PHILOSOPHY NIGHT COURSE

Philosophy is the oldest academic subject in the world, and as such it has had more of an impact on the world than most other subjects. It has guided human knowledge and understanding over the last 2000 years and it is still guiding us today, despite all the constraints to restrain some of its teachings. As a subject, philosophy embraces liberal thought and open-mindedness, as well as rationality and emotion. Philosophy literally means love of wisdom (philo-sophia) and anyone that cherishes the idea of broadening ones mind will certainly enjoy this course. As well as learning about philosophies, past and present, students of this course will find that the knowledge gained will help them to understand the everyday-world around them in a more progressive and enlightened way.

The only requirement for this course is an open mind, if you can provide an open mind this course will provide a fun, enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere where knowledge and education can grow into mature philosophical thought. Previous knowledge of philosophy is not a requirement, however if you have some philosophical knowledge this course will do its utmost to cater for your needs.

 The course has six core modules:

Classical philosophy: The philosophers of the Greek antiquity are among the greatest philosophers that ever lived. Their contribution to today’s society is evident in our education, sciences and our language. This module will cover Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

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Modern Philosophy: This module will primarily focus on the father of modern philosophy: Rene Descartes (1596-1650). Although by no means modern in our sense of the word Descartes’ philosophy has made such an impact on the world around us that even in Western society today we are still reliant on Cartesian thought.

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Moral philosophy: This module will focus on the major ethical theories that have evolved through out time. Beginning with the moral teaching of the Bible, this section of the course will trace the history of moral thought as it has presented itself through the ages. Major topics on this module will include; Divine command theory, Virtue ethics, Kantian ethics and Utilitarianism.

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German philosophy: This module will firstly look at the hugely influential work of G.W.F. Hegel’s ‘The phenomenology of Mind.’ Even though this book was written in 1806, it has become a gateway text into 20^th century philosophy including the work of Karl Marx, which we will also focus on in this module.

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Continental philosophy: This module will focus on the European developments of philosophical thought in the 20^th century. The main focus of this module will be based on phenomenology and existentialism. The philosophers that make up this module are Husserl, Heidegger and Sartre.

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Philosophy of religion: This module will cover various themes that have run through a very old branch of philosophy. Starting with an examination of the different concepts of God, we shall work our way through the various different philosophical proofs for Gods existence. Finally, we will focus on a new stage in the Philosophy of religion which deals with the notion of God as pure gift.

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Elective modules: Environmental ethics, Hermeneutics, Philosophy of Education

(Electives are time dependent and can only be chosen upon completion of the six core modules).

Course Duration: A weekly 2 hour class for 12 weeks.

Course Delivery: The classes are broken into two parts. An initial lecture will be given in the first part of the class, which will be followed by any questions that the participants may have. Teaching aids and Multi-media presentations will be used where possible.

Course Requirements: None. Any texts that will be referred to in this course are readily available from most County libraries and bookshops, as well as on-line Internet recourses. Students will receive handouts in each class, which will contain a brief outline/summary of each module.

Course Lecturer: Davy Walsh.

For information on course material and content please email: davywalsh@gmail.com