History of Modern Philosophy Syllabus Fall 2008

David Barnett www.davidjamesbarnett.net [email protected]

Description:

We’ll be examining some of philosophy’s “Greatest Hits,” from some of the 17th and 18th centuries’ greatest thinkers: Descartes, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. We’ll be asking questions like: Is there a God, and how could we know? Is your mind just your brain, or do you have an immaterial soul? What is free will, and are we just fooling ourselves when we think we have it? Does your subjective perception of the world correspond to how it is in reality, and how can you possibly know? Are there universal moral duties, which everyone has an obligation to follow regardless of their personal inclinations?

Readings:

RENE DESCARTES; Selected Philosophical Writings, Eds./Trans. John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, Dugald Murdoch, and Anthony Kenny (Cambridge University Press)

GOTTFRIED WILHELM LEIBNIZ; Discourse On Metaphysics And Other Essays, Eds./Trans. Daniel Garber and Roger Ariew

JOHN LOCKE; Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Ed. Kenneth P. Winkler

GEORGE BERKELEY; Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, Ed. Robert Adams

DAVID HUME; An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Ed. Eric Steinberg

IMMANUEL KANT; Prolegomena To Any Future Metaphysics, Trans. James W. Ellington

IMMANUEL KANT; Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, Trans. Lewis White Beck

Office Hours:

Wednesdays, 2-3:30. 5 Washington Place, room 612.

Grading:

30% will be a short (≈ 6 pg) paper, 40% a longer (≈ 10 pg) term paper, and 30% a final exam. Attendance and class participation will decide borderline grades.

Schedule:

9/08 (W): introduction 9/03 (M): Rene Descartes, Discourse on the Method; Part One Meditations on First Philosophy; Meditation 1 9/10 (W): Meditation 2, first 4 paragraphs of Meditation 3 Principles of Philosophy; Part I #18-19 (This is a summary of Meditation 3.) 9/15 (M): Meditations 4-5 9/17 (W): Meditation 6 Principles, Part II, #3-4 9/22 (M): Meditation 6 (review) Discourse on the Method, last 4 paragraphs of Part 5 Leibniz, Monadology; #17 Principles; Part IV #196 Passions of the Soul; #31, 32, 34, 35, 42, 44 9/24 (W): catch up 9/29 (M): Leibniz, Discourse on Metaphysics; #1-9, 13-15, 30-33 10/01 (W): Leibniz, Monadology; #1-15, 40-45 Leibniz, Discourse; #23 Descartes, Meditation 5 (review) 10/06 (M): Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding; Epistle, Book I Ch1-2 Leibniz, Discourse on Metaphysics; #26-27 Leibniz, Preface to the New Essays; pages 49-53 10/08 (W): catch up 10/13 (M): Locke, Essay Book II; Ch 1 #1-9, Chs 2-3, 6, 8, Ch 9 #8, Ch12 10/15 (W): Essay Book II; Ch 13 #18-20 Book III; Ch 2, #1-3 and #7, Ch 3, Ch 6 #4, Ch 10 #1-3 10/20 (M): Essay Book II; Ch 27 10/22 (W): first paper due George Berkeley, Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous; First Dialogue 10/27 (M): Berkeley, Three Dialogues; Second Dialogue 10/29 (W): David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding; Sections I, II, and III 11/03 (M): Enquiry; Section IV and Section V, Part I 11/05 (W): Enquiry; Section VII 11/10 (M): Enquiry; Section VIII 11/12 (W): Enquiry; Section XII 11/17 (M): Kant, Prolegomena To Any Future Metaphysics; Preface and Preamble 11/19 (W): Prolegomena; First Part 11/24 (M): Prolegomena; Second Part 11/26 (W): catch up 12/01 (M): Kant, Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals; Preface and First Section 12/03 (W): Foundations; begin Second Section 12/08 (M): Foundations; finish Second Section 12/10 (W): final paper due review session