Spring 2022

Kant and the Nineteenth Century

Listed in: Philosophy, as PHIL-359

Faculty

Rafeeq Hasan (Section 01)

Description

Immanuel Kant's philosophy set off a revolution that reverberated throughout 19th-century Europe. For Kant, it is our own reason, not God or nature, which is the original source of all moral principles, freedom, and even goodness itself. The rational autonomy of human beings, Kant somewhat surprisingly suggests, commits them to building a more just and humane world.

We will trace the effects of the Kantian revolution, including several influential responses to it. We begin with Kant's Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), which grounds ethical obligations in the idea of rational autonomy, before considering his theory of the state in the Doctrine of Right (1797). Other readings will vary from year to year. Authors may include: Frederick Douglass, J.G. Fichte, G.W.F. Hegel, Soren Kierkegaard, Karl Marx, and Mary Wollstonecraft. Topics discussed may include: property, human rights, gender, capitalism, religion, and racism.

Our goal is to understand and evaluate some of the most exciting (and difficult) philosophical texts of the 18th and 19th centuries, and to write about them in clear and analytical prose.

Requisite: One prior course in Philosophy. Limited to 25 students. Spring Semester. Professor Hasan

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: emphasis on written work, readings, independent research, oral presentations, group work. Students with documented disabilities who will require accommodations in this course should be in consultation with Accessibility Services and reach out to the faculty member as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations can be made in a timely manner.

This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.

ISBN Title Publisher Author(s) Comment Book Store Price
Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, eds. Mary Gregor and Jens Timmermann Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012 Immanuel Kant Amherst Books TBD
A Vindication of the Rights of Women, ed. Janet Todd Oxford: Oxford World Classics, 199 Mary Wollstonecraft Amherst Books TBD
Elements of the Philosophy of Right, ed. Allen Wood Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991 G.W.F. Hegel Amherst Books TBD
Selected Writings, ed. Lawrence Simon Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 199 Karl Marx Amherst Books TBD

These books are available locally at Amherst Books.

Offerings

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2021, Spring 2022