PHIL 215 - Phenomenology & Existential Thought

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

Two fundamental philosophical movements from the 20th century are phenomenology and existential thought. According to Edmund Husserl, phenomenology can be conjured with the slogan “to the things themselves!”. Inspired by the writings of Husserl and Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre will later, in an infamous lecture, define his existential philosophy with the claim: “existence precedes essence”. What do such simple, seemingly straight-forward, statements mean? What does it mean to go to the things themselves, and what sort of character is the phenomenologist (are there fundamental features or specific characteristics associated with them)? What are the activities and commitments of the existentialist when they claim that existence precedes essence? What are the implications of essences that follow existence, and what sorts of existences are there? This course seeks to understand what these two philosophical approaches entail by unpacking these seemingly self-evident statements and focusing on particular problems and concepts. Specific emphasis is given to phenomenology and existentialism in a global context addressing the interrelations between social and political thought, metaphysics and ontology, and ethics. Osman Nemli.

Prerequisite(s): One 100-level Philosophy course or permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS