Laurenz Ramsauer is a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in the Department of Philosophy and the College. His research focuses on Kant and Post-Kantian German philosophy through Marx, ethics and social philosophy. He is currently working on two long-term projects: the first is an interpretation of the practical purpose of moral philosophy in Kant, which he argues is best understood as therapeutic; the second is an account of the relation between epistemic and action-guiding norms in law.
Selected Publications
Kant’s Derivation of Imperatives of Duty (Kantian Review, 2024)
Kant’s Racism as a Philosophical Problem (Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 2023)
Is the rule of recognition really a duty-imposing rule? (Journal of Legal Philosophy, 2023)
Recent Courses
PHIL 21226 Origins of Critical Theory
All philosophers engaged in what we call ‘critical theory’ are committed to one or another version of the thought that theory can be emancipatory. Over the last decades – arguably centuries – this commitment to a ‘critical’ theory has developed into a lively philosophical tradition with a series of core texts at its foundation. In this course, we will carefully read through the most influential works within this tradition, focusing especially on what has become known as the ‘Frankfurt School’ and its origins. Our readings will include works by Hegel, Marx, Gramsci, Freud, Fanon, Horkheimer, Adorno, Lacan, Althusser and Marcuse. Overarching themes of our discussion will be the relation between knowledge and emancipation, between ideology and the self, and between theory and practice. (A)
PHIL 29902 Senior Seminar II
Students writing senior essays register once for PHIL 29901, in the Autumn Quarter, and once for PHIL 29902, in the Winter Quarter. The Senior Seminar meets for two quarters, and students writing essays are required to attend throughout.
Consent of Director of Undergraduate Studies. Required and only open to fourth-year students who have been accepted into the BA essay program.
PHIL 29901 Senior Seminar I
Students writing senior essays register once for PHIL 29901, in the Autumn Quarter, and once for PHIL 29902, in the Winter Quarter. The Senior Seminar meets for two quarters, and students writing essays are required to attend throughout.
Consent of Director of Undergraduate Studies. Required and only open to fourth-year students who have been accepted into the BA essay program.
PHIL 29200-03/29300-03 Junior/Senior Tutorial
Topic: The Nature of Law
Why should we think legal rules have any authority in the first place? And if so, what kind of practical authority do they have? In this course, we will cover the key debates in philosophy of law that have shaped the discipline since the second half of the 20th century. These debates center around the relation between positive law and morality and the authority of legal rules. We will read some of the most influential works contemporary legal theory, including work by H.L.A. Hart, Ronald Dworkin, Joseph Raz, Julie Dickson, John Finnis, Lon Fuller, Gustav Radbruch and Mark Murphy, as well as recent responses to their arguments. In considering the relation between law and morality, we will also consider such questions as: what is necessary for a social rule to be action-guiding? is it sensible to speak of several types of normativity? what is the nature of legal ‘validity’? and does the rule of law (or ‘legality’) have any intrinsic value? This course would be of interest to students who want a grasp of contemporary issues in philosophy of law as a background to advanced work in moral, social and political philosophy, as well as to students interested in graduate work in legal philosophy. The course will also provide helpful background knowledge to students considering law school.
Meets with Jr/Sr section. Open only to intensive-track and philosophy majors. No more than two tutorials may be used to meet program requirements.