Existence and Freedom (PHL201/401)

 

 

Co-ordinator	Dr Paul McDonald
Enrolment Options	Semester 2, Internal and External
Points	4

 

 

This unit provides an investigation of key figures and central themes of Existential Philosophy: Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, the Phenomenological Enterprise of Edmund Husserl, and Heidegger and Sartre. The Existentialists were disenchanted with the remoteness of traditional philosophical questions and the lack of personal and ethical commitment to the pressing issues of the contemporary world. Themes: the unique manner of human existence, anxiety in the face of nothing, the absurdity which is hidden behind efforts to find meaning, and the radical contingency at the basis of human freedom.

 

Lectures/Tutorials	2.5 hours per week
Prerequisites	Nil. This unit is intended to be accessible to students from all disciplines
Assessment	Internal mode: Tutorial participation and presentation, essays. External mode: Short-answer exercise, essays, test.

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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