Phil 6420: Kant’s Critique of the Power of Judgment

Time and location: Wednesday 4:30, GS 153

Instructor: Andrew Chignell (ac385)

Office: 228 Goldwin Smith Hall

Description:

An intensive study of Kant's Critique of the Power of Judgment. We'll focus mostly on aesthetics (the beautiful, the sublime, genius, the normativity of taste, the autonomy of aesthetics, etc.) but we will also consider Kant's influential views about teleological judgment, biological explanation, and the moral proof of God’s existence.

Special feature

Serendipitously, my colleague Prof. Peter Gilgen in German Studies is running a course this term on Aesthetic Theory and “the end of art.”  So Prof. Gilgen will be coming to at least some of our sessions, and I’ll go to some of his.  Moreover, there will be at least four days on which we will try to combine forces in different ways (see below).  Two of those days will require that our course meet at his 7.30pm seminar time, rather than at our usual time.  In general, however, I would encourage you to go to his class as much as possible, especially if you are interested in the broader context of the third Critique.

Required text

Kant, Critique of the Power of Judgment, English tr. P. Guyer and E. Matthews. Cambridge UP, 2000. Paperback 2001. ISBN 0-521-34892-7.  Traditionally referred to as ‘KU’ and cited by Ak volume 5 and page number (e.g. KU 5:200).  The unpublished first Introduction is in Ak. volume 20 and included in the CUP translation.

Recommended primary texts

Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, Ak. vols 3 and 4.  English tr. P. Guyer, A. Wood, Cambridge UP, 1998.

Kant, “What Real Progress has Metaphysics made since the time of Leibniz and Wolff?”  (1790 or soon thereafter) In Ak. volume 20.  English translation will be available on Moodle site.

Recommended secondary texts

There will soon be a list of these on the Moodle site, as well as links wherever possible.  Books will be on reserve in the Philosophy reading room (Olin 602).

The best commentary on the first part of the third Critique in English is

Henry Allison, Kant’s Theory of Taste. (Cambridge UP, 2002).

I will be reading through a brand-new book on the entire third Critique by Rachel Zuckert titled Kant on Beauty and Biology (Cambridge UP, 2008).  I’d be happy to have a separate discussion section on this if others are interested.

Also highly recommended, especially given that the author will be visiting our seminar on March 11^th, is:

Rudolf Makkreel, Imagination and Interpretation in Kant: The Hermeneutical Import of the Critique of Judgment. (Chicago, 1990).

Course website:

The course website will be run through Moodle (not Blackboard).  Moodle is a pilot program that Cornell is sampling this year; we will be asked for feedback as to whether we think it is preferable to Blackboard.

Moodle Links and Information: http://moodle.cit.cornell.edu

You will need an account in Moodle to access the course web site. To request a Moodle account, please complete the form at: http://tinyurl.com/667cj4

Support email: moodle@cornell.edu

Ordering texts:

The required book is available for purchase through the Bookery II bookstore (the last independent seller of new books in Ithaca!).  The store is in the Dewitt Mall, 215 North Cayuga St., just off the Commons in beautiful downtown Ithaca.  Gary Weisbrott, the proprietor, will give you a discount if you tell him that you are in this seminar.

Bookery II contact information:

Tel: (607) 273-5055, Fax: (607) 275-9221

Email: Bookery2@hotmail.com

*All of the secondary books can also be ordered for speedy delivery through Bookery II, though I have not pre-ordered them.

Written Work:

1. Daily questions (30%)

Every day at the beginning of class, you will be asked to hand in a question about the reading from Kant for that day.  These questions shouldn’t be longer than a page, but they should demonstrate thoughtful attention to the text and refer to a particular passage or two.  These assignments must be typed. They will be graded on a S/U basis.

2. Term paper (70%)

On Writing a Philosophy paper:

Papers should adhere to some consistent practice of footnoting and citation (Chicago, MLA, etc.).  I don't really mind which one you use as long as you are consistent.  In general, you won't be expected to use secondary sources in this course, but if you do, be sure to cite them.  Here’s the Cornell statement on plagiarism, which we are asked to put in our syllabi:

“Plagiarism, or academic theft, is passing off someone else’s work as your own.  Regardless of your background, you are responsible for not plagiarizing.  See the sections in Cornell’s Policy Notebook on the ‘Code of Academic Integrity’ and ‘Acknowledging the work of others.’  Plagiarism will be prosecuted; it can affect your permanent record.”

On writing a philosophy paper, there is no better on-line guide than Jim Pryor's:

http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html

Help with writing: Cornell has a “walk-in” writing service that is available to people taking this course.  They won’t proofread your papers or edit them, but they will look at your drafts and offer general comments about structure, argumentation, grammar, etc.  More information is available at: www.arts.cornell.edu/writing

Reading Schedule (subject to change): The following is the tentative schedule of primary readings.  Relevant secondary (and additional primary readings) will be distributed/assigned over the course of the semester.

Jan 21:         General Introduction to the course

Jan 28:        Analytic of the Beautiful §§ 1-22, KU 5:201-244

(pp.87-127)

Feb 4:          NO CLASS. (Please go instead to P. Gilgen’s

seminar at 7.30pm and read the Preface and Second Introduction KU 5: 167-198 (pp. 53-84)

Feb 11:        Deduction of Pure Aesth. Judgments §§ 30-42, KU

5:279 – 303 (pp. 160-182)

Feb 18:         7.30pm joint meeting with P. Gilgen’s Seminar

Analytic of the Sublime.  §§ 23-29, KU 5:244-278

(pp. 128-159)

Optional secondary reading: Ch. 1-3 Francis Ferguson, Solitude and the Sublime.

Feb 25:        Deduction, continued.  §§ 43-54, KU 5:303-335

(pp.182-212)

March 4^{:          **}4.30pm joint meeting with P. Gilgen’s Seminar**

Dialectic of Aesth. Power of Judg. §§55-61, KU 5:337-362 (pp.213-2).

Required secondary reading:

Chignell, ”Kant on the normativity of taste: the role of aesthetic ideas” Australasian Journal of Philosophy 85:3 (Sep 2007): 415-433.

Optional secondary reading:

Chignell, “Beauty as a symbol of natural systematicity,” British Journal of Aesthetics 46 (Oct 06): 406-415.

March 11:     **4.30pm joint meeting with P. Gilgen’s Seminar**

             Visit from Prof. Rudolf Makkreel, Emory University

                   (Readings TBA)

March 18:     NO CLASS (spring break)

March 25:     Analytic of the Teleological Power of Judgment

§§62-68, KU 5:352-385 (pp. 233-255)

April 1:       Dialectic of the Teleological Power of Judgment

§§ 69-78, KU 5:385-415 (pp. 257–284)

April 8:       Methodology of the Teleological Power of Judgment

§§ 79-86 KU 5:416-447 (pp. 285-313)

April 15:     Moral Proof of existence of God, and General

Remark on the Teleology §§ 87-91, KU 5:447-484 (pp. 313-346)

April 22:     The First Introduction.  KU 20:295-251 (pp. 3-51)

Discussion of H. Ginsborg (readings TBA)

April 29:     Discussion of H. Arendt (readings TBA)

May 6: Preface and Second Introduction KU 5: 167-198 (pp.

53-84).

**Visit from Prof. Thomas Teufel, Baruch College, CUNY** (other readings TBA)