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OBS 101 Introduction to Philosophy

Program : Baccalaureate in Philosophy Semester : S1 Credits : 02 Teacher : rev. Dr Sankoorikal Martin & Alias Manoj Francis Aim The course Introduction to Philosophy aims at introducing seminarians to the world of philosophy. First of all, we discuss the necessity of philosophical education for future priests, and then, we attempt to answer some basic questions: (1) what is philosophy? (2) how to philosophise? (3) how to avoid fallacies in reasoning? (4) how to write a good philosophical work? and (5) how do different philosophical treatises emerge as a result of a philosopher’s search for wisdom? References Katen, T., Doing Philosophy, New Jersey, 1973. Thiroux, J., Philosophy: Theory and Practice, New York, 1985. Maritain, J., An Introduction to…

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OBS 119 Introduction to Indian Philosophy

Program : Baccalaureate in Philosophy Semester : S1 Credits : 02 Teacher : rev. Dr Cheranthuruthy Anto Aim       This course, which is divided into two parts, is intended to give a preliminary understanding of Hinduism and the Indian philosophical literature. The first part begins with the discussion of how Indian Philosophy is characteristically different from the western philosophy. The second part exposes the Vedic literature, which is the foundation of Indian philosophical tradition and then explores the Upanishads, the epics and the Bhagavad Gita. The course is designed in such a way that it would introduce the students the historical development of Indian Philosophy up to the development of the heterodox systems. References S. Chatterjee & Datta, An Introduction…

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OBS 116 History of Modern Western Philosophy

Program : Baccalaureate in Philosophy Semester : S4 Credits : 05 Teacher : Rev. Dr Sankoorikal Martin Aim This course starts with an introduction to the main happenings in the western world which triggered the dawn of modern philosophy, viz., Renaissance, Reformation and Enlightenment. During this period there is radical shift in the worldview of the western world, from heliocentric to geocentric, from God-centeredness to Man-centeredness, from religious to secular, from social to individualistic. The radical change in the perspectives reflected in the modern philosophy and in its development. This course examines in some detail the rationalist (Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz) and empiricist (Locke, Berkeley and Hume) philosophies and their synthesis attempted by Kant. The course aims not only at…

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OBS 115 History of Medieval Western Philosophy

Program : Baccalaureate in Philosophy Semester : S3 Credits : 05 Teacher : rev. Dr Kuttikadan John Lindo Aim We begin our discussion by explaining how the Christian apologists of the pre-medieval period defended their faith against the heretics by making use of Greek philosophical concepts and confidently attempting a harmonious blend of faith and reason. We discuss in some detail the philosophy of the great medieval thinkers such as St. Augustine, Boethius, St. Anselm of Canterbury, St. Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus and William of Ockham. We also present the ideas of Avicenna, Al-Ghazali, Averroes and Moses Maimonides. References Gilson, E., History of Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages, London, 1955. Copleston, F., A History of Philosophy: Medieval Philosophy, Vol.…

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OBS 120 History of Indian Philosophy (Heterodox)

Program : Baccalaureate in Philosophy Semester : S3 Credits : 03 Teacher : Rev. Dr Madathisseril Sebastian Aim This course is a study of the three the Indian Heterodox systems (Nastikadarsanas) such as Carvaka, Buddhism and Jainism. Essential characteristics of Indian thought, the teachings of the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita are introduced in the beginning of the course It will discuss the metaphysics, epistemology and the ethical systems of these three counter movements. This course is intended to make learners aware of the rich heritage and aims in creating a sense of universal human hood and a living spirituality. References Vellarackal, Paul, Darsanas: Classical Indian Philosophy (Kottayam: OIRSI, 2016). Sharma, Chandrahar, A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy (Delhi:…

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OBS 117 History of Contemporary Western Philosophy

Program : Baccalaureate in Philosophy Semester : S5 Credits : 05 Teacher : rev. Dr Neelanirappel Johnson Aim The purpose of this course is to engage both the minds and hearts to a more systematization and innovative horizon of the latest philosophical trends something that has missed during the modern period. Many of the older mechanisms and the theoretical formulations lack the capacity to solve the problem of the modern times. The period heralds the rise of analytical and continental philosophy which gave philosophical thinking a new direction shifting the attention from the traditional topics. There are a good number of European thinkers who paved the way for the contemporary philosophy. Obviously, the impetus of the discussion derives from the…

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OBS 114 History of Ancient Greek Philosophy

Program : Baccalaureate in Philosophy Semester : S3 Credits : 05 Teacher : Rev. Dr Madathisseril Sebastian Aim In the History of the Ancient Philosophy, we will elaborate general historical and geographical plan of ancient philosophy. Firstly, we will see how to understand the name of ‘pre-Socratic philosophers’. To accomplish this objective, there will be reading of a selection of the fragments and of the testimonies on pre-Socratic philosophers. Then we will continue with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, on the relativity of human wisdom versus absolute divine wisdom. And also explain the Hellenistic philosophical schools such as sceptical, epicurean and stoic; then finally we will arrive at the Neo-platonic schools and the commentaries on this will point out the continuity…

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OBS 111 Ethics (Moral Philosophy)

Program : Baccalaureate in Philosophy Semester : S5 Credits : 07 Teacher : rev. Dr Sankoorikal Martin Francis & rev. Dr Vettaparambil George Xavier Aim The course entitled Ethics focuses on the relevance of the study of moral philosophy. Primarily it enquires the question “why human being should be moral?” To achieve this end, an overview of the historical development of moral philosophy is undertaken. The main intention is to enable the students to have a solid and coherent foundations of moral philosophy rooted in Christian faith. In this regard, the foundations of moral philosophy are analysed with the support of classical authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure. Moreover, a critical appraisal of different types of morality…

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OBS 106 Epistemology (Philosophy of Knowledge)

Program : Baccalaureate in Philosophy Semester : S4 Credits : 07 Teacher : rev. Dr Maramattam Xavier Aim This topic is an inquiry into the nature, origin and possibility of true and certain knowledge. We begin with a discussion on the reasons for considering epistemology as a foundational treatise in philosophy, which is followed by an in-depth analysis of some important themes such as (1) the nature of knowledge, (2) conditions for knowledge, (3) theories of truth, (4) sources of knowledge, (5) epistemology and hermeneutics (6) knowledge and society and (7) religious knowledge. References Audi, R., Epistemology: A Contemporary Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge, 3rd ed., London, 2011. Karuvelil, G., Epistemology, Pune, 1997. Therukaattil, G., In Quest of Truth,…

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OBS 123 Contemporary Indian Thought

Program : Baccalaureate in Philosophy Semester : S6 Credits : 04 Teacher : Rev. Dr. Chundamthadam Stephen Aim The task of this course is to familiarize the students with the modern and contemporary Indian thinkers, the main themes they have discussed. In the first part, we will review the contributions of the great philosophers of both modern and contemporary India beginning with Raja Ram Mohan Roy. We shall select a few of these thinkers such as Rama Krishna Parama Hamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Dayananda Saraswati, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Rabindranath Tagore, Aurobindo, Dr. Ambedkar, Jiddhu Krishnamoorti, Jawaharlal Nehru, Ramana Maharshi, Amartya Sen etc. In the second part, we discuss the different modern and contemporary Indian religious movements. References T.M.P Mahadevan, Contemporary Indian…

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