Syllabus
1) Introduction
2) Aristotle, the soul’s powers
3) Thomas Aquinas on the human soul
4) Thomas Aquinas on the (cognitive) dependence on the body
5) Discussing Aquinas. Scotus and Ockham
6) Some Renaissance views. Sympathy
7) Montaigne, on the force of imagination
8) Descartes: the spectator
9) Descartes on perceptions – Conway on perceptions
10) Elisabeth the materialist: I am a body
11) Class to be determined/recapitulation
Annotation
FALL TERM 2021
MA Module
Should you have any questions, send me an email: anna.tropia@ff.cuni.cz
How much do our bodies determine our personal identity? Far from tracing a sharp line amongst materialists and spiritualists, medieval and Renaissance thinkers had to come to grips with compromises and leave the door open to the following conclusion: bodies do play a great part in determining who we are. This course, that is offered to MA students, will take place in the form of a reading seminar.