PHIL 215 - Phenomenology and Existential Thought

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

Since the ancient Greeks, philosophy has interpreted the drama of human life in terms of knowledge rather than will, truth rather than passion. During the 20th century, phenomenology and existentialism offer the most radical critique of this “intellectualist” view of both philosophy and the self. A new cognitive value is attributed to moods, beliefs, and states of consciousness as well as to some spheres of human interaction such as authenticity, temporality, and intentionality. In this course, we shall explore the great arch of existential and phenomenological thought as developed by Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, and Levinas. Ms. Borradori.

Prerequisite: one unit of Philosophy or permission of the instructor.