Duration
45h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Topic: The Sources of Philosophical Naturalism.
Where does the distinction between humanities and natural sciences come from? What, if anything, could make philosophy a "rigorous science"? Could its method be similar to that of the natural sciences? Or is there a distinctive way of addressing and settling philosophical questions?
Overarching the biggest part of contemporary philosophy, "philosophical naturalism" is the view that there is a strong continuity between philosophy and the natural sciences. Moreover, supporters of philosophical naturalism usually claim that the idea of a "first philosophy," viz. the idea of a kind of knowledge more fundamental than any particular science, should be rejected. Those claims, however, have been challenged by a number of authors.
The course aims at critically discussing the relevance of philosophical naturalism (Quine, Churchland, Dretske, Papineau...) by going back to its historical sources. Addressing in turn specific issues related to whether philosophy should adopt the method of the natural sciences, we will review the various rehabilitation strategies that have been proposed in post-idealistic 19th-century philosophy (Comte, Bolzano, Nietzsche, Brentano, Stumpf, Husserl, etc.).
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of the course, listeners are supposed to:
- master a series of historical informations about the nineteen-century Austrian-German philosophy.
- be able to look in a critical manner to the historiography of this period as it is available in classical manuals of the history of Western philosophy.
- be aware of a small number of controversial problems which have had a crucial role to play in the birth of contemporary philosophy.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
At least one Philosophy course.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course involve a series of lectures, in most cases with powerpoint presentation. There is no syllabus available. The list of the texts and the schedule will be made available at the beginning of the course and can be downloaded by following the link below.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Duration: 45 hours 2nd term. Face-to-face is the default teaching mode but some sessions might be taught online.
Organisational adjustments related to the current health context
Online classes: to access the virtual classroom (Collaborate), please go on eCampus => course => classe virtuelle => salle de classe.
Assessment modalities: unchanged (short reading reports + oral exam to be held online if required by the sanitary situation).
Recommended or required readings
A series of suggested readings will be made available at the first sessions (see schedule). The following list of recommended books may be helpful for students wishing to delve more deeply into the topic of the course:
- On the historical background of German-Austrian philosophy during the second half of the nineteen century:
- L. Freuler, La Crise de la philosophie au XIXe siècle, Paris, Vrin, 1997 (available at the ULg Philosophy library: 43FRE).
- M. Heidegger, "Genèse et première percée de la recherche phénoménologique", dans Prolégomènes à l'histoire du concept de temps, French translation. A. boutot, Paris, Gallimard, 2006, pp. 33-51 (50HEI.BOU).
- D. Fisette and G. Fréchette, "Le Legs de Brentano", from the collection A l'école de Brentano. De Würzbourg à Vienne, Pars, Vrin, 2007, pp. 13-160 (45BRE.FIS).
- L. Albertazzi, M. Libardi and R. Poli (eds.), The School of Franz Brentano, Dordrecht, Kluwer, 1996 (45BRE.ALB).
- E. Dufour, Les Néokantiens. Valeur et vérité, Paris, Vrin, 2003.
- M. Ferrari, Retours à Kant. Introduction au néo-kantisme, French translation, Th. Loisel, Paris, Cerf, 2001 (42KAN.FER).
- D. Fisette, P. Poirier, Philosophie de l'esprit. Un état des lieux, Paris, Vrin, 2000, chapitre III "Le naturalisme et ses présupposés philosophiques" (cote 78FIS).
Assessment methods and criteria
Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.
Any session :
- In-person
oral exam
- Remote
oral exam
- If evaluation in "hybrid"
preferred remote
Additional information:
The exam will take the form of a short interview during which students should demonstrate their knowledge of the subject matter covered in class and understanding of the course reading material. This involves, for example, situating an author in the philosophical landscape of this period, describing the main features of a philosophical school, explaining a concept, commenting upon an extract of text covered in class or developing a line of argument analyzed during the year.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
All students enrolled in History and Romance Languages and Literature wishing to follow this course as an option are welcome.
Contacts
Prof. Arnaud Dewalque Philosophy Department 7, Place du 20-août, Building A1/2nd floor B-4000 Liège Phone 0032 (4) 366 55 93 E-mail a.dewalque@uliege.be