Philosophical Anthropology
| Module title | Philosophical Anthropology |
|---|---|
| Module code | ANT3035 |
| Academic year | 2020/1 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
Philosophical Anthropology commenced when “natural philosophers” of the 18th century began to realise that understanding humans as natural beings, as organisms, was essential to understanding humans as moral and cognitive agents. Kant famously realized late in his life that all the questions that he felt philosophy could address, and that he had grappled with, could be reckoned under the question “What does it mean to be human?” While various human, social and biological sciences have calved off from philosophy during and since the time of Kant, Philosophical Anthropology continues to try to put the fragmented pieces of these various empirical sciences back together into a unified whole yet without losing the insights also gained from phenomenological reflection and analysis. In this class we will be looking at important recent work from cognitive psychology, anatomy, paleo-anthropology, behavioural ecology, evolutionary-developmental biology, neuroscience and phenomenology and asking about its philosophical and ethical significance. We will ultimately be bringing these studies to bear on an important debate in contemporary philosophy.
Module aims - intentions of the module
Everybody has an opinion about ‘human nature’. In this class you will learn how to draw upon empirical sciences in making arguments that are not just opinions but claims that are accountable to evidence and logic. You will learn how to cross disciplinary boundaries in drawing and amalgamating evidence from different empirical sciences as well as from phenomenological analysis. You will gain insights into how biology, culture and history influence each other in the course of hominin/human becoming. You will gain experience in thinking about the relationship of descriptive to normative dimension in human understanding and you will write essays that enable you to address real contemporary problems in areas such as the bioethics of genetic engineering from the perspective of an empirically informed philosophy.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the basic ideas of Philosophical Anthropology as a tradition and school of thought.
- 2. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the basic ideas of several leading contemporary scientific investigators whose work bears directly on general questions of what it means to be human.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. skilfully and critically interrelate philosophical ideas with empirical findings
- 4. skilfully apply your knowledge of human nature to problems in any other area of philosophy
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. critically engage at a high level with assigned readings
- 6. lucidly communicate concepts and ideas both orally and in writing
- 7. demonstrate an ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
The module will begin with an overview of the basic ideas of philosophical anthropology beginning with Kant and Herder and ranging through 20 th and 21 st century work.
Two Elephants in the Room – Human Cooperativity and Human Juvenilisation.
1. Arnold Gehlen and Clive Bromhall
2. Michael Tomasello
Evolutionary and historical evidence
3. Sarah Hrdy
4. Merlin Donald
5. Ian McGilchrist
Contemporary Evidence
6. Heidegger’s phenomenology
7. Hubert Dreyfus on skill
A Synthetic Model – the Hybrid Hominin
8. Lenny Moss
Philosophical Debate
9. The Dreyfus-McDowell debate I
10. The Dreyfus-McDowell debate II
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | 126 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 22 | Weekly two-hour lecture/seminars will consist of a lecture introducing key theories and issues and seminar discussion |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 2 | One-to-one meetings with Tutor to discuss essay topics and progress |
| Guided Independent Study | 42 | Reading and Preparation for Seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 14 | Preparation of Seminar Presentation |
| Guided Independent Study | 70 | Researching and Writing Essay |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar Class Presentation | 10 Minutes | 1-6 | Verbal and Class Feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-6 | Written |
| Essay 2 | 50 | 2,000 words | 1-7 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Essay 2 | Essay (2,000 words) | 1-7 | August/September re-assessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Readings will be derived from the following volumes along with assorted journal articles and manuscripts:
Clive Bromhall, The Eternal Child, 1988
Merlin Donald A Mind so Rare, W.W. Norton 1971.
Merlin Donald, Origins of the Modern Mind, Harvard, 1991
Hubert Dreyfus, Skillful Coping, 2014
Arnold Gehlen, Man, Columbia, 1988
Philip Honenberger, Naturalism and Philosophical Anthropology, 2016
Sarah Hrdy, Mothers and Others, Belknap 2011
Joseph Shear (ed) Mind, Reason and Being-in-the-World: The McDowell-Dreyfus Debate, 2013
Michael Tomasello, Why We Cooperate, Boston Review 2009
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 05/01/2015 |
| Last revision date | 14/03/2019 |
