180084 SE Irrationality (2016W)
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung
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Course Description
In this seminar we will question the role of irrationality in relation to human agency. If a rational agent is someone we hold responsible for her actions because she can account for reasons for doing them; how do we then describe the kind of agency where we don’t know why or what we do, like certain habits, or the kind of actions where we act despite our own will? What makes an act irrational? Is it a failure in the house of reason, as Davidson puts it? Is it an act of Akrasia, the weakness of the will or is it something that occurs out of a reflexive breakdown? Is it an interruption of our capacity to be self-interpreting animals, as Jonathan Lear would have it? The seminar will provide an overview of philosophical attempts to deal with irrationality. We will approach the following questions; how can we account for irrationality in relation to human agency; what counts as irrational acts in the first place and given that such acts exist; are we responsible for them and in which way? In the seminar, we will discuss classical text on rationality and agency (Davidson, Anscombe, Mele) as well as consult phenomenological psychology (Lear, Fuchs, Legrand) in order to address how we are affected in our everyday life by our irrational actions and why they occur. We will thus gain an overview of irrational, arational, non-rational and unconscious aspects of our agential life that ultimately will lead us to discuss and question how we as human beings can make our actions transparent to ourselves qua being rational.
In this seminar we will question the role of irrationality in relation to human agency. If a rational agent is someone we hold responsible for her actions because she can account for reasons for doing them; how do we then describe the kind of agency where we don’t know why or what we do, like certain habits, or the kind of actions where we act despite our own will? What makes an act irrational? Is it a failure in the house of reason, as Davidson puts it? Is it an act of Akrasia, the weakness of the will or is it something that occurs out of a reflexive breakdown? Is it an interruption of our capacity to be self-interpreting animals, as Jonathan Lear would have it? The seminar will provide an overview of philosophical attempts to deal with irrationality. We will approach the following questions; how can we account for irrationality in relation to human agency; what counts as irrational acts in the first place and given that such acts exist; are we responsible for them and in which way? In the seminar, we will discuss classical text on rationality and agency (Davidson, Anscombe, Mele) as well as consult phenomenological psychology (Lear, Fuchs, Legrand) in order to address how we are affected in our everyday life by our irrational actions and why they occur. We will thus gain an overview of irrational, arational, non-rational and unconscious aspects of our agential life that ultimately will lead us to discuss and question how we as human beings can make our actions transparent to ourselves qua being rational.
An/Abmeldung
Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").
- Anmeldung von Mo 12.09.2016 09:00 bis Mo 26.09.2016 09:00
- Anmeldung von Mi 28.09.2016 09:00 bis Mi 05.10.2016 09:00
- Abmeldung bis Mo 31.10.2016 23:59
Details
max. 45 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch
Lehrende
Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert
Mittwoch
12.10.
13:15 - 14:45
Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
Mittwoch
19.10.
13:15 - 14:45
Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
Mittwoch
09.11.
13:15 - 14:45
Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
Mittwoch
16.11.
13:15 - 14:45
Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
Mittwoch
23.11.
13:15 - 14:45
Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
Mittwoch
30.11.
13:15 - 14:45
Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
Mittwoch
07.12.
13:15 - 14:45
Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
Mittwoch
14.12.
13:15 - 14:45
Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
Mittwoch
11.01.
13:15 - 14:45
Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
Mittwoch
18.01.
13:15 - 15:45
Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
Mittwoch
25.01.
13:15 - 14:45
Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
Information
Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung
Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel
Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab
Requirements
- The students should attend 10 or more seminars out of 13.
- The students are expected to read the texts carefully before class and be prepared to discuss the texts in class.
- The students are expected to give one oral presentation of the central arguments of one of the readings during the semester.
- Finally, the students are expected to submit two short essays on topics discussed in class while covering at least two of the assigned texts from the syllabus. The essays are expected to be of 2500 words each. Guidelines and Deadlines will be uploaded on Moodle.
Students will achieve 5 ECTS points from participating successfully in this course.
- The students should attend 10 or more seminars out of 13.
- The students are expected to read the texts carefully before class and be prepared to discuss the texts in class.
- The students are expected to give one oral presentation of the central arguments of one of the readings during the semester.
- Finally, the students are expected to submit two short essays on topics discussed in class while covering at least two of the assigned texts from the syllabus. The essays are expected to be of 2500 words each. Guidelines and Deadlines will be uploaded on Moodle.
Students will achieve 5 ECTS points from participating successfully in this course.
Prüfungsstoff
Literatur
Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis
BA M 5.3, PP 57.3.3, UF PP 08
Letzte Änderung: Mo 07.09.2020 15:36
The aim of the seminar is to address the relation between action and reason in the kind of actions that blurs this relation and make it questionable. The student will gain an overview of the debates within the philosophy of action as well as the philosophy of psychology concerning irrationality. Hereby the student will be able to assess and orient herself critically in the field of philosophical questioning that concern our human trademark; rationality. Further, the students will practice their basic philosophical skills in presenting arguments as they will be gibing oral as well as written presentations focused on the topics central to our readings.
Method
Close reading of texts, joint discussion, group based discussions, oral presentations, written presentations. All readings for this course will be available on Moodle.