Aims

The major aim of this course is to provide information about the contemporary research in philosophy.

Main themes

Four main sectors of this research will be introduced: 1. Philosophy of sciences, included human sciences: the following authors will be learnt: E. Kant, G.W.F. Hegel; K. Marx, E. Durkheim, C. Levi-Strauss, G. Bachelard, K. Popper, T. Kuhn; 2. Phenomenology: the following authors will be seen: E. Husserl, M. Merleau-Ponty, J.-P. Sartre, P. Ricoeur; 3. Philosophy of language: the following authors will be seen: F. De Saussure, L. Wittgenstein, J.L. Austin, E. Benveniste, J.R. Searle; 4. Political philosophy: the following authors will be seen: T. Hobbes, J. Locke, J.-J. Rousseau, R. Aron, H. Marcuse, J. Habermas, H. Arendt, J. Rawls. As the scope of the research in contemporary philosophy is very wide, we will focus on some fundamental questions, which are common to different sectors of research. That will give its unity and its coherence to the course. That will also permit to show the unity of philosophy, its theoretical interest and its relations with sciences.

Content and teaching methods

This year, the course will be focussed on the analysis of the major tradition in political philosophy of those days: the political liberalism. We will examine how this tradition has been modified, in order to answer the criticisms of the other political traditions, and the limits of this self-transformation strategy.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

The evaluation will be based on the individual presentation of a social debate

Notes written by the professor will be provided.

Other credits in programs