From Plato forward, Western philosophy has been beset by the idea of a fundamental dualism in human nature-an inescapable conflict between mind and body, reason and emotion, the moral and the practical. This course will exmnine influential visions of this idea in the writings of Plato, Descartes, Kant, and Marx, with special attention to the issue of the role of reason in human life. Enrollees will receive a list of suggested readings in advance of the conference.