Early Modern Philosophy
| Andrew
Mills'
Homepage |
Course
Resources
Homepage |
Dept.
of Religion
and Philosophy |
This is the Homepage for Philosophy 210/310: Early Modern Philosophy. From this page, using the links to the left, you will be able to access all the on-line class materials, including a syllabus, the schedule of readings, study questions, paper topics, as well as copies of any handouts and class assignments. Using the links above, you will be able to access Andrew Mills' Homepage, the Class Resources Homepage (containing links to all the courses Prof. Mills teaches) as well as the Department of Religion and Philosophy Homepage. If you ever get lost, clicking on Rene Descartes' picture (that's the fellow with the big collar up there) will bring you back to this page.
This is a course in the history of European philosophy from the middle of the 17th Century to the late 18th Century, one of the most fertile periods of philosophic thought in the history of Western Civilization. We will focus our attention on five of the most important philosophers of the time: Rene Descartes (French, 1596-1650), Gottfried Leibniz (German, 1646-1716), John Locke (English, 1632-1704), George Berkeley (Irish, 1685-1753), and David Hume (Scots, 1711-1776). We will also be reading selections from some other important philosophers and scientists of the period including Nicolas Malebranche, Robert Boyle, and Pierre Bayle.
The primary goal of this course is to gain an appreciation of the ideas and arguments of these philosophers, and to see how the views they gave voice to remain prominent in our thinking about the world to the present day. A secondary, but no less important goal, is to develop the critical thinking and writing skills essential to success in any philosophy class. It is my hope that you leave this class a better philosopher yourself, not just someone who knows something about what these other folks have said. We shall spend a good deal of time interacting with the assigned texts, and doing so serves both goals: it is only by responding to what these philosophers have written that we will come to understand their positions, and by engaging in a philosophic conversation with them we will hone our critical skills. The reading for this course is, at times, quite difficult, but with the help of the professor and the other students, and with a good deal of effort on your own part, you will come out of this class with a deeper appreciation of Western philosophical thought, and Western culture in general.
Philosophical method requires a close critical reading of the texts, and this is a skill which will serve you in other disciplines as well as in other philosophy classes.
There is a wrinkle in the schedule, and it affects our Friday meetings. This class inlcludes students who are taking the course as a substitute for INST 250 as well as students who are philosophy majors and minors. To adequately serve these different populations, we will be meeting in groups on alternate Fridays. Some Fridays I will meet with students enrolled in PHIL 210 and some Fridays I will meet with students in PHIL 310. If your group is not meeting on a given Friday, then you don't have to come to class that day (though, of course, you are welcome to). The reading schedule will tell you which Fridays you will have to be in class.