In the 19th century, philosophers reflected on their precursors of the Enlightenment (Kant, Rousseau and Voltaire) and the aftermath of the French Revolution. Inspired in part by Romanticism, they started a new way of thinking and developed revolutionary ideas about the social-economic and cultural problems they had to deal with. This series introduces you to the work of five of the most influential philosophers of the 19th century: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), Karl Marx (1818-1883), Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) and Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). Discussing the main works of these intellectual heroes will provide you with a better understanding of the key themes of modern philosophy: the struggle for recognition, voluntarism versus determinism, theory and praxis, fear and anxiety, liberty and power. You will also be introduced to some of the most important philosophical movements of thought: Marxism, liberalism, existentialism and nihilism.

The individual lectures
1. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (30 Oct)
2. Arthur Schopenhauer (6 Nov)
3. Søren Kierkegaard (13 Nov)
4. Karl Marx (20 Nov)
5. Friedrich Nietzsche (27 Nov)