HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY II (PL252)
Spring, 2008 TTH 2:00-3:20,
HC 003
Dr.
Bill Myers
Office:
HC 222 Office phone: 226-4868
email:
bmyers
Office
Hours: M 12:30-2:00; W 1-4; TTH 10:00-11:00; and by appt.
OBJECTIVES:
The
purpose of this course is get us acquainted with the writings of some of the
major figures in the Modern period of philosophy, from the late 16th
century until the beginning of the 19th century. We will do this by carefully reading some of
the classic writings from that period. We will focus on the dispute between
rationalism and empiricism and the resulting issues in metaphysics and
epistemology. This course fulfills the general education requirement for
Philosophy and Religion, and is a requirement for the philosophy major and
minor.
TEXTS:
The Rationalists: Descartes,
Spinoza, and Leibniz. Anchor Books.
The Empiricists: Locke,
Berkeley, and Hume. Anchor Books
Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant.
Bacon to Kant: An Introduction to Modern Philosophy, 2nd edition by
Thomson.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Final
exam 25%
Papers 20%
each
Attendance,
participation, reading
Summaries
and critiques 15%
TAKE HOME TESTS:
Just before mid-term and just
before finals week, I will hand out a list of questions that relate to the
philosophers we have studied. For the purposes of the test, you may use
whatever resources you can find, but in the end, I expect your work to be your
own. If you use any sources, I expect full citation.
PAPERS:
We will do one paper before mid-term (likely
on Descartes) and one after (on Locke or Berkeley). I will make suggestions for
paper topics. For the first of these two papers (and the first one only!), you
must hand in two (2) copies. For both papers, your name should appear only on a
separate cover page. These papers are to be no less than three and no more than
five pages long, word processed, double-spaced in a standard font (12 point
Times New Roman). Number your pages. Staple your paper in the upper left-hand
corner. Leave reasonable margins. Never use plastic report covers. Observe the
required page limits. Do not right
justify. Keep a hard copy of all work
handed in. Any paper not meeting these requirements will not be graded. If I
have return your paper to you in order for you to fix it, your paper will be
penalized as a late paper. Before writing your paper, be sure that you consult
the handout on writing philosophy papers.
LATE PAPERS AND EXAMS:
For
the most part, I do not accept late papers and exams. In order for a late paper or exam to be
acceptable, you must make arrangements with me prior to the due date. Even if
you do make arrangements, the exam or paper could still be penalized. You must
have a substantial reason (not an excuse) for not turning in your assignments
on time.
READING SUMMARIES:
Periodically
I will hand out a question or two for you to focus on as you do the reading.
These are unannounced and sporadic, so if you miss class, you will need to
check with me or a classmate to find out if I’ve given an assignment to go with
the reading. These summaries are informal and may be handwritten. They
cannot be made up.
ATTENDANCE AND
PARTICIPATION:
Without
class input and participation, a course like this can and will likely be
dreadfully dull. It is important that you read the material and be prepared to
discuss it. In order to facilitate this, a portion of your grade will go toward
attendance and participation. If you miss class excessively (more than 4
times), your final grade will be lowered by one full letter grade. If you miss
more than 6, you will fail.
POLICY ON TARDINESS:
Habitual tardiness is irresponsible, rude, and disruptive. To discourage it, every instance of tardiness beyond the first two will result in the lowering of the final course average by one point. No excuses will be accepted. You have two—use them judiciously.
CLASSROOM RULES:
Two rules for the sake of courtesy: First, eating is not allowed in HC classrooms. Don’t bring food to class. Second, turn off your cell phone when you come to class. If I hear your cell phone ring, vibrate, or otherwise make its presence known, you will immediately be dismissed from class and counted absent for that day.
HONOR CODE:
You will, of course, be expected to abide by the Honor Code in regard to all of your assignments. Regarding exams, it is acceptable and even encouraged that you study with one another. However, when you write your exam, your work must be your own. The same applies to your papers. Blatant violations of the honor code will result in your failing this class.
Course Handouts: This link will take you to
copies of all the handouts I’ll distribute over the course of the semester.
READING ASSIGNMENTS:
Feb 5 and 7: Course introduction and background. The rise
of skepticism.
Rationalism (primary text readings from The Rationalists):
Feb 12: Descartes.
Feb 14: Descartes.
Feb 19: Descartes.
Feb 21: Descartes.
Feb 26: Spinoza.
Feb 28: Spinoza.
Mar 4: Leibniz. Reading 109-453
Mar 6: Leibniz. Reading 455-471
Mar 11 Wrap up Leibniz; Thomson, 109-112
Mar 13: No class.
Empiricism (primary text readings from The Empiricists):
Mar 18: Introduce Empiricism: Locke’s epistemology.
Mar 20: cont'd.
Mar 25 and 27: Spring Break!
Apr 1: Locke’s metaphysics.
Apr 3:
Apr 8:
Apr 10:
Apr 15: Hume.
Apr 17: Hume.
Apr 22: Hume.
Apr 24: Honors Day, no classes
Apr 29: Hume.
Kant readings from The Critique
of Pure Reason:
May 1: Kant.
May 6: Kant.
May 14: Second exam due by 1:00