Phil 3171: History of Modern Philosophy

University of Minnesota, Morris
Spring 2008
Professor Collier
Tu & Th 4:00-5:40
Humanities 111

Course Description: A broad historical introduction to the major philosophical figures of the modern period: the Rationalists (Descartes, Spinoza, Malebranche), the Empiricists (Locke, Berkeley, Hume), and Immanuel Kant.

Course Requirements: This course will be structured around a combination of lectures and class discussions/group work. This means that you should come to class well-prepared (i.e. with a solid understanding of the readings for the day and questions for discussion). You will be expected to make significant contributions in class discussions.

Grade Distribution:

Three Exams: 15% each
First Paper (5-6 pages): 15% (date TBA)
Second Paper (5-6 pages): 15% (date TBA)
Class Discussion: 25%

Primary Text: Modern Philosophy: An Anthology of Primary Sources (Eds. Ariew and Watkins).

CLASS SCHEDULE

I. Descartes

January 24: The Method of Doubt

Descartes: Discourse on Method, Parts One and Two (12-19)
Descartes: First Meditation (27-30)
M. Williams: "Descartes and the Metaphysics of Doubt" (*)

January 29: No class

January 31: The Cogito Argument

Descartes: Second Meditation (30-34)
P. Markie: "The Cogito and its Importance" (*)

February 5: The Cartesian Circle

Descartes: Third Meditation (34-41)
F. Feldman: "Epistemic Appraisal and the Cartesian Circle"

II. Spinoza and Leibniz

February 7: Spinoza's Philosophy of Religion

Spinoza: The Theological-Political Treatise (selections) (*)

February 12: Preliminaries

Spinoza: Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect (*)

February 14: Substance Monism

Spinoza: Ethics, Part I (129-136)
D. Garrett: "Spinoza's Ontological Argument", Philosophical Review, 88, 1979. (Optional background reading for student presentation).

February 19: The Modal System: Spinoza and Necessitarianism

Spinoza: Ethics, Part I (137-149)
D. Garrett: "Spinoza's Necessitarianism", from The Rationalists, ed. Pereboom. (Optional background reading for student presentation). (*)

February 21: No class

February 26: Leibniz on Freedom and Possibility

Leibniz: Discourse on Metaphysics 1-13 (184-192)
Leibniz: "Letter to Arnauld" (208-214)

February 28: Spinoza on Mind-Body Parallelism and Identity

Spinoza: Ethics, Part II (149-155)

March 4: The Monadology

Leibniz: The Principles of Philosophy or the Monadology (235-243)

March 6: First Exam

III. Locke

March 11: Concept Nativism vs. Concept Empiricism

Locke: Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book I.1-2 (270-276)
Leibniz: New Essays on Human Understanding, "Whether there are innate principles in the mind of man" (*)

March 13 and 25: Simple Ideas and Primary/Secondary Qualities

Galileo: "Corpuscularianism" (8-11)
Boyle: "Corpuscular or Mechanical Philosophy" (262-269)
Locke: Essay Concerning Human Understanding, II.1.1-5 (276-277), II.2.1-3 (281-282), II.8.7-26 (286-290)

March 27: Complex Ideas and Substances

Locke: Essay Concerning Human Understanding, II.12 (293-295), II.23 (312-320), III.3 and III.6 (329-338)

April 1: Liberty and Power

Locke: Essay Concerning Human Understanding, II.21 (301-310)

April 3: Personal Identity

Locke: Essay Concerning Human Understanding, II.28 (320-329)
Butler: "Of Personal Identity" (*)
Reid: "Of Mr. Locke's Account of Personal Identity" (*)

April 8: Knowledge

Locke: Essay Concerning Human Understanding, I.1-7 (270-271) and IV.1-4 (339-358, 363-367)

April 10: Second Exam

IV. Berkeley

April 15: The Critique of Materialism (I)

Berkeley: Principles of Human Knowledge. Intro. 1-4 (462-463)
Berkeley: Principles of Human Knowledge, Preface and Part I. 1-8 (470-472)
Berkeley: First Dialogue between Hylas and Philonous (413-423)

April 17: No Class (Central APA)

April 22: The Critique of Materialism (II)

Berkeley: Principles of Human Knowledge Part I. 9-25 (472-476)
Berkeley: First Dialogue between Hylas and Philonous (423-433)

April 24: The Critique fo Materialism (III)

Berkeley: Principles of Human Knowledge Part I. 25-33 (476-477)
Berkeley: Second Dialogue between Hylas and Philonous (433-443)
Malebranche: Search After Truth III.2.1-7 (389-401)

April 29 : The Defense of Idealism

Berkeley: Third Dialogue between Hylas and Philonous (443-461)

V. Hume and Kant

May 1: Hume on Causation

Hume: An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section VII (514-522)
Malebranche: Search After Truth VI.2.2 and Elucidation XV (401-412)

May 6: Hume on Skepticism

Bayle: Dictionary, "Pyrrho", Note B
Hume: An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section VII (550-557)

May 8: Kant's Response to Hume

Kant: Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics That Will Be Able to Come Forward As a Science, Preface and Preamble on the Pecularities of all Metaphysical Cognition, sections 1-2 (579-586)
Kant: Prolegomena, How is Natural Science Possible?, sec 14-35 (597-608, skip sections 24-26).

May 15 [Thursday]: Third Exam (8:30-10:30 AM)