OhioLINK History of Philosophy Website

Philosophy 31006
Nineteenth-Century Philosophy

1:10-2:00 MWF
313 Bowman Hall
Spring 1996

Professor Jeffrey Wattles
320-H Bowman Hall
2:10-4:40
and by appointment.

Course Design

We will explore and compare and contrast Hegel, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche on how they articulate philosophy in relation to science, religion, and art. This intensive writing course involves three main writing assignments, each supported by other written exercises, plus class participation.

Texts

Required texts:

Hegel: Selections, ed. Inwood (Macmillan)
A Kierkegaard Anthology, ed. Bretall (Princeton)
The Gay Science, Nietsche.

Requirements

Evaluation will be based on (1) regular, well-prepared class participation, including attendance--more than three absences may affect your grade--10%; and (2) on the written work required for each module--30% each. You will be given a grade for each module as a whole. All written assignments will be evaluated in part for the quality of writing at the level of the sentence, paragraph, and essay as a whole as well as for specific philosophic virtues--accuracy of interpretation, clarity of exposition, etc.; rewrites will be required, as needed. The instructor is happy to offer tutoring in writing (having taught college English for 6 years) to assist the student in achieving the goals of the course. If you have a handicap of which the instructor should be aware, please communicate that during your first week.

Grievance Procedure

The Philosophy Department Grievance Procedure for handling student grievances is in conformity with the Student Academic Complaint Policy and Procedures set down as University Policy 3342-4-16 in the University Policy Register. For information concerning the details of the grievance procedure, please see the Departmental Chairperson.

Course Schedule

Date		Assignment
January	17	Introduction to the course and to Hegel. The sequence of selections from Hegel violates historic and systematic considerations; it is motivated by the desire to begin with what is more accessible. As you read, mark or note the passages that are particularly clear and meaningful to you, and prepare to share your findings with a comment.
	19	Philosophy of art: 371-392
	22	Philosophy of art: 392-420 (You may want also to look at 421-425)
	24	Philosophy of history: 331-335 (notice how Hegel portrays philosophy's role in articulating the content of an empirical science).
	26	Philosophy of history: 353-370. Mini-exercise: write one page on what relations Hegel seems to portray (in the selection on history) between his philosophic concept of Geist (mind, spirit, culture) and the religious concept of God.
	29	Ethics: 288-306
	31	Ethics: 306-330
February	2	Positivity of the Christian Religion 71-85; cf. 102, paragraphs 2-3; 198-201; 231-32; and 425-36. Turn in a mini-exercise (2 pages): what concept of the relation between philosophy and religion do you find in these texts?
	5	Phenomenology, Introduction: 152-160
	7	Consciousness: 161-167
	9	Self-Consciousness: 168-180
	12	Preface: 114-134 (see note)
	14	Preface: 134-143
	16	Preface: 143-151
	19	Logic: 181-201
	21	Logic: 235-260
	23	Macro-exercise, 5 pages: How Hegel's concept of Geist is presented as transcending the religious concept of God.
	26	Kierkegaard proposed that there are three stages on life's way--the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious. These selections will be roughly organized to illustrate his expositions of these categories. Read 1-36, emphasizing 14-18 and--for a sketch of aesthetic living, Either/Or 21-36.
	28	The aesthetic, continued: Either/Or 72-80. See also 108; 174, last paragraph; 325; 469.3; and xxvi ("What is a poet?). How does the aesthetic engagement in the arts differ from the religious? On the beauties of nature see 3; 13; 35; 45; 62-63; 72; and 83.
March	1	An exposition of the ethical perspective from within: 80-108 (cf. 9, par.2; 58, par.3; 186-88)
	4	Critique of culture: The Present Age 260-269; 330-33; The Attack upon Christendom 434-439
	6	Kierkegaard's subordination of the ethical to the religious: Fear and Trembling 116-134
	8	Religious duty: Works of Love 281-306 (cf. p. 9; 455, paragraph 2; 469). Miniexercise (2 pages): Kierkegaard's religious ethics as seen in the chapter, "Thou shalt love."
	11	The religious: 372-413
	13	The religious: Two Edifying Discourses 108-116; cf. 470-82
	15	The religious: Training in Christianity 372-413
	18	Philosophical Fragments 153-172
	20	Concluding Unscientific Postscript, 190-207. Mini-exercise: Kierkegaard's critique of Hegel (2 pages)
	22	Concluding Unscientific Postscript, 207-231; QUIZ
April	1	Concluding Unscientific Postscript, 207-231
	3	Concluding Unscientific Postscript, 231-258
	5	Second macro-exercise due, five pages: to be determined.
	8	Nietzsche, The Gay Science 31-38; (skim 39-69) (exercises to be set later)
	10	Book One 73-98
	12	Book One 98-118
	15	Book Two 121-144
	17	Book Two 145-164
	19	Book Three 167-196
	22	Book Three 197-220
	24	Book Four 221-250
	26	Book Four 251-275
	29	Book Five 277-304
May	1	Book Five 304-331
	3	Book Five 331-348
	9	Instead of a final examination, please submit your 3rd Macro-exercise by 12:30 Thursday, May 9. If you would like notification of your grade, leave a stamped, self-addressed postcard with the instructor.

Note If it seems necessary to get a solid grounding in the more accessible portions of our anthology rather than to read the full schedule of assignments, the Preface to the Phenomenology and the readings from the Science of Logic will be optional. (Return to Course Schedule.)

This page is part of the OhioLINK History of Philosophy Instructional Website designed and developed by the Department of Philosophy at Kent State University. We are interested in any comments you may have concerning this syllabus. Send e-mail to the KSU Department of Philosophy Instructional Website Team or directly to Professor Jeffrey Wattles, who designed this syllabus.

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