Faculty of Letters

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PHL400BB（哲学 / Philosophy 400）
Seminar on Philosophy (1)

Masato SATO

Class code etc
Faculty/Graduate school Faculty of Letters
Attached documents
Year 2023
Class code A2230
Previous Class code
Previous Class title
Term 年間授業/Yearly
Day/Period 火4/Tue.4
Class Type
Campus 市ヶ谷
Classroom name 市富士‐Ｆ４０４
Grade 3～4
Credit(s) 4
Notes
Open Program
Open Program (Notes)
Global Open Program
Interdepartmental class taking system for Academic Achievers
Interdepartmental class taking system for Academic Achievers (Notes)
Class taught by instructors with practical experience
SDGs CP
Urban Design CP
Diversity CP
Learning for the Future CP
Carbon Neutral CP
Chiyoda Campus Consortium
Category 哲学科
他学科公開科目
Group
Day or Night

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Outline (in English)

We will carefully read and interpret Descartes’ late letters and Passions of the Soul step by step, and learn the “decisive moral” of his philosophical attainment.
In Descartes’ philosophy, which emphasizes unity and systematicity of sciences, consideration of his metaphysics and his physics is indispensable for considering the passions (and thus the morality), therefore, the reading proceeds with referring to related writings such as the Meditations and Treatise on Man, as well as scholastic philosophy and theology, which exist in the background source to Descartes' philosophy.
By examining the meaning and significance of these writings, our aim is to consider what the moral of Descartes in his later years was like.

Students are expected by the end of the course 1) to understand precisely the contents of the Cartesian theory of morals and passions in comparison with Scholastic philosophy, 2) to find their own questions in it, search for answers and deepen their understanding and consideration through discussions with others, 3) to construct their arguments logically through readings and discussions, and 4) to explain them clearly in their own words.
Before each class meeting, students are to read carefully the relevant text of the next class and summarize what the text is arguing for. The group or individual in charge of the presentation of the day is to prepare a resume to be distributed. Required study time is two hours each before and after the class.
The grade will be decided on the following proportion. In-class contribution: 25%, Presentation: 25%, Term-end examination or report: 50%.

Default language used in class

日本語 / Japanese