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Tentative course schedule

Aug. 21: Introduction.

Aug. 23: Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), Physics (in Matthews, pp. 5-26).

Aug. 25: Aristotle, Metaphysics, Book XII, Chapters 7-8; On the Heavens, Book I, Chapters 2, 3, 8; Book II, Chapter 14; Book III, Chapter 2; Book IV, Chapters 3-5 (photocopy).

Aug. 28: Aristotle, On the Soul, Book II, Chapters 1-6, 12; Book III, Chapters 2(426b8-427a16) through 8 (photocopy).

Aug. 30: Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), Commentariolus (1512) and On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres (1543) (in Matthews, pp. 33-44); - Johannes Kepler (1571-1630): Read Thomas Kuhn (1922-1996), The Copernican Revolution (1957), pp. 206-219 (photocopy). - Francis Bacon (1561-1626), The New Organon (1620) (in Matthews, pp. 45-52).

Sept. 1: Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), The Assayer (1623), Dialogues Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632), and Discourses Concerning the Two New Sciences (1638) (in Matthews, pp. 53-86).

Sept. 6: René Descartes (1596-1650), Discourse on Method (1637) Parts I and II (in The Rationalists, pp. 39-54); - Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy (1641), "Dedication", "Preface to the Reader", and Meditation I: "Of the things we may doubt" (in The Rationalists, pp. 99-107, 112-117).

Sept. 8: Descartes, Meditation II: "Of the nature of the human mind; and that it is more easily known than the body" (pp. 118-127).

Sept. 11: Descartes, Meditation III: "Of God: that He exists" (pp. 128-143).

Sept. 13: Descartes, Meditation IV: "Of truth and error" (in The Rationalists, pp. 144-152); - Descartes, Principles of Philosophy (1644-1647) Part I ##45-46 (photocopy, pp. 242f).

Sept. 15: Descartes, Meditation V: "Of the essence of material things; and, again, of God: that He exists" (in The Rationalists, pp. 153-159); - Principles of Philosophy, Part II ##4-25 (photocopy, pp. 254-262); - Principles of Philosophy, Part II ##36-40 and #64; Part IV ##198-199 and ##203-204 (in Matthews, pp. 99-108).

Sept. 18: Meditation VI: "Of the existence of material things, and of the real distinction between the mind and body of man" (in The Rationalists, pp. 160-175); - Descartes' letter to Marin Mersenne from December 24, 1640 (photocopy, pp. 91f); - Descartes, The Passions of the Soul (1649), Part I #30-38 (photocopy, pp. 307-310).

Sept. 20: Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), Ethics (1677) Part I: "Concerning God": "Definitions", "Axioms", Propositions I-XX (in The Rationalists, pp. 179-197).

Sept. 22: Spinoza, Ethics, Part I: Propositions XXI-XXXVI and Appendix (pp. 197-215).

Sept. 25: Spinoza, Ethics, Part II: "Preface", "Definitions", "Axioms", Propositions I-XL and Notes I and II (pp. 216-248).

Sept. 27: Spinoza, Ethics, Part II, Propositions XLI-XLIX (pp. 248-261); - Ethics, Part III: "On the origin and nature of the emotions": "Definitions", "Postulates", Propositions I-III (pp. 262-270); "Definitions of the emotions": I-VII (pp. 308-310); "General definition of the emotions" (pp. 319f); - Ethics, Part IV: "Of human bondage or the strength of the emotions": "Preface" (pp. 321-324).

Sept. 29: Spinoza, Ethics, Part V: "Of the power of the understanding, or of human freedom" (pp. 379-406).

Oct. 2: First paper due (no new reading).

Oct. 4: Robert Boyle (1627-1691), Of the Excellency and Grounds of the Corpuscular or Mechanical Hypothesis (1674) (in Matthews, pp. 109-123).

Oct. 6: Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), Leviathan or the Matter, Form, and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiastical and Civil (1651): "Introduction" and Part One, "Of Man": Chapters I-III (pp. 3-15), VI (pp. 27-35).

Oct. 9: Hobbes, Leviathan, Part One: Chapters X, XI (pp. 50-63), XIII and XIV (pp. 74-88).

Oct. 11: Hobbes, Leviathan, Part Two, "Of Commonwealth": Chapters XVII-XXI (pp. 106-145).

Oct. 13: John Locke (1632-1704), An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690): ideas, and primary and secondary qualities (in The Empiricists, pp. 7-30).

Oct. 16: Locke, Essay: complex ideas and the liberty of the will (pp. 31-52).

Oct. 18: Locke, Essay: substance, identity, and personal identity (pp. 52-75).

Oct. 20: Locke, Essay: knowledge (pp. 75-99).

Oct. 23: Locke, Essay: faith and reason (pp. 99-133).

Oct. 25: Locke, Second Treatise on Government: An Essay Concerning the True Original Extent and End of Civil Government (1689), "Preface" and ##1-76 (pp. 5-42).

Oct. 27: Locke, Treatise, ##77-99 (pp. 43-53), ##123-148 (pp. 65-77), ##211-243 (pp. 107-124).

Oct. 30: George Berkeley (1685-1753), A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge (1710): "Preface" and "Introduction" on abstract ideas (The Empiricists, pp. 135-151).

Nov. 1: Berkeley, Treatise: against matter: ##1-33 (pp. 151-163).

Nov. 3: Berkeley, Treatise: replies to objections: ##34-81 (pp. 163-183).

Nov. 6: Second paper due (no new reading).

Nov. 8: Isaac Newton (1642-1727), The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy ("Principia") (1687); and Opticks (1704) (in Matthews, pp. 133-158).

Nov. 10: Gottfried Wilhelm Freiherr von Leibniz (1646-1716), Discourse on Metaphysics (1710), ##I-XIII (in The Rationalists, pp. 409-424).

Nov. 13: Leibniz, Discourse, ##XIV-XXV (pp. 424-439).

Nov. 15: Leibniz, Discourse, ##XXVI-XXXVII (pp. 439-453).

Nov. 17: Leibniz, Monadology (1714) (in The Rationalists, pp. 455-471).

Nov. 20: David Hume (1711-1776), An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748): ideas and skepticism (in The Empiricists, pp. 307-333).

Nov. 27: Hume, Enquiry: the "skeptical solution" (pp. 334-364).

Nov. 29: Hume, Enquiry: liberty and necessity (pp. 364-386).

Dec. 1: Hume, Enquiry: on miracles and religion (pp. 387-417).

Dec. 4: Hume, Enquiry: varieties of skepticism (pp. 417-430).

Dec. 6: Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), On the Social Contract (1762), pp. 17-52.

Dec. 8: Rousseau, On the Social Contract, pp. 52-84, 97-103.

Wednesday, Dec. 13: Final paper due by 11:00am in the Department of Philosophy & Religion office, 135 Baker Hall.