HIST 317: European Intellectual History: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
Fall 2013
MF 2-:3:20 Wyatt Hall 305
Benjamin Tromly, Department of History
Office: Wyatt 128
Email (preferred method of contacting me): btromly@pugetsound.edu
Telephone: X 3391
Office hours: Mon 10-11; W 2-4 and Fr 12-1 and by appointment (please email)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course examines European intellectual history during the long nineteenth
century, a term referring to the period beginning with the French Revolution and
ending with World War One. This was an age when the continent was
transformed beyond all recognition by the “dual revolutions” of the French
Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. The course examines the different
systems of thought which Europeans generated in order to make sense out of the
tumultuous changes they experienced. We explore a wide range of themes in
European thought during the period, in the process reading texts engaging
questions of politics, culture, science, gender, sexuality, economics, urbanity and
much else. Throughout, the core theme is the attempt to find meaning and value
in a period when old mental structures—whether social, economic, cultural,
scientific, or religious in nature—seemed to be in flux. In this context, a dizzying
range of new systems of thought (“isms”) emerged, inspired adherents and
followers, but ultimately inspired intellectual challenges, leaving behind a sense
of intellectual and moral uncertainty that would characterize the twentieth
century.
The course is organized into four rough periods: 1815-1848, when the emergence
of conservatism, nationalism, and cultural romanticism marked a clear backlash
against the Enlightenment’s heritage of rationalism, materialism and
universalism; 1847-1871, an age marked by thinkers who relied on scientific and
ostensibly more “realistic” answers than the romantic age; 1871-1914, a period
when exploration of seemingly irrational, unconscious and impulsive forms of
human behavior triggered pessimism and confusion; and 1914-1930, when the
fears of an earlier age became a reality with total war and the permanent changes
it brought to Europe.
Several of the more specific goals of this course can be identified:
 To expose students to modern schools of thought which continue to
inform the way we view the world
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To develop an ability to explicate, analyze, and interpret difficult primary
sources, both orally and in writing
To gain expose to intellectual history as a sub-discipline, one which places
ideas in historical context but also requires a creative drawing of
connections between ideas in different periods and in different genres
(scholarly tracts, the novel, diaries etc.)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Participation, 15%: This is a discussion-based class. You are expected to come to
class having done the readings for that day and be prepared to offer
questions and thoughts about them. Full participation in class
discussions—not merely being present—is necessary for a satisfactory
grade in the course.
Four analytical papers, 74%: You will write four analytical papers over the
course of the semester. The length requirements will expand with each
paper, as will the paper’s share of the final grade (papers 1-4 will be
weighted as follows: 12%, 17%, 20% and 25%). The first three papers will
ask you to develop original arguments based on close readings of primary
sources as well as scholarly works we will read in class. The final paper
will have you analyze a primary source in intellectual history which we
have not read and place it in the context of the course. Detailed
explanations of each assignment will be handed out in class well before
the due dates.
Paper and discussion-leading assignment, 6%: Each student will be assigned a
class date (schedule will be provided). On this day, bring a 2 page
minimum (double-spaced) paper to class that a) explores some topic of
interest to you in the readings assigned for that day and b) poses at least a
few questions to the class related to this topic of interest to you. On the
relevant class session, you will initiate our discussion of the source by
drawing on the ideas articulated in your paper and, presumably, by
drawing on the some questions you pose in your paper. You should feel
free to be creative about how you make your presentation to the class, but
the goal should be to spur a lively discussion of the topic or topics you
find important in the reading. The goal of the assignment is twofold: to
draw on your own ideas in leading our class sessions, and to give you
experience in presenting your work in a classroom setting.
Please note that you must be present in class on the appropriate date to
complete this assignment. If you absolutely must be absent for excusable
reason on that day, tell me in advance so that we can reschedule your
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paper/presentation. Your grade for the assignment will be based on both
the paper and the presentation.
Final in-class presentations, 5%: During our final class, you will present an
answer to a question about the overall development of European
intellectual history we have studied. The goal is to reflect broadly on the
course as a whole. I will give further details toward the end of the
semester.
IMPORTANT DATES:
First Paper due, Wed. Sep 25 (Wyatt 128, 4 PM)
Second paper due Wed. Oct. 23 (Wyatt 128, 4 PM)
Third Paper due Fri. Nov 22 in class
Final paper due at start of exam period
In-class presentations on Dec. 9
OTHER COURSE INFORMATION:
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Attendance at all class meetings is expected. Each unexcused absence is
viewed with irritation and dismay; after two unexcused absences, the final
grade in the course will be dropped by half a letter grade. I reserve the
right to withdraw students from the class for excessive absences (defined
as six or more unexcused absences).
If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that
may impact your course work, please contact Peggy Perno, Director of
Disability Services, 105 Howarth Hall, 253-879-3395 as soon as possible.
She will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and
appropriate. All information and documentation are confidential.
You are strongly encouraged to review UPS’s policies on academic
honesty and plagiarism as detailed in the Academic Handbook.
http://www.pugetsound.edu/student-life/student-resources/studenthandbook/academic-handbook/. Plagiarism will result in a 0 on the
assignment in question, with greater penalties possible.
All assignments must be submitted at the start of class on the due date. If
you submit a late paper, be sure to submit a hard copy to my office along
with an electronic copy. Late papers will be penalized at the rate of ½ a
letter grade per day late (a ‘B’ paper handed in two days late becomes a
‘B-‘) and will not be accepted more than five calendar days following the
due date. Please notify me before the paper is due if health or family
emergencies prevent you from submitting work.
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I strongly encourage you to visit me in office hours. There is no need to
schedule an appointment during scheduled office hours. If you are
unavailable during these times, please contact me in advance by email.
The best way to reach outside of class is via email. I try to respond to
email as quickly as possible, but I cannot promise that I will respond
promptly to messages sent on weekends or holidays.
On occasion, I will send emails to the class to provide you with reading
questions and important contextual information. While the exact timing of
these emails will vary, I will send them at least a few days before the class
in question whenever possible. I encourage you to read these messages
carefully, as they will help you prepare for class and perform successfully
in the course.
GRADING CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING WRITTEN WORK:
An “A” paper contains a perceptive, original, and compelling central argument
which reflects an original perspective. It is clearly written, well-organized into
sub-arguments, and supported by a variety of specific examples drawn from the
readings.
A “B” paper is a solid effort which demonstrates a good grasp on the course
materials. But a “B” paper might have one or more shortcomings. It might
provide a summary of ideas and information drawn directly from readings and
discussions without independent thought or synthesis. Or it might give evidence
of independent thought yet suffer from unclear and/or unconvincing
presentation of an argument, a lack of textual evidence, or be sloppily written.
A “C” paper shows a decent grasp on the course material but lacks a thorough or
accurately defended argument. A paper receiving a grade lower than “C” suffers
from more serious shortcomings, such as not responding adequately to the
assignment, frequent factual errors, the lack of a cohesive thesis, poor
organization, unclear writing, or a combination of these problems.
NOTE: We will discuss paper assignments in class in advance of due dates. I am
happy to discuss writing assignments before or after you have written them.
Although I do not usually read full drafts of papers, I am happy to look at a
thesis statement or a section of a paper.
GETTING HELP WITH WRITING: Anyone can become a better writer. The UPS
Center for Writing and Learning is has a mission to help all students, at whatever
level of ability, become better writers. I strongly urge you to take advantage of
its services. To make an appointment, call 879-3404, email writing@ups.edu, or
drop by Howarth 109.
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COURSE TEXTS:
The following titles are available for purchase at the Campus Bookstore and
through online services. They are also available on two-hour reserve at Collins
Memorial Library.
Hannu Salmi, Nineteenth-Century Europe: A Cultural History (Cambridge, UK:
Polity, 2008).
Charles Hirschfeld and Edgar E. Knoebel, The Modern World (New York:
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980).
Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev, Fathers and Children, trans. Michael R. Katz (New
York: W.W. Norton, 2009).
H. G. Wells, The Time Machine (New York: Dover Publications, 1995).
Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents (New York: W.W. Norton, 1989).
Course Reader
Readings are in the course reader available for purchase from the bookstore
(listed as “CR” in the schedule of readings below). Purchasing the course reader
and lugging it to class is required. Other readings are available on moodle.
On background reading: students who feel they would benefit from reviewing
the historical context of Europe during the period in question can consult a
textbook for the period. Please contact me, as I might have stray copies of
appropriate texts in my office.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
NOTE: All reading assignments are to be completed before the class meeting for which
they are listed (for Sep 9 you are to have read Condorcet and Baker) Please bring to class
the syllabus, the assigned readings for the day, and your reading notes.
ANOTHER NOTE: The course reader materials are often not found in the same order in
the syllabus as in the table of contents of the reader. Everything marked (CR) will be in
the course reader somewhere, just scroll down the T of C to find the relevant item.
YET ANOTHER NOTE: The questions listed below under “PREP” are just that—some
questions meant to help you focus on core issues in the (sometimes dense) texts and,
thereby, to add to your confidence in discussing them. It is not advisable that you focus
on these questions for your paper and discussion-leading assignments, unless a question I
pose is one you really want to explore. Also, you should not feel that the questions I
highlight are the only important ones, of course—our discussions will be guided by your
questions as well as by mine.
F Sep. 6: Introduction to Course and Historical Context
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Excerpt from Stefan Collini, “What is Intellectual History?”
I. The French Revolution and the age of ideologies (roughly 1789-1848)
M Sep. 9: Condorcet and the Modern Mindset
Antoine Nicolas de Condorcet, “The Progress of the Human Mind,” in The
Modern World
Keith Michael Baker, “On Condorcet’s “Sketch,’” Daedalus, 133, no. 3 (2004): 5664. (moodle)
PREP:
-We start our class with the Enlightenment, the eighteenth-century movement
which provides the immediate context for the ideas we will explore this
semester. Perhaps more than any other thinker, Condorcet embodied common
positions in Enlightenment thought: the belief in reason’s ability to solve social
and political problems, the assumption that people can be improved through
enlightenment, and the concomitant idea of progress. How does Condorcet
substantiate his picture of limitless human improvement? What is it about the
past development of the human mind that makes such a rosy picture possible?
-Baker, a foremost scholar on Condorcet, provides a highly sympathetic view of
the piece we have read. How have scholars differed in seeing the origins of the
idea of progress? Does Baker attempt to change the typical image of a selfconfident and even dogmatic Enlightenment?
F Sep. 13: The French Revolution and its Opponents: Conservatism
Peter Fritzsche, Stranded in the Present: Modern Time and the Melancholy of History,
10-32 (CR)
Edmund Burke, “Reflections on the revolution in France,” in The Modern World
OPTIONAL: Marvin Perry, An Intellectual History of Modern Europe, 204-13
PREP:
-The Fritzsche reading is a chapter from a longer study about the role of history
in European thinking in the nineteenth century. It offers an overview of the
French Revolution’s impact on mass consciousness in the period. Some questions
worth pondering include: What was new and unprecedented about the ideas of
the revolutionaries? Why did the revolution lead to a sense of “permanent moral
insecurity” (24 of F)? How did the revolution and the emergence of an
“ideological age” challenge “Enlightenment conceptions of history” (26 of F)?
-Burke is widely considered the most important conservative thinker of the
period. On what grounds does he criticize the Revolution and the Enlightenment
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ideas that inspired it? Given the picture Fritzsche gives of the costs of the
revolution, is Burke’s a persuasive critique? Of course, progressive thinkers have
seen conservatism as reactionary, backward, and sterile. Are such critiques
applicable to Burke?
-What would be Burke’s primary objections to the Condorcet piece we read?
How might Condorcet respond to such criticisms?
M Sep. 16: Industrialism and ‘Utopian’ Socialism
Hannu Salmi, Nineteenth-Century Europe, chapters 1-2
Charles Fourier, from Theory of Social Organization (1820) and H. Saint-Simon,
Lettres d'un habitant de Genève à ses contemporains (1803) (moodle)
PREP:
-Of course, against the backdrop of the aftermath of the French Revolution and
Napoleon, another major transformation was gaining steam (clearly, no pun
intended) in industrialism. The “Industrial Revolution” was hardly an abrupt
process, and a very uneven one: most areas of Europe were still agricultural in
the first half of the nineteenth century and some countries had very little modern
industry. But the new form of production clearly had revolutionary implications
for those who experienced it. The utopian socialists (this negative
characterization came from Marx and Engels) were thinkers who sought to
suggest alternatives to the social order taking shape in Europe. As the readings
of Fourier and Saint-Simon will show, they were a diverse lot. What were the
characteristics of Fourier’s “Phalanx” as a unit of social organization? In what
ways is Saint-Simon’s view of a future society different? Indeed, are there any
similarities here? Is the classification of “utopian” useful in considering these
thinkers?
F Sep. 20: Culture of the Romantic Movement
Salmi, Nineteenth-Century Europe, chapter three
Ludwig Tieck, “The Runenberg,” in Six German Romantic Tales (CR)
PREP:
-Salmi provides an excellent overview of the emergence of the “conditions for
creative activity” (43) in the early nineteenth century. What economic, social and
cultural developments made this century an age of “worship of art”?
-How does Salmi define “Romanticism”? What trends in creative endeavors was
it directed against? What were different ways that romantic sensibilities played
out in politics in the period? Are there connections between Romantic art and
Burke’s conservatism?
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-Tieck’s story is a classic of German Romanticism. What do you make of Tieck’s
style, insofar as it is conveyed in translation? Why does Christian eschew
gardening for the mountains? What happens to him at the Runenberg ruins?
What are the recurring symbols in the text, and what might they represent? How
does Tieck’s story reflect the core tenets of Romanticism as described by Salmi
(emotion, imagination, originality, affinity to nature, individualism etc.)
M Sep. 23: The Birth of Modern Nationalism
Hannu Salmi, Nineteenth-Century Europe, chapter four
Johann Gottlieb Fichte, “Address to the German Nation, 1807” (CR)
PREP:
-Salmi provides an excellent overview of the study of nationalism in this period.
What are some broad explanations for the rise of nationalism in this period
(Gellner on 59, Hobsbawm)? Why are intellectuals, artists, professors and other
“cultural elites” so critical to nationalism in the period? According to Salmi, what
is the relationship between nationalism and religion? Nationalism and gender
divisions?
-Fichte is a highly influential articulation of German nationalism. How does
Fichte explain what is special about Germans with relation to other nations?
What is the immediate context for Fichte’s lectures, and why do you think they
were received so well by cultural elites in Germany? Does Fichte’s vision of the
nation have any relationship to Burke’s conservatism, or the Romantic
worldview we have discussed?
First Paper due, Wed. Sep 25 (Wyatt 128)
F Sep. 27: Hegelianism and its Role in European Thought
Excerpt on Hegel from Marvin Perry, An Intellectual History of Modern Europe,
190-200 (CR)
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, “Reason in History,” from The Modern World
PREP:
-Hegel is one of the most important thinkers of the nineteenth century, although
a challenging one to read. Perry gives a great overview of Hegelianism. How did
Kantian philosophy provide the starting point for Hegel? In particular, how does
Hegel arrive at the notion of a “universal spirit” in history? How does Hegel
explain the role of the state, and how does it differ from other views of
governance, such as contract theory?
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-Are there any fruitful comparisons to be made between Hegel and Burkean
conservatism? Does Hegel’s depiction of progress bear any resemblance to
Condorcet? How about Hegel and nationalism?
II. The Age of Science and Realism (roughly 1848-1871)
M Sep. 30: Rationalist Schemes: Utilitarianism and liberalism
Jeremy Bentham, excerpt from An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and
Legislation (1789) (moodle)
Excerpts from John Stuart Mill, Autobiography (to be handed out and placed on
moodle)
Mill, “On Liberty” (1859), in the Modern World (read the first “Introductory
section” at least)
PREP:
-Bentham, the founder of the theory of utilitarianism. How does he seek to apply
principles of Pleasure and Pain to reorganize society? Do you see any immediate
problems with this theory?
-Mill, the most influential liberal of the century, charts his attachment to
Benthamite utilitarianism (facilitated by his despotic father, a close friend of
Bentham who drilled utilitarian principles into him from early childhood) and
his disillusionment with it. How did Mill and his friends seek to change society?
What did they find appealing about utilitarianism? Does our reading of early
nineteenth century thought help to explain such an embrace of rationalistic
principles? Why does Mill come to doubt his philosophical principles and how
does he eventually overcome them? Finally, glance at the first part of “on
Liberty,” Mills’s famous articulation of liberal thought. How does Mill explain
the need for rule by the majority and individual liberty? How is the principle of
utility invoked here?
F Oct. 4: Marxism
Excerpt on Marx from Marvin Perry, An Intellectual History of Modern Europe, 254266 (CR)
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, “The Communist Manifesto,” in The Modern
World
Excerpt from Karl Marx, Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844
(moodle)
PREP:
Marxism is the most important radical ideology of the modern age, in large part
because it represents a program of political action, a way of understanding
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society, and a theory of history and humanity. The Manifesto is the most
consolidated articulation of Marxism. Consider the following issues:
-Explain what Marx and Engels meant by the statement that "the history of all
hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles."
-According to Marx and Engels, what are the classes of capitalist society and why
do they "struggle"?
-Why do Marx and Engels say that previously the bourgeoisie had played "a most
revolutionary part" in history?
-Why do Marx and Engels call the bourgeoisie "its own grave digger"?
-According to Marx and Engels, how had industrialization "created" a proletariat,
and why was the working class a revolutionary force?
-What did Marx and Engels say was necessary to have real freedom?
-What does the Manifesto say about the nature of the "bourgeois" family, marriage,
and nationality?
For the estranged/alienated labor selection, consider the following questions:
What did Marx say was wrong with "political economy"?
-According to Marx, why is labor a commodity? Why is the product of a worker's
labor an "alien object"?
-What did Marx mean by "the relationship of the worker to production," and why
is the worker alienated by the act of production?
-According to Marx, why is the "fact" that man is alienated in the process of labor
and from labor's products both dehumanizing and socially alienating?
-According to Marx, what is the relationship of "the capitalist" to labor, and how is
this relationship connected to alienation?
M Oct. 7: Questioning the Position of Women in Europe
Salmi, Nineteenth-Century Europe, chapter five
J. S. Mill, Margaret Oliphant and the Lancet newspaper (1869) in Susan G. Bell,
and Karen M. Offen, Women, the Family, and Freedom: The Debate in Documents,
359-366, 391-405 (CR)
PREP:
-Salmi offers an evocative picture of what is customarily called the ideal of
domesticity in middle class culture of the nineteenth century. Why was the home
so important to the bourgeoisie? How was the freedom of women constricted as
a result of this focus on domestic contexts?
- The introductory section to the Bell and Offen reading is dense but very useful.
According to the authors, what was the new “authoritative language” of men
who desired to uphold patriarchal arrangements? What were different ways that
advocates for women respond to the institutional, social and cultural place of
women in bourgeois society (361)? Where did women’s rights tend to fall on the
political spectrum? Were there meaningful national differences at work?
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-As Bell and Offen show, Mill’s text was a hugely important work in the history
of feminism. How does Mill address the question of biological differences
between men and women? According to Mill, why is female inequality
inconsistent with the spirit of modern times? What harm comes to society from
its interdiction of opportunities for women?
-Who was Margaret Oliphant? What is her major criticism of Mill’s work? Does
Oliphant have any sympathy for the cause of granting women more rights?
F Oct. 11: Turgenev, Fathers and Children (in fact, Fathers and Children)
Turgenev, Fathers and Children, chapters 1-20
PREP (for both days):
I am assigning this novel because it engages some of the ideas we have discussed
thus far: the sense of rupture in the nineteenth century, utilitarianism and the
cult of science, Romanticism, nationalism, the position of women (to name a
few). It was published in 1861, a year after the Russian Tsar Alexander II
announced the liberation of the serfs (until then, Russian peasants were almost
totally dependent and subordinate to landowners in the manner of slaves). Here
are some questions:
- Turgenev’s novel is often seen as a work of “realism,” a dominant trend in the
arts of the period that stressed positivistic and straightforward subject matter
and technique and was often geared to social criticism. How is the relationship
between master and serf depicted in the novel? Is Turgenev as author taking a
stance on serfdom or other social ills? How do the main characters relate to
Fenichka?
-Who is Bazarov and what is the meaning of his “nihilism”? How is Arkadii
different than Bazarov? How does the relationship between Arkady and Bazarov
change over the course of the novel?
- How do the fathers and sons differ in their philosophy and politics? Their
manners? Is this simply a reflection of a generation gap, or does the rift reflect a
larger crisis in Russian society? How does Bazarov relate to his parents
differently than Arkadii? Why is there a great deal of tension between Bazarov
and Arkady's uncle Pavel?
-What do the different characters think about Russia as a nation? Is this also a
matter for divergence between fathers and children?
-There are four love stories intertwined in the novel. What purpose do they serve
for the novel? Are women as a whole depicted differently than men by
Turgenev? Recall our discussion of the “woman question” – how might early
“feminists” comment on this novel?
-In chapter 13, we are given a satirical account of two “progressive” thinkers,
Mrs. Kukshin and Sitnikov, the characterization of whom is obviously satirical.
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What is the purpose of this satire? What is the basic difference between Bazarov
and the two "emancipated” comrades?
-What do you make of the ending? Is Pisarev’s criticism on the meaning of
Bazarov and Turgenev’s agenda in depicting him a fair one?
M Oct. 14: Turgenev, Fathers and Children continued
Turgenev, Fathers and Children, remainder
Dmitrii Pisarev’s reception of novel (in Norton edition)
F Oct. 18: Urbanism and Mass Society in European Culture
Salmi, Nineteenth-Century Europe, chapter six
Charles Baudelaire, “The Painter of Modern Life” (CR)
Excerpt from Georg Simmel, “The Metropolis and Mental Life” (1903) (CR)
PREP:
-Today we examine some intellectual and cultural outcomes of the massive
expansion of cities in the nineteenth century.
-How exactly does Salmi explain how city life involved a “rearticulation of the
relation between the individual and society” (89)? Why did urban centers create
cultural trends such as Dandyism which were so shocking to societies at the
time? Where do women appear in his chapter? What opportunities, if any, did
city life offer to women?
-Salmi gives a lot of background on Baudelaire. What does Baudelaire see as the
basis for Constantine Guys’s brilliance? In what ways is this paean to an artist
similar to and different than the Romantic movement earlier in the century? How
does he define “modernity” as an accomplishment of the artist, and how does he
see artistic value in would attention to the “transitory, fugitive” element in
modern life (142 of original)?
-Written many years later, the German sociologist Simmel provides a highly
negative view of urban life, in the process turning the judgments of Baudelaire
upside down. Why is the city so detrimental to the individual in this account,
“dragging the personality downward into a feeling of its own valuelessness”
(15)? What factors might have persuaded Simmel and other Europeans to see the
city as a force for atomization and degeneracy?
Oct. 21 fall break
III. The Turn to Skepticism and Irrationalism (roughly 1871-1914)
W Oct 23: second paper due at my office, Wyatt 128, 4 PM
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F Oct. 25: Imperialism and Racism
Salmi, Nineteenth-Century Europe, chapter eight and pp 124-8
J. A. Gobineau, Moral and Intellectual Diversity of Races (1856) (CR)
possible other short source TBD
PREP:
-The core questions for this class are how Europeans viewed racial divisions, of
which they were becoming increasingly conscious during the height of
imperialism, and how race informed notions of European identity. Salmi
provides some context on the period of imperialism and its nature as a “cultural
phenomenon” (113). How did Europeans justify and explain their dominance
over the globe? What do you make of Salmi’s discussion of Kipling and what he
sees as “contradictions” in the message of “The White Man’s Burden”? How was
imperialism connected to science?
-Gobineau, as Salmi mentions, was a French pioneer in scientific racism. How
does he classify the different races and what is the basis for his delineations?
How did race affect the behavior, traits and thinking of people? What was
produced by the “intermixture of races” according to Gobineau? What do you
make of his discussion of the lower classes in Europe, and can we connect this to
our readings on the city? How does Gobineau explain his hierarchies of races
according to beauty and strength?
M Oct. 28: Darwinism, Science and History
Roland N. Stromberg, European Intellectual History since 1789, 109-130 (CR)
Darwin excerpt from Bell and Offen, Women, the Family, and Freedom: The Debate
in Documents, 408-411 (CR)
Wells, The Time Machine, Chs. 1-4
PREP:
Questions on the Time Machine will come in due course.
F Nov. 1: Time Machine continued
Wells, The Time Machine, remainder
M Nov. 4 Rewriting Morality: Nietzsche
Roland N. Stromberg, European Intellectual History since 1789, 174-179 (CR)
Friedrich Nietzsche, “The Geneology of Morals,” from The Modern World
PREP:
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-What does Nietzsche mean by the “slave revolt in morals” (488)?
-Why do you think Nietzsche finds the priestly moral code “brilliant” despite
what he sees as its negative consequences (485)?
-Explain the concept of “rancor.” How does it differ from the contempt of master
morality?
-What do you make of Nietzsche’s assertion there is no "doer" behind the "deed"
(494)? How does this point connect to his broader statement about transforming
values? What remains for Nietzsche if there is no subject?
-What, according to Nietzsche, is the origin of bad conscience?
-Do you see any connections here to previous thinkers we have read?
Romanticism? Utilitarianism? Racism? The nihilism of Bazarov?
F Nov. 8: Freud, Sexuality and Women
Salmi, Nineteenth-Century Europe, 128-133
Sigmund Freud, excerpt from “On Dreams” (moodle)
Hannah S. Decker, “Freud's Dora case” in Michael S. Roth, Freud: Conflict and
Culture (CR)
PREP:
-How does Salmi explain the mood of pessimism and insecurity at the turn of the
century? What created the fear of barbarism and a decline of civilization?
-I might offer some questions on the Dreams prior to class.
-On “Dora.” Where did Freud get his patient wrong? Why did he make these
lapses? Were his harmful actions toward Dora mere miscalculations or did they
reflect fundamental flaws in his mode of psychoanalysis? What does Decker
think about this issue?
M Nov. 11: Fin de siècle Culture
Salmi, Nineteenth-Century Europe, 133-139 and “Things to come”
Franz Kafka, “The Metamorphosis” (1915) (CR)
F Nov. 15 Irrationality in Politics
A. James Gregor, Marxism, Fascism, and Totalitarianism: Chapters in the Intellectual
History of Radicalism, chapter four (CR)
Georges Sorel, “Reflections on Violence” (CR)
Le Bon, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind (CR)
PREP:
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-On Sorel: What does Gregor have to say about the state of Marxism at the turn
of the century? Why did different Marxist interpretations of current realities and
schools of thought emerge? What was syndicalism?
-How did Sorel break with doctrinaire Marxism (pp 84-6)? What intellectual
influences did Sorel draw on to argue against a strictly materialist view of
history? What dangers did he see in contemporary currents of Marxism (see 8991)?
-How did Sorel explain the need for the myth of the general strike?
-Le Bon was on the right of the political spectrum (it is said that Mussolini read
The Crowd tens of times). How does he explain how crowds affect human
behavior? Was there any alternative to allowing crowds to hijack civilization?
Who did understand crowds? Why might such an analysis have resonated at the
time?
-For both thinkers: Do you see any connections to Nietzsche, Freud and Kafka or
other thinkers here?
World War One and the Search for New Answers
M Nov. 18 Responses to war and revolution: Left
Stanley Payne, A History of Fascism, chapter 3 (CR)
Lenin, “State and Revolution” excerpt ONLY, in The Modern World
Excerpt from Ignacio Silone in The God Who Failed (CR) read at least 76-82 and 99114 (of original pagination)
PREP: questions to come on Lenin.
-Silone: Why do you think so many of the communists he described were willing
to risk and sometimes to lose their lives in the period? What was it about
communism that encouraged such self-sacrifice?
-Silone provides a rich discussion of the Comintern, the Third Communist
International founded by the Bolsheviks which contained the different
communist parties of the period. How did the Russian communists and Stalin
approach this organization and the other communist parties? Why exactly did
Silone earn the wrath of the Comintern leaders and fellow communists? How
was it possible for communists to be as cynical as Silone describes?
F Nov. 22 Film and European culture (and paper due!)
Salmi, Nineteenth-Century Europe, chapter 7
Paper three due in class
M Nov. 25: Responses to war and revolution: Right
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Alfredo Rocco, “The Political Doctrine of Fascism” (1925) (CR)
At least a few pages of Adolf Hitler, “Mein Kampf,” from The Modern World
PREP: What is Rocco’s criticism of the previous few centuries of European
political thought? Do you find any flaws in his account?
-How does Rocco explain why fascism’s critics are so dismissive of it as an
intellectual system?
-What are the core values that fascism proposes in place of the “atomistic,
materialist” schools it opposes?
-Where would you situate Italian fascism in the history of Western thought we
have examined? What are its influences? How does Hitler’s worldview differ
from Rocco?
Nov. 27-29 Thanksgiving
Dec. 2 Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents
~Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, chs. 1-4
PREP (both classes);
- Chapter 1: How, according to Freud, do we come to realize that there are things
outside of our selves (or ego)?
-How does he use this idea to explain the "feelings" of religion?
-What is the point of Freud's discussion of the archeology of Rome?
Chapter 2: What does Freud mean when he says that ordinary people's
understanding of religion is "infantile"?
-What does Freud mean by "the pleasure-principle"? How does this relate to the
idea of "happiness"?
-What does he mean by "libido-displacement" and what does this have to do with
the pleasure principle? What does this have to do with art and culture? Religion?
Love?
-What is Freud's main point in this chapter?
Chapter 3: What does Freud consider the three sources of human suffering?
-Why does Freud say that civilization has been a cause of human misery? Why is
modern man hostile to civilization?
-What does Freud mean by culture? What does he consider achievements of
culture and why?
-Why does civilization also require beauty, cleanliness, and order?
-How does Freud link the idea of libidinal sublimation {displacement-see above} to
civilized activities?
Chapter 4: Describe the "primitive family." Why was it not civilized?
How does Freud explain the evolution of the first laws (totems)?
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How does Freud use the need for physical love (eroticism) to explain the
emergence of culture?
How does "inhibited" love (friendliness) bind society together?
Why is there a rift (a contradiction) between love and culture? The family and
society?
Dec. 6 Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents continued
~Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, remainder
PREP:
Chapter 5: How does Freud explain the conflict between sexuality and civilization?
-Why does Freud have difficulty with the proposition "Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself"?
-Why are we inclined towards aggression, and how does this require us to be
cultured?
What does Freud mean by saying that "Civilized society is perpetually menaced
with disintegration through this primary hostility of men towards one another"?
Chapter 6: How does Freud use the idea that hunger and love are the fundamental
motivations of humans to derive the idea of a "death instinct"?
-How does Freud derive from the idea of a death instinct the idea that a tendency
towards aggression is innate and instinctual?
-How does this chapter help Freud explain "the riddle" of the evolution of culture?
Chapter 7: How does Freud define "guilt," and where does guilt come from?
-Why does he say that "bad conscience" is the dread of loosing love?
-What does he mean by super-ego, and how and why does it create guilt? What
about the dread of authority?
-What does Freud mean by saying that man's guilt goes back to the murder of the
father?
-Why does Freud consider it a necessary conclusion that civilization brings the
intensification of the felling of guilt?
Chapter 8:
-Why does Freud consider the sense of guilt the most important problem in the
evolution of culture? What is the price of progress? Why?
-Why, according to this chapter, has civilization led to greater aggression?
Finally, think also about Civilization and its Discontents in the context of the other
thinkers we have read this semester. Are these ideas rooted in the Enlightenment,
Romanticism or both? Are there any similarities to Marx, Darwin or Wells, or
Nietzsche? In what ways does this work reflect its date of publication (1930)?
Dec. 9 In-class presentations
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Note: this syllabus is subject to change as needed for the successful outcome
of the course.
Paper and discussion-leading assignment dates
M Oct. 7 Doyle,Emily Clare
F Oct. 11: Egan,Samuel Cameron
M Oct. 14: Garner,Nate E
M Oct. 28: Greenfield,Scott M
F Nov. 1: Hayman,Alexander Kai-Tian
M Nov. 4: Hopewell,Natalie Taylor
F Nov. 8: Morse,Quentin Hayward
M Nov. 11: Rathje,William John
F Nov. 15: Samuelson,Alexandra Rae
M Nov. 25: Stewart,Charles Prescott
Dec. 2: Taquin,Julie Margueritte
Dec. 6: Temple,Robin Sharlene
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