PY500-6-SP-CO:
Kant's Revolution in Philosophy
2020/21
Philosophy
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Sunday 17 January 2021
Friday 26 March 2021
15
16 May 2020
Requisites for this module
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This module covers Kant`s epistemology as developed in his Critique of Pure Reason. This is a pivotal text in philosophy. Kant`s epistemological position was a response to the problems of both rationalism and empiricism, and resulted in a radical and lasting change to the shape of our philosophical map. An understanding of Kant`s position and of this text is foundational for any student of modern philosophy (in both the continental and the analytical traditions).
The module concentrates primarily on the Transcendental Aesthetic and the Transcendental Analytic. Particular attention will be given to the formal status of Kant`s epistemology and the assessment of whether this counts as a weakness or a strength.
Students will develop an understanding of the details of Kant`s position in the Critique; a critical grasp of the central arguments of Kant`s position; and an appreciation of the central significance that position has in the history of philosophy. This will be achieved through developing a close familiarity with the text and with relevant secondary literature.
At the end of the module students should have:
1. a good understanding of the major arguments of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, especially those concerning the nature of space and time, the status and function of the basic categories of our thought and experience,
2. a good understanding of Kant’s innovations in method, and in particular the procedure of ‘transcendental deduction’; and the role of imagination within Kant’s account of knowledge.
3. a good understanding of the thrust of Kant’s critique of traditional metaphysics;
By the end of the module, students should also have acquired a set of transferable skills, and in particular be able to:
1. define the task in which they are engaged and exclude what is irrelevant;
2. seek and organise the most relevant discussions and sources of information;
3. process a large volume of diverse and sometimes conflicting arguments;
4. compare and evaluate different arguments and assess the limitations of their own position or procedure;
5. write and present verbally a succinct and precise account of positions, arguments, and their presuppositions and implications;
6. be sensitive to the positions of others and communicate their own views in ways that are accessible to them;
7. think 'laterally' and creatively - see interesting connections and possibilities and present these clearly rather than as vague hunches;
8. maintain intellectual flexibility and revise their own position if shown wrong; think critically and constructively.
Erasmus/IP students must have already taken two philosophy modules at their home institutions.
UG: There will be a two-hour combined lecture and seminar each week and a separate one-hour class. All teaching events will be accessible to students on and off campus either face-to-face or remotely through online teaching. Week 21 is Reading Week.
- Allison, Henry E. (c1983) Kant's transcendental idealism: an interpretation and defense, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
- Gibbons, Sarah L. (c1994) Kant's theory of imagination: bridging gaps in judgement and experience, Oxford: Clarendon Press. vol. Oxford philosophical monographs
- Kant, Immanuel; Banham, Gary; Smith, Norman Kemp. (2007) Critique of pure reason, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Wilkerson, T. E. (1998) Kant's critique of pure reason: a commentary for students, Bristol: Thoemmes Press. vol. Key texts : classic studies in the history of ideas
- Fiona Hughes. (2006) 'Kant's Phenomenological Reduction?', in Études Phénoménologiques. vol. 22 (43/44) , pp.163-192
- Horstmann, Rolf-Peter. (1976) 'Space as intuition and geometry', in Ratio. vol. 18 (1) , pp.17-30
- Horstmann, Rolf-Peter. (1989) 'Transcendental Idealism and the Representation of Space', in Reading Kant: new perspectives on transcendental arguments and critical philosophy, Oxford: Blackwell.
- Longuenesse, Béatrice. (c1998) Kant and the capacity to judge: sensibility and discursivity in the transcendental analytic of the Critique of pure reason, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
- Gardner, Sebastian. (1999) Routledge philosophy guidebook to Kant and the Critique of pure reason, London: Routledge. vol. Routledge philosophy guidebooks
- Guyer, Paul. (1992) The Cambridge companion to Kant, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Hughes, Fiona. (c2007) Kant's aesthetic epistemology: form and world, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
- Buchdahl, Gerd. (1969) Metaphysics and the philosophy of science: the classical origins, Descartes to Kant, Oxford: Blackwell.
- Guyer, Paul. (1987) Kant and the claims of knowledge, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Reading Quizzes TOTAL ( 3 of 4) |
|
25% |
| Coursework |
READING QUIZ - WEEK 18 4 FEB 2021 |
|
0% |
| Coursework |
READING QUIZ - WEEK 20 18 FEB 2021 |
|
0% |
| Coursework |
Detailed Essay Plan with Bibliography (750 words) |
|
25% |
| Coursework |
READING QUIZ - WEEK 22 4 MARCH 2021 |
|
0% |
| Coursework |
READING QUIZ - WEEK 24 18 MARCH 2021 |
|
0% |
| Coursework |
Essay (2500 words) |
|
50% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Fiona Hughes, email: fhughes@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Fiona Hughes
spahinfo@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Thomas Joseph Stern
University College London
Senior Lecturer
Available via Moodle
Of 739 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
739 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Philosophy
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