Loyola University Chicago

Department of Philosophy

PHIL 306: 19th Century Philosophy

PHIL 306: 19th Century Philosophy

The Generic Catalog Description

The development of post-Kantian philosophy from idealism to phenomenology. Readings of sources and critical evaluations.


PHIL 306: 19th Century Philosophy: Hegel

James Blachowicz

This course will introduce students to Hegel. The first quarter of the course will provide some historical context for the special problems on which Hegel concentrated: two or three classes on classical metaphysical issues in Plato & Aristotle, as well as in Descartes, Leibniz and Hume; three classes on Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. The second quarter of the course will focus on Hegel's "Preface" to his Phenomenology of Spirit, which will aid us in getting a sense of his system. The second half of the course will examine his smaller logic from the Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences. The "Introduction" to this work also provides an overview of his entire system; we will consider it as well as major sections of Hegel's Logic.


PHIL 306: 19th Century Philosophy

The purpose of this class is to explore several of the major thinkers of 19th century European philosophy.  We will use Kant as a foundation for the ideas presented in the other works we will read: Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche.  Our focus will be on understanding the primary texts as well as the connections between the philosophers. The 19th century European philosophy begins with attempts to find a system that would assure the possibility of absolute (certain) knowledge. It ends with attempts to redefine philosophy so that it is characterized by subjective certainty.  It is amazing not only to have such a change occurring within one century, but it is even more amazing to have the interlocutors reading and responding to one another. 

I plan on conducting the class as a seminar, therefore it will be very important to have done the reading and come to class with questions and comments.  I will not lecture.    

Required Texts:
Hegel, The Phenomenology of Spirit, Oxford
The Marx-Engels Reader, ed., Tucker, Norton
A Kierkegaard Reader, ed. Bretall, Princeton
Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Vintage