PHIL 336: Early Modern Philosophy

Fall 2007

 

Draft Syllabus

 

Instructor:  Dr.  Patrick A. Goold.  Office: Blocker 222. Telephone:  455-3357.

E-mail:  goold@vwc.edu

Office hours:  11:30 - 12:30 MW, 1:30 - 2:30 TTh and by appointment.

 

Dates to remember: 

Holidays:  September 3, October 12, November 21-23.

Final examination time: Tuesday 11 December 3:00-5:30.

Last day to drop:  October 29

 

Course description: This version of PHIL 336 will depart in some ways from the description contained in the College Catalog.  That description says,

Surveys the development of early modern philosophy in light of the scientific background from which it emerged.  Major works by Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant are supplemented by readings from women philosophers of the period.

I do not share the assumption of this description that early modern philosophy "emerged" from a "scientific background".  Rather, on my view, it is a response to the social, political, economic transformation of feudal society in the late 16th and early 17th centuries and to the religious revolution that unfolded in dialectical interplay with these transformations.  The development of natural science emerged from this interplay.  Part of the task early modern philosophy took upon itself was to justify intellectually the cultural activity we now call science.  This was a facet of its more general program to chart an intellectual course that could take one from the sanctity of the individual conscience to the possibility of intersubjectively binding commitments. 

 

Goals. I hope that by the end of this course you will have gained some insight into all of the following:

áHow the two major philosophical systems of the early modern period arose in response to social conditions, how they attempted to mediate the tensions within the cultural milieu and how they in turn influenced the development of the culture.

áHow to read and understand the writings of Descartes and Locke empathetically, i.e. on their own terms and as solutions to a problem posed by their own particular historical circumstance.

áHow contemporary philosophers read Locke and Descartes and how Locke and Descartes are thought to speak to us in our very different cultural situation.

áHow philosophers, in addition to arguing about what is ultimately real, necessarily engage the arguments of past philosophers about ultimate reality.  That is to say, philosophy has a history and situating itself with respect to this history is a necessary concern of each new philosophical epoch. 

 

Required texts: 

á  Michel de Montaigne.  Essays.  J.M. Cohen, editor and translator. Penguin, 1958.

á  RenŽ Descartes. Selected Philosophical Writings. John Cottingham et al. Translators. Cambridge UP, 1988.

á  John Locke. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.  Abridged and edited by Kenneth P. Winkler. Hackett, 1996.

á  E.J. Lowe. Locke (Routledge Philosophers). Routledge, 2005.

á  Bernard Williams. Descartes: The Project of Pure Enquiry. Routledge, 2005.

á  Christopher Hill. The World Turned Upside Down. Penguin, 1975.

 

Estimated Work load:  six hours per week for reading assigned texts.

 

Attendance policy:  Attendance is required.  Anyone missing more than four classes automatically fails the course.  Absences will be excused only for good reason.  The instructor is the final judge of what constitutes a good reason.   

 

Grading: provided that one has met the attendance requirement, one's course grade is based on the response papers, the two essays and your final presentation.  Each response paper is worth 50, each of the longer essays is worth 200 and the presentation is worth 100 points.

 

Grading Scale:

Less than 60%/F  60-69%/D  70-79%/C  80-89%/B  90-100%/A

 

Accommodations for students with special needs: The standard procedures for meeting the responsibilities associated with this course can be modified for students with certain disabilities. To qualify for such accommodations, a student must provide the college with appropriate professional documentation that confirms the presence of the disability. To begin the confirmation process or for further information about it, contact our coordinator of disability services, Fayne Pearson, at 455-3246.  

 

Schedule of readings:

 

Aug. 28   Introduction to the course.  What is early modern philosophy?

      

Montaigne (1533-1592)

            30   Reading: "To the Reader" (page 23), "On the Power of the Imagination" (Essay I.21, pages 36-48) and "On the Education of Children" (Essay I.26, pages 49-86).

 

Sept.         4   Reading: Montaigne, "On Experience" (Essay III.13, pages 343-406).

         6   Reading: "French Wars of Religion" (article on line).  First 300 word response paper due at the beginning of class.

 

Descartes (1596-1650)

       11    Reading: First Meditation, Williams chapter 1.

       13   Reading: Second Meditation, Williams chapters 2 & 3. Second 300 word response paper due at the beginning of class.

 

 

       18    Third Meditation.

       20   Williams, chapter 3 and 4. Third 300 word response paper due at the beginning of class.

 

      

       25    Fourth Meditation

       27   Williams, chapters 5 and 6. Fourth 300 word response paper due at the beginning of class.

 

      

Oct.  2    Fifth Meditation

        4    Williams, chapters 7 and 8. Fifth 300 word response paper due at the beginning of class.

 

      

        9    Sixth Meditation

       11   Williams, chapters 9 and 10. Sixth 300 word response paper due at the beginning of class.

 

 

       16    Hill, 1-5.

       18    Hill, 6 and 9.

 

       23    Hill, 10, 11 and 18.  Mid-term paper due. by 5PM today.

 

 Locke (1632-1704)

       25    Reading: Locke, Book One (pages 1-32) and Lowe chapters 1 and 2. 

      

       30    Reading: Locke, 33-66.

Nov.  1   Topic: Personal Identity and Freedom of the Will.  Reading: Locke, 93-154 and Lowe, Chapter Five. Seventh 300 word response paper due at the beginning of class.

 

 

         6   Reading: Locke, 154-175.

         8   Topic: Language and Meaning. Reading: Locke, Book III and Lowe Chapter Four. Eighth 300 word response paper due at the beginning of class.

 

 

       13    Reading: Locke, 224-83.

       15   Reading: Locke, 284-328. Ninth 300 word response paper due at the beginning of class.

 

      

       20    Locke, Letter on Toleration (xerox), Lowe chapters 6 & 7.

       22    THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

 

Hume (1711-1776)

       27    Reading: "Personal Identiy" "On the soul" (xerox)

       29   Tenth 300 word response paper due at the beginning of class.

 

 

Spinoza (1632-1677)

Dec. 4     Reading: Ethics (xerox)

        6    Topic:  So what?

 

       11    Final paper due at the beginning of  the final exam period (3PM).  A presentations to the class of  a synopsis of  your research will take the place of a final exam.

 

How to use this schedule:

(1) Page references are to the editions listed in the "Required Texts" section above.

(2) Come to class having read the reading listed on that class date.

(3) Read actively.  Mark your book as you read.  Make careful notes.  For a good account of the nature of active reading, of the why and how of marking your book, and of the things involved in good note-taking see How To Read A Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles van Doren (Revised and Updated Version, 1972), especially pages 45-58.

(4) Bring both the book and your reading journal to class.  The class time will often involve discussion of specific passages in the text.  You need to have your text with you.

 

Instructor reserves the right to change this syllabus.