Western Philosophy

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. Vincent Babu OFM Cap

The history of ancient western philosophy represents a great attempt made by some of the best minds in the Greek world to unravel the mystery of nature. This course intends to give a historical development of philosophy from pre Socratic period to the philosophical period. Beginning with the origin and development of Greek philosophy, the Ionics, the Eleatics, Heraclitus, the Atomists, the sophists and the Stoics are studied. The important philosophers like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus are dealt in detail.

Bibliography

Copleston, F., A history of Philosophy, Vol. I, New York: Image Books, 1962; Wedberg, A., A History of Philosophy, Vol. 1, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982; Stace, W. J ., A Critical History of Greek Philosophy, New Delhi Macmillan India Ltd., 1982; Masih, Y., A Critical History of Greek Philosophy, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass publisher Private Ltd., 1994; Jowel, B.J., Trans., The Republic and other works of Plato, New York: Anchor Books, 1989.

Fr. Vincent Babu OFM Cap

Aristotle and Plato were philosophers in ancient Greece who critically studied matters of ethics, science, politics, and more. Though many more of Plato's works survived the centuries, Aristotle's contributions have arguably been more influential, particularly when it comes to science and logical reasoning. While both philosophers' works are considered less theoretically valuable in modern times, they continue to have great historical value.

Fr. Davis OFM Cap

Medieval philosophy is fundamentally a Christian philosophy. This course aims to elucidate how Christianity made use of Greek Philosophy to explain its doctrines. Important medieval thinkers like St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas, St Bonaventure, Dun Scotus and William of Ockham are studied in detail.

Bibliography

De Torre, J .M., Christian Philosophy, Manila: SinagTala Publishers, 1980; Copleston, C., A History 0 Philosophy (Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy) Vols. 2-3, New York: Image Book, 1963; Hawkins, D. J . B., A Sketch of MedievaI Philosophy, London: Sheed and Ward, 1946; Krestzman, N., The Cambridge Companion to Aquinas, Cambridge University Press, 1993; Dyson, R.W., St. Augustine of Hippo, London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 1988.

Fr. Alberic OFM Cap

This is a historical study of the post-Scholastical philosophy and examines the various philosophical movements such as Renaissance Philosophy, Rationalism, Empiricism, Kantian Criticism and Idealism. This course helps the students to get acquainted with the change in perspective of the historical development in the modern period. The important philosophers discussed in detail are René Descartes, Baruch Spinoza, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, John Locke, George Berkeley, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.

Bibliography

Russell, B., History of Western Philosophy, London: G. Allen and Unwin Ltd. 2009; Falckenberg, R., History of Philosophy, Delhi: Khosla Publishing House, 1989; Schwegler, A., Modern Philosophy: Descartes to Hegel, New Delhi: K P Bagchi, 1982; Scruton, R., A Short History of Modern Philosophy: from Descartes to Wittgenstein, London: Routledge, 1984; Wright, W.K., A History of Modern Philosophy, New York: The Macmillan Company, 1966.

Fr. Irudhayasamy OFM Cap

Post Modernism marks a period of departure from modernism and is defined by an attitude of scepticism or distrust toward Grand narratives, ideologies, and various tenets of Enlightenment rationality, including the existence of objective reality and absolute truth, as well as notions of rationality, human nature, and progress. It asserts that all knowledge and “truth” is the product of unique systems of social, historical, and political discourse, and are therefore contextual and constructed. The course here deals with Origin and development of postmodern tendencies- different views - Logical positivism - Types of post modernism. The prominent philosophers discussed are Nietzsche, Heidegger, Derrida, and Foucault.

Bibliography

Connor, Steven (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Postmodernism, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004; Puthenpurackal, Johnson (ed.), The Postmodern, A siege of the Citadel of Reason, Delhi: Media House, 2002; Sim, Stuart, The Routledge Companion to Postmodernism, London: Routledge, 2001; Swarup, Madan, An Introductory guide to Post Structuralism and Post - Modernism, New York: harvester Wheatsheaf, 1993.

Fr. A.J. Mathew, OFM Cap