History of Philosophy II

Students are strongly advised to take FILK-210 History of Philosophy I before this course

The students should be able to acquire a detailed knowledge of the theories, concepts and arguments of the philosophers studied from both the medieval and early modern period. Students should be able to gain knowledge of the basic philosophical terminology in its historical contexts and developments. By the end of the course, students should be able to analyse and critically evaluate the philosophical concepts and arguments examined in the course.

Medieval philosophy:

• N. Kretzmann et al (eds.), The Cambridge History of Later Medieval Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982.
• Anthologies G. Klima with F. Allhof and A.J Vaidya (eds.), Medieval Philosophy: Essential Readings with Commentary (Blackwell Readings in the History of Philosophy 2). Oxford: Blackwell, 2007.
• R. Mckeon, Selections from Medieval Philosophers. II: Roger Bacon to William of Ockham. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1930.
• P.V. Spade, Five Texts on Mediaeval Problem of Universals. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1994.
• R. Pasnau, The Cambridge Translations of Medieval Philosophical texts. III: Mind and Knowledge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. 
• R. Pasnau, Theories of Cognition in the Later Middle Ages. Cambridge University Press, 1997. 

Recommended reading for Early Modern Philosophy:

• Anthony Kenny: The Rise of Modern Philosophy. Oxford University Press, 2006.
• Richard Francks: Modern Philosophy. The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Routledge, 2003.
• Marleen Rozemond, Descartes' Dualism. Harvard University Press, 1998.
• Lilli Alanen, Descartes' s Concept of Mind. Harvard University Press, 2003.
• Henry Allison, Kant's Transcendental Idealism. Yale University Press, 1983.

Moral and Political Philosophy: 

• Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics. Oxford University Press 2011. 
• Kant, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. Yale University Press, 2002.
• Sarah Broadie, Ethics with Aristotle. Oxford University Press, 1991.
• George Klosko, History of Political Theory. Oxford University Press, volumes I-II. 
• Annabel Brett and James Tully (eds.), Rethinking the Foundations of Modern Political Thought. Cambridge University Press, 2006. 

Completion methods

Participation in at least 75% of the sessions is required. Students are expected to read (at least) some of the primary sources, always given in English translation, that are to be discussed in the classes. Final written essay.

Contents

In this course students will acquire a detailed knowledge of the major figures and the core issues of medieval and early modern philosophical thought, namely on the nature of soul-body relation, cognition of universals, substance, the nature of representation, the conflict between reason and free will, and the nature of virtue. Alternatively, this unit will be focused on the history of moral and political philosophy.

Assessment practices and criteria

Final written essay. Scale 0–5.