"Freedom, however, among all the Ideas of speculative reason is the only one whose possibility we know a priori. We do not understand it, but we know it as the condition of the moral law which we do know." Kant, Critique of Practical Reason
 

Course Description: The aim of this course is to analyze 19^th Century Philosophy as the culmination of Modern philosophy. Perhaps the most significant trait of Modern philosophy is the rise of subjectivity and its relation to the question of freedom. Therefore, even though this course is intended to be survey of 19^th Century Philosophy, we will concentrate on the theme of freedom in order to provide a focus for our readings. We will start with Kant's Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten (Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals). Some of you may have already read this work, or already be familiar with Kant's philosophy in general. We will use this text to introduce the problem of freedom in Kant and German Idealism. We will try to understand the relation between Kant's theoretical and practical philosophy (more specifically the relation between the Critique of Pure Reason and the Critique of Practical Reason) in light of the notion of freedom. Far from being an exclusively practical question, the notion of freedom has significant implications for Kant's theoretical philosophy. In short, we will engage in a specific interpretation of the Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals and will not simply repeat an introductory reading. After Kant we will read Friedrich Schelling's Philosophische Untersuchungen über das Wesen der menschlichen Freiheit (Philosophical Inquiries into the Nature of Human Freedom). This text (commonly referred to as "The Essence of Human Freedom" or the "Freedom Essay") is one of the most interesting works on freedom, one that tries to synthesize the problems associated with freedom in Medieval thought with the insights of Kant's critical philosophy. Through this text we will see the connection between the notion of freedom and arguably the most significant trait of German Idealism, namely the desire to reach a system. In this context we will read Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit as an attempt to articulate the possibility and structure of a system. Finally, we will look at reactions to Hegel's system. Kierkegaard and Nietzsche represent two ways of responding to the question of freedom in light of (or against) Hegel's idea of system.

Reading Assignments: (available in the Earlham College bookstore)
Kant, Immanuel. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, 3^rd edition, trans. James W. Ellington, (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company 1993).
Schelling, F.W.J. Philosophical Inquiries into the Nature of Human Freedom, trans. James Gutmann (La Salle: Open Court, 1936).
Hegel, G.W.F. Phenomenology of Spirit, trans. A.V. Miller (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1977).
Kierkegaard, Søren. Fear and Trembling, trans. Alastair Hannay (London: Penguin Books, 1985).
Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Gay Science, trans. Walter Kaufmann, (New York: Vintage Books, 1974).

This course is mainly oriented toward close readings and discussion of primary texts. I expect you to read every text assigned for the week at least twice. Some of the passages we will read are very difficult. Instead of getting discouraged, try to formulate your difficulties in order to be able to discuss them during class sessions.

Requirements and Evaluation: You are expected to write three short papers and one long paper. The short papers will be "explications de texte" (an explanation or exegesis of the text). I will provide topics for each assignment. These papers will be on 1.Kant-Schelling, 2. Hegel, 3. Kierkegaard-Nietzsche. For the last paper you are encouraged to decide on your own topic/question. This paper should have a broad perspective incorporating major themes and ideas we discuss during the semester. It may compare and contrast two or more thinkers, but I would prefer that you do this on a specific topic.

For every paper (including papers on topics of your own choice) you are responsible for following the general guidelines provided. (See "Comments and Suggestions for Papers").

Each student will prepare two "presentations." These presentations will consists of two parts. The first part will be a kind of "protocol." A protocol is a carefully edited summary/notes of the previous class session written in full sentences. Protocols will be 1-2 single spaced pages and will be photocopied by the student who wrote it and handed out to all students at the beginning of each class to be read aloud, and will serve as a cumulative record of the course. In addition to reviewing the material covered in the previous class, the protocol should include announcements made in class, questions not addressed in class. The best protocols will be those that do not simply reproduce verbatim everything that was said during class, but those that rearrange the material thematically, editing out what was unimportant, and emphasizing what was significant. One of the advantages of the protocols is to allow you to think during class, and not just take notes; because someone will be taking notes for you, you can concentrate on the ideas being presented, and participate without having to write frantically. Also you will have a summary of every class which will help you with writing papers.

The second part of your presentation will introduce us to the new reading for the day. The most important dimension of this part of your presentation is to articulate the connections between the material we covered in the previous class and readings we will cover in that session. This presentation will include a brief summary of the readings assigned for the day, and raise questions concerning this material. I do not expect you to cover everything in the reading for the day. These presentations are designed to initiate and maintain class discussions at a high level.

Your grade will be calculated according to the following distribution:

Paper 1: 10%
Paper 2: 10%
Paper 3: 10%
Final Paper: 30%
Presentation 1: 10%
Presentation 2: 10%
Attendance and Participation: 20%

Class participation and attendance:  There will be no final examination. Indeed, there will be no exams in this course. However, in order to make sure that we are doing the reading and reward you for doing it, I may give in class quizzes. The success of this course is dependent upon your contribution. In order for all of us to have a successful course your individual contribution will be needed. Given the size of the class, missing a session will be very disruptive for all of us. Consequently, you should feel a responsibility not only to me and to yourself (for the sake of your grade), but also to your friends in this course. I am not inclined to legislate strict attendance policies, with the conviction that you will be mature enough to attend all classes. However, if you miss more than two sessions you will fail this course. I think two emergencies for a semester is more than enough. These are the sessions you may miss, not that you should miss.
 

Calendar:
There may be some modifications to this calendar. It is your responsibility to be aware of these changes. These changes may be announced in class. If you miss a class you should make sure that you are informed about the assignments for the next session.
 

Week 1 -August 26: Introduction
Week 2: August 31-September 2: Kant
Week 3: September 7-9: Kant- Schelling (Protocol for 31and 2)
Week 4: September 14-16: Schelling (Protocol for 7 and 9)
Week 5: September 21-23: Schelling (Protocol for 21 and 23)
Week 6: September 28-30: Schelling -Hegel 1^st paper due: Tuesday Sept 28
Week 7: October 5-7: Hegel October 7: No Class (Protocol for 28-30)
Week 8: October 12- : Hegel (Protocol for 5-7)
Week 9: October 19-21: Hegel 2^nd paper due: Thursday October 21
Week 10: October 26-28: Kierkegaard (Protocol for 19 and 21)
Week 11: November 2-4: Kierkegaard (Protocol for 26 and 28)
Week 12: November 9-11: Nietzsche (Protocol for 2-4)
Week 13: November 16-18: Nietzsche (Protocol for 9-11)
Week 14: November 30- December 2: 3^rd paper due: Tuesday November 30
Week 15: December 7-9: Review (Protocol for 30 and 2)

Final Paper December 17-18
 

Office hours are for students to discuss ideas, assignments and questions. You are encouraged and welcome to come by my office or make appointments for times other than scheduled office hours. You should take advantage of office hours and appointments not simply to discuss your papers (you are obviously welcome to do that too) but also to understand ideas, and texts discussed in class, or simply to discuss your ideas.

Our sessions will start at 10:30 am. Students are expected to come on time. Walking into the classroom while the session is in progress is extremely disruptive for everybody; so is walking out while the session is in progress. I ask you not to do these. In the beginning I will simply trust your judgment on this issue. However, if walking in and out of the classroom during the sessions becomes and epidemic, I will mark late students absent, and reduce their participation grade.

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