Department of Philosophy

Spring Semester 2009
Philosophy 414 E Kant (Kant and Confucianism)
Professor Chung-ying Cheng
Course Syllabus

Wks   Tues    Thurs         Topics/ Themes/ Issues/ Problems/ Assignments
1        1/13        1/15           Historical Background of Kant’s philosophy
                                           10 Philosophers before him: their impact and relevance                
                                           Formation of Kant’s system: Method and Theory
                                           What is the best approach? My innovation  
2        1/20        1/22           Kant and Confucianism: Historical Connection and
                                           Theoretical Link: Autonomy of Human Person: Will / Reason                                      
3        1/27        1/29           What is a Human Person (Self)?
                                           Critique & Critical Method: Experience, Understanding,
                                           Reason, Law, Action
                                           Discussion: Theory and Practice, Which First?
4        2/03        1/05           What Should I Do? Critique of Practical Reason  
                                           Four Duties of Virtues as Perfect and Imperfect
                                            Formulations of Categorical Imperative
                                           A Critique:  Insight from Confucian reflection
5        2/10        2/12          Benevolence as Ground and the only Perfect Duty    
                                           Confucianism as Onto-Cosmo-Humanology: dao / de, li / qi,
                                            ren / yi , tian / ren  etc  
                                            First Short Paper Due    
6        2/17        2/19           Free Will and Moral Law:  Ends and Means
                                           Human Goodness and Human Rights   
                                           Ethics and political philosophy: Justice and Eternal Peace  
                                           Discussion:  Freedom of Will and Human Nature
7        2/24        2/26           What May I Hope?  Religion within Limits of Reason Alone
8        3/02       3/04            What Do I Know?  Critique of Pure Reason          
9        3/09       3/11            Levels of Justification and Their Transcendental Unity
10      3/16       3/18            Understanding Transcendental Deduction
                                           Aesthetics, Analytics, Dialectics, Methods
                                            A meta-categorical framework: question of Ding-an-sich
                                            Second Short Paper Due
11      [3/23       3/25]          Spring Recess: A Thinking Project: What I have Learnt
                                            from the Class                                               
12      3/30       4/01             Synthetic A Priori and Analytic Statements
                                            Antinomies and their resolutions
                                            Discussion: Ultimate Reality: Interpretation and Action    
13      4/06       4/08             Kant in Confucian Terms vs Confucianism in Kantian Terms
                                            From Epistemological Interpretation in Kant to    
                                            Onto-Cosmological Interpretation in Confucius  
14      4/13       4/15             What Do I Value?  Critique of Power of Judgment
                                            Beauty, Sublimity, Harmony and Purposiveness as Values
15     4/20        4/22             Onto-Hermeneutics: Confucian Onto-Ethics and Onto –
                                            Aesthetics                                     
16     4/27        4/29             Integration of Two Perspectives and Two Worlds
                                            Discussion: Confucian- Kantian Humanism
17     5/05                            Retrospect and Prospect:  Final Paper Due

Grading System: Reading Assignments/ Classroom Participation 25% / Short Papers 25%  /  Final Paper 25% /  Take-Home Final Exam 25%