phil451_2014f

Kant's Critique of Pure Reason

Course Description | Course Schedule

Kant on the Web | Study Helps & Philosophy Links

Fall 2014

MWF 1:50-2:50

John R. Howard Hall 258

Email: fritzman@lclark.edu

Class Email: 14fa-phil-451-01@lclark.edu

Phone: 503-768-7477

Office: Howard 223

Hours: MW 11:30-1:30, MW 3:00-4:30, and by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION

We are returning to Kant. May this be an occasion for you to skim, read or re-read The Critique of Pure Reason. There is no doubt that a tremendous event in philosophy happens with this idea of critique. In going into it, ourselves, or in going back into it, I had stopped reading it a very long time ago and I read it again for you, it must be said that it is a completely stifling philosophy. It's an excessive atmosphere, but if one holds up, and the important thing above all is not to understand, the important thing is to take on the rhythm of a given man, a given writer, a given philosopher, if one holds up, all this northern fog which lands on top of us starts to dissipate, and underneath there is an amazing architecture.

--Gilles Deleuze

This course will be a critical exegesis of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. There are three required texts for this course:

Immanuel Kant,

Critique of Pure Reason, translated by Paul Guyer and Allen W. Wood,

Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Paperback

ISBN-10: 0521657296

ISBN-13: 9780521657297

Retail: $ 39.99

New: Starting at $ 20.99

Used: Starting at $ 15.80

Guyer and Wood's translation of the Critique of Pure Reason is available through the College Bookstore, Amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble.

Paul Guyer, editor,

The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason,

Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Paperback

ISBN-10: 0521710111

ISBN-13: 9780521710114

Retail: $ 34.99

New: Starting at $ 25.88

Used: Starting at $ 27.20

The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason is available through the College Bookstore, Amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble.

Patricia Kitcher, editor,

Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays,

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1998.

Paperback

ISBN-10: 0847689174

ISBN-13: 9780847689170

Retail: $ 30.95

New: Starting at $ 27.54

Used: Starting at $ 13.13

Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays is available through the College Bookstore, Amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble.

The primary goals of this course are to comprehend the context of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, its significance and arguments, and its subsequent influence.

There are also 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 questions or comments about the assigned reading. Each student will be a précis on almost every reading assignment. In addition, you will write an assessment and an argumentative paper (which includes a prospectus, a draft, and a mandatory rewrite). Finally, you will give a class presentation of your paper.

Here is how your final course grade will be determined. The précis will be weighted equally and together will count for 10%. The assessment will count for 15%. The prospectus will count for 10%, the draft will count for 20%, and the argumentative paper will count for 40%. The presentation will count for 5% .

Participation and attendance are mandatory.

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 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 write one question that you have about the reading. This question must written prior to, not during, class. I never will accept a late précis, but I will allow you to drop one.

An assessment should be approximately 2000 words, typed, double-spaced. Except for the length, the assessment should follow the same format requirement as the précis. You will sign up for a dates on which you will present your assessment. Except for the length, the assessment should follow the same format requirement as the précis. On the day you present, you will distribute copies to all of the persons in this class. This will require, of course, that you have enough copies made so that each member of the class has one. You first will read your assessment, and then you and I will serve as the main resource persons for fielding questions concerning the material. Since the class discussion will be centered around the assessment, it is crucial that you distribute the assessment the class session when you present it, and that you actually be in class to read your assessment.

The primary purpose of the assessment is to summarize, consolidate, and explicate the central issues, main points, and key motifs of the assigned reading in order to facilitate class discussion of the material. It is important that the assessment contextualize the reading by describing briefly both how the reading is a continuation and development of material which has come before, and how it contributes to the overall trajectory of the thinker's thought. It is crucial that you critically engage the reading. You might argue that a claim that the 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. The assessment should reflect an acquaintance with the requisite secondary literature. This means that you must incorporate at least six secondary sources you consulted while writing your assessment.

A student presenting an assessment is not required to submit a précis of that material.

The Philosopher's Index, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy will be useful.

The Chicago Manual of Style's Citation Quick Guide is online.

The argumentative paper should be approximately 3000 words, typed, double-spaced. Except for the length, the paper should follow the same format requirement as the précis. It must employ argumentation. You will choose your thesis, but it must be based on the readings for this course. This paper may emphasize either a historical or theoretical interpretation. In either case, you should carefully state the problem you intend to treat, explain its significance, assess its possible solutions, propose an hypothesis, argue convincingly for that hypothesis, and eliminate the major (published or imagined) competing hypotheses. You should use a half-dozen or more high-quality commentaries or articles.

Several weeks before the draft is due, you will submit a prospectus of this paper in which you: (1) indicate the topic and thesis of your paper, (2) fully describe the problem or issue to be treated, (3) outline your anticipated procedure and probable conclusion, and (4) include an annotated bibliography of works to be consulted (a minimum of 6 books or articles, with at least a paragraph discussing the relevance of each work to your project).

A word to the wise: it would be a marvelous idea to begin thinking today about what your thesis will be. I want you to succeed, and so I am requiring you to make appointments to speak with me outside of class prior to submitting your prospectus, your draft, and your rewrite. I will suggest useful resources, and - if necessary - point out potential problems.

When submitting your rewrite, you must hand in both the rewrite and the copy of your draft on which I have written comments.

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 paper, you can download the software to create them from IHMC Cmap Tools.

All work must be submitted when it is due. Late work -- précis, assessments, papers -- will not be accepted and will receive no credit.

This class will be successful only if there is a high degree of participation and attendance, and so I want you in class participating. The final grade for the course will be lowered by a full-letter grade if you miss three class sessions, the final grade will be lowered by two full-letter grades if you miss four class sessions, and you will be withdrawn from the course if you miss five or more class sessions. Further, I will not accept late work unless you can document the reason for your absence. Documenting the reason for your absence means providing a note from, for example, your doctor explaining why you were absent.

Serious illnesses and emergencies will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. It is impossible to do well in this course without reading and studying the books. You should spend a minimum of 3 hours preparing for each class session. I suggest that you read the assigned material at least twice and that you 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.

No doubt you have realized -- précis, assessment, and an argumentative paper (which includes a prospectus, draft, and a rewrite) -- this course will require a lot of writing. Why? Because writing can create knowledge, and reasons often are found by writing. We write about what we already know, but we also produce knowledge as we write. Not only do we write down our thoughts, we also discover what we think as we write. Flannery O'Connor observes, "I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I have to say." The more you write, the more you will know, and the more you will discover what you think. As Rebecca West notes, "I really write to find out what I know about something and what is to be known about something...."

While it may be true -- as some relativists and malcontents assert -- that there are few right and wrong answers, there are better and worse arguments and ideas, 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 précis, assessments, and paper, 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. However, when it comes to finally writing your thoughts down, do your own writing; it 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.

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 précis and paper (prospectus - draft - rewrite), and to have a study partner 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. (To see why this is effective for creativity and learning, see Malcolm Gladwell, Group Think: What Does Saturday Night Live Have in Common with German Philosophy?, The New Yorker, 2 December 2002, pages 102-107).

There's a Bollwood tune for every occasion. Click here.

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 précis, asssessment, or paper, plagiarize, cheat, and so forth.

About plagiarizing and cheating. All students are expected to follow Lewis & Clark College's Academic Integrity Policy. Except for highly unusual circumstances, plagiarizers and cheaters will be given an "F" for the entire course (they will not be allowed to drop or withdraw from the course). I also will turn their cases over to the Honor Board; usually, I will recommend that disciplinary penalties be assessed in addition to failing grades. It is never in your interest to plagiarize or cheat!

Now for the good stuff. With a concerted effort you can do well in this class. To do well, you must participate in class discussions, read and study the assigned material, write the précis, critical discussion, & paper, do your own work, 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!

Course policy on disability accommodation. If you have a disability that may impact your academic performance, you may request accommodations by submitting documentation to Student Support Services, located in Albany 206 (access@lclark.edu, 503-768-7156). They will notify me of the accommodations for which you are eligible.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1

Wednesday 9/3:

Introduction to the course.

Read:

Jim Pryor's Guidelines on Reading Philosophy

and

Malcolm Gladwell's Group Think in the New Yorker

and

Michael Rohlf's Immanuel Kant in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Friday 9/5:

If you haven't yet read the articles for Wednesday, please read them prior to Friday's class.

In addition, read:

Garrath Williams' Kant's Account of Reason

and

Martin Schönfeld's Kant's Philosophical Development

in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Week 2

Monday 9/8:

"Introduction", Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 1-76; précis.

Sign-up for Assessments.

Wednesday 9/10:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 99-124; précis.

Also read

Karl Ameriks, "Recent Work on Kant's Theoretical Philosophy", American Philosophical Quarterly 19:1, January 1982, pages 1-24.

Friday 9/12:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 125-143; précis.

Also read

Desmond Hogan, "Kant's Copernican Turn and the Rationalist Tradition" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 21-40.

Week 3

Monday 9/15:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 143-162; précis.

Also read

Kenneth P. Winkler, "Kant, the Empiricists, and the Enterprise of Deduction" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 41-72.

Wednesday 9/17:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 162-180; précis.

Also read

R. Lanier Anderson, "The Introduction to the Critique: Framing the Question" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 75-92.

Friday 9/19:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 180-200; précis.

Also read

Lisa Shabel, "The Transcendental Aesthetic" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 75-117.

Week 4

Monday 9/22:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 201-218; précis.

Also read

Paul Guyer, "The Deduction of Categories: The Metaphysical and Transcendental Deductions" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 118-150.

Wednesday 9/24:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 219-236; précis.

Also read

Philip Kitcher, "Kant's A Priori Framework" in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays, pages 1-20.

Friday 9/26:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 236-255; précis.

Also read

Lorne Falkenstein, "Was Kant a Nativist?" in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays, pages 21-44.

Week 5

Monday 9/29:

Prospectus due.

Wednesday 10/1:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 255-270; précis.

Also read

Eric Watkins, "The System of Principles" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 151-167.

Friday, 10/3:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 271-289; précis.

Also read

Charles Parsons, "Infinity and Kant's Conception of the 'Possibility of Experience'" in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays, pages 45-58.

Week 6

Monday 10/6:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 290-304; précis.

Also read

Patricia Kitcher, "Kant's Cognitive Self" in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays, pages 59-84.

Wednesday 10/8:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 304-321; précis.

Also read

Karl Ameriks, "Kant's Transcendental Deduction as a Regressive Argument" in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays, pages 85-102.

Friday 10/10:

Fall Break!

Week 7

Monday 10/13:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 321-337; précis.

Assessment: Erich Roepke.

Also read

Dina Edmundts, "The Refutation of Idealism and the Distinction between Phenomena and Noumena" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 168-189.

Wednesday 10/15:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 338-353; précis.

Assessment: Haley Flannery.

Also read

Lewis White Beck, "Did the Sage of Konigsberg Have No Dreams" in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays, pages 103-116.

Friday 10/17:

Socrates: A Conference in Honor of Nicholas D. Smith

Week 8

Monday 10/20:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 354-383; précis.

Assessment: Rostam Assadi.

Also read

Paul Guyer, "Kant's Second Analogy: Objects, Events and Causal Laws" in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays, pages 117-143.

Wedesday 10/22:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 384-405; précis.

Assessment: Brandon Vance.

Also read

Michael Rohlf, "The Ideas of Pure Reason" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 190-209.

Friday 10/24:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 405-425; précis.

Assessment: Maya Blakemore.

Also read

Julian Wuerth, "The Paralogisms of Pure Reason" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 210-244.

Saturday, l0/25, 6:00 PM:

A dinner to celebrate the Islamic New Year and Diwali.

"Pal Pal Hai Bhari" from Swades.

"Happy Diwali" from Home Delivery: Aapko... Ghar Tak.

President Obama's Diwali Message

Week 9

Monday 10/27:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 425-444; précis.

Assessment: Cory Wilson.

Also read

P. F. Strawson, "The Metaphysics of Transcendental Idealism" in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays, pages 145-180.

Wednesday 10/29:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 445-464; précis.

Also read

Allen Wood, "The Antinomies of Pure Reason" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 245-265.

Friday 10/31:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 464-483; précis.

Also read

Henry Allison, "An Introduction to the Problem, and Transcendental Realism and Transcendental Idealism" in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays, pages 181-217.

Week 10

Monday 11/3:

Consult with me in class about your papers.

Wednesday 11/5:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 484-503; précis.

Also read

Robert Merrihew Adams, "Things in Themselves", Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 57:4, December 1997, pages 801-825.

Friday 11/7:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 503-519; précis.

Also read

Philip Kitcher, "Projecting the Order of Nature" in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays, pages 219-238.

Week 11

Monday 11/10:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 520-537; précis.

Also read

Allen W. Wood, "Kant's Compatibilism" in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays, pages 239-263.

Outline due.

Wednesday 11/12:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 537-550; précis.

Friday 11/14:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 551-569; précis.

Also read

Michelle Grier, "The Ideal of Pure Reason" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 266-289.

Week 12

Monday 11/17:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 569-589; précis.

Also read

Allen W. Wood, "Kant's Critique of the Three Theistic Proofs" in Kant's Critique of Pure Reason: Critical Essays, pages 265-282.

Wednesday 11/19:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 590-604; précis.

Also read

Frederick Rauscher, "The Appendix to the Dialectic and the Canon of Pure Reason: The Positive Role of Reason" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 290-309.

Friday 11/21:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 605-623; précis.

Week 13

Monday 11/24:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 625-643; précis.

Also read

A. W. Moore, "The Transcendental Doctrine of Method" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 310-326.

Wednesday 11/26:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 643-658; précis.

Friday 11/28:

Thanksgiving Break!

Week 14

Monday 12/1:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 658-671; précis.

Also read

Rolf-Peter Horstmann, "The Reception of the Critique of Pure Reason in German Idealism" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 329-345.

Wednesday 12/3:

Draft due.

Friday 12/5:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 672-690; précis.

Also read

Konstantin Pollok, "The 'Transcendental Method': On the Reception of the Critique of Pure Reason in Neo-Kantianism" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 346-379.

Week 15

Monday 12/8:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 691-701; précis.

Also read

Daniel Dahlstrom, "The Critique of Pure Reason and Continental Philosophy: Heidegger's Interpretation of Transcendental Imagination" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 380-400.

Wednesday 12/10:

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, pages 702-704; précis.

Also read

Kenneth R. Westphal, "The Critique of Pure Reason and Analytic Philosophy" in The Cambridge Companion to Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, pages 401-430.

Week 16

Saturday 12/13, 1:00-4:00 PM:

Final version of paper due at 1:00 PM.

Submit four items:

(1) the final rewrite.

(2) the draft on which I wrote comments.

(3) the draft on which your peer evaluator wrote comments.

(4) the peer evaluation form.

Presentation of papers.