Philosophy 7
Spring 2004
| Number | Title | Instructor | Days/time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Existentialism in Literature and Film | Dreyfus | TuTh 3:30-5 | TBA |
We will read the works of three of the most important existential thinkers. The course will be organized around various attempts to describe the self while rejecting the idea of a human nature, and attempts to reinterpret the Judeo/Christian God, and to determine in what sense, if at all, such a God is still a living God. We will study Dostoyevsky’s and Kierkegaard’s attempts to preserve a non-theological version of the God of Christianity, as well as Nietzsche’s attempt to free us from belief in any version of God offered by our tradition. We will view and discuss three films that deal with related issues.
Required Reading: Dostoevsky, Brothers Karamazov (Modern Library) Kierkegaard, Fear & Trembling (Penguin) Nietzsche, The Gay Science (Vintage) Twilight of the Idols (Penguin)
Recommended: Duras, M., Hiroshima Mon Amour (Grove Press) Dudley, A., (ed.), Breathless (Rutgers)