Universität Wien

180020 LPS The unlived life (2023S)

5.00 ECTS (3.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie
Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 45 participants
Language: German

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Friday 17.03. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
  • Friday 24.03. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
  • Friday 31.03. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
  • Friday 21.04. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
  • Friday 28.04. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
  • Friday 05.05. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
  • Friday 12.05. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
  • Friday 19.05. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
  • Friday 26.05. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
  • Friday 02.06. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
  • Friday 09.06. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
  • Friday 16.06. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1
  • Friday 23.06. 13:15 - 15:30 BIG-Hörsaal Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 1 Hof 1

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Is FOMO (= fear of missing out) really a new symptom in our society? As soon as we become aware of our mortality and the uniqueness of our earthly existence, it seems all too natural to become panicky! After all: all we have is this one life and every major decision we make increases the number of other lives we might have led instead. Our choice of profession, the decision to marry or to divorce, the decision to have children ... also our choice of study program. What is the part of our “alternative self” or “selves” that accompany our life? On the one hand the “better self”, the ideal we strive for, but also the “missed opportunity”, the path that is no longer open to us? For example, what could we have done instead of wasting hours on screentime with our smartphone today?

This is an introduction to the special problems of reading philosophical texts and their interpretation. By experimenting with various text forms, students will learn to critically question their opinions and develop their independent skills in reading and interpreting argumentative writings.

Assessment and permitted materials

Each assignment will be graded by a point-system (5 out of 5 possible points amounts to „excellent“). Students can view their individual points in Moodle. – The complete set of corrected papers handed in each week will be visible in Moodle, however, these papers will have been anonymized. This way students can learn from reading their peers’ work without the risk of shame for anyone.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

In order to get a positive grade you have to hand in ten short assignments as will be explained in the first unit. Attendance in our weekly meetings is mandatory, you may miss two course units. You will be graded on each part of your contributions to class, your weekly submissions amount to 70 per cent of your final grade, 30 per cent are based on your active participation in in-class discussions.
By registering for this course, you tacitly agree to having all your electronic submissions checked by Turnitin.

The points system explained above results in the following grades based on your ten required assignments:
46-50 points: excellent (1)
36-45 points: good (2)
26-35 points: fair (3)
If you achieved less than 26 points on these assignments, you will receive a poor grade (4). If you have not submitted all of the required assignments, you will fail the reading seminar.

Examination topics

This is an introductory reading course with continuous assessment. There is no final exam.

Reading list

Some of the texts we will be using:
Cohen, Stanley; Taylor, Laurie (1992): Escape Attempts. The Theory and Resistance to Everyday Life. London: Routledge.
Byrne, Ruth M. (2005): The Rational Imagination. How People Create Alternatives to Reality. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
James, William (1992): „The Dilemma of Determinism“, in: Ders.: The Will to Believe. Writings, 1878-1899. New York: Library of America, 445-704.
Lewis, David (1986): On the Plurality of Worlds. Malden et al.: Blackwell.
Miller, Andrew H. (2020): On Not Being Someone Else. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press.
Schlick, Moritz (1936): „Meaning and Verification“, in: The Philosophical Review XLV(4), 339–369.
Williams, Bernard (1978): „Vorstellungskraft und Selbst“, in: Ders.: Probleme des Selbst. Aus dem Englischen übersetzt von Joachim Schulte. Stuttgart: Reclam, 47–77.
Wollheim, Richard (1984): The Thread of Life. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 26.06.2023 06:27