851-0280-00L  Beginnings

SemesterSpring Semester 2020
LecturersC. Jany
Periodicitynon-recurring course
Language of instructionGerman


Abstract"All beginnings are difficult,” goes the saying, “but without them there wouldn't be endings." However, what makes beginnings so difficult? What kind of action is that? Which knowledge does it presuppose? And what would a beginning say about the end? We will pursue these questions by reading sacred, philosophical, literary, and scientific texts that, each in its own way, make a beginning.
Learning objective- thorough reading and critical analysis of the texts
- reflections on the historical and epistemological function of fictional origins such as cosmological myths, foundationalist philosophy, and poetic incantations
- rhetorical analysis of foundational acts carried out in thought and writing
- introduction of the problem of justifying knowledge