Kant's Critique of Pure Reason

This is a structured course that takes you through Kant's forbidding magnum opus, the Critique of Pure Reason. A badge of honour for philosophers, finishing and understanding the First Critique is truly an achievement!

Kant is probably the most important modern philosopher: if you're going to read one philosophical text it really ought to be this one. The First Critique is an intellectually exciting ride that tries to systematically answer questions about the nature of the human mind, skepticism, the possibility of knowledge, the existence of God, free will, logic and rationality.

Because of the size and difficulty of the First Critique, though, you'll probably need some assistance, which is what this course if for. Each one-hour session is split between discussion of the previous reading and preparation for the next section.

You'll need to do quite a bit of reading for each session (sometimes around 70 pages), so depending on your level of commitment you'll probably want to spread the sessions out a bit. We can make an initial plan and it's fine to adjust it as we go if you're getting ahead or falling behind. The point is to complete the reading in whatever time you need.

Because of the challenges this text poses, most students will need some experience of philosophy to survive. My Introduction to Philosophy course, plus a measure of determination, would be enough.

As always I'm happy to work with a small group of students and a reduced cost per head. Having some friends who are working towards the same goal can, in fact, be helpful.