Print this page The Relevance of Philosophy

Philosophy and science started as twins over 2500 years ago and came to be regarded as Natural Philosophy. With the decline of religion, they began to part ways about 2000 years later. Science came to provide knowledge and answers; Philosophy to pursue clarity and meaning by asking searching questions. Even so, they still share two things: a practice or method of reason and a notion of humanity. Today, however, both notions are under fire. The question I want explore with you is this: what must Philosophy become to achieve due relevance in our era of the Anthropocene or end times? How might it be possible to recast philosophy in the context of our era?

DELIVERY MODE

Face to face

COURSE OUTLINE

• A classical view of the human, the divine, and nature, focusing on Aristotle’s notions of the four causes and the soul
• Descartes’s departure from Aristotle, especially in his views of the soul, nature, philosophy and science
• Using Aristote and Descartes as background, we will go on to explore what it means for a human being to stand before a future unimaginable for many, perhaps all, of our predecessors.  

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Approaching questions about the future in a philosophical way
• Understand the relationship between philosophy, science and values
• Understand how philosophy is essential to a valid approach to the future.