Branches of Philosophy

The human being has self-transcendence; different understandings of self-transcendence. Soul as spiritual substance; substantiality of the human being; substantiality of Soul. Theories of the origin of soul. Body and Soul: body is something marvelous, its role in human “wordly” epistemological, special and ascetic functions. The relation between body and soul. Person: Ontological, psychological and dialogical understanding of persons, absolute value of person; survival after death: What is death? Characteristics of death. Theories about survival after death.

Bibliography

Donceel, J .F, Philosophical Anthropology, New York: Sheed and Ward, 1967; Mercier, Jean L, Being Human: Basic Elements of Philosophical Anthropology, Bangalore: Asian Traiding Corporation, 1998; Creth, E., Philosophical Anthropology, Morcelliana: Brescia, 1978; Cassirer, E., An Essay on Man, Rome: Armando, 1968; De Chardin, T., Phenomenon of Man, London: St. James Place, 1960; Athapilly, S., Mystery and Destiny of the Human Person, Bangalore: Dharmaram Publications, 2007.

Fr. Peter Durai OFM Cap

This course is a Philosophical attempt for a meaningful reflection on the science of the world of man. It intends to bring contemporary science and cosmology in diologue regarding certain very important issues of the ultimate nature of material substance of the world, of the origin of the universe and the meaning of the universe, its relation to man. In dealing with these issues, it describes and interprets scientific data provided by the contemporary sciences particularly by astronomy as well as nuclear physics of sub atomic particles and inquires into plausibility of creation event or a creator for the physical universe, if not, then how are we to understand and explain our universe.

Bibliography

Ackermann, R., The Philosophy of Science: An Introduction, New York: Pegasus, 1970; Boyd, R., et.al. (eds.), The Philosophy of Science, MIT, 1995; Chcock, C., Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Science, Oxford: Blackwell Publication, 2004; Narlikar, J., Introduction to Cosmology, Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Fr. John Peter OFM Cap

Nature and Scope of Ethics, its relation to other sciences; The problem of values and the existence and nature of moral value, The incomplete norms of morality, The true norm of morality and its determinants, The existence and nature of moral law. Morality and happiness sanction and merit, virtues and vices.

Bibliography

Mackenzie, S.J., Manual of Ethics, Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1973; Sinha, J.A., Manual of Ethics, Calcutta: New central Book Agency, 1986; Singer, P., Practical Ethics, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. Bourke, Vernon J, Ethics, New York: The Macmillan Company, 1967. Composta, Dario, Moral Philosophy and Social Ethics, Bangalore: TPI, 1988.

Fr. Peter Durai, OFM Cap

There are no limitless truths that exist independently of and prior to the individual human being. Existence — our presence in the here-and-now — precedes and takes precedence over any presumed absolute values. The moral and spiritual values that society tries to impose cannot define our existence. Our traditional morality rests on no foundation whose certainty can either be demonstrated by reason or guaranteed by God. There are simply no transcendent absolutes; to think otherwise is to surrender to illusion.

Fr. Irudhaya Samy OFM Cap

In philosophy, idealism is the diverse group of metaphysical philosophies which asserts that "reality" is in some way indistinguishable or inseparable from human understanding and/or perception; that it is in some sense mentally constituted, or otherwise closely connected to ideas.

According to German philosopher Immanuel Kant, a pioneer of modern idealist thought, idealism does “not concern the existence of things”, but asserts only that our “modes of representation” of them, above all space and time, are not “determinations that belong to things in themselves” but essential features of our own minds.

Kant called this position “transcendental” and “critical” idealism, since it describes the way in which "reality" is utterly transcended by, and cannot be thought separate from, the categories with which they are structured by and in human understanding.

Fr. Divakar OFM Cap

The Lectures on logic aims at giving students clear perspective on the nature of logic by introducing them to different contemporary scientific methods employed in it. The study of logical terms, classes of propositions, types, rules and fallacies of syllogisms set the minds of the students for correct reasoning and argumentation. The part of induction provides them with fundamentals of scientific inquiry.

Bibliography

Bittle, C.N., The Science of Correct Thinking, Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1950; Belsare, K.V., An Introduction to Logic and Scientific Method, Mumbai: Booksellers Publishing Company, 1967; Irving, G. M., Introduction to Logic, New York: Collier Mac Millan Student edition, 1961; Cohen Morris& Nagel Ernest, An Introduction to Logic and Scientific Method, Bombay: Allied Publishers Private Limited, 1979.

Fr. Peter Durai OFM Cap

Marxism is a method of socioeconomic analysis that views class relations and social conflict using a materialist interpretation of historical development and takes a dialectical view of social transformation. It originates from the works of 19th-century German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marxism has developed into many different branches and schools of thought, with the result that there is now no single definitive Marxist theory.

Marxism has had a profound impact on global academia and has influenced many fields such as archaeology, art history, anthropology, media studies, science studies, political science, theater, history, sociology, art history and theory, cultural studies, education, economics, ethics, criminology, geography, literary criticism, aesthetics, film theory, critical psychology and philosophy.

Fr. David OFM Cap

The Nature and Scope of Metaphysics- Metaphysics as a valid and scientific philosophical discipline- Direct judgement as the most appropriate starting point-Transcendental analysis as a method for metaphysics - The Theory of analogy of Being as a key to understand the different kinds and degree of being - The Transcendental properties of being such as Truth, Unity, Goodness, Beauty, Dynamism and Duration.

Bibliography

Bittle, C., General Metaphysics, Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1949; Anderson, J.F., The Bond of Being, An Essay on Analogy and Existence, New York: B Herder Book Company, 1954; Raemymaker, L.,De., The Philosophy of Being, London: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Fr. Divakar OFM Cap

Phenomenology is the study of structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view. The central structure of an experience is its intentionality, its being directed toward something, as it is an experience of or about some object. An experience is directed toward an object by virtue of its content or meaning (which represents the object) together with appropriate enabling conditions.

Phenomenology as a discipline is distinct from but related to other key disciplines in philosophy, such as ontology, epistemology, logic, and ethics. Phenomenology has been practiced in various guises for centuries, but it came into its own in the early 20th century in the works of Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty and others. Phenomenological issues of intentionality, consciousness, qualia, and first-person perspective have been prominent in recent philosophy of mind.

Fr. Vincent Babu OFM Cap

Philosophy of linguistics is the philosophy of science as applied to linguistics. This differentiates it sharply from the philosophy of language, traditionally concerned with matters of meaning and reference.

As with the philosophy of other special sciences, there are general topics relating to matters like methodology and explanation (e.g., the status of statistical explanations in psychology and sociology, or the physics-chemistry relation in philosophy of chemistry), and more specific philosophical issues that come up in the special science at issue (simultaneity for philosophy of physics; individuation of species and ecosystems for the philosophy of biology).

Fr. Vincent Babu OFM Cap

It is a comparative study of the five major religions of the world: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This course is aimed at giving the students the rich and sophisticated understanding of the human beliefs and practices that is established through these religions.

Bibliography

Greeley, A.M., The persistence of Religion, London: SCM Press Ltd, 1972; Fuchs, S., Origin of Religion, Alwaye: Pontifical Institute Publications, 1975; Eveley, L., A Religion for our Time, New York: Image Books, 1974; Hardon, J. A., Religions of the World, Vol. 2, Washington: Image Books, 1978.

Fr. Edwin SDB

This course is intended to initiate and introduce the students to the study of philosophy and to elicit an inquisitive search for truth. They are enlightened to the value of studying philosophy. The course study included in this course are: Definition of philosophy, Nature and scope of philosophy and other main divisions of other sciences of philosophy, Introduction to the main issues of philosophy-Different historical approaches to Philosophy, Philosophical terms and principles.

Bibliography

Maritain, J., An Introduction to Philosophy, London: Sheed & Ward, 1947; James E. W., Introduction to Philosophy, New York: McGraw-Hill. Inc, 1992; Bali, D. R., Introduction to Philosophy, New Delhi: Sterling Publishers private limited, 1989; Artigas. M., Introduction to Philosophy, Manila: Sinag Tala Publishers, 1984; Foley, A.F., Philosophical Inquiry, an Introduction, New York: Alba House, 1987.

Fr. Thedeus OFM Cap

THIS is primarily an enquiry into the nature and justification of scientific knowledge. But my reconsideration of scientific knowledge leads on to a wide range of questions outside science. I start by rejecting the ideal of scientific detachment. In the exact sciences, this false ideal is perhaps harmless, for it is in fact disregarded there by scientists. But we shall see that it exercises a destructive influence in biology, psychology and sociology, and falsifies our whole outlook far beyond the domain of science.

Fr. Sydney OFM Cap

The Common Good and Political Philosophy. The Origin and Purpose of the State. The Need for a Word Community of Nations and what kind of Philosophy it should have. The promotion of Human rights and Responsibilities. The Critical examination of Democracy, Socialism, Democratic Socialism, Liberalism and Welfarism. The philosophy of Indian Constitution.

Bibliography

Kuruvachira, George J, The Common Good and Political Philosophy, Bangalore: Kristu Jyoti Publications, 1999. Swift Adam, Political Philosophy, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2001. Vanna, V.P, Political Philosophy, Agra: Lakshmi Agarval, 1977.

Fr. Bernardshaw OFM Cap

It is the study of social behaviour or society, including its Origins, Development, Organization, Networks, and Institutions. it is a social science that uses various methods of empirical investigation-and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order, disorder, and change. The study includes the basic concepts of sociology such as Institutions, Associations Community etc., Major Social Groups, Major Social Institutions such as Family, Social Stratification and Different Forms, Social Control and Agencies of Social Control and Social Change.

Bibliography

Lamm, Robert P. and Richard T. Schaefer, Sociology, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992. Leslie, Gerald R. and et al, Introductory Sociology, New Delhi: Oxford, I994. Shailendra, Rakhi and D. D. Namboodiri. Sociological Analysis, Calicut: Calicut University Press, 2002. Desrochers, J, The Social Teaching of the Church, Bangalore: John Desrochers, I982. Victor, San Miguel. Christian Sociology, Alwaye: Pontifical Institute of Theology, 1985.

Fr. Skaria OFM Cap

It is a comparative study of the five major religions of the world: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This course is aimed at giving the students the rich and sophisticated understanding of the human beliefs and practices that is established through these religions.

Bibliography

Greeley, A.M., The persistence of Religion, London: SCM Press Ltd, 1972; Fuchs, S., Origin of Religion, Alwaye: Pontifical Institute Publications, 1975; Eveley, L., A Religion for our Time, New York: Image Books, 1974; Hardon, J. A., Religions of the World, Vol. 2, Washington: Image Books, 1978.

Fr. Muthu Mohan OFM Cap