Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0259 - Thinking the Absolute

Can we grasp the way the world really is, or are our concepts and ideas always mediated by conceptual schemes, linguistic categories, and social positioning? While the latter view has dominated philosophy and cultural theory for the past half century, the former view has become increasingly prominent. This course will examine the work of a variety of philosophers who argue that our thought can grasp "the absolute": the neo-materialism of Manuel DeLanda, Jane Bennett, Catherine Malabou, and Karen Barad; the neo-rationalism of Alain Badiou, Quentin Meillassoux, and Ray Brassier; and the object-oriented ontology of Graham Harman and Timothy Morton. The course will also consider important influences on new realist thought such as Wilfrid Sellars and Paul and Patricia Churchland.

Writing and Research In this course, students are expected to spend approximately 6 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.