PHIL368

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PHIL368

Enacting Enlightenment: Visions of Ethical Agency in Kant and Diderot PHIL368 FA

Crosslistings: CHUM368

Section	Class Size	*Available	Times	POI	Prereq
1	15	1	Times: .T..... 7:00PM-10:00PM;	No	No

*The number of spaces listed as available is based on class seats open for the Blue Add phase of registration. Some seats may be taken in previous phases while others may be held out for subsequent phases of registration. (Last Updated on Tue Aug 10 05:00:30 EDT 1999 )

Many central tenets of the Enlightenment progressivist ethos can be traced to 18th-century European philosophers, but so, too, can many of the ambivalences and criticisms that feature prominently in 20th-century authors' sharply contrasting visions of the possibilities for acting in pursuit of progressivist ideals. One of these authors is Immanuel Kant, whose philosophical writings formulate the demand that all persons, as rational agents, are obligated to strive toward the realization of universal rational ideals in the human social world. As we will see, Kant's demand draws not just on an ethical theory but also on a practical anthropology and an account of human history according to which our ethical agency can be situated within a rational narrative of progress. In surveying these works, we will consider to what extent Kantian ethical agency is possible within a contemporary context in which rational ideals can no longer find plausible support in complementary anthropological and historical visions. The other author studied will be Denis Diderot, whose literary dialogues call into question the legitimacy of the ideals to that Enlightenment thinkers--including Diderot himself--are committed. Since the issues raised by his fiction hold much in common with certain strands of 20th-century critical thought, our reading of him in counterpoint to Kant will further enrich our sense of the problems that must be confronted by contemporary agents insofar as they still remain at all committed to the realization of Enlightenment ideals.

MAJOR READINGS

Immanuel Kant: ANTHROPOLOGY FROM A
PRAGMATIC POINT OF VIEW, historical and political essays,
CRITIQUE OF PRACTICAL REASON
Denis Diderot: JACQUES THE FATALIST, RAMEAU'S NEPHEW,
SUPPLEMENT TO BOUGAINVILLE'S VOYAGE, short stories
Various essays on Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment
thought

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

To be announced

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Discussion Lecture

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UG Credit: 1.00 Gen Ed Area & Dept: SBS PHIL

Prerequisites: None

Section 01: Brender, N; Times: .T..... 7:00PM-10:00PM;; Grading Mode: A/F; Registration Preference (1 high to 6 low, 0=Excluded) Sr: 1, Jr: 1, So: 2, Fr: 0; Major Preference Given

Last Updated on MAR-22-1999

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