This course is aimed to introduce various schools and major figures in western philosophy since the second half of the 19th century. The philosophy taught in this course can be divided into three parts, that is, the philosophy at the turn of the century, Anglo-American philosophy in the 20th century and continental philosophy in the 20th century. Philosophers introduced in this course include Nietzsche, Bergson, Russell, Wittgenstein, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, and Freud. Besides, this course introduces new trends of thought like postmodernism. By the method of "internal criticism”, the course points out the problems faced by western contemporary philosophy and their possible solutions so that students would have a proper understanding about the trend of world philosophy.
Philosophy
哲学是一门特殊的学问，是与通常局限于某种具体对象的知识体系不同的学问。在汉语中，“哲”是聪明的意思，在希腊文中则意味着爱智慧，所以，按照字义解释，哲学是一种使人聪明、启发智慧的学问。然而，这并不足以表明哲学的实质。哲学作为一门学问，是同人们的世界观联系在一起的，是人们世界观的理论表现形态。因此，哲学是理论化、系统化了的世界观，或者说，是人们世界观的理论体系。
