our relations with others. The course will introduce the three figures by focusing on close reading of one seminal text by each of them. We will begin with Totality and Infinity (1961) by Emmanuel Levinas; then examine The History of Sexuality, Volume 1 (1978) by Michel Foucault; and conclude by studying Jacques Lacan’s Ecrits (1966).

Course Tutor: Keith Barrett.

Philosophers of Otherness 2: Girard, Ricoeur, Derrida

‘We are all responsible for everyone else – but I am more responsible than all the others’ wrote Dostoyevsky. We will explore the ideas of three contemporary thinkers who argue that the character of our existence is truly defined by our stance towards others. We will focus on: Violence and the Sacred (1972) by Rene Girard; The Conflict of Interpretations (1969) by Paul Ricoeur; and Of Grammatology (1967) by Jacques Derrida.

Course Tutor: Keith Barrett.

Freud for Philosophers

We will situate Freud in relation to the main intellectual currents of 19th century European thought, explore his central ideas and theories as they bear on philosophical issues, and examine the main philosophical critiques/interpretations of Freud, including those of Sartre, Ricoeur and Derrida.

Course Tutor: Keith Barrett

Philosophy and Psychoanalysis

We will investigate the intersections of philosophy and psychoanalysis in the work of Foucault, Lacan, Derrida and Irigaray. The texts discussed will include Foucault’s History of Sexuality, Lacan’s Ecrits, Derrida’s Archive Fever and Irigaray’s Speculum of the Other Woman.

Course Tutor: Keith Barrett

Nietzsche, Freud and Lacan on Eros

Course Tutor: Keith Barrett

Existentialism, Psychoanalysis and Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov

We will read and discuss Dostoevsky’s great final novel, relating its story and characters to his own philosophy and to his life, and illuminating its themes and images with the resources of psychoanalysis and existential thought.

Course Tutor: Keith Barrett

Existentialism in Literature and Film: Dostoyevsky, Bergman, Beckett

This is a course on existential philosophy, with the twist that the themes of existentialism will be explored through films, plays and novels – including Dostoevsky’s final novel The Brothers Karamazov; Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries and The Seventh Seal; and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Endgame.

Course Tutor: Keith Barrett

Schopenhauer and Nietzsche

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) and Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) have had a tremendous influence on the Philosophy of the Twentieth century and beyond. This course makes clear the main lines of their thought, the points at which they diverge, and ultimately the nature of their projects in relation to each other. By the end, we’ll have a clearer idea of how Philosophy, and human thought in general, has been transformed under their influence.

Course Tutor: Mark Fielding

Darwin and Philosophy

Can we be altruistic? Are we just the products of our selfish genes? Is Human evolution at an end? The impact of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection has changed the world. Philosophers have begun to grapple with the new questions this poses. This course covers the key areas of contemporary Philosophy of Biology.

Course Tutor: Mark Fielding

Merleau-Ponty

Maurice Merleau-Ponty was arguably the most important thinker to emerge as a proponent of Existentialism in the period immediately after the Second World War. We trace the development of his thought from his earliest published works through his classic, The Phenomenology of Perception to the innovative final works.

Course Tutor: Mark Fielding.

Derrida

Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) was a controversial, but hugely influential, Philosopher whose works have challenged accepted understanding of the subject across the academic world, and beyond. This course charts the development of his thought, from the earliest writings to his final work in politics and ethics. The approach is to examine a key text each week so that, by the end, we will have a sense of the ways in which his approaches to problems have developed.

Course Tutor: Mark Fielding.

Foucault and Habermas

Is the Enlightenment project to improve the human condition through the application of Reason in crisis? Or are we faced with difficulties which only a renewed commitment to that goal will overcome? Both Michel Foucault and Jurgen Habermas have made compelling contributions to this debate. This course shows how each of their positions developed and considers the relative merits of each.

Course Tutor: Mark Fielding.

How to Think About the Mind

One of the most relevant and fascinating areas of recent Philosophy has concerned the nature of the Mind. Philosophers, neuroscientists, computer engineers, and many other disciplines have joined to address this problem. This short course sets out the principle arguments about the mind, beginning with Descartes claim that the mind is a separate sort of stuff from matter, and ending with those who think there is no such thing.

Course Tutor: Mark Fielding

Philosophy of Mind and Psychology

The Philosophy of Mind, and its offshoot, Philosophy of Psychology, represent some of the most innovative and significant philosophical developments in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This course considers the nature of the traditional problems in this area and certain key new developments which offer exciting possibilities in changing how we think about ourselves.

Course Tutor: Mark Fielding.

Introduction to Aesthetics

How can works of art be true? Why do we write poetry if we can say the same thing more straightforwardly? Is something art because artists and critics say it is? These and other questions are examined in an accessible way through the thought and works of critics, philosophers, and artists.

Course Tutor: Mark Fielding

Introduction to Continental Philosophy

Since Kant philosophy in Europe has produced profound challenges to the way we think about ourselves and our world. This course covers key areas in the subject, including Post-Structuralism, Critical Theory, Phenomenology, and Existentialism. The subject is treated in an accessible way with extracts from key readings in each case being provided. No prior knowledge of Philosophy required

Course Tutor: Mark Fielding.

Introduction to Philosophy

In this course we will cover the main questions which dominate Philosophy today. The main problems of Philosophy have a long history and we will refer to philosophers such as Plato, Descartes, Kant, and Nietzsche in looking at questions such as: ‘What is Knowledge?’, ‘Can we be Good?’, ‘What makes something Beautiful?’. Our discussions will use a mix of contemporary and historical readings as their focus.

Course Tutor: Mark Fielding.

Philosophy and Biology

The impact of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection is having a profound impact on Philosophy as Philosophers come to grips with the new conceptual questions this theory poses. The course covers key areas of contemporary Philosophy of Biology including topics such as the possibility of altruism and the nature of evolutionary explanation. All readings are provided.

Course Tutor: Mark Fielding.

Philosophy as a Way of Life

Contemporary Philosophy as a subject is generally regarded as dealing with a number of technical questions which address issues of a specialist kind. However, there is a long-standing counter-tradition which, since the Greeks, has sought to ask practical questions about life and living. This course introduces key thinkers in this tradition, from the Hellenistic Philosophers to Michel Foucault.

Course Tutor: Mark Fielding.

Kant

Kant famously said there are four basic questions: What can I know? What ought I to do? What can I hope? What is the human being? This course looks at Kant’s answers to these questions, taking in his metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, philosophy of religion and political philosophy. We will look at all three of his ‘Critiques’, as well as other important works. See course outline for more information.

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

From Kant to Hegel

This course will follow the development of philosophy from Kant’s Critique to Pure Reason (1781) to Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), using Eckart Förster’s recent book The Twenty-Five Years of Philosophy: A Systematic Reconstruction (Harvard University Press, 2012). See Terry Pinkard’s NDPR review.

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

German Idealism Reading Group

2014-2015

J. G. Fichte, ‘Review of Aenesidemus’ (February 1794)
J. G. Fichte, ‘Some Lectures concerning the Scholar’s Vocation’ (September 1794)
J. G. Fichte, ‘Concerning the Difference between the Spirit and the Letter within Philosophy’ (1794)
J. G. Fichte, ‘Concerning the Concept of the Wissenschaftslehre’ (May 1794)
J. G. Fichte, Foundations of the Entire Wissenschaftslehre, Parts I & II (September 1794)
J. G. Fichte, Foundations of the Entire Wissenschaftslehre, Part III (July/August 1795)
Friedrich von Hardenberg [Novalis], ‘Fichte Studies’ (1795-1796)
F. Hölderlin, ‘Being, Judgment, Possibility’ and letter to Hegel (January 1795)
F. W. J. Schelling, ‘Of the I as the Principle of Philosophy’ (March 1795)
F. W. J. Schelling, ‘Philosophical Letters on Dogmatism and Criticism’ (1795)

2015-2016

J. G. Fichte, Foundations of Natural Right, Part One (March 1796)
F. W. J. Schelling, Ideas for a Philosophy of Nature (Easter 1797)

2016-2017

J. G. Fichte, ‘An Attempt at a New Presentation of the Wissenschaftslehre’ (1797-1798)
F. W. J. Schelling, On the World Soul, A Hypothesis of Higher Physics (May 1798) (Foreword and the opening of Part One)
Friedrich von Hardenberg [Novalis], The Novices of Sais (1798-1799)
Friedrich von Hardenberg [Novalis], Notes for a Romantic Encyclopaedia: Das Allgemeine Brouillon (1798-1799)

2017-2018

J. G. Fichte, System of Ethical Theory (Spring 1798)
F. W. J. Schelling, First Outline of a System of the Philosophy of Nature (1799)
J. G. Fichte, texts related to the “atheism dispute” (1798-1800), also pieces by F.H. Jacobi and K. L. Reinhold
Friedrich von Hardenberg [Novalis], ‘Christianity, or Europe: A Fragment’ and Schelling, ‘Heinz Widerporst’s Epicurean Confession of Faith’ (both Autumn 1799)
G. W. F. Hegel, unpublished writings (1796-1798)

2018-2019

F. Hölderlin, Hyperion (1797/1799)
F. W. J. Schelling, System of Transcendental Idealism (1800)
J. G. Fichte, The Vocation of Man (1800)
J. G. Fichte, texts relating to the ‘New Presentation of the Wissenschaftslehre’ (1800)

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

German Romanticism Reading Group

Texts read (2013-2014):

Friedrich Schlegel, ‘Athenaeum Fragments’ (1798-1800)

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit

This course will provide an introduction to Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, with a specific focus on the idea of spirit. We will see how Hegel takes spirit to have come to be realized in ‘absolute knowledge’. See course outline.

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

Hegel’s Logic

This course will provide an introduction to Hegel’s Science of Logic, using the new translation published by Cambridge.

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

Karl Marx’s Theory of History

This course will take as its guide the renowned reconstruction of historical materialism provided by G. A. Cohen in his book Karl Marx’s Theory of History: A Defence (1978/2001). We will consider Marx’s use of the theory in trying to explain the development of capitalism. Critiques of Cohen and alternative interpretations of Marx’s theory, such as those arguing for a more ‘dialectical’ approach, will be examined.

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

Twentieth-Century Marxist Philosophy

This course will examine some of the key strands within twentieth-century Marxist philosophy, showing how it developed from Marx’s own theories and in the process blended them with other ideas. Key figures considered will include Kautsky, Bernstein, Lenin, Lukács, Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse, Benjamin, Sartre and Althusser. The more recent movements of analytical Marxism and autonomist Marxism (operaismo) will also be covered.

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

Philosophy of Art from Kant to Derrida and Lyotard

This course will consider the philosophical aesthetics of Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, before going on to examine twentieth-century movements – phenomenology, hermeneutics, critical theory and post-structuralism – which developed from and reacted against them. Attention will be paid to the theories’ chosen exemplars from the visual arts, music and literature.

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

Philosophy of History from Kant to Foucault

How should we, as historical beings, understand ourselves and our place in history? Are we moving forward, and if so, how and to what? Or should we be looking back, to understand how we got to where we are now? This course will consider how some of the most important European thinkers of the last 250 years have asked and answered these questions. See course outline.

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

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Philosophy of Science

This course provides an introduction to the some of the main issues in the philosophy of science, including the problem of induction, the demarcation between science and non-science, the underdetermination of theory by data, and the status of realism in the sciences. We will use as our textbook Understanding Philosophy of Science by James Ladyman (Routledge, London, 2002).

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

Walter Benjamin: Early Writings

This course, running over three terms, will consider Walter Benjamin’s early writings, those from what he later referred to as ‘the directly metaphysical, indeed theological period of my thinking’. The course will take the form of a guided reading group. The texts are difficult, and familiarity with and interest in Benjamin’s work are advisable.

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

Walter Benjamin

Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) is one of the most fascinating intellectual figures of the twentieth century. Philosopher, literary critic, journalist, historian and creative writer, his writings have attracted the interest of Marxists, theologians, urbanists and artists, just to mention a few. The course will take a chronological and textual approach, starting with Benjamin’s writings from the mid/late 1920s and ending with his final text from 1940. See course outline for more information.

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

Wagner and Philosophy

An in-depth examination of the philosophical aspects of Richard Wagner’s main works, from The Ring of the Nibelung to Parsifal. We will also consider philosophical responses to Wagner, from Nietzsche to Adorno.

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

Proust and Philosophy

Course details.

Course Tutor: Meade McCloughan.

Classics of Political Philosophy: The Social Contract

Why should we obey the state, or even have one at all? And how should it share the wealth? Philosophers have used the idea that society is founded on a contract to answer these questions – but gave very different answers. This course looks at the classics in this tradition from Hobbes’ Leviathan in 1651 to John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice in 1971, taking in Locke and Rousseau along the way.

Course Tutor: Sam Fremantle.

Classics of Political Philosophy: Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism, in the words of one of its greatest proponents, John Stuart Mill, ‘holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.’ And that’s all there is to morality – simples! Or is it? This course will undertake a reading of John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism in its entirety, before going on to consider some of the virulent attacks made on the doctrine by its many critics.

Course Tutor: Sam Fremantle.

Classics of Moral Philosophy: Kant’s Groundwork

This course will undertake a reading of Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, which is, without doubt, one of the most important and influential books on moral philosophy ever written. After completing the Groundwork we will go on to examine some commentaries on it by contemporary philosophers, such as Christine Korsgaard and Derek Parfit.

Course Tutor: Sam Fremantle.

Logic 1

A gentle but stimulating introduction to symbolic logic suitable for complete beginners. This course will teach students how to translate arguments written in natural languages (such as English) into logic and then to evaluate their validity, using a pictorial approach based on foreign language teaching developed in Sam Guttenplan’s Languages of Logic. Sentential (or propositional) deduction and truth tables will be covered.

Course Tutor: Sam Fremantle.

Logic 2

A continuation of Logic 1, developing translation of more complex natural language arguments into predicate (or propositional) logic. Only suitable for those who have completed Logic 1 or have elsewhere acquired knowledge of the subjects covered there. The course also offers a brief glimpse into Modal Logic, and the question of why it is needed.

Course Tutor: Sam Fremantle.

Critical Thinking

What makes an argument good or bad? This course aims to give people the skills they need to not be fooled by bad arguments – and to put forward good ones of their own! The two main text books will be Critical Reasoning by Anne Thomson (3rd edn) and The Logic of Real Arguments by Alec Fisher (2nd edn), but we shall also look at other sources such as political speeches and newspaper journalism.

Course Tutor: Sam Fremantle.

Reading Group: Nozick’s Anarchy, State and Utopia

Robert Nozick argued for rolling back the frontiers of the state in the name of individual freedom in this influential 1970s philosophical classic, pre-empting the emergence of the same arguments in the mouths of Thatcherite and Reaganite politicians in the 1980s. But were his arguments any good? In this Reading Group we will examine the book in its entirety and, time permitting, look at some influential critiques.

Course Tutor: Sam Fremantle.

Metaphysics of Descartes, Locke and Berkeley

This course covers the arguments of three key philosophers, who were instrumental in framing the metaphysical debate of their contemporaries and shaping philosophical debates since then. We shall look at Descartes’ Meditations, with specific reference to the cogito claim that “I alone exist”. We shall examine Locke’s distinction between primary and secondary qualities. We shall grapple with Berkeley’s famous idea that “To be is to be perceived”.

Course Tutor: Shahrar Ali.

Themes in Plato’s Dialogues

If you could get away with morally unjust behaviour, why should you act morally? What is the difference between education, understanding, and training? How does one determine the courageous thing to do? This course investigates several major themes in Plato’s philosophy. After an introduction to the importance of Socrates and Socratic enquiry, we shall focus on a number of Plato’s early dialogues in which the above questions are central. The course will show connections between Plato’s metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and ethics.

Course Tutor: Adrian Brockless.

Philosophy of Religion

What do we talk about when we talk about ‘God’? Does religion have anything to do with rational belief? Although philosophy is often considered as antithetical to religion, philosophers from Anselm to Wittgenstein have wrestled with problems such as the existence of God, the immortality of the soul, the nature of religious language and how a benevolent Creator could permit evil in the world.

Course Tutor: John Heyderman.

Spinoza and Spinozism

Bertrand Russell called Spinoza ‘the noblest and most lovable of the great philosophers’ while Albert Einstein professed a belief in ‘Spinoza’s God’. Yet in his lifetime, Spinoza was reviled as an atheist and after his death ‘Spinozism’ became a term of abuse for those accused of irreligion or heresy. Focusing on his masterwork the Ethics, we will be examining what Spinoza meant by ‘God or Nature’, looking at his radical identification of mind and body, as well as his ethical and political thought. We shall also discuss Spinoza’s far-reaching influence on later philosophers as diverse as Schelling, Nietzsche, Deleuze, and how he inspired the Norwegian environmentalist Arne Næss and the Argentinian writer Jorge-Luis Borgès.

Course Tutor: John Heyderman.

The Open Self

Philosophers from the earliest times have debated the question of identity. Through selections from core texts (Plato, Descartes, Locke, and Hume), we will discuss the insights in, and problems with, these accounts. We will also look at a range of ideas suggesting that our “selves” are context dependent. We will explore the view that this context-dependency is, in fact, the basis for the possibility for human flourishing. Reference to Buddhism, Aristotelian and Stoic ethics, neuroscience of memory, embodied phenomenology, and sociological treatments of culturally-formed identities are all part of the multidisciplinary approach we will be taking.

Course Tutor: Rachel Paine.

Phenomenology

This course introduces some of the central philosophers belonging to the school of phenomenology, with particular emphasis on Husserl, Sartre and Merleau Ponty. Following a discussion of these classic figures, the course turns to consider the relevance of phenomenology today and its continuing influence both in philosophy and in other areas of research, ranging from the humanities to neuroscience.

Course Tutor: Isabella Muzio

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