Syllabus
Course Description and Overview:
The modern era in western philosophy spans the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries. Spurred mainly by advances in science, but also by criticisms of Church dogma, philosophers attempted to accommodate new learning with a broad view of human abilities, and to construct systematic understandings of the world. This course mainly surveys, chronologically, the work of eight philosophers of the modern era: Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Among the recurring topics to be discussed are the nature of mind, free will, space and time, the self, and scientific reasoning. In combination with Philosophy 201: History of Ancient Western Philosophy, this course will provide students a broad background in the history of western philosophy, preparing you for both advanced work in the history of philosophy and contemporary study of a wide range of topics including epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, and metaphysics.
Texts
Required
Roger Ariew and Eric Watkins. Modern Philosophy: An Anthology of Primary Sources, 2nd edition. Hackett, 2009.
Various supplementary readings, available here.
Recommended
Norman Melchert. The Great Conversation, Volume II: Descartes through Derrida and Quine. Oxford, 2007.
Jeffrey Tlumak. Classical Modern Philosophy: A Contemporary Introduction. Routledge, 2006.
Class notes are here.
Other recommended sources are listed in the Course Bibliography.
Assignments and Grading:
Your responsibilities this course include the following, with their contributions to your grade calculation in parentheses:
Attendance and Participation
Readings
Presentation (10%)
Two papers (20%, 25%)
Midterm and Final Exams (20%, 25%)
Attendance:While there is no direct reward or penalty for attendance, I expect students to come to class prepared to discuss the assigned reading.
Readings: As this course is a broad survey, there is a lot of assigned reading. I have divided the readings into three categories: primary, secondary, and tertiary readings. You are responsible for completing all primary readings, which cover all the central topics in the course. Exams will be based on the primary readings. The secondary readings, consisting mainly of further primary sources, will be useful in illuminating the primary readings. I will sometimes refer to the secondary readings in class. You are responsible for the secondary readings assigned for your presentation topic, and you should try to complete as many of the secondary readings as possible. The tertiary readings are mainly from the secondary sources (Melchert and Tlumak), and are optional. To assist you with the readings, and to help prepare you for the midterm and final examinations, I will post reading guides, lists of questions, for all of the primary readings.
Presentation: Each student is required to participate in one in-class presentation, lasting approximately ten to fifteen minutes. Most presentations will be done in pairs, though there will be opportunities for solo presentations as well. I will distribute more specific guidelines, as well as a sign-up sheet, in class. I welcome, indeed encourage, you to use your presentation topic as the theme for your second paper.
Papers: Each student will write two short papers. The first paper, 4-6 pages on any theme from the Objections and Replies to Descartes's Meditations, is due on Tuesday, February 8. The second paper, 5-8 pages on any topic in the material from Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, or Hume, is due on Tuesday, April 26. I will distribute more details about the each paper in class.
Exams: The midterm exam will be given in class on Thursday, March 10. The final exam will be given at the appointed exam time: Tuesday, May 10, 7pm-10pm. Both exams will be based on questions from the Reading Guides, though the final exam may also include a short essay topic.
The Hamilton College Honor Code will be strictly enforced
Office Hours
My office hours for the Spring 2011, term are 10:30am - noon on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; and 10-10:45, on Wednesdays and Fridays. My office is in room 201 of 210 College Hill Road, which is at the northwest corner of CHR and Griffin Road.
Schedule:
Note: The readings listed in each row are to be completed before class.
Part I: Descartes
| Class | Date |
Topic |
Primary Readings |
Secondary Readings |
Tertiary Readings |
| 1 | January 18 |
The Scientific Revolution |
|
David Rosenthal, “Philosophy and Its History” (Handout) |
Melchert, Chapter 12 |
| 2 | January 20 |
Sense Experience, Method, and Doubt |
Discourse on Method,
Parts 1 and 2 (AW 25-33) |
Montaigne, Apology, §7 (AW 4-13) |
Melchert 319-327 |
| 3 | January 25 |
The Cogito and Certainty |
Meditations Two and Three (AW 43-54) |
Bacon, from New Organon (AW 16-20) |
Melchert 327-332 |
| 4 | January 27 |
The Cartesian World |
Meditations Four through
Six (AW 54-68) |
Readings on the Ontological Argument (handout) |
Melchert 332-336 |
| 5 | February 1 |
Descartes and His Critics |
Descartes, “Arguments... Arranged in Geometrical Fashion” (AW 72-75) |
Leibniz, Letters (AW 99-105) |
Melchert 356-359 |
Part II: Hobbes and Spinoza
| Class | Date |
Topic |
Primary Readings |
Secondary readings |
Tertiary Readings |
Presentations |
| 6 | February 3 |
Materialism |
Hobbes, from Leviathan (AW 114-136) |
|
Melchert, 361-371 | 1. Diane Paverman/Amanda Cohen |
| 7 | February 8 Paper 1 is due |
Monism, Parallelism |
Spinoza, Ethics, Part I (AW 144-164); Part II, Propositions 1-30 (AW 164-177) |
Letters to Oldenburg and to Meyer (AW 137-143) |
Melchert 438 |
1. Will Dana/Emir Ildiz 2. Simon Judd/Zane Glauber |
| 8 | February 10 |
Knowledge and Freedom |
Spinoza, Ethics, Parts II and V (AW 177-195) |
|
Tlumak 88-95; 100-102 | 1. Elizabeth Amster/Alex Orlov |
Part III: Leibniz
| Class | Date |
Topic |
Primary Readings |
Secondary Readings |
Tertiary Readings |
Presentations |
| 9 | February 15 |
Monads, Truth |
The Monadology (AW 275-283) |
Malebranche,
from The Search After Truth (AW 200-223) |
Tlumak 133-141 |
1. Claire Gavin 2. Harry Swan |
| 10 | February 17 |
The Complete- World View of Substance; Minds and Bodies; Causation |
Discourse on Metaphysics §1-§22 (AW 224-240) |
Letters
to Arnauld (AW 248-264) |
Melchert 440 |
1. Nick Kaleikini/Susan Effler 2. Garrett Hoy/Christie Crawford |
| 11 | February 22 |
Theodicy, Necessity, and Freedom |
Discourse
on Metaphysics §23-§37 (AW 240-247) |
“Primary
Truths” (AW 265-268) |
Tlumak 133-138; 159-163 |
1. Elli Marcus 2. Joe Anderson/Chris Delacruz |
| 12 | February 24 |
Space and Time |
Newton, Selections (AW 284-293) |
|
Tlumak 164-171 |
1. Jeremy Safran/Jack Kissel |
Part IV: Locke
| Class | Date |
Topic |
Primary Readings |
Secondary Readings |
Tertiary Readings |
Presentations |
| 13 | March 1 |
Against Innate Ideas. For the Primary/ Secondary Distinction |
Essay Book I, Chapters I-II (AW 316-322); |
Boyle, “Of the Excellency...” AW (308-315) |
Melchert 372-381 |
1. Chelsea Wahl/Emily Delbridge 2. John Summa |
| 14 | March 3 |
Identity and the Self |
Essay, Book II, Chapter XXVII (AW 367-377) |
Essay, Book II, Chapters IX-XXIII (AW 337-367) |
Tlumak 110-122 |
1. Susannah Wales/Daniel Knishkowy 2. Jake Lucas |
| 15 | March 8 |
Abstract Ideas |
Essay, Book III (AW 377-386) |
Leibniz, Preface to the New
Essays (AW 422-433) |
Tlumak 122-128 |
1. Kina Viola/ Anna Flores |
March 10: Midterm Exam
Spring Break
Part V: Berkeley
| Class | Date |
Topic |
Primary Readings |
Secondary Readings |
Tertiary Readings |
Presentations |
| 17 | March 29 |
Three Arguments for Idealism |
Principles, §1-33 (AW 447-453) |
On Motion (AW 504-508) |
Melchert 385-395 |
1. Scott Hancox/Jason Driscoll 2. Tom James/Stephanie Hudon |
| 18 | March 31 |
Against Abstract Ideas |
Principles, Preface and Introduction (AW 438-446) |
|
Tlumak, Chapter 5 |
1. Duncan Lowe/Colin Hill 2. Will McIvor |
| 19 | April 5 |
Mathematics, Science; Skepticism and Atheism |
from On Motion (AW 504-508) |
Three Dialogues, Dialogue 3 (AW 484-503) |
|
1. Erica Seligson/Jamie Azdair |
Part VI: Hume
| Class | Date |
Topic |
Primary Readings |
Secondary Readings |
Tertiary Readings |
Presentations |
| 20 | April 7 |
Impressions, Ideas, Facts, Relations |
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, I-IV (AW 533-548) |
Bayle, “Pyrrho” (AW 512-516) |
Melchert 397-409 |
1. Cara Quigley/Louisa Savage |
| 21 | April 12 |
Causation and Induction |
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, V-VII (AW 548-564) |
|
Tlumak, 199-205 |
1. Michelle Franco/Morgan Williams 2. Beryl Li |
| 22 | April 14 |
The Psychological Definition of Causation and the Bundle Theory of Self |
A Treatise of Human Nature, Book I, Part 4, Section 6 (AW 525-532) |
Reid, Selections (AW 641-653) |
Tlumak, 208-221 |
1. Tenes Paul/Grant Meglis 2. Trang Nguyen |
| 23 | April 19 |
Compatibilism and Skepticism |
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, VIII-IX, XII (AW 564-576, 593-600) |
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, X- XI (AW 576-593) |
Melchert 409-415; 423-425 |
1. Mike Williams |
Part VII: Kant
| Class | Date |
Topic |
Primary Readings |
Secondary Readings |
| 24 | April 21 |
The Synthetic A Priori |
Critique of Pure Reason, Prefaces and Introduction (AW 717-729) |
Melchert 426-447 |
| 25 | April 26 |
Transcendental Aesthetic |
Critique of Pure Reason (AW 729-737) |
Tlumak, 254-257; 300-303 |
| 26 | April 28 |
Transcendental Deduction |
Critique of Pure Reason (AW 737-756) |
Tlumak, 258-268; 303-312 |
| 27 | May 3 |
The Refutation of Idealism; First Antinomy |
Critique of Pure Reason (AW 781-783; 792-794) |
Tlumak, 268-277; 312-320 |
| 28 | May 5 |
The Ontological Argument |
Critique of Pure Reason(AW 819-823) |
Melchert 447-450 |
Final Exam: Tuesday, May 10, 7pm-10pm