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Poslední úprava: Anna Tropia, Ph.D. (29.01.2021)
Charles University Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies BA Course Email: anna.tropia@ff.cuni.cz This course targets some of the false philosophical beliefs identified by Descartes in his Meditations on first philosophy (1641): like that all knowledge derives from the senses, or that the soul is a corporeal thing; but also, that a certain resemblance between the external objects and the mind is necessary in order for cognition to take place. By following the iter of the Meditator (the subject of Descartes’ work), we will focus on the strategy of the philosopher to modify previous philosophical beliefs by fighting them on their very same ground. NB. Permanent link to our courses on Moodle! Please register to access it |
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Poslední úprava: Anna Tropia, Ph.D. (28.01.2021)
Main aim of the course will be that of acquiring a better understanding of a classical philosophical text by focusing on Descartes’ adversaries (Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle, above all) as well as on the philosophical method of the meditation as a slow persuasive technique. |
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Poslední úprava: Anna Tropia, Ph.D. (28.01.2021)
TEXTS
René Descartes, Meditations, Objections and Replies. Ed. and tr. by R. Ariew and D. Cress, Hackett Publishing Company 2006
The critical text of the Meditations (in Latin and French) is to be found in R. Descartes, Oeuvres, eds. by Ch. Adam and P. Tannery, Vrin 1996 (vols. 3 and 9)
Thomas Aquinas, parts of Sum of Theology and Summa contra Gentiles (in En. Tr.)
John Duns Scotus, parts of Ordinatio, I and II (in Engl. Tr.)
Henry of Ghent, “Can a human being know anything?”, From Summa quaestionum ordinarium, a. 1 q. 1 (En. Tr. by R. Pasnau, in The Cambridge Translation of Medieval Philosophical Texts. Vol. 3. Mind and Knowledge. Cambridge University Press 2004)
Aristotle, On the Soul, in J. Barnes (ed), The Complete Works of Aristotle (The Revised Oxford Translation), Princeton University Press 1994
Secondary Literature (some examples, more on our Moodle Page) E. Scribano, Guida alle Meditazioni metafisiche di Descartes, Laterza 1997 J-L Marion, Sur la théologie blanche de Descartes, PUF 1981 R. Ariew, Descartes among the Scholastics, Brill 2011 The Blackwell Guide to Cartesian Meditations, ed. by St. Gaukroger, Blackwell Publishing 2016 |
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Poslední úprava: Anna Tropia, Ph.D. (28.01.2021)
Owing to the current situation, classes will be taught online in the form of video-conferences on the platform Zoom. Before the first class, the students registered on this SIS-page will receive an email with instructions. Zoom is very simple to use, but in case you had any problem, please contact me in due time: anna.tropia@ff.cuni.cz The requirements in order to complete this course are:
(1) In Class Active Participation, which includes: reading the assignments and regular attendance
(2) A Final Oral exam (in presence or online), to be discussed in due time during the term. |
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Poslední úprava: Anna Tropia, Ph.D. (28.01.2021)
1) 18.2: Introduction to the course. The Meditations in context 2) 25.2: Doubting as a method. Meditation I 3) 4.3: Some medieval antecedents 4) 11.3: Meditation II 5) 18.3: Aristotle’s On the Soul, and the assimilation principle 6) 25.3: Meditation III 7) 8.4: Against Aquinas 8) 15.4: Meditation IV 9) 22.4: Evil or false 10) 29.4: Meditation V 11) 6.5: Ideas and certitude 12) 13.5: Meditation VI: bringing back the body and the soul |
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Poslední úprava: Anna Tropia, Ph.D. (28.01.2021)
This is a BA course, but everybody is mostly welcome! |