161-106 Freedom and Constraint

Formerly available as 161-005. Students who have completed 161-005 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

This subject is an introduction to contemporary European philosophy. Its theme is the tension between the freedom implied by consciousness and the constraints imposed by nature, culture and society. Freedom of thought and action arises from our capacity for reflection and imagination. And yet as natural, social and historical beings we appear as selves to be constrained by our biological and psychological needs and our social and historical position. The extent to which these factors constrain or merely influence our lives will be examined. The first half of the subject will be a study of key themes in Sartre's Being and Nothingness, particularly his account of human freedom. We will then consider the consequences for such freedom from consideration of Althusser's account of ideology and Foucault's account of power. On completion of the subject, students should be able to recognise the distinctive nature of philosophical problems and their significance for other areas of thought; know how to go about working through such problems; be in a position to engage with more philosophical material and to apply their philosophical skills in other disciplines.

• recognize the distinctive nature of philosophical problems and their significance for other areas of human thought;

• know how to go about working through philosophical problems;

• be in a position to engage with more advanced philosophical material in a wide range of areas;

• be able to bring philosophical skills to bear upon their studies in other disciplines;

• have improved their ability to engage with complex texts;

• develop skill in the critique of arguments.

A written assignment of 500 words 10% (due early in the semester), a written assignment of 1500 words 40% (due mid-semester), a 2-hour written examination (not open-book) 47% (held at the end of semester) and tutorial participation 3%.

A subject reader will be available.