Saint-Louis University - Bruxelles
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FILO1220 - History of philosophy of Modern Times


[A. • 60 Th. • 6 ECTS - credits]


Lecturer : Dumont Augustin
Language of instruction : French
Learning outcomes : The aim is to introduce students to the major themes of modern thought. The objective is not to fly over the period superficially but rather to enter into its inner dynamic by asking through modern authors a number of, now out of date, questions, allowing the student to acutely question traditional and current philosophical issues.
Prerequisites : General knowledge of history of philosophy.
Course contents : We will see in which ruptures and which continuities with the Middle Ages the epistemological, scientific, anthropological and moral questions are developed in Modern Times, focusing on both the desire for independence and emancipation, corollary to the requirement of "truth", and the dimension of scepticism. The process as a whole is constantly connected to the baroque discovery of an original subjectivity, as dangerous as it is precarious or even life-saving, and to the "theatricality" of the Moderns as "place" (or lack of place), and as ethos from where one experiences the world in its infinite complexity. We will mainly study the philosophy of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant, also evoking personalities such as Malebranche, Pascal, Bacon and Hobbes (among others).
Mode of delivery : Lecture
Assessment methods and criteria : Oral examination on all the subject matter covered during the lecture.
Recommended or required reading : Provided during the lecture.