The making of the West: From Descartes to Rorty

Elective Course

The main purpose of this course is to introduce students to ideas and concepts that have shaped Western civilisation, particularly Europe. It seeks to demonstrate that the current project of European unification is best understood against a specific historical background which made it possible conceptually and feasible politically. For example, the evolution of the concept of European citizenship can be traced back to Rene Descartes, who presaged the notion of moral autonomy; to Jean Jacques Rousseau, who conceptualised a Social Contract and the republican notion of citizenship; Immanuel Kant, who foresaw the need for transcending the boundaries of nation-states; and finally and more recently to Jürgen Habermas, who revived these ideals after the devastating experience of the two world wars in Europe.