St Joseph Seminary College

Diocese of Dumaguete
Dumaguete City

COURSE SYLLABUS

Contemporary Philosophy

 Surveys the works (philosophical ideas) of philosophers in 19th century onwards.

 The thought of Contemporary philosophers is usually characterized by post-modernist frame of
mind –a framework, which totally rejects beliefs in objectivity, universality, and essence. What
is given emphasis is on the beliefs in individuality, existence, experience, and freedom.
 “There is no reality,” “There is no universal objective truth,” are some expressions of Post-
modernism. Everything is a matter of convention –that is, made rather than found. Sellars
believed that man’s understanding is linguistic. In other words, the way we understand the
external world is saddled with our use of language. Thus, it is hard for us to get outside of the
house of language and find the “truth” outside of us.
 This is a challenge for all of us –especially to you, my dear seminarians. We all know that the
Magisterium tends to be dogmatic in matters of faith, i.e. dogmas and canons. How do you
reconcile the post-modernist thought and the Magisterium?
 I hope this course will not lose your desire to become priests in the future. Rather, this will give
more “fire in your heart” to spread the Good News in a challenging, disturbing world of our
times. The most challenging part of priests’ mission today is that our younger generation is
slowly losing their faith in God. Time comes when Philippines will become like one of the
European countries. Many countries of Europe today turn their cathedrals into museums
because there are no more faithful who are going to church. If Philippine clergy will not do
something about this, time will come that our churches too will become museums.
 This is the purpose why we study contemporary philosophy. This course will not give more
confusions but will give you the whole semester to study and find solutions to many conflicting
ideas and principles.

Course Contents:

Preliminary Notes:

 orient students to have deeper understanding of pre-modernism, modernism, and post-

modernism (Readings: Aldo Tassi, “Modernity as the Transformation of Truth into
Meaning” and Gene Blocker, “An Explanation of Postmodernism: An Introduction to
Modern Philosophy”)
 also orient students in using external, critical and creative methods of treating the works
of philosophers (Readings: Paul Riceour, The History of Philosophy)

a. Nietzsche* (1844-1900) – known as “the prophet of Post-Modernism”

b. The tradition of existentialism, phenomenology and hermeneutics
1. Kierkegaard* (1813-1855) – father of Existentialism
 2. Husserl* (1859-1938) – father of Phenomenology
3. Heidegger* (1889-1976) – existential phenomenology
c. Tradition of the “Linguistic Turn” and “Turn to Linguistic”
1. Wittgenstein* I (1889-1951) - Tractatus Logico Philosophicus, 1929 (Followers: Vienna
Circle)
2. Wittgenstein II – Philosophical Investigations, 1953
a. Derrida* (1930-2004) – Deconstructionism
b. Rorty* (1931-2007) – Neo-pragmatism
c. Foucault* (1926-1984) – Genealogy of Knowledge
d. Philosophy of Science
1. Popper* (1902-1994) – Theory of Falsifiability
2. Kuhn (1922-1996) – “Normal Science”
e. Social Philosophy
1. Althusser* – neo-marxist
2. de Beauvoir – feminism
3. Rawls* – on justice

(NOTE: Only those highlighted are discussed in the class. Readings of each philosopher will be posted
online from time to time.)