Early Modern Philosophy
|
AP217/317 |
| Callan Ledsham |
Winter Intensive, 2012 July 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13 + one exam 10.00am — 5.00pm Census Date: Friday 6 July |
Descartes’ Meditations is one of the most significant texts in Western thought. It marks the beginning of a focus on the natural sciences as the paradigm for knowledge and certainty. It incorporates conceptualizations of God, human nature, knowledge and reality that continue to influence contemporary thought. This unit begins with a detailed critical reading of the Meditations. It then examines excerpts from major texts by other significant philosophers of the period, who may include Hobbes, Spinoza, Cudworth, More, Locke, Newton, Clarke, Hume and Kant. The unit focuses on themes such as the relation of body and soul, the question of certain knowledge and the relationship between scientific, theological and common-sense world views. In addition, attention is given to the dispute between those philosophers engaged in sceptical or atheistic attacks on religion, and those philosophers engaged with defending religion made by other early modern philosophers.
Undergraduate Prerequisites
| second level: | two philosophy units at first level |
| third level: | two philosophy units at second level |
Graduate and Postgraduate Prerequisites (AP317)
one unit of philosophy; e.g., AP351 or AP350
Requirements
intensive mode: 10.00am — 5.00pm
Undergraduate Assessment
| second level | |
| one 1,000 word seminar paper | 20% |
| one 1,500 word essay | 40% |
| one 2 hour written examination | 40% |
| third level | |
| one 1,000 word seminar paper | 20% |
| one 2,000 word essay | 40% |
| one 2 hour written examination | 40% |
Graduate and Postgraduate Assessment (AP317)
| two 1,000 word seminar papers | 2 x 20% |
| one 4,000 word essay | 60% |
| or | |
| one 1,000 word seminar paper | 20% |
| one 3,000 word essay | 50% |
| one 2 hour written examination | 30% |
Bibliography
- Biffle, Christopher. A Guided Tour of René Descartes’ “Meditations on First Philosophy.” With a complete translation of the Meditations by Ronald Rubin. 2nd ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 1996.
- Brenner, William H. Elements of Modern Philosophy: Descartes through Kant. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1989.
- Buroker, Jill Vance. Kant’s “Critique of Pure Reason”: An Introduction. Cambridge Introductions to Key Philosophical Texts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
- Copleston, Frederick C. A History of Philosophy. Vols. 4–6. London: Burns and Oates, 1959–60.
- Cottingham, John, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Descartes. Cambridge Companions to Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
- Emmanuel, Steven M., ed. The Blackwell Guide to the Modern Philosophers: From Descartes to Nietzsche. Blackwell Philosophy Guides. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2000.
- Guyer, Paul, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Kant and Modern Philosophy. Cambridge Companions to Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
- Nadler, Steven M., ed. A Companion to Early Modern Philosophy. Blackwell Companions to Philosophy. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2002.
- Trusted, Jennifer. An Introduction to the Philosophy of Knowledge. 2nd ed. London: Macmillan, 1997.