SYLLABUS PHILOSOPHY 135 MODERN PHILOSOPHY

FALL 2003 TTH 3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. King 221

MR. MACKAY Office hours: MW 4:30 - 5:00 p.m. or by appointment (King 122)

GENERAL AIM OF THE COURSE: to study major philosophers of the 17th and 18th centuries, concentrating on Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant, plus, to a lesser extent, Spinoza and Leibniz.

NOTE: The American Philosophical Association says,“... philosophy is fundamentally a matter of the cultivation of analytic, interpretive, normative and critical abilities. It is less content- and technique-specific than most other academic disciplines. The basic aim of education in philosophy is not and should not be primarily to impart information. Rather it is to help students learn to understand various kinds of deeply difficult intellectual problems, to interpret texts regarding these problems, to analyze and criticize the arguments found in them, and to express themselves in ways that clarify and carry forward reflection upon them...”

BOOK TO BUY Ariew & Watkins, Modern Philosophy: An Anthology of Primary Sources

FORMAT The course will proceed by lecture and discussion.

EVALUATION In addition to regular attendance+ and preparation for class, there will be two in-class exams, and one medium length (2500 - 3000 word) paper, scheduled as follows:

First hour exam (33%)* Descartes and Hobbes Tu. Sept. 30

Second hour exam (33%)@ Locke and Berkeley Tu. Nov. 11

Final paper (33%)# from Hume and/or Kant due Tuesday, Dec. 15, 4:30 p.m.

(Consultation on papers, including choice of topics, during office hours or by appointment.)

Regular attendance is expected, as are preparation for & appropriate classroom participation.

+To receive credit for this course, you must attend at least 18 class sessions.

PROVISIONAL CALENDAR (subject to revision)

Sept. 2 - 4 Week 1 Descartes Discourse on the Method/Meditations I, II

Sept. 9 - 11 Week 2 Descartes Meditations III - V

Sept. 16 - 18 Week 3 Descartes/Hobbes Meditation VI / Leviathan, Part I

Sept. 23 - 25 Week 4 Hobbes Leviathan, Part I & II

Sept. 30* - Oct. 2 Week 5 Exam/Spinoza (*first exam, Sept. 30th) /The Ethics

Oct. 7 - 9 Week 6 Locke An Essay Conc. Human Understanding

Oct. 14 - 16 Week 7 Locke An Essay Conc. Human Understanding

FALL BREAK October 18 - 26

Oct. 28 - 30 Week 8 Locke/Berkeley Essay/Three Dialogues

Nov. 4 - 6 Week 9 Berkeley Three Dialogues/Principles

Nov. 11@ - 13 Week 10 Exam/Leibniz (@Second exam, Nov. 11)/Various Works

Nov. 18 - 20 Week 11 Hume Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

Nov. 25 Week 12 Hume/Kant Enquiry/Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics

THANKSGIVING BREAK November 27 - 30

Dec. 2 - 4 Week 13 Kant Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics

Dec. 9 – 11 Week 14 Kant Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals

Monday Dec. 15, 4:30 p.m.# Final Paper due (End of reading period, all written work due.)