As things currently stand, nearly all 2023-2024 courses will be taking place online. Please contact the tutor for further details as to how exactly their courses will operate. Registration fees will standardly be £135 unless otherwise stated (some shorter courses will be offered at lower fees). Tutors also have the discretion to offer a concessionary reduction of £20. In other respects, the details given at enrolment apply.
AUTUMN 2023
MON 1-3pm: 10 weeks starting 2nd October:
The Problematic Self: Identity, Embodiment, Sex and Sincerity
Jane O’Grady
Are you identical with your body, or is your self somehow separate from it? Is (or was) the self discovered, invented or constructed? How ancient, how universal and how homogeneous is the concept of having or being a self? How far do we create our selves? How far can we divorce our selves from our biological nature? Do you have the same self over time? Given that what you say and do is not just automatic but a matter of choice, is it ever possible to be sincere? This course will deal with these and related problems.
MON 7-9pm: 8 weeks starting 9th October:
Nietzsche’s ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’
Keith Barrett
We will explore the rich and profound work Nietzsche considered to be his masterpiece, giving proper attention to all four of its parts. As well as reading the key sections of the text, we will study its philosophical background, focussing especially on the crucial ideas of Spinoza and Schopenhauer that Nietzsche drew on to create his inspiring vision, and we will trace its influence in the 20th century, for example, on Carl Jung’s analytical psychology.
MON 11am-1pm: 10 weeks starting 9th October:
Logic 1
Sam Fremantle
A gentle but stimulating introduction to symbolic logic suitable for complete beginners. This course will teach students how to translate arguments written in natural languages (such as English) into propositional logic and then to evaluate their validity using the rules of deduction. Propositional logic and truth tables will be covered. The course textbook is Paul Tomassi’s Logic.
TUE 11am-1pm: 10 weeks starting 3rd October:
Kafka and Philosophy
Anja Steinbauer
TUE 1.30pm-3pm: 10 weeks starting 3rd October:
Frankfurt School Reading Group
Anja Steinbauer
TUE 3pm-5pm: 10 weeks starting 3rd October:
Philosophy of the City 1
Anja Steinbauer
TUE 7-9pm: 10 weeks starting 3rd October:
History of Western Philosophy part 1
Jane O’Grady
‘What’s it all about then, guv?’ a taxi driver asked Bertrand Russell. This course gives a chronological survey of some the great Western philosophers who have formulated, and tried to solve, enduring puzzles – what reality is, who we are, how we should live. It traces the ongoing argument, and invites your contributions to it. Part 1 (this term) runs from the ancient Greeks to John Locke; Part 2 runs from Spinoza to Schopenhauer; Part 3 runs from Nietzsche to now. You can join any or all of these courses.
SPRING TERM 2024
MON 1-3pm: 10 weeks starting 15th January:
Problems in Philosophy
Jane O’Grady
Would it ever be possible for a machine to think? Is ‘free speech’ a retrograde notion? Does morality amount to what different cultures, or cultural groups, believe to be good and bad? How far is ‘identity politics’ helpful, and to whom? Would you want to live in a virtual reality world in which you could have total power over what happens to you? This course will consist of debating these and other philosophical questions and thought experiments. Students will decide each week what topic to discuss, and will be sent relevant material in advance.
MON 7-9pm: 8 weeks starting 22nd January:
German Idealism: Kant, Fichte, Schelling and Hegel
Keith Barrett
The philosophy of the period of German Idealism (from the 1770’s to the 1840’s), is recognised for its intellectual pre-eminence, at least equalling if not excelling in its brilliance that of any other period in the history of Western philosophy. These supremely creative thinkers addressed the full range of philosophical issues, as well as responding directly to cultural upheavals such as the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and the rise of Romanticism. Their thinking remains extremely influential in contemporary philosophy – and beyond philosophy, in fields such as religious studies, literary theory, politics, art, and the general methodology of the humanities.
MON 11am-1pm: 10 weeks starting 15th January:
Logic 2
Following on from Formal Logic 1, Formal Logic 2 introduces Quantificational logic, extending the scope of symbolic logic. It will then go beyond symbolic logic to consider logical problems and paradoxes. The course textbook is Paul Tomassi’s Logic.
TUE 11am-1pm: 10 weeks starting 16th January:
Beckett and Philosophy
Anja Steinbauer
TUE 1.30pm-3pm: 10 weeks starting 16th January:
Frankfurt School Reading Group
Anja Steinbauer
TUE 3pm-5pm: 10 weeks starting 16th January:
Philosophy of the City 1
Anja Steinbauer
TUE 7-9pm: 10 weeks starting 16th January:
History of Western Philosophy part 2
Jane O’Grady
This course gives a chronological survey of some the great Western philosophers who have formulated, and tried to solve, enduring puzzles – what reality is, who we are, how we should live. It traces the ongoing argument, and invites your contributions to it. Part 1 (last term) ran from the ancient Greeks to John Locke; Part 2 (this term) is on the Enlightenment — from Spinoza to Kant; Part 3 (the summer term) runs from Schopenhauer to Sartre. You can join any or all of these courses.
WED 4-6pm: 8 weeks starting 24th January:
Existentialism, Psychoanalysis and Buddhism
Keith Barrett
The course will offer a comparative introduction to Existentialism, Psychoanalysis and Buddhism. Psychoanalysis is a systematic method of psychotherapy and a theory of the human mind; Existentialism is a philosophical theory of what it is to be human, and a form of psychotherapy based on this philosophy; and Buddhism is a world religion with a sophisticated tradition of meditation practice, a psychology of its own, and a highly developed spiritual path. We will explore the key points on which they converge – and the equally significant differences between them This will lead into a consideration of the relationship between philosophy, psychotherapy and spirituality.
SUMMER TERM 2024
MON 1-3pm: 10 weeks starting 22nd April:
Problems in Philosophy
Jane O’Grady
Would it ever be possible for a machine to think? Is ‘free speech’ a retrograde notion? Does morality amount to what different cultures, or cultural groups, believe to be good and bad? How far is ‘identity politics’ helpful, and to whom? Would you want to live in a virtual reality world in which you could have total power over what happens to you? This course will consist of debating these and other philosophical questions and thought experiments. Students will decide each week what topic to discuss, and will be sent relevant material in advance.
MON 7-9pm: 8 weeks starting 22nd April:
Luce Irigaray versus Judith Butler
Keith Barrett
Irigaray and Butler are perhaps the most powerful and creative thinkers working currently in the area of sexuality and gender. We will explore the intellectual background from which the work of each figure emerged, look closely at their most important ideas, and put their contrasting visions side by side with each other, to produce a dialogue between two of the most challenging and perceptive minds of the present day.
TUE 11am-1pm: 10 weeks starting 23rd April:
Walter Benjamin
Anja Steinbauer
TUE 1.30pm-3pm: 10 weeks starting 23rd April:
Frankfurt School Reading Group
Anja Steinbauer
TUE 3pm-5pm: 10 weeks starting 23rd April:
Philosophy of Technology
Anja Steinbauer
TUE 7-9pm: 10 weeks starting 23rd April:
History of Western Philosophy part 3
Jane O’Grady
This course gives a chronological survey of some the great Western philosophers who have formulated, and tried to solve, enduring puzzles – what reality is, who we are, how we should live. It traces the ongoing argument, and invites your contributions to it. Part 1 (the first term) ran from the ancient Greeks to John Locke; Part 2 (last term) ran from Spinoza to Kant; Part 3 (this term) runs from Schopenhauer to Sartre. You can join any or all of these courses.
SAT 10am -11.30am: 10 weeks starting 27th April (please note that there is no class on June 1st, so the course ends on July 6th)
Moral Philosophy and Applied Ethics
Shahrar Ali
We will address the following and similar questions against the background of ideas such as moral motivation, altruism and evil-doing: What is a just war? When is torture justified if ever? Should euthanasia be legalized in the UK? What is the appropriate trade-off between free speech and censorship?