Universität Wien

180036 KU Introduction to Buddhist philosophy (2024S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie
Continuous assessment of course work

Hinweis der SPL Philosophie:

Das Abgeben von ganz oder teilweise von einem KI-tool (z.B. ChatGPT) verfassten Texten als Leistungsnachweis (z.B. Seminararbeit) ist nur dann erlaubt, wenn dies von der Lehrveranstaltungsleitung ausdrücklich als mögliche Arbeitsweise genehmigt wurde. Auch hierbei müssen direkt oder indirekt zitierte Textstellen wie immer klar mit Quellenangabe ausgewiesen werden.

Die Lehrveranstaltungsleitung kann zur Überprüfung der Autorenschaft einer abgegebenen schriftlichen Arbeit ein notenrelevantes Gespräch (Plausibilitätsprüfung) vorsehen, das erfolgreich zu absolvieren ist.
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: German

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 19.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 09.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 16.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 23.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 30.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 07.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 14.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 21.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 28.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 04.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 11.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 18.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock
  • Tuesday 25.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal. 2H NIG 2.Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This course is an introduction to Buddhist philosophy. But what is Buddhist philosophy in the first place? There is no one, homogeneous “Buddhist philosophy”, just as there is, for instance, no one, homogeneous “Western philosophy.” On the one hand, Buddhist philosophers have disagreed on almost all philosophical questions. On the other hand, there is a number of commitments that make a philosophical position a Buddhist one. In the course, we will take this broad view of what is Buddhist philosophy and will engage a variety of traditions from different times. Our approach is not historical and exegetical but is driven by a systematic philosophical interest that is influenced by our provenance and interests from Western philosophizing. We will study Buddhist positions on a number of central philosophical issues and areas: Suffering and its overcoming, the person and personal identity, the self, existence, substance and emptiness, truth and reality, physical objects, consciousness, freedom, language, metaphysics, theory of knowledge, ethics, the nature of philosophy. The goal of this course is to get a solid overview of central questions and positions within Buddhist philosophical traditions.

We will approach these topics with the help of contemporary authors and will primarily use the following book:

Mark Siderits (2007): „Buddhism as Philosophy.“ Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing

A willingness to work through English texts is thus a prerequisite for this course.

Assessment and permitted materials

The overall grade is the result of weighted individual grades on: short presentation, glossary entry, final exam.

The grade of the 80-minutes, written final exam counts the most towards the overall grade. The final exam will be held during the last regular session and will consist of a number of short questions and a few longer questions, which need to be answered in prose text. These longer questions will come from a list of questions that will be handed out prior to the exam.

By enrolling in this course, you agree that Turnitin, a plagiarism software, will check all of your work submitted on Moodle.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

You may miss a maximum of two sessions without sanction. Your work needs to be submitted before the deadline. If you miss the first session without letting me know, you will be unregistered from the course.

Examination topics

The final exam will be about the weekly readings as well as the glossary, which participants co-create over the course of the semester.

Reading list

We will mostly read the following book in the course:
Mark Siderits (2007): „Buddhism as Philosophy.“ Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing

These books also provide great introductions and overview:
David Burton (2017). “Buddhism: A Contemporary Philosophical Investigation.” New York: Routledge
Jay Garfield (2015). „Engaging Buddhism: Why It Matters to Philosophy”. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Stephen J. Laumakis (2008). “An Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy.” Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Th 14.03.2024 16:26