Module Directory

In this module, we will explore Heidegger's critique of Western rationality, and ask what, if any, is the positive role of philosophy in the later work. Specifically, we will inquire into the nature of Heidegger's anti-foundationalism: What remains of the Being and Time project in the later works and what is abandoned? Does the late work surrender to quietism, or even mysticism? If not, what is the task of philosophy and the place of rationality more generally?

To answer these questions, we will investigate some of the overarching themes of the late work: the critique of metaphysics and especially of the principle of sufficient reason, the attempt to recover non-metaphysical ways of thinking by returning to pre-Socratic thinkers, and the role of history in the determination of our understanding of being.

The aims of this module are:

• To gain familiarity with major themes, methods, figures and texts from the phenomenological movement.


• To develop mastery of key concepts from phenomenological philosophy, including intentionality, psychologism, noema; protention; retention; ecstatic temporality; enpresenting.


• To understand phenomenology both as a historical tradition and as an ongoing multi-disciplinary project.


• To present research orally to the seminar group and fielding questions.


• To write a well-researched paper on an issue covered in the module.

Skills for your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)

By the end of this module, students should also have acquired a set of transferable skills, and in particular be able to:

1. Define the task in which they are engaged and exclude what is irrelevant;


2. Seek and organise the most relevant discussions and sources of information;


3. Process a large volume of diverse and sometimes conflicting arguments;


4. Compare and evaluate different arguments and assess the limitations of their own position or procedure;


5. Write and present verbally a succinct and precise account of positions, arguments, and their presuppositions and implications;


6. Be sensitive to the positions of others and communicate their own views in ways that are accessible to them;


7. Think 'laterally' and creatively - see interesting connections and possibilities and present these clearly rather than as vague hunches;


8. Maintain intellectual flexibility and revise their own position if shown wrong;


9. Think critically and constructively.

Heidegger is best known for his 1927 book, Being and Time, in which he attempts to ground philosophy in a phenomenological account of human existence. In the coming decades, however, Heidegger's thought would undergo what has been called 'the turn', consisting of a sweeping critique of the philosophical tradition and a radical re-orientation of the content, method, and style of his philosophy.

However, these late works are among the most exegetically challenging texts of the 20th century, and how we are to understand the specifics of this re-orientation remains controversial. Some commentators believe that Heidegger's critique of metaphysics is so forceful and pervasive that it amounts to a complete disavowal of the Being and Time project and a renunciation of the possibility of finding ultimate foundations or even rational explanations.

The module will be delivered via:

• One 1-hour lecture per week.
• One 1-hour seminar per week.

Week 8 is a Reading Week.