Recent Courses
Late Modern Philosophy: Kant to Hegel (2025)
This course is designed as a general introduction to German Idealism – the philosophical movement that emerged in the wake of Kant’s 1781 Critique of Pure Reason. Kant’s First Critique is now widely regarded as a watershed moment in the history of western thought – to wit, the moment in which metaphysics was thought to have been finally “set upon the secure path of a science.” This work was not so warmly received, however, upon its initial reception. In fact, to the generation of philosophers immediately succeeding Kant, the Critique of Pure Reason raised at least as many problems as it had solved. In this course, we will trace out the ambiguous success that Kant’s Critical Philosophy enjoyed among the German Idealists, focusing primarily on their reception of the “thing-in-itself.”
Introduction to Philosophy (2025)
What is thinking? In what sense are thoughts real? Is reality accessible through the operations of the intellect, or does it lie somewhere beyond thought’s grasp? We commonly assume our thinking to be free, but the history of philosophy has made clear the great difficulty that thinkers have encountered over the centuries in attempting to demonstrate the freedom of thought. If, however, the freedom of thought cannot be sufficiently demonstrated, how can we honestly claim to know anything with certainty? In this class, students will be invited to inquire into the nature and limits of thinking. Through this exploration, students will be introduced to the texts of several canonical authors in the history of philosophy – including figures like Plato, Descartes, and Kant. Through careful reading, discussion, and in-depth writing exercises, students will engage the important work of these figures and how they have contributed to the perennial question of philosophy, "what can we know"?
Stoics and Skeptics (2024)
This class examines the main philosophical movements that flourished during the Hellenistic period – that is, the period that follows the death of Aristotle (322 BCE) and continues up through the second century CE. As such, it offers an introduction to the Hellenistic schools of Stoicism, Skepticism, and Epicureanism. The basis of our discussions in this class will be primary texts by authors such as Epicurus, Lucretius, Seneca, and Sextus Empiricus and readings by contemporary scholars on the relevance of Hellenistic philosophy in the contemporary age.
Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit (2023)
This course is designed as an introduction to Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, a work which ranks among Aristotle’s Metaphysics and Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason both in its profound philosophical sophistication and its enduring impact on the Western philosophical tradition. Though the reputation of the Phenomenology is not undeserved, it must be stressed that Hegel conceived of this work as the “propaedeutic” to his philosophical system – a necessary prerequisite to philosophy proper. This course, then, will serve as an introduction to an introduction to philosophy. To insist on the preliminary character of this course is not, however, to diminish what Hegel achieves in the Phenomenology, but rather to draw attention to the central philosophical problem animating this work: the problem of how philosophy must begin.