Annotation
WINTER 2018
Charles University
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
(MA Module + Erasmus)
(NB: The course is for philosophy students only.
Students of other subjects need to be accepted to the course)
Daniele De Santis, Ph. D.
Introduction to 20th Century Phenomenology:
Selected Topics
(F 12:30-14:05)
Room: P217 1. General Description and Aims of the Module
Almost all the leading figures and philosophical movements of the 20th century have their historical roots in the phenomenological tradition initiated by both E. Husserl (1859-1938) and M. Heidegger (1889-1976): consciously or unconsciously—they all have absorbed the phenomenological way of presenting a series of vital problems and distinctions. Hence, Husserl and Heidegger are two of the giants, upon whose shoulders a great deal of 20th century continental philosophy firmly stands.
Nevertheless, Husserl’s and Heidegger’s influence is proportional only to the amount of criticisms that have been directed against some of their tenets: as a consequence, the history of 20th century phenomenology could be described—by and large—as a series of systematic “re-elaborations” and critical developments of the perspectives originally opened up by them.
The primary goal of this course is thus to introduce students to some of the most critical and vital problems and topics animating and characterizing 20th continental philosophy, with a special focus on its phenomenological origins (in both Husserl and Heidegger) and on how these were developed further during the second half of the century. In particular, the module will be structured as follows: we will start out with a series of specific topics, that of the Husserlian “intentionality,” construed as a specific way of understanding the meaningful relation between “consciousness” and “world”, and Heidegger’s “analytic of Dasein” with his emphasis on “temporality.” Then, a series of other topics and issues will be systemically brought in as further and critical developments of them: the notion of “body” (Merleau-Ponty), “space,” “world” and “movement” (Patočka), “life,” “immanence,” and “affectivity” (Henry), “language” and interpretation” (Gadamer).
In so doing, we will be able both to respect the peculiarity of each view and set of problems and to provide a unitary account of the most important phases of this tradition, construed as a consistent development of a few, essential, motives. 2. Structure
The module will be divided into two main parts.
In the first part, we will mainly focus on Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, namely, upon the former’s The Idea of Phenomenology the latter’s Being and Time, in order to convey students with a clear understanding of some of the fundamental phenomenological concepts (intentionality, consciousness, world, existence, care, temporality, death, and so forth). In the second part, we will explore the ways in which historical phenomenology is at the same time criticized and transformed: chapters and excerpts will be thus read from Phenomenology of Perception (M. Merleau-Ponty); Body, Community, Language, World (J. Patočka); The Essence of Manifestation (M. Henry); Truth and Method (H.-G. Gadamer). 3. Requirements
Students will be evaluated based upon the following two parameters:
(1) Participation (which includes, yet is not limited to: doing the assignments, attendance, in-class active participation). If you are absent, please ask some of your classmates for any assignments or key discussion materials missed.
(2) In-Class Final Written Exam (date and additional information will be provided in due course). 4. Course Outline
Week 1
Introduction to the Module: “What is Phenomenology All About?”
Week 2
E. Husserl, The Idea of Phenomenology
(Lecture 1: The Idea of Phenomenology as a Science of Phenomena. The Concept of Phenomenon)
Week 3
E. Husserl, The Idea of Phenomenology
(Lecture 2: The Notion of Consciousness)
Week 4
E. Husserl, The Idea of Phenomenology
(Lecture 3: The Problem of Transcendence and the Relation between Consciousness and World)
Week 5
M. Heidegger, Being and Time
(§§9-11; 12-14: Dasein and the World as an Existential Structure)
Week 6
M. Heidegger, Being and Time
(§§15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24: Involvement, Signification and the Spatiality of Dasein)
Week 7
M. Heidegger, Being and Time
(§§39, 40, 41, 42: Anxiety and the Existential Interpretation of Dasein)
Week 8
M. Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception
(Part I, Chapter I and II: Introduction to a Phenomenology of the Lived-Body)
Week 9
M. Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception
(Part I, Chapter V: The Body in Its Sexual Being)
Week 10
J. Patočka, Body, Community, Language, World
(Lectures 4, 5, 6: Intentionality as Movement)
Week 11
M. Henry, The Essence of Manifestation
(§§52, 53, 57: Affectivity as a Universal Form of Experience)
Week 12
H.-G. Gadamer, Truth and Method
(Part 2, Section II, 3cβ; Part 3, 1: “Question” as a Paradigm for Experience and the Universality of Interpretation)
Week 13
Recapitulation and Final Discussion 5. Essential Bibliography
H.-G. Gadamer, Truth and Method (Bloomsbury)
M. Heidegger, Being and Time (Blackwell)
M. Henry, The Essence of Manifestation (Springer)
E. Husserl, The Idea of Phenomenology (Springer)
M. Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception (Routledge)
J. Patočka, Body, Community, Language, World (Open Court)
Original Texts:
H.-G. Gadamer, Wahrheit und Methode (J. C. B. Mohr)
M. Heidegger, Sein und Zeit (Max Niemeyer)
M. Henry, L’essence de la manifestation (PUF)
E. Husserl, Die Idee der Phänomenologie (M. Nijhoff)
M. Merleau-Ponty, Phénoménologie de la perception (Gallimard)
J. Patočka, Télo, společenství, jazyk, svět (Oikoumene) 6. Suggested Readings
Bernet, R., Kern, I., Marbach, E., An Introduction to Husserlian Phenomenology (Northwestern)
Critchley, S., Continental Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press)
Ricoeur, P., A l’école de la phénoménologie (Vrin)
Tengely, L., Neue Phänomenologie in Frankreich (Suhrkamp)
Waldenfels, B., Phänomenologie in Frankreich (Suhrkamp)
Weste, D., Continental Philosophy: An Introduction (Polity)
Zimmerman, J., Hermeneutics: A very Short Introduction Oxford University Press)