Philosophy of Culture 3501-FKUL18-F
The course is to be a systematic introduction into the specific character of the philosophical reflection on the phenomenon of culture. The starting point is the conviction that culture can be understood only as intertwined with man and vice versa. Man can be understood and can understand him-/herself only within the horizon of his-/her entanglement in culture, in its axiological, symbolic, imaginative dimensions. Man can be given to him-/herself only through culturally determined forms of experiencing his-/her being-in-the-world. The crucial category will be that of cultural experience and the main methodological perspective will be the anthropological philosophy of culture, which point at and analyze the relations between man and culture. These relations will be shown as the series of tensions present in cultural phenomena and constituted by categories such as: essence and semblance, arche and telos, presence and absence, participation and alienation, identity and strangeness.
These tensions – their meaning and hermeneutic value – will be presented by means of the analysis of the whole range of cultural phenomena. The special accent will be put on the contemporary culture.
Besides the analysis of the basic features of the contemporary culture, we will also analyze the following topics:
- relation between the contemporary culture and tradition
- relation between local cultures and the global culture
- axiological dimension of culture
- symbolic and imaginary dimensions of culture
- language as a medium of cultural experience
- embodiment as a space of cultural experience
- experience of the destruction of cultural forms of self-understanding
We will also analyze the methodological issues such as:
- the status of philosophy of culture and its relation to cultural studies
- the relations between philosophy of culture to other philosophical disciplines (especially: aesthetics, social philosophy, ontology)
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
After the course students:
- know the basic philosophical theories of culture, the interrelations between them as well as the dynamics of their cultural development
- know philosophical terminology used in the interpretation of culture
- know different methods and theoretical tools used in the philosophical interpretations of culture
- understand the role of philosophical reflection in the processes of shaping culture as well as the ways in which cultural practices influence philosophical ideas
- know the basic problems of classic and contemporary philosophy of culture
Skills:
After the course students can:
- interpret and evaluate cultural phenomena in the perspective of different theoretical paradigms
- see the relations between different theories of culture and different conceptions of human being
- reconstruct different theoretical perspectives within philosophy of culture and point at differences and similarities between them
- see and interpret axiological dimension of cultural phenomena
Social competences:
After the course students:
- are aware of the dynamic character of cultural phenomena, and are sensitive to the cultural changes
- identify theoretical and practical contexts of cultural phenomena
- are aware of ethical and moral dimensions of cultural phenomena and practices
- present an open and tolerant attitude towards subcultures and other (non-Western) cultures
- participate in social and cultural life
Assessment criteria
Subject to evaluation will be:
- knowledge of the main theories within philosophy of culture and their basic terminology
- ability to interpret cultural phenomena in the light of different theoretical paradigms
- understanding of the presented problems and ability to recapitulate the main arguments as well as ability to judge their value
- activity during the classes
Bibliography
1) Literatura pomocnicza:
R. Konersmann, „Filozofia kultury. Wprowadzenie”
R. Konersmann, „Krytyka kultury”
E. Cassirer, „Logika nauk o kulturze”
Z. Rosińska, J. Michalik (red.) „Co to jest filozofia kultury?”
2) Literatura podstawowa:
G. Simmel, „Filozofia kultury” (fragm.)
E. Cassirer, „Esej o człowieku. Wprowadzenie do filozofii kultury” (fragm.)
H. Elzenberg, „Z filozofii kultury” (frag.)
L. Kołakowski, „Obecność mitu”, „Symbole religijne i kultura humanistyczne”, w: L. Kołakowski, „Kultura i fetysze”
Z. Rosińska, „Pragnienie powrotu czyli zmęczenie profanum”, w: Z. Rosińska, „Ruch myśli. Teksty trochę filozoficzne” (fragm.)
S. Freud, „Kultura jako źrodło cierpień”
E. Husserl, „Kryzys europejskiego człowieczeństwa a filozofia”
H. Arendt, „O kryzysie w kulturze i jego społecznej oraz politycznej doniosłości”, w: H. Arendt, „Między czasem minionym a przyszłym. Osiem ćwiczeń z myśli politycznej”
M. Merleau-Ponty, „Inny człowiek i świat ludzki”, w: „Fenomenologia percepcji”
F. Nietzsche, „O prawdzie i kłamstwie w pozamoralnym sensie”,
H.-G. Gadamer, „Język i logos”, „Język jako doświadczenie”, w: tenże, „Prawda i metoda”
P. Ricoeur, „Egzystencja i hermeneutyka”, „Symbol daje do myślenia”, w: tenże, „Egzystencja i hermeneutyka”
H. Arendt, „Kondycja ludzka” (fragm.)
P. Tillich, „Pytanie o Nieuwarunkowane” (fragm.)
R. Niebuhr, „Poza tragizmem” (fragm.)
Jan Kott, „Zjadanie bogów”
R. Girard, „Kozioł ofiarny” (fragm.)
J. Lear, „Nadzieja radykalna. Etyka w obliczu spustoszenia kulturowego” (fragm.)
I. Kant, „Co to jest Oświecenie?”, „Spór fakultetów”
F. Schiller, „Listy o estetycznym wychowaniu człowieka” (fragm.)
Roland Barthes, „Śmierć autora”
M. Foucault, „Porządek dyskursu”
M. Foucault, „Człowiek i jego sobowtóry’, w: M. Foucault, „Słowa i rzeczy. Archeologia nauk humanistycznych”
R. Braidotti, „Po człowieku” (frag.)
B. Latour, „Nigdy nie byliśmy nowocześni. Studium z antropologii symetrycznej” (fragm.)
F. G. Junger, „Perfekcja techniki” (frag.)
M. Castells, „Społeczeństwo sieci”, (frag.)
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: