Bill Myers, PS 112D, 226-4868

We are going to engage upon a comparative study of the metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead and John Dewey. We will focus on the methods of these two philosophers in hopes of discovering how they each respond to the Cartesian trap that has plagued philosophy since the Modern period. In order to fulfill this goal, we are starting with Rene Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy. Following this, we will examine Whitehead’s critique of modern science as he spells it out in his work Science and the Modern World. We will then tackle portions of Whitehead’s Process and Reality and will conclude with Dewey’s Experience and Nature. This course fulfills the philosophy/religion requirement for tier one of general education and is an upper level elective for philosophy majors and minors.

Descartes, Rene. Meditations on First Philosophy, Donald A. Cress, trans. Hackett publishing.

Dewey, John. Experience and Nature. Southern Illinois University Press.

Whitehead, Alfred North. Process and Reality, Corrected Edition. Free Press.

Whitehead, Alfred North. Science and the Modern World. Free Press.

1) Attendance and informed contribution to class discussion. This is a small, upper division class, so attendance and participation are essential for its success. I expect all of us to diligently work at reading and understanding the material. Excessive absences (more than 4) will result in the lowering of a final letter grade by one full letter.

2) Each of you will either volunteer for or be assigned a report on some specified reading material. For each of these, you will prepare and read a paper, a copy of which will be provided to me and to each student in the class on or before the class in which it is to be read. Each paper is to be typed, double spaced and no more than 5 pages in length. The reports should contain a significant amount of critical analysis which is focused on some claim or argument made by or relevant to the author of the material assigned. Mere exposition should be kept to a minimum, as each of us (in the best of all possible worlds) will have already read the relevant material. An acceptable alternative will be a clarification paper that shed light on some particularly dense or puzzling passage from the reading. If the presenter wishes, the paper may be rewritten and handed in at the next class meeting.

3) Term paper. At our last regular class meeting, you will turn in a typed, double spaced, 10 (8-12) page paper. This paper should be a critical discussion of some issue relevant to the material assigned or discussed in class. Be aware that I will be more than happy to look over rough drafts of your paper or discuss ideas for it.

4) Final exam. Due to the nature of the philosophical systems we are studying, it is essential that we all have a solid grasp of the often specialized vocabulary of those systems. To encourage us to keep a glossary of some kind, there will be a final exam in which you will be asked to define a significant number of the relevant philosophical term. There will certainly be some element of choice as to which terms you will define.

Class participation: 20%

Class report: 20%

Final exam: 20%

Term paper: 40%

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2/4 Introduction and begin Descartes’ Meditations. Readings: Meditations 1, 2, 3, 5, 6.

2./6 Finish the Meditations. Set up the "Cartesian Trap." Readings: Meds, cont’d.

2/11 A basic intro to Whitehead’s metaphysics. Readings: "The World and God: A Process Perspective," course packet, 28

2/13 Begin Science and the Modern World, "The Origins of Modern Science." Reading: Chapter 1, SMW.

2/18 "Mathematics as an Element in the History of Thought." Reading: Chapter 2, SMW.

2/20 "The Century of Genius." Reading: Chapter 3, SMW.

2/25 "The Eighteenth Century." Reading: Chapter 4, SMW.

2/27 "The Romantic Reaction." Reading: Chapter 5, SMW.

3/4 "The Nineteenth Century." Reading: Chapter 6, SMW.

3/6 No class--Gone for conference.

3/11 Whitehead’s metaphysics: A less basic intro. Reading: "The Metaphysical System," course packet, p. 14

3/13 The Categories and further introductory remarks. Reading: All of Part I and Part II, Chapter X. Suggested readings: Part III, Chapter I, secs. I, II, and III; and Part III, Ch II, all.

3/18 Process and Reality, Part II, " Discussions and Applications." Whitehead on philosophical problems, substance, and grades of entities. Reading: Part II, Ch I (all); Ch II, sec. V; and Ch III, secs. X and XI. Report: On any of the assigned readings for the week.

3/20 Process and Reality, Part II, cont’d. Whitehead on perception. Reading: Part II, Ch IV (all but sec. I); and Part II, Ch V. Report: suggestion--Whitehead on Perception.

3/25 Process and Reality, Part II, cont’d. Whitehead on Locke, Hume. From Descartes to Kant, emphasizing the role of Eternal Objects. Reading: Part II, Ch V; Part II, Ch VI. Report: On any of the assigned readings.

3/27 Process and Reality, Part II, cont’d. The Subjectivist Principle and Symbolic Reference. Reading: Part II, Ch VII; Part II, Ch VIII. Report: Either Subjectivist Principle or Symbolic Reference.

4/1&3 Spring Break (about time!)

4/8 Finish Process and Reality. The Final Interpretation. Reading: Part V, all.

4/10 Introduction to John Dewey’s metaphysics. Reading: None!

4/15 Dewey on philosophical method. Reading: Chapter 1, EN. Report: Chapter 1, EN.

4/17 Begin the generic traits of existence. Reading: Chapter 2, EN. Report: Chapter 2, EN

4/22 Dewey’s process metaphysics. Reading: Chapter 3, EN. Report: Chapter 3, EN.

4/27 Dewey’s process metaphysics. Reading: Continued.

4/29 Whitehead and Dewey’s objective relativism. Reading: A. E. Murphy, "Objective Relativism in Dewey and Whitehead," course packet, p. 1.

5/1 Dewey on knowledge. Reading: Chapter 4, EN. Report: Chapter 4, EN.

5/6 Dewey on the mind-body problem. Reading: Chapter 7, EN.

5/8 Chapter 8 of En, if we’re not too far behind.

5/13 Wrap up: conclusions, comparisons, etc.

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