Existentialism

SCHOOL OF TEACHERS EDUCATION AND LIBERAL ARTS

SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY 

BAGUIO CITY

Department of Philosophy

MA Philos Program Offsite

PH 208: EXISTENTIALISM

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Existentialism is not just a movement in the philosophical realm but a movement as well in the artistic and literary spheres. As a movement, it is essentially focused on the multifarious and manifold threat to the likelihood of human freedom. As a movement, it finds its anchorage on the quest of the human person for meaning, the meaning of human existence.

Furthermore, existentialism as a philosophy gives stress and emphasis on personal or individual existence, freedom, choice, rational decisions, personal responsibility for choices made, and other related matters on human existence and the pursuit of the meaning of human existence. Likewise, while the supreme value of existentialist thought is commonly acknowledged to be freedom, its supreme virtue is authenticity.

Existentialism is commonly recognized as the philosophy of the corporeal and particular individual. Existentialism expouses the basic and fundamental value of what its main advocate Jean Paul Sartre calls the "free organic individual," that is, the flesh and blood autonomous agent/subject. Due to the  almost irresistible pull towards conformism in modern society, what is called "existential individuality" is an achievement, and not a permanent one at that. Human beings are born biological beings but must strive to become existential individuals by accepting responsibility for individual actions. This is an application of Friedrich Nietzsche's advice to pursue and "become what you are" as an individual person. A lot of individuals never do acknowledge such responsibility but would rather escape or run away from their existential individuality into the comfort of the faceless crowd.


COURSE OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING GOALS:

1. To become familiar with some of the leading authors as well as concerns/themes of existentialist movement.

2. To cultivate and foster the ability to write clearly and persuasively on philosophical questions that arise on existentialist writing, movie, music or literary piece.

3. To develop their own existential philosophy guided by the common and familiar themes in the existentialist movement using a chosen movie, music or literary piece.


COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

This course will be administered through a combination of face to face interaction and google classroom for a total of fifty-two (52) hrs. Assignments as well as scheduled readings/activities will be posted through google classroom.

There will be short papers, around 2-3 papers through out the duration of the course with 3-5 pages each.

There will be 2 major exams, midterms and finals.

Grades will be be computed at 50-50 percent. 50% for the class standing and 50% for the major exams.


INITIAL TEXTS/READINGS:

1. "Existentialism and the Human Person's Search for Meaning" by Manuel Dy in Philosophy of Man

2. "Existentialism" by Thomas Flyn

3. "Existentialism as Humanism" by Sartre

4. "Letter on Humanism" by Heidegger

5. "Building Dwelling Thinking" by Heidegger

6. "The Human Person as Embodied Subjectivity in its Kabuuan" by Mark Gil Ramolete

7. "On the Way to Freedom" by Robert O. Johann

Polit Sci 10 Guide Questions

Life is NOT always fair…

hence, the need to be prepared without end up getting paranoid of the unexpected.

Guide Questions for Polit Sci 10 (Ethics and Accountability in Phil. Public Service)

On Kantian Ethics (and the concept of dignity)

Reference: “Groundworks of the Metaphysics of Morals” of Immanuel Kant

1.       What is the nature of the Categorical Imperative?

2.       What are the Five Formulations of the Categorical Imperative?

On the Median Principle of Morality (Aristotle )

Reference: “Nichomachean Ethics” of Aristotle

1.       Nature of a Virtue?

2.       Kinds of Virtue?

3.       For Aristotle, by Excellence he meant specifically to what?

4.       Moral excellence…what does it cover?

On the Principle of Utility (Bentham)

Reference: “The Principles of Morals and Legislation” of Jeremy Bentham

1.       Humanity is governed by what?

2.       What is the principle of utility?

3.       What are the seven degrees of felicity?

BENTHAM'S PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY

image screen grabbed from http://www.phil.cmu.edu/Cavalier/80130/part1/sect4/BenandMill.html

Introduction to The Principles of Morals and Legislation (Jeremy Bentham)

Prepared by: Atty. Mark Gil J. Ramolete, MA Philos

Governance of 2 masters:

1.)    Pleasure

2.)    Pain

Four Sources of Pleasure and Pain:

1.)    Moral

2.)    Political

3.)    Physical

4.)    Religious

The Principle of Utility

 = Maximize the experience of pleasure while minimizing the experience of pain

Principles Adverse to the Principle of Utility

1.)    Principle of Antipathy and Sympathy

2.)    Principle of Asceticism

What are the Seven (7) Degrees of Felicity?

(MNEMONIC)

Intense, long, certain, speedy, fruitful, pure

Such marks in pleasures and in pains endure

Such pleasures seek if private be thy end

If it be public, wide let them extend

Such pains avoid whichever be thy view

If pains must come, extend it to the few.

Note:               

Whether one is a policy maker, leader or a magistrate, the PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY MUST NOT be strictly pursued.

                An action, policy or law is right provided and only provided the outcome is the best possible.