PS Human Portraits Through The Ages

Transcription

1 Tufts University Fall 2010 Tues./Thurs., 10:30 11:45 Miner 110 Dana Blander Office Hours: Tues./Thurs., 12:00 1:00 Packard Hall 307 PS Human Portraits Through The Ages Overview: This is an interdisciplinary course during which we will follow the changing faces of man/ individual/ self/ agent/ subject. We will start our journey with Plato s and Aristotle Political man. We shall read Plato s Republic in order to clarify the relation between the small letters (man s inwardness) and the large letters (the social and political order.). In Aristotle Politics we will find the basis for the idea that man is a political creature shaped by its social environment. Then we shall move to St. Augustine religious man. Following Taylor s analysis of Augustine as a milestone in the turning inward of man we will read part of Augustine s confessions and City of God. Next we will move on to the Renaissance period with Montaigne, which signifies the birth of individual. Montaigne testified that all contradictions can be found in him. In his Essays he challenged the coherency and consistency of the individual and thus imposed a challenge to the political order. Descartes will introduce us to the rational image of the individual. We will add flesh to this with Lock s empiricism and with Kant s answer to the question What is Enlightment?. Rousseau challenged this enlighted individual and put forward contradictory views of the individual: man and/or citizen. In accordance with these seemingly opposing views (though our reading will expose not only the opposition but also what is common to these different views) Rousseau described different life paths for the individual: a free, equal (and maybe tyrannized) citizen of the social contract or a solitary walker overwhelmed by his reveries. After tolerating Rousseau s contradictions we will move on to another 1

2 image of man portrayed in modern times: the economic agent. We shall become acquainted with two faces of this economic man the one that is moved by the hidden hand and the proletarian described by Marx. At the turn of the 20 th century emerged the psychological mind, depicted in Freud s psychoanalytic theory. We shall see how Freud redefined the meaning of rational individuality by exposing the obscured parts of human mind. Next we shall try to capture, if only for a moment, the fragmented, liquid, fluid, deconstructed postmodern subject. By the end of the course we shall reevaluate human portrait of our time that shares many of the features of its ancestors, though their characteristics are interwoven within him in a new and different way. Course objectives: To familiarize students with important thinkers that reshaped the way human beings experience themselves. To provide students with the requisite knowledge and analytical tools to understand how these thinkers and texts are bound to history and at the same time they rise above it to engage in an on-going, trans-historical dialogue. To help students develop critical thinking skills and the ability to analyze and engage the texts. To develop an interdisciplinary mode of thinking that will enable students to examine and interpret texts and to analyze themes from different points of view. Grades 30% Two short home assignments based on reading material (2 3 pages) [First October, 21; Second November, 23, they will be given to you a week prior to these dates.) 60% Final exam 10% Attendence and participation in class All written assignments must be written according to these guidelines: Font size - 12, Space - 1.5, reasonable margins. 2

3 Grades Scale All assignments (written, oral, exams) will be given a numerical grade on the following scale: A B D A C D B C D B C F 59 and below Attendence and Participation in Class Attendence: Regular attendance and timeliness are important. More than two absences will affect your participation grade, and absence from more than a third of the classes will automatically result in a failing grade. Students arriving late will generally be counted as absent. Participation: Participation in class discussions is welcomed and expected. Reading assigments for each class are obligatory (Unless it is marked as voluntary). Completing the reading assignments will enhance and improve the quality of your participation. Participation in class can only improve your grade and it will not harm it in anyway. Honesty The university s policy on academic honesty will be strictly adhered to. For more information on plagiarism and the proper citing of sources, see: Many of the texts are available (legally) on-line. Yet, since we are reading many classical texts in political theory you might consider purchasing some of the books. 3

4 Schedule of Classes and Reading Assignments Sep. 7,9 Ages. Introduction: The Changing Images of Human Portrait Across The *Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and Self Identity. Stanford University Press, pp Sep. 14,16 The Political Man: *Plato, The Republic, Books II, IV, VIII. Plato, Plato's The Republic, (Translated by B. Jowett), Modern Library, [or: Plato, The Republic, (Translated with notes by A. Bloom), Basic Books, 1968.] Plato. The Republic, (Translated by B. Jowett), The Internet Classics Archive, (*) Plato, Apology, (Translated by B. Jowett), The Internet Classics Archive, Sep. 21 The Political Man: *Aristotle, Politics (A), Books I-VII. Aristotle. Politics, (Translated by Benjamin Jowett), The Internet Classics Archive, Sep. 23 The Religious Man: *Augustine, Confessions, Book VIII; Augustine, Confessions, [commentary by J.J. O'Donnell], Oxford University Press, Augustine, Confessions, (translated by James, J. ODonnell) *Augustine, The City of God, Preface, XIV, 4; XXII, 30. Augustine, The City of God. (Translated by D.B. Zema, G.G. Walsh, with an introduction by Etienne Gilson), Catholic University of America Press, Augustine, The City of God, New Advent Site, 4

5 Sep. 28 No Class Sep. 30 The Emergence of The Modern Self TBA Oct. 5,7 The Birth of The Individual: *Montaigne, M.D. "Essays" Montaigne, Michel, De. Essays (Translated by D.M. Frame), Franklin Library, Of custom, and not easily changing an accepted law, Of the inconsistency of our actions chapter=91241&layout=html&itemid=27 Of experience. essays 8.html#XXI. Oct. 12 The Rational individual: *Descartes, R. Meditations on First Philosophy, Meditations I, II. Oct. 14 The Rationality of Fear *Hobbes, T. Levithan, Introduction; ch. 1, 2, 6, 9, 13-19, contents.html (*) Hobbes, T. "On Man". Man and Citizen. (Edited with an introduction by B. Gert), Anchor Books, 1972, XII, XIII, XV (pp , 83 85). Oct. 19 The Empiricist Mind *Locke, J. Two Treaties of Government. "The second Treatise", ch. 2 4, ch.6 (sections 54 63), ch. 8 (sections 95 99). 5

6 Locke, J. Two Treaties of Government. (Edited by Laslett, P.), Cambridge University Press, Hand in First assignment By Oct, 21. Oct. 21 The Enlighted Individual *Kant, I. An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment? ; Oct. 26, 28; Nov. 2 The Emotional Self and/or The Democratic Citizen *Rousseau, J.-J. The Social Contract, Book I, Book II, Book III chapters 1 and Rousseau, J.J. On the social contract, with Geneva manuscript and Political economy (edited by Roger D. Masters; translated by Judith R. Masters.), St. Martin's Press, *Rousseau, J.-J. Reveries of a Solitary Walker. Rousseu, J.J. The Reveries of the Solitary Walker, Botanical Writings, and Letter to Franquières. (Christopher Kelly, ed.; Charles E. Butterworth, trs.; Alexandra Cook, trs.; Terence E. Marshall, trs.), Dartmouth College Press, French Audio version: Nov. 4 The Economic Agent *Smith, A. The Wealth of Nations, Book I, chapters 1 and 2; 6

7 *Smith, A. The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part I, Sections I, II; Part III section I; Part VI; Part VII, Sections I, IV. (*) Amartya, S. Capitalism Beyond The Crisis. New York Review of Books, 56 (5), March, 26, Nov. 9 The Alientaed proletaire *Marx, K. Estranged Labour"; Marx, K. "Estranged Labour", Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844, Early Writings, Penguin Books, pp *Marx, K and Engels, F. (1848) The Communist Manifesto. (*)The Invisible Committee, The Coming Insurrection, coming insurrection/ Nov. 11 Veterans day No class Nov. 16,18 The Psychological Mind *Freud, S. "Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego" Freud, Sigmund. Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego (1921). S.E. XVIII, pp *Freud, S. Civilization and Its Discontents. Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and Its Discontents (1930). S.E. XXI, pp Hand in second assignment by Nov

8 Nov. 23 The Post Modern Subject *Foucault, M., What is Enlightenment? ; *Foucault, M., "Preface". The Order of Things. New York: Vintage Books, XV- XXIV. Nov. 25 Thanksgiving No class Nov. 30 The Fragmented self *Lifton, R. (1993). The Protean Self, Chicago: Chicago University Press, pp *Bauman, Z. (2000). Liquid Modernity, pp , (*) Dec. 2 TBA The Other Self Dec. 7 Song of Myself *Walt Whitman, Song of Myself, Whitman, W. Song of Myself, In: Leaves of Grass ( ), Complete Poetry and Collected Prose. The Library of America, 1982, pp Dec. 9 Summary Après Coup New Meanings of Past, Present and Future Human Experience. (*) voluntary reading 8