PHIL 5551 Jaspers' History of Metaphysics:Descartes, Spinoza, Pascal and Leibniz

In 1957, Karl Jaspers published Die groen Philosophen (The Great Philosophers) a work collecting his interpretation of some of the foremost thinkers of all time. In this work, Jaspers offers an original account of history of metaphysics which he considers the perennial philosophy. Using this starting point, but also referring to other writings by Jaspers, the seminar aims to analyze the Jaspersian interpretation of the thought of the following modern authors: Lionardo, Descartes, Spinoza, Pascal, and Leibniz. The intent of this course is to highlight the influence of these thinkers on Jaspers' philosophy of existence andtranscendence.

Course overview

Department: Philosophy
School: MCAS
Credits: 3
Level: Both
Offered: Periodically

Requirements fulfilled

Philosophy: Free Philosophy electives (five courses, 15 credits); up to two approved cognate courses in other departments may also count (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)

Requirement eligibility can vary by school, cohort, and section. Confirm the selected section in EagleApps or with an advisor.

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-10-09. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

Giovanni Pietro Basile
Spring 2027

Sections

Section 01
Spring 2027 · Giovanni Pietro Basile · Stokes Hall 201S W 04:30PM-06:50PM · Offered