Course Resources Archive

This module will allow students to consider the philosophical issues and implications of a range of ways of understanding human desires. A range of perspectives, both religious and philosophical, on finitude and mortality will be assessed.

A range of both religious and non-religious views will be examined on desire. These will include Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Christian perspectives, as well as a survey of the ways in which Western philosophy has understood desire, love, sex and craving – and the relations between them. The philosophical, religious and social significance of death will be considered – partly through an assessment of historical death-practices, and partly through philosophical analysis.

A student passing this module should be able to:

1.    have brought prior study and knowledge to bear on the specific themes of this module 

2.    articulate the way in which desire has been both understand as to be eradicated and/or transformed by religious traditions.

3.    critically interrogate the ways religious and philosophical thinkers have sought to place human sexual behaviours within conceptual schemes.

4.    work across the three disciplines of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics to engage in critical thematic work 

5.    draw connections between elements such as social history and philosophical theory. 

6.    think critically about their own behaviour in the light of the ideas studied.

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.