Phil 336 - History of Modern Philosophy, Spring, 2004

Required Texts

            Yezzi, ed., Modern European Philosophy: Supplementary Readings (available at the Armstrong Copy Shop)

            Roger Ariew and Eric Watkins, eds., Modern Philosophy: An Anthology of Primary Sources

 

Recommended Text

            Garrett Thomson, Bacon to Kant: An Introduction to Modern Philosophy

Course Requirements

  • Mid-term Exam, Final Exam (in-class or else take-home), Term Paper or Short Papers(4)
  • Grading Scale A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F = below 60
  • Class attendance expected (Reports may be required for excessive absences)
  • Some allowances are made for "freaks of nature"
  • An Incomplete (IN) is given only if a student does some passing work during the course and also requests the IN
  • A P on the P/N scale requires at least the equivalent of a C on the regular grading scale

Nature of Course

            The course deals with European philosophy during the 17th and 18th centuries primarily.  Philosophers covered include Galileo, Francis Bacon, Descartes, Leibnitz, Spinoza, Hobbes, Newton, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.

            The primary purpose of the course will be learning of the content of philosophy during this period mostly in the area of metaphysics and epistemology.  There will be some opportunity for evaluation of the issues raised, although this is a secondary objective for the course.

            The overriding theme will be the influence of advances in science on philosophical thought. The course will concentrate on metaphysical and epistemological issues--such as substance, the origin of ideas, God, mind and body, self, free will vs. determinism, philosophical method, rationalism vs. empiricism, and the criteria for knowledge. Ethical, social, and political issues are welcome topics for term papers, however.  

            There will be some lecturing, where I lay out some overriding themes of the period and provide some general background regarding the philosophers covered.  (I recommend that you consider supplementing my lectures by getting the Thomson book or some other work on the history of philosophy for this period.)  Most class time however will be devoted to careful discussion of assigned readings (for which I will sometimes provide study guides).

 

Writing Intensive Course

 

            Since this course satisfies a writing intensive requirement, you will be expected to do some rewriting of material. So you have to turn in either a first draft of your term paper or three short papers by March 24 for assessment by the instructor.

 

Questions? ronald.yezzi@mnsu.edu

 

Last updated 1/6/04