4709375: FU_Fundamentals of Philosophy

Beschreibung

Human life has always been a central object of philosophical investigations. By making use of rational argumentation and critical thinking, philosophers raise fundamental questions about human nature and the meaning of life. As an introduction to philosophy, this course proposes to examine the following three fundamental questions: Who are we? How should we live? What is the best political arrangement we should live in?
Embedded in the areas of philosophical anthropology, ethics, and political philosophy, these three questions will be elucidated, on the one hand, through a review of major philosophical authors and theories and on the other hand through an examination of concrete life-situations.
This course will also offer students the opportunity to train critical thinking and to be able to think clearly, rationally, and coherently.

Lernergebnisse

Participants will be able to:

• Acquire knowledge on philosophy in general and on core philosophical issues in particular;
• Familiarize with theories of some major past and contemporary philosophers
• Understand how philosophical-theoretical insights can be used to address practical and concrete life situations;
• Acquire skills necessary to read and write philosophical works
• Develop critical thinking

Lehrmethoden

Lecture, reading assignments, discussions, and presentations.

Voraussetzungen (inhaltlich)

• A genuine interest in philosophy
• This course serves also as a good basis for the lecture on "Introduction to Human Rights"

Literatur

• Edward Craig, Philosophy. A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: OUP, 2002.)
• Aloysius P. Martinich, Philosophical Writing. An Introduction, 4. Ed. (Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 2016)
• Thomas Nagel, What Does It All Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy (Oxford: OUP, 1987).
• Stephen Downes, Edouard Machery, eds. Arguing about Human Nature: Contemporary Debates (New Work, London: Routledge, 2013)

Kommentar

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Es gelten spezielle Anmeldemodalitäten.