"Eye to Ages Past & Future: Philosophers of History"

Instructor:
Harold Rosen – Master's Degrees in Religion, Philosophy & Education

To Register:
604-822-1444 or www.cstudies.ubc.ca

Schedule:

6 Wednesday afternoons, 1-3pm, March 7 to April 11, 2012

Location:

Tapestry at Westbrook Village, UBC (3338 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6S 0A6)

Course Description:

What is the meaning of history? Can we discern its most significant stages and developments? Does our past reveal an overall purpose or direction? What light do the grand theories cast on our present world? Are the patterns clear enough to envision our likely future? What lessons might we draw from the sweep of humanity's story? In this course, we explore basic ideas of some of the most influential and controversial observers of our journey through time.

Session 1 – "Grand Unity": Confucius (d 479 bce) & Kang Youwei (d 1927)
Session 2 – "Providence & Social Solidarity": Augustine (d 430) & Ibn Khaldun (d 1406)
Session 3 – "Humanity & History": Herder (d 1803) & Hegel (d 1831)
Session 4 – "Dialectical Materialism & Equality": Marx (d 1883)
Session 5 -- "Philosophy of Civilization": Schweitzer (d 1965) & Jaspers (1969)
Session 6 -- "Decline, Challenge & Response": Spengler (d 1936) & Toynbee (d 1975)