This is the homepage for Modern Philosophy (PHH 3400), Spring 2008.
The course is an introduction to seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European philosophy. We will focus on four prominent philosophical works of the period: Descartes's Meditations, Spinoza's Ethics, 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 Leibniz. 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 midterm, two papers, and final exam.
(4/22) The second part of my notes on Locke (pdf) is now available, as are my notes on Hume (pdf).
(4/21) The review questions (pdf) for the final are now available.
I will have my final regularly scheduled office hours of the semester on Tuesday 22 April from 3 to 5pm. I will have extra office hours on Tuesday 29 April from 2 to 5 pm.
(4/1) There will be no class meeting on Thursday 3 April.
I will have office hours on the afternoon of Thursday 3 April. However, I will have them from 3 to 4 rather than from 4 to 5. As usual, anyone who can't come to office hours but would like to make an appointment for some other time is welcome to do so. Just email me to arrange a meeting.
Next Tuesday we'll start talking about Hume. As we're a little behind the schedule on the syllabus, I propose the following revision.
So on Tuesday we'll focus on EHU 1-3. It would be a good idea to look at section 4 as well, as we might start on that.
(2/29) The first half of Tuesday's class will be on Essay II.viii. The second half will be a review session for the midterm. Here's the midterm review handout for that.
(2/28) My notes on Locke's Essay, up to II.viii, are now available.
(2/26) I've put some of my notes online. All three are encrypted pdf files, using the same password as the previously posted items.
(1/29) The handout for paper 1 and the handout on critics of Descartes (Hobbes, Gassendi, and Leibniz) are now available online. Both are encrypted pdf files. I'll email the password for them to the class mailing list.
(1/2) The syllabus (pdf) is now available.