Not offered 2007-2008
PHIL 240 German Idealism: Kant to Hegel (Same as German 240)
German Idealism (which began with Kant's Critique of Pure Reason in 1781 and ended with Hegel's death in 1831) was the philosophical counterpart to the French Revolution:
both sought to replace the pre-modern acceptance of unjustified authority with the modern
insistence on rational justification and freedom. The immediate stimulus for this development in philosophy was Hume's skeptical attack on the pretensions of reason and his claim
that belief and action are ultimately determined by habit or custom. Hume's skepticism famously shook Kant from his "dogmatic slumber," spurring him to undertake a "critique" of
reason and a defense of freedom and morality. The later German Idealists-Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel-attempted to carry out the Kantian project more rigorously than Kant himself, striving to develop a fully self-critical and rational philosophy, in order thereby to determine the meaning and sustain the possibility of a free and rational modern life. Their work
has been extraordinarily influential not only in philosophy, but also in political theory,
religious studies, and aesthetics.
This course will pick up where Philosophy 101 and 102 leave off, introduce students to the
main figures and themes of German Idealism, and serve as preparation for work in 20th
century European philosophy.
Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: four 5- to7-page papers, attendance and participation.
Prerequisites: Philosophy 101 or Philosophy 102 (or permission of the instructor). Students
with German ability are welcomed and will be encouraged to work with original texts. Enrollment limit: 30 (expected: 15-20). Preference given to prospective majors or majors.
DUDLEY