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Poslední úprava: Anna Tropia, Ph.D. (30.01.2020)
SUMMER 2020 Charles University Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies (BA+Erasmus module) Anna Tropia, Ph.D. Office hours: Wednesday 12:00-13:00 Email: anna.tropia@ff.cuni.cz Passions without moral, passions outside ethics: the last Descartes (Thursday 9h10-10h45) Room: P218 1. General Description and Aims of the Module The Passions of the soul is Descartes’ last work (1649). In the wake of the correspondence with Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia, which includes metaphysical, epistemological and moral themes, the French philosopher reserved the exposition of his moral philosophy to this work. But which kind of moral is the one he develops? And mostly, how does this “moral philosophy”, “the last fruit of Descartes’ metaphysics” (as the Cartesian scholar Rodis-Lewis put it), depend on his metaphysics and overall conception of the soul? This rich and stratified work, divided into three parts, includes a thorough exposition of Descartes’ conception of human being (Part I), a general scheme of the passions (Part II) and a loose, difficult treatment of each passion in particular (Part III). Through the comparison with some of Thomas Aquinas’ own treatment of the passions (ST Ia qq. 22-48) – mostly, of love and sorrow – the course aims at proposing a reflection about the main features of Descartes’ moral philosophy. Some insights in other views on the passions, such as Thomas Hobbes’ and Baruch Spinoza’s, will offer further terms of comparisons, useful to better understand how Descartes’ spiritualism influenced his account of passions and morality. |
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Poslední úprava: Anna Tropia, Ph.D. (30.01.2020)
2. Structure
The course will be divided into main modules, around which two-three classes max. will revolve. For the final exam, for instance, students might choose one to start the oral proof. If need be, further questions on other parts of the course might follow.
1) Module one: Thomas Aquinas and Descartes on the soul: two models of union 2) Module two: the place of the passions. Why is morality involved in their treatment? 3) Module three: passions in particular. Love, Sorrow 4) Module four: passions as movements (Hobbes) 5) Module five: what is Descartes’ ethics? |
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Poslední úprava: Anna Tropia, Ph.D. (30.01.2020)
Students will be evaluated based upon the following two distinct parameters:
(1) Participation (which includes, yet is not limited to: doing the assignments, attendance, in-class active participation). If you areabsent, please ask some of your classmates for any assignments or key discussion materials missed or to check out our Moodle-page). (2) A Final Oral Exam (date and additional information will be provided in due course) or a 30 min. in-class presentation to be discussed with the teachers based upon our schedule |