PHIL 203-01, Early Modern Philosophy, Spring 2008

Abstract

During the course of the semester, our reading will lead us to discuss such questions as: How can I be sure that I know that there is an external world? How do the “mind” and “body” interact? Is the mind something distinct from the body? Is science a reliable source of knowledge? What is the nature of God? Are there laws that govern the universe and things in it (like us)? Do I have free will? What is the relationship between reason and emotion? Should our moral judgments be based on reason or emotion? The course will focus on three pivotal thinkers (Rene Descartes, David Hume and Immanuel Kant) and will engage in a close reading of their bodies of work. However, the course will also be structured to give the student an appreciation of the historical context of these thinkers [especially as they interact with the Scientific Revolution and Reformation] as well as some exposure to other important thinkers of this period, including Thomas Hobbes, Benedict Spinoza, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, John Locke, Adam Smith and Thomas Reid.