Contact Andrew Cooper for further information.

Week 4: Friday 29 October 2021 - Charles Mills, '"Ideal Theory" as Ideology'

For more information (and if you need help joining the Team), contact Eileen John (eileen.john@warwick.ac.uk).

Law and Morality in Early 20^th Century Marxism 

In this reading group, we examine the relationship of law and morality through the eyes of early 20th century Marxist literature. This was a time of acute crisis in Western political history. The workers’ movement was in tumult, with the ruination of the 2^nd International, the repression of revolutionary fervour in Europe, and the rise of fascism. As old powers crumbled and others arose, the moral status of law came into focus. A new radicalism asked out loud: Is there anything inherently good about the legal order?

In each session, we relate the selected literature to philosophical problems surrounding state, law, and morality. Among other things, we will discuss the critique of natural law, examine the link between history and moral judgments, and have a closer look at the Marxist notion of ideology.

No prior knowledge is required; open debate is highly encouraged. Each session will focus on one text (see below). Digital copies of the texts will be provided on Teams, some also in an abridged version (at least one week in advance). Ross or Simon will provide a brief introduction to each text, then there is roughly one hour for discussion.

1^st session: 3 November 2021

Karl Marx (1843): “On the Jewish question.” In Marx and Engels Collected Works, vol. 3, 146–174. London: Lawrence & Wishart, 1975.

Ross Ferrara (ross.ferrara@warwick.ac.uk)

Simon Gansinger (simon.gansinger@warwick.ac.uk)

Please contact Andrew J Paull for further information.

Wittgenstein is one of the 20th century's most influential philosophers and the source of many divergent reactions and interpretations. This reading group will focus on a close-reading of Philosophical Investigations in the first term (where appropriate dipping into secondary texts in order to interpret certain sections.) Depending on how far we get in the first term, we will try to read another Wittgenstein text (up to the groups preference). We will be focusing on reading Wittgenstein's philosophy in itself, rather than his relation to other thinkers and disciplines. We hope to meet weekly, but want to be as flexible as possible. For the first week, we will try to read §§1-45. We suggest the dual language Revised Fourth edition by P. M. S. Hacker and Joachim Schulte, but feel free to use whatever copy is available to you.

Please contact Thomas Williams for further information

Thomas.Williams.1@warwick.ac.uk

Contact Andrew Cooper for further information.

Please contact Andrew J Paull for further information.

Wittgenstein is one of the 20th century's most influential philosophers and the source of many divergent reactions and interpretations. This reading group will focus on a close-reading of Philosophical Investigations in the first term (where appropriate dipping into secondary texts in order to interpret certain sections.) Depending on how far we get in the first term, we will try to read another Wittgenstein text (up to the groups preference). We will be focusing on reading Wittgenstein's philosophy in itself, rather than his relation to other thinkers and disciplines. We hope to meet weekly, but want to be as flexible as possible. For the first week, we will try to read §§1-45. We suggest the dual language Revised Fourth edition by P. M. S. Hacker and Joachim Schulte, but feel free to use whatever copy is available to you.

Please contact Thomas Williams for further information

Thomas.Williams.1@warwick.ac.uk

Contact Andrew Cooper for further information.

Week 6: Friday 12 November 2021 - The Poetry of Audre Lorde, with an Interview conducted by Karla Hammond

For more information (and if you need help joining the Team), contact Eileen John (eileen.john@warwick.ac.uk).

2^nd session: 17 November 2021

Karl Korsch (1923): Marxism and Philosophy. London: NLB, 1970.

Please contact Andrew J Paull for further information.

Wittgenstein is one of the 20th century's most influential philosophers and the source of many divergent reactions and interpretations. This reading group will focus on a close-reading of Philosophical Investigations in the first term (where appropriate dipping into secondary texts in order to interpret certain sections.) Depending on how far we get in the first term, we will try to read another Wittgenstein text (up to the groups preference). We will be focusing on reading Wittgenstein's philosophy in itself, rather than his relation to other thinkers and disciplines. We hope to meet weekly, but want to be as flexible as possible. For the first week, we will try to read §§1-45. We suggest the dual language Revised Fourth edition by P. M. S. Hacker and Joachim Schulte, but feel free to use whatever copy is available to you.

Please contact Thomas Williams for further information

Thomas.Williams.1@warwick.ac.uk

Contact Andrew Cooper for further information.

3^rd session: 24 November 2021

Evgeny Pashukanis (1924): “Law and morality.” In Law and Marxism: A General Theory, 151–165. London: Ink Links, 1978.

Please contact Andrew J Paull for further information.

Wittgenstein is one of the 20th century's most influential philosophers and the source of many divergent reactions and interpretations. This reading group will focus on a close-reading of Philosophical Investigations in the first term (where appropriate dipping into secondary texts in order to interpret certain sections.) Depending on how far we get in the first term, we will try to read another Wittgenstein text (up to the groups preference). We will be focusing on reading Wittgenstein's philosophy in itself, rather than his relation to other thinkers and disciplines. We hope to meet weekly, but want to be as flexible as possible. For the first week, we will try to read §§1-45. We suggest the dual language Revised Fourth edition by P. M. S. Hacker and Joachim Schulte, but feel free to use whatever copy is available to you.

Please contact Thomas Williams for further information

Thomas.Williams.1@warwick.ac.uk

Contact Andrew Cooper for further information.

Week 8: Friday 26 November 2021 - Robin Zheng, Chapter 9 Race and Pornography 

For more information (and if you need help joining the Team), contact Eileen John (eileen.john@warwick.ac.uk).

4^th session: 1 December 2021

Max Horkheimer (1930): “Beginnings of the bourgeois philosophy of history.” In Between Philosophy and Social Science: Selected Early Writings, 335–363 [section on “Natural law and ideology”]. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1993.

Please contact Andrew J Paull for further information.

Wittgenstein is one of the 20th century's most influential philosophers and the source of many divergent reactions and interpretations. This reading group will focus on a close-reading of Philosophical Investigations in the first term (where appropriate dipping into secondary texts in order to interpret certain sections.) Depending on how far we get in the first term, we will try to read another Wittgenstein text (up to the groups preference). We will be focusing on reading Wittgenstein's philosophy in itself, rather than his relation to other thinkers and disciplines. We hope to meet weekly, but want to be as flexible as possible. For the first week, we will try to read §§1-45. We suggest the dual language Revised Fourth edition by P. M. S. Hacker and Joachim Schulte, but feel free to use whatever copy is available to you.

Please contact Thomas Williams for further information

Thomas.Williams.1@warwick.ac.uk

Contact Andrew Cooper for further information.

5^th session: 8 December 2021

Walter Benjamin (1919?): “Critique of Violence.” In Selected Writings, vol. 1, 236–252. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 2004.

Please contact Andrew J Paull for further information.

Wittgenstein is one of the 20th century's most influential philosophers and the source of many divergent reactions and interpretations. This reading group will focus on a close-reading of Philosophical Investigations in the first term (where appropriate dipping into secondary texts in order to interpret certain sections.) Depending on how far we get in the first term, we will try to read another Wittgenstein text (up to the groups preference). We will be focusing on reading Wittgenstein's philosophy in itself, rather than his relation to other thinkers and disciplines. We hope to meet weekly, but want to be as flexible as possible. For the first week, we will try to read §§1-45. We suggest the dual language Revised Fourth edition by P. M. S. Hacker and Joachim Schulte, but feel free to use whatever copy is available to you.

Please contact Thomas Williams for further information

Thomas.Williams.1@warwick.ac.uk

Please contact Andrew Cooper for further information.