19th Century Philosophy
PHIL 303
Study Helps & Philosophy Links
Fall 2023
1:50-2:50 Monday-Wednesday-Friday
Miller Center, Room 319
Email: fritzman@lclark.edu
Class Email: 23fa-phil-303-01@lclark.edu
Office: John R. Howard Hall, room 223
Office Hours:
Office meetings, no appointment needed:
10:30-12:00 Monday-Wednesday-Friday,
3:00-4:00 Monday.
Zoom meetings, by prior appointment only:
Tuesday-Thursday at
https://zoom.us/j/3469350737
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Goethe: “The ultimate goal would be: to grasp that everything in the realm of fact is already theory. The blue of the sky reveals to us the basic law of chromatics. Let us not seek for something behind the phenomena—they themselves are the theory.”
Hegel: “A mended sock [is] better than a torn one; not so self-consciousness.”
Novalis: “The proper philosophical system must bring freedom and infinity—or, to put it more paradoxically—systemlessness into a system.”
Schelling: “The beginning is the negation of that which begins with it.”
Wilde: “It seems to me that with the development of the critical spirit we shall be able to realise, not merely our own lives, but the collective life of the race, and so to make ourselves absolutely modern, in the true meaning of the word modernity.... For he [sic ] to whom the present is the only thing that is present, knows nothing of the age in which he [sic] lives. To realise the nineteenth century, one must realise every century that has preceded it and that has contributed to its making. To know anything about oneself one must know all about others. There must be no mood with which one cannot sympathise, no dead mode of life that one cannot make alive. The legacies of heredity may make us alter our views of moral responsibility, but they cannot but intensify our sense of the value of Criticism; for the true critic is he [sic] who bears within himself [sic] the dreams and ideas and feelings of myriad generations, and to whom no form of thought is alien, no emotional impulse obscure.”
In this course, we will study nineteenth century German Idealism. There are two required texts:
Benjamin Crowe, editor
The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader
Routledge, 1st edition, 2015.
The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader is available is available through the College Bookstore, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Course Reserves at Watzek Library.
Dalia Nassar and Kristin Gjesdal, editors
Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century: The German Tradition
Oxford University Press; 1st edition, 2021.
Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century is available online at Watzek Library
and in print through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Download a free copy of Microsoft's Office 365 Education— which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Teams—at https://products.office.com/en-us/student/office-in-education.
Here are the learning outcomes for students who graduate with a major in Philosophy.
In preparation for each class meeting, you should have read the assigned material. You should arrive in class with prepared questions or comments about the assigned reading.
A major goal of this course is to cultivate intellectual abilities which have general application. This course aims to provide the resources which will enable you to develop intellectual survival skills, question what passes as common knowledge and accepted wisdom, evaluate your own and others' positions, and formulate new ideas. Such skills consist in the ability to summarize the assigned material, and to write pieces in which ideas and arguments are articulated, criticized, defended. Such skills also involve developing the ability to think critically about the views of ourselves and others. Critical thinking consists in understanding several sides of a debate, and seeing both the advantages and limitations of an opinion. Learning to question your opinions is as crucial as arguing for them. If you only learn to give reasons for opinions already held, you merely are giving rationalizations for prejudices. You need to learn to think for yourself, developing, defending, and criticizing your beliefs.
In this connection, I am especially concerned that you develop the ability to discuss issues cogently and to write intelligent, reflective pieces in clear, grammatical English. It is important that you learn to think, in a disciplined way, about the books and issues they raise. Part of that discipline consists in being able to analyze, evaluate, and formulate arguments. This involves knowing how to identify basic assumptions, develop a line of reasoning, recognize the steps that lead to a conclusion, and determine whether an argument is sound. In this way, hopefully, you will develop intellectual curiosity and the competencies to reason logically, evaluate critically, communicate effectively, imagine creatively, and appreciate aesthetic and creative expressions of humanity.
You are encouraged to share your questions and observations with the rest of the class, and to engage critically with the material, myself, and each other. By participating in class discussions, you will encounter directly differing interpretations of the material, become aware of the history of these views, and be encouraged to develop your own critical perspectives. In interacting with the material and each other, you will acquire a knowledge and appreciation of self, society, human cultures, and the natural world. I intend that you discover what has been written and said concerning, in the words of Socrates, "the most important things"—questions about human character and the conduct of life. Such skills will enable you to succeed in subsequent courses and in endeavors outside of the classroom. Those abilities also will contribute to your development as educated citizens in a democratic society.
You will write a Précis for almost every reading assignment and complete various Research Exercises that teach research skills. There will be one Argumentative Research Project that includes a Prospectus, two Drafts (one of which is the Assessment that is presented in class), and a Final Rewrite.
The Précis, Research Exercises, and Class Participation will be weighted together and will count for 10% of your final grade, the Prospectus will count for 5%, the Assessment will count for 20%, the Draft will count for 15%, and the Final Rewrite will count for 50%.
The grading scale is:
A = 93%-100%
A- = 90%-92%
B+ = 86%-89%
B = 83% 85%
B- = 80%-82%
C+ = 76%-79%
C = 73%-75%
C- = 70%-72%
D+ = 66%-69%
D = 60%-65%
F = 0%-59%.
A Précis will be due almost every class session. Each précis will be one side of one typed page—never longer—double-spaced, with 1 inch margins on the right & left sides and the top & bottom. It must be at least 3/4 of a page in length. Use a 12-point Times or Times Roman font. There will be no spelling or grammatical errors in your précis. Your name will be typed in the upper right-hand corner. In each précis, you will summarize—in your own words, without using any quotes—the assigned reading's main claims, as well as the reasons which are given to support those claims. You will not include any opinion, evaluation, or commentary. At the bottom of each précis, or on the back, you will type one question that you have about the reading. This question must written prior to, not during, class.
The Assessment is a draft of the Argumentative Research Paper that is presented in classs.
The Argumentative Research Paper must be approximately 2500 words, typed, double-spaced.
To receive credit, the Assessment, Draft, and Argumentative Research Paper must each be at least 2400 words and no more than 2600 words.
It is crucial that you critically engage with the material. You might argue that a claim that an author makes is incorrect, for example, or that a criticism in the secondary literature is incorrect. Alternatively, you might argue that an interpretation advanced in the secondary literature is incorrect. Your paper must reflect an acquaintance with the secondary literature.
Watzek Library is an essential resource for the work you will do in this couse. Jim Bunnelle, the librarian for Philosophy, can help you throughout your research process. You can arrange a one-on-one appointment with Jim by emailing him at bunnelle@lclark.edu. You may also want to explore the Datebase and Reference Resources on the Philosophy subject guide for https://library.lclark.edu/philosophy.
The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy will be useful.
Google Scholar and the Philosopher's Index will be vital for the Assessment and Argumentative Research Paper.
The Chicago Manual of Style's Citation Quick Guide is online.
You're welcome to consult the Writing Center, located on the main floor of Watzek Library.
Also useful is the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University.
If you would find it useful to create concept maps, to help write your assessment or argumentative research papers, you can download the software to create them from IHMC Cmap Tools.
All work must be submitted when it is due. Late work will not be accepted and will receive no credit.
I will not accept late précis. You may be excuse from three précis.
However, your final grade for the course will be lowered by a full-letter grade if you do not submit four précis when they are due, the final grade will be lowered by two full-letter grades if you do not submit five précis when they are due, and you will be fail the course if you do not submit six précis when they are due.
This class will be successful only if there is a high degree of participation and attendance. Further, you will partially transition from being a student who only consumes knowledge to a scholar who also produces knowledge. So, you must be in class participating.
Your final grade for the course will be lowered by a full-letter grade if you have three unexcused absences, the final grade will be lowered by two full-letter grades if you have four unexcused absences, and you will receive an F for the course from the course if you have five unexcused absences.
Your final grade for the course will be lowered by a full-letter grade if you miss four class sessions, the final grade will be lowered by two full-letter grades if you miss five class sessions, and you will be fail the course if you miss six or more class sessions.
You may not arrive late to class. You will not be admitted if you are late and that will count as an absence.
You should be prepared to remain in class for the entire hour. Although there may be an occasion when there is a legitimate need to leave during class, this should happen only rarely. If you have to leave, you must minimize any disruption.
If you experience emergent health issues, mental or physical, communicate with me before class.
Serious illnesses and emergencies will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Prior to class, you must power down your phones and other electronic devises.
You may use a computer during class only for work that is directly related to the course.
Throughout the course you are expected to read carefully the assigned material. It is impossible to do well in this course without reading and studying the books. You should spend a minimum of three hours preparing for each class session. Read the assigned material at least twice and take notes on what you read. You are expected to attend all class sessions, come to class having read thoroughly the assigned material, and to contribute to the discussions.
Gorgias of Leontini maintained that "those who neglect philosophy and spend their time on ordinary studies are like the suitors who desired Penelope but slept with her maids." In philosophy, unlike ordinary studies, there are few right and wrong answers. There are better and worse arguments and ideas, however, usually in direct proportion to thoughtfulness and care. What is important is that you think for yourself, and that you develop and defend your own ideas. It would be an excellent idea to write drafts or outlines of your papers, and to have a comrade read them to check on spelling, grammar, development of arguments, and so forth.
You are strongly encouraged to discuss the class material, your ideas, your puzzles and difficulties with each other. A word to the wise: Find a study partner to discuss things with outside of class.
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When it comes to writing, though, do your own. That is the only way you will get the full benefit of your own efforts. I will be happy to discuss ideas with you, read outlines and rough drafts, and so forth. That is partly why I keep office hours.
A final word to the wise. It is not difficult to do well in this class, but it also is easy to do badly. Let me talk about the bad stuff first. You will receive a major grade reduction—or fail this course—if you do not read the material, seldom participate in class discussions, do not write your assessment or argumentative research paper, plagiarize, cheat, and so forth.
About plagiarizing and cheating. You must follow Lewis & Clark College's Academic Integrity Policy. You may never use ChatGPTor any other artificial intelligence or chatbot. If you plagiarize, cheat, or use AI, you will receive an "F" for the entire course (you will not be allowed to drop or withdraw from the course). I also will turn your case over to the Honor Board; I will recommend that disciplinary penalties be assessed. It is never in your interest to plagiarize or cheat!
Now for the good stuff. With a concerted effort, you will do well in this class. To do well, you must participate in class discussions, read and study the assigned material, write the assessment and argumentative research paper, be in class (almost) all of the time, etc. I do not grade on a curve, and so there is no good reason why you should not get an "A" for the course!
Academic Support and Resources is the one-stop website for academic support offices. It has links to resources for Research and Writing, Advising and Accommodations, the Career Center, and Tutoring.
The Writing Center is available for remote consultations on Zoom all semester. There are two ways to work with the Center:
Drop in Peer Tutoring. Tutoring hours will be 3:00-10:00 PM on Sundays-Thursdays. No appointment is needed—just sign in through the website and you can usually see a tutor right away.
Appointments with the Director. You can book consultation appointments with John Holzwarth throughout the semester. Appointments are often available on short notice.
Course policy on disability accommodation. If you have a disability or learning difference that may impact your academic performance, you should request accommodations by submitting documentation to The Office of Student Accessibility. They will notify me of any accommodations for which you are eligible.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Friedrich Schlegel: “There are writers who drink the absolute like water; and books in which even the dogs refer to the infinite.”
Week 1
Wednesday, September 6:
Introduction to the course.
Read:
Malcolm Gladwell's "Group Think: What Does 'Saturday Night Live' Have in Common with German Philosophy?" in the New Yorker.
Ethan Watters, "We Aren't the World", Pacific Standard.
Joseph Henrich, Steven J. Heine, and Ara Norenzayan, "The Weirdest People in the World?", Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Volume 33:2-3, June 2010, pages 61-83.
You neeed to sign into Watzek's website to access this article.
Friday, September 8:
Halla Kim's "Introduction to Kant" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 3-13; précis.
Discussion of research.
Week 2
Monday, September 11:
Immanuel Kant, "Selections from Critique of Pure Reason (1781)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 14-27; précis.
Sign up for Assessment (which is also the topic of your Argumentative Research Paper).
Wednesday, September 13:
Immanuel Kant, "Selections from Critique of Pure Reason (1781)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 27-34; précis.
Friday, September 15:
Précis on the Topic of your Assessment and Argumentative Research Paper.
Discussion of (annotated) bibliography, reasons for citations, proper quoting (block or in-line).
Exercise for Monday: Find one book and one article (or two articles) that will be relevant to your Assessment. Provide one block quote from the book and one in-line quote from the article (or one block quote from the one article and one in-line quote from the other). List the book and the article (or articles) in proper format for bibliography.
Week 3
Monday, September 18
Immanuel Kant, "Selections from Critique of Practical Reason (1788)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 35-42; précis.
Discussion of (annotated) bibliography, reasons for citations, proper quoting (block or in-line).
Wednesday, September 20:
Immanuel Kant, "Selections from Critique of the Power of Judgment (1790)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 43-57; précis.
Discussion of search procedures for articles and books.
Friday, September 22:
Germaine de Staël, "Introduction" and "Kant" in Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century, pages 23-29 and 38-50; précis.
Research Exercise for Monday: In proper bibliographical format, list two additional articles that you found through Google Scholar or the Philosopher's Index that are relevant to your Assessment.
Week 4
Monday, September 25:
Germaine de Staël, "On Women Writers" and "On the Influence of the New Philosophy on the Sciences" in Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century, pages 30-37 and 51-61; précis.
Wednesday, September 27:
Gabriel Gottlieb, "Introduction to Fichte" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 58-58; précis.
Discussion on using Google Scholar and the Philosopher's Index.
Friday, September 29:
J. G. Fichte, "Selections from Concerning the Concept of the Wissenschaftslehre (1794)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 69-80; précis.
Discussion on using Google Scholar and the Philosopher's Index.
Exercise for Monday: Submit a 3-5 page Prospectus of your Argumentative Research Paper in which you:
(1) state your topic and, if possible, your thesis.
(2) describe the problem or issue to be treated.
(3) outline your anticipated procedure and probable conclusion.
(4) include an annotated bibliography of works to be consulted (a minimum of six books or articles, with a brief paragraph discussing the relevance of each work to your project).
Week 5
Monday, October 2:
Due: Prospectus of your Prospectus.
Submit your Prospectus as a .docx file, attached to an email.
Title your .docx file this way:
PHIL303_YourLastNameYourFirstName_Prospectus.docx
for example:
PHIL303_ArendtHannah_Prospectus.docx
Wednesday, October 4:
J. G. Fichte, "Selections from Attempt at a New Presentation of the Wissenschaftslehre (1797)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 81-95; précis.
Discussion on using Google Scholar and the Philosopher's Index.
Friday, October 6:
J. G. Fichte, "Selections from Foundations of Natural Right (1797)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 96-108; précis.
Discussion of annotated bibliography and reliability of sources.
Week 6
Monday, October 9:
Karoline von Günderrode, "Introduction" and "Fichte's The Vocation of Humankind" in Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century, pages 62-74; précis.
Discussion of annotated bibliography and reliability of sources.
Wednesday, October 11:
Karoline von Günderrode, "Philosophy of Nature", "The Idea of Nature", and "The Idea of the Earth" in Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century, pages 75-84; précis.
Discussion of annotated bibliography and reliability of sources.
Friday, October 13:
Fall Break.
Week 7
Monday, October 16:
Sebastian Gardner, "Introduction to Schelling" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 109-119; précis.
Discussion of note taking and perusing for content.
Wednesday, October 18:
F. W. J. Schelling, "Selections from Ideas for a Philosophy of Nature (1797)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 120-132; précis.
Discussion of note taking and perusing for content.
Friday, October 20:
F. W. J. Schelling, "Selections from Presentation of My System of Philosophy (1801)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 133-137; précis.
Discussion of note taking and perusing for content.
Week 8
Monday, October 23:
F. W. J. Schelling, "Selections from Philosophical Investigations into the Essence of Human Freedom (1809) " in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 138-150; précis.
Assessment: Emma Ramsey.
Discussion of formulating a thesis: outlines, drafts, revisions.
Wednesday, October 25:
Robert Stern, "Introduction to Hegel" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 151-160; précis.
Discussion of formulating a thesis: outlines, drafts, revisions.
Friday, October 27:
G. W. F. Hegel, "Selections from the Phenomenology of Spirit (1807)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 161-168; précis.
Assessment: Liam Egan.
Discussion of articulating a thesis: arguments, objections, replies.
Week 9
Monday, October 30:
G. W. F. Hegel, "Selections from The Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences, Part I (1817)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 169-177; précis.
Assessment: Philip Steffen.
Discussion of articulating a thesis: arguments, objections, replies.
Wednesday, November 1:
G. W. F. Hegel, "Selections from Elements of the Philosophy of Right" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 178-189; précis.
Discussion of articulating a thesis: arguments, objections, replies.
Due on Monday: Submit the Draft of your Argumentative Research Paper.
Friday, November 3:
Class cancelled: Northwest Philosophy Conference
Week 10
Monday, November 6:
Due: Draft of your Argumentative Research Paper.
Submit your Draft as a .docx file, attached to an email.
Title your .docx file this way:
PHIL303_YourLastNameYourFirstName_Draft.docx
for example:
PHIL303_ArendtHannah_Draft.docx
Wednesday, November 8:
Bettina Brentano von Arnim, "Introduction", and "Selections from Günderode " in Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century, pages 85-103; précis.
Friday, November 10:
Bettina Brentano von Arnim, "Selections from Günderode " in Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century, pages 103-121; précis.
Assessment: Kellen Rice.
Discussion of articulating a thesis: arguments, objections, replies.
Week 11
Monday, November 13:
Jenny Keefe, "Introduction to British Idealism" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 190-200; précis.
Wednesday, November 15:
T. H. Green, "Selections from Prolegomena to Ethics (1883)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 201-212; précis.
Friday, November 17:
F. H. Bradley, "Selections from Ethical Studies (1876)" and "Selections from Appearance and Reality (1893)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 213-225; précis.
Assessment: Owen Smith.
Week 12
Monday, November 20:
Edward Caird, "Selections from The Evolution of Religion (1893)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 226-230; précis.
Assessment: Simon Berman.
Wednesday, November 22:
In-class consultations on Argumentative Research Projects
Friday, November 24:
Thanksgiving Break
Week 13
Monday, November 27:
Christopher Yeomans, "Introduction to Marx" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 233-239; précis.
Wednesday, November 29:
Karl Marx, "Selections from Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts (1844)," "Selections from The Holy Family (1845)," "Theses on Feuerbach (1845)," and "Selections from The German Ideology (1846)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 240-251; précis.
Friday, December 1:
Clara Zetkin, "Introduction", "For the Liberation of Women!," Women's Suffrage", and "Save the Scottsboro Boys!" in Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century, pages 154-176; précis.
Week 14
Monday, December 4:
Rosa Luxemburg, "Introduction" and "Wage Labor: Selections from Introduction to Political Economy" in Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century, pages 206-240; précis.
Assessment: Joe Tramontin.
Wednesday, December 6:
R. Kevin Hill, "Introduction to Nietzsche" and Friedrich Nietzsche, "Selections from Beyond Good and Evil (1886)" and "Selections from Twilight of the Idols (1888)" in The Nineteenth Century Philosophy Reader, pages 308-314 and 329-335; précis.
Assessment: Joniah Helperin-Lange.
Friday, December 8:
Hedwig Dohm, "Introduction", "Nietzsche and Women", "The New Mother," "The Old Woman," and "On the Sexual Morality of Women" in Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century, pages 122-149; précis.
Week 15
Monday, December 11:
Concluding discussion.
Wednesday, December 13:
Reading Day.
Friday, December 15:
Due at 1:00 PM:
Final Drafts of the Argumentative Research Paper
Submit your Final Draft as a .docx file, attached to an email.
Title your .docx file this way:
PHIL303_YourLastNameYourFirstName_Final.docx
Updated 8 December 2023