German Philosophy of History

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

A close study of the development of German philosophy of history from Kant through Nietzsche. The focus will be on the conception of “universal history,” the idea that human history (which for German philosophers of this time largely meant the history of the West as they understood it) exhibited a discernible overall pattern, a direction, and often a goal. The list of authors we will read will include (but probably not be limited to) Kant, Schiller, Fichte, Hegel, Marx, and Nietzsche.