341 EXISTENTIAL PHILOSOPHY

William Schroeder  

11:30-12:50 TTh 317 GH Schroeder

Primarily this course will compare the philosophies of Jean-Paul Sartre and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, especially their key areas of disagreement.  They are two of the most important philosophical (vs. literary) existentialists (others include Jaspers and Heidegger).  I will, however, introduce the main themes of existentialism by considering short works by Kierkegaard (The Present Age) and Nietzsche (Schopenhauer as Educator), as well as Sartre's novel, Nausea.  The major texts from Sartre include Transcendence of the Ego and Being and Nothingness; those from Merleau Ponty include Phenomenology of Perception.  The main topics to be discussed in the course include: ontology, subjectivity, intersubjectivity, perception and imagination, the body, freedom, aesthetics, politics, and meta-philosophy.  In addition to articulating the differences between Sartre and Merleau-Ponty on these issues, I hope to say something about what views are really true on them.  Course requirements will include an 8 page paper on an assigned topic, a 12 page paper on an approved topic, and a substantial final exam.  Class sessions will consist of about 2/3 lecture and 1/3 class discussion and questions.