Social Ontology: Karl Marx
| Title | Κοινωνική οντολογία: Καρλ Μαρξ / Social Ontology: Karl Marx |
| Code | Φ507 |
| Faculty | Philosophy |
| School | Philosophy and Education |
| Cycle / Level | 1st / Undergraduate |
| Teaching Period | Winter/Spring |
| Coordinator | Konstantinos Kavoulakos |
| Common | Yes |
| Status | Active |
| Course ID | 600024710 |
Programme of Study: UPS School of Philosophy and Education (2011-today)
Registered students: 0
| Orientation | Attendance Type | Semester | Year | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | Compulsory courses beloging to the selected specialisation | Winter/Spring | - | 6 |
| Academic Year | 2025 – 2026 |
| Class Period | Winter |
| Faculty Instructors | |
| Class ID | 600291431
|
Course Type 2021
Specialization / Direction
Mode of Delivery
- Face to face
Digital Course Content
- e-Study Guide https://qa.auth.gr/en/class/1/600291431
- eLearning (Moodle): https://elearning.auth.gr/course/view.php?id=6096
Erasmus
The course is also offered to exchange programme students.
Language of Instruction
- Greek (Instruction, Examination)
- English (Examination)
- German (Examination)
Learning Outcomes
- Be familiar with the problem of the ontological interpretation of Marx's philosophy and social theory.
- Have a general knowledge of the different interpretations of this theory.
- Be able to further study the relevant issues independently.
General Competences
- Work autonomously
- Appreciate diversity and multiculturality
- Be critical and self-critical
- Advance free, creative and causative thinking
Course Content (Syllabus)
Marx did not explicitly propose an ontology of the socio-historical, perhaps following the general reservation of modern philosophy towards ontology. Yet throughout his work a realist view is evident, which refers to the social-historical being and not merely to the epistemological standpoint from which it is approached by man. This de facto raises the question of the social ontology on which Marx’s work is based. One can start to unfold this social ontology from the famous methodological introduction to the Grundrisse, where theoretical categories are presented as "forms of being, determinations of existence". In what way are the concepts of knowledge connected to the actual objects of the socio-historical? How should we think about the materialist ontology of the social without retreating into a naive mechanistic realism? The discussion of such questions is what this series of lectures aims to address, through the study of texts by Marx himself. We will read excerpts from Marx’s Economic-philosophical Manuscripts, the German Ideology, the Grundrisse, and Capital (vol. 1).
Keywords
Karl Marx, social ontology, theory of knowledge, materialism, social-historical
Educational Material Types
- Notes
- Slide presentations
- Book
Use of Information and Communication Technologies
Use of ICT
- Use of ICT in Course Teaching
- Use of ICT in Communication with Students
Course Organization
| Activities | Workload | ECTS | Individual | Teamwork | Erasmus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 39 | 1.6 | ✓ | ||
| Reading Assigment | 108 | 4.3 | |||
| Exams | 3 | 0.1 | |||
| Total | 150 | 6 |
Student Assessment
Description
The final assessment is based on a written exam with open notes. It concerns the substantive understanding of the texts discussed during the semester. Questions may ask for commentary on excerpts of central importance.
Student Assessment methods
- Written Exam with Extended Answer Questions (Summative)
Bibliography
Course Bibliography (Eudoxus)
1) Καρλ Μαρξ, Βασικές γραμμές της κριτικής της πολιτικής οικονομίας (1857-1858), τόμ. Α’, Στοχαστής: Αθήνα 1989.
2) Καρλ Μαρξ, Το κεφάλαιο. Κριτική της πολιτικής οικονομίας, τόμ. Α’, ΚΨΜ: Αθήνα 2016.
Last Update
07-10-2025
