History of Modern Philosophy
Phil 3010
Fall 2003

 

Instructor

Wes Morriston
Office: Hellems 280
Mailbox: Hellems 169
Hours: Tu 10am-1pm and by appt.
Tel.: 303-492-8297
Email: Wesley.Morriston@colorado.edu
Web page: http://spot.colorado.edu/~morristo/Home.html

 

Description


The course will explore the historical roots of some of the main problems of metaphysics and epistemology through a close ­– and critical – reading of some of the most important and influential works of seventeenth and eighteenth century philosophy.  Class format will be informal lecture and discussion. Questions and comments are always welcome.

 

Class web page


Our class web page can be found at: http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/wes/3010.html


Required texts


Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy (Cambridge)
The Empiricists: Locke, Berkeley, and Hume (Anchor Books)

Spinoza, short selection from the Ethics (will be available on the web)
Leibniz, Monadology and other writings (will be available on the web)
Kant, Introduction to The Critique of Pure Reason (available on the web)

 

Requirements

 

Two midterm exams (30% each) and a final exam (40%).  Each exam will have two parts: short answer and essay. The second midterm will not be cumulative, but the final exam will be.  Your course grade will be the better of (a) your overall average, or (b) your final exam grade.

Each exam will have two parts.  In the first part, you will write short answers to a number of specific questions about the arguments, concepts, and issues covered by the exam.  In the second part you will write an essay on a single topic.  There will some choice in both parts.

You should bring blue books (examination booklets) to all exams.  These can be purchased at the book store.

Important dates


The two midterm exams will be given in class on Wed., Oct. 1 and on Fri., Nov. 7.

The final exam will be held on Wed., Dec. 17, 7:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

You should plan to take the exams at these time.

 

 

Schedule of reading assignments

 

 

Week

Monday

Wednesday

Friday

1

Aug 25

Aug 27

Descartes, dedicatory letter, preface, synopsis, Meditations I, and Objections and Replies to Med. I (Cottingham, pp. 3-15, 63-67)

 

Aug 29

Descartes, Meditations II

(Cottingham, 16-23, 68-77)

2

Sep 1

Labor Day
No classes

 

Sept 3
Descartes, Meditations III  (Cottingham, 24-36, 78-89)

 

Sept 5
Descartes, Meditations III (continued)

 

3

Sept 8

Descartes, Meditations IV (Cottingham 37-43, 90-94)

Sept 10

Descartes, Meditations V
(Cottingham 44-49, 95-106)

Sept 12

The “Cartesian Circle” (Cottingham 102-106)

 

4      

 


Sept 15

Descartes, Meditations VI (Cottingham, 50-62, 107-115)


Sep 17
Spinoza

(A short reading assignment will be on the web.)

 


Sep 19
Spinoza

 

5

Sept 22
Locke’s Essay (in The Empiricists, pp. 1-40, esp. 24-30)

 

Sept 24

Locke  on power and liberty (40-52)

 

Sept 26

Locke on substance (52-62)

 

6

Sept 29

Locke on personal identity (62-75)

 

Oct 1

FIRST MIDTERM EXAM

Oct 3
Fall break

No classes

7

Oct 6

Locke on knowledge (75-113)

Oct 8

Locke on faith and reason (113-133)

Oct 10

Open

8

Oct 13

Leibniz

(Chris Shields will be the lecturer for all of the Leibniz classes.  Readings will be on the web.)

Oct 15

Leibniz

Oct 17

Leibniz

9

Oct 20

Leibniz

Oct 22

Leibniz

Oct 24

Leibniz

 

10

Oct 27

Berkeley, Dialogues I

Oct 29

Berkeley, Dialogues I (continued)

Oct 31

Berkeley, Dialogues II

11

Nov 3

Berkeley, Dialogues III

Nov 5

Open

Nov 7

SECOND MIDTERM EXAM

12

Nov 10

Hume, Enquiry, I-III

Nov 12

Hume, Enquiry, IV

Nov 14

Hume, Enquiry, V-VI

13

Nov  17

Hume, Enquiry, VII

Nov 19

Hume, Enquiry, VIII-IX

Nov 21

Hume, Enquiry, X

 

 

14

Nov 24

Hume, Enquiry XI

Nov 26

Hume, Enquiry XII

Nov 28

Thanksgiving holiday

No classes

 

15

Dec 1
Kant, Introduction to the Critique of Pure Reason

 

Dec 3
Kant (continued)

Dec 5
Kant (continued)

 

16

Dec 8

Kant (continued)

 

Dec 10

Last day

Open