PHBD4 History of Philosophy IV

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Daniel Špelda, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Daniel Špelda, Ph.D.
Department of Philosophy – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Philosophy – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
PHBP Proseminar
PHBD3
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to introduce students to the philosophy of the Enlightenment (i.e. the 18th century). The course progresses sequentially through the various sub-disciplines of philosophy and introduces the major positions, concepts, and theories of Enlightenment philosophers.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, the student will be able to introduce the theories of Enlightenment philosophy; explain their basic concepts; articulate their assumptions and implications; reconstruct and evaluate their arguments; illustrate their anchoring in a contemporary context; and characterize their historical contingency.
Syllabus
  • 1. General characteristics of the Enlightenment
  • 2. Philosophy of religion (anticlericalism, natural religion, deism)
  • 3. Political philosophy (Montesquieu, Rousseau)
  • 4. Epistemology (Hume, experimental epistemology, Molyneux's problem, sensualism, Condillac, Diderot)
  • 5. Ontology (physiology, La Mettrie, Trembley's polyp, Diderot)
  • 6. Natural philosophy (theory of procreation, evolution of the world - Buffon)
  • 7. Philosophy of History (history of the human spirit, Voltaire, Turgot, Condorcet, stadial philosophy of history)
Literature
    recommended literature
  • CORETH, Emerich and Harald SCHÖNDORF. Filosofie 17. a 18. století. Translated by David Mik. 1. vyd. Olomouc: Nakladatelství Olomouc, 2002, 310 s. ISBN 8071821195. info
  • COPLESTON, Frederick C. Dějiny filosofie. Translated by Jana Odehnalová. Vydání první. Olomouc: Refugium Velehrad-Roma, s.r.o., 2021, 635 stran. ISBN 9788074124099. info
    not specified
  • Die Philosophie des 18. Jahrhunderts. Edited by Helmut Holzhey - Vilem Mudroch. Basel: Schwabe, 2014, xxvii, 871. ISBN 9783796526312. info
  • The Routledge companion to eighteenth century philosophy. Edited by Aaron Garrett. First published. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2014, xxiii, 850. ISBN 9781138574663. info
  • The Cambridge history of eighteenth-century philosophy. Edited by Knud Haakonssen. First paperback edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011, viii, stra. ISBN 9780521280884. info
  • Die Philosophie des 18. Jahrhunderts. Edited by Johannes Rohbeck - Helmut Holzhey. Völlig neu bearbeitete Ausg. Basel: Schwabe Verlag, 2008, xiv, stran. ISBN 9783796524455. info
  • The Cambridge history of eighteenth-century political thought. Edited by Robert Wokler - Mark Goldie. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006, xvi, 919. ISBN 0521374227. info
  • Die Philosophie des 18. Jahrhunderts. Edited by Helmut Holzhey - Vilem Mudroch - Daniel Brühlmeier - Francis Cheneval. Völlig neu bearbeitete Ausg. Basel: Schwabe Verlag, 2004, xvii, stra. ISBN 3796519873. info
  • RÖD, Wolfgang. Novověká filosofie. Translated by Jindřich Karásek. Vyd. 1. Praha: Oikoymenh, 2004, 579 s. ISBN 8072981099. info
Teaching methods
lecture; home reading
Assessment methods
written exam on the topics discussed (1-7)
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: kombinovaná forma: 16 hodin/semestr.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/PHBD4