Prospectus

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History of Modern Philosophy (with tutorial)

Course
2012-2013

Admission requirements

Admission to this course is restricted to first-year students in the BA Plus-traject of the BA Philosophy. These students must also attend the corresponding tutorial.

Description

A lecture course introducing some of the key figures, problems and themes in the philosophy of Enlightenment from Descartes to Kant. Attention will be given to the broader context of cultural modernity, experienced as a break with the past, and the demands for stability and orientation that emerged as the unified world-views of religion and metaphysics fell apart. Against this background, we will concentrate on the concept of reason developed in theories of knowledge and morality proposed by thinkers such as Descartes, Spinoza, Pascal, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant. Key problems and themes to be studied include: the problem of foundations, the problem of subjectivity and reflexion, perception, innate ideas, the mind-body problem and the problem of freedom and determinism. Consideration of the two main streams of Enlightenment thought, Rationalism and Empiricism, will culminate in Kant’s attempt at a synthesis that would ground natural science while saving human freedom.

Course objectives

Course objectives will be made available on Blackboard at the start of the course.

Time table

See Collegeroosters Wijsbegeerte 2012-2013, BA Wijsbegeerte, BA Plus-traject, eerste jaar.

Mode of instruction

Lectures (hoorcollege) with time left over for discussion (2 hours) and tutorial (2 hours).

Assessment method

  • Regular assignments (10%)

  • Mid-semester take home exam (40%)

  • Final take home exam (50%).

Blackboard

Weekly use for announcements, assignments, course documents (lecture notes, overheads etc.), exams and course information.

Reading list

  • Reader with excerpts from primary and secondary literature.

  • Descartes, R., Meditations on First Philosophy , Ed. Cottingham (CUP 1996). ISBN: 0 521 55818 2.

  • Spinoza, Ethics , ed. & transl. Parkinson (OUP 2003). ISBN: 0198752148

Registration

Please register for this course on uSis.
See Inschrijven voor cursussen en tentamens

Aanmelden à la carte en contractonderwijs

Not applicable.

Contact information

Dr. H.W. Siemens

Remarks

Lectures will be in English, although Dutch can be used for exams and contributions in class.