This course is an introduction to seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European philosophy. We will focus on four prominent philosophical works of the period: Descartes's Discourse on the Method, Leibniz's 'Discourse on Metaphysics', Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding, and Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. We will also consider the work of other philosophers of the period, such as Hobbes and Berkeley. The course will focus on the philosophers' views in metaphysics and epistemology, but will also look at views in the physical sciences and in ethics. Assessment will involve a series of quizzes, two papers, and final exam.
This is a graduate course on seventeenth-century philosophy, in which we will focus on the philosophy of Leibniz. Topics will probably include the following.
Readings will for the most part be taken from G.W. Leibniz, Philosophical Essays, edited and translated by R. Ariew and D. Garber (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1989), and Leibniz's 'New System' and Associated Contemporary Texts, edited and translated by R.S. Woolhouse and R. Francks (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997).
Grades for the class will be determined by grades on three assignments: a shorter paper due relatively early in the semester, a longer paper due later in the semester, and a final exam.