History of Modern Philosophy

Philosophy 112

Spring 2003, MW 11:30-12:55

http://www.bowdoin.edu/~pmagnus

Professor: P.D. Magnus

Campus phone x3982

Overview

The period in philosophy from Descartes to Kant-- from the mid-17th to the late 18th century-- was dominated by the system of ideas, the assumption that the only objects of direct perception are ideas occurring in our own minds. We'll chart the rise and fall of the system of ideas through the philosophies of René Descartes, George Berkeley, David Hume, Thomas Reid, and Immanuel Kant.

Requirements

Mid-term 1 (20%)

Mid-term 2 (20%)

Paper (30%)
The paper will be 1600 words on an assigned topic. A rough draft will be due during Week 11 (Monday, April 19). The paper will be returned to you with comments and the final draft will be due during Week 14 (Monday, May 10). You should turn in the rough draft along with the final.
The draft will be marked with the grade it would have received if it were a final draft. If the paper is not improved, however, the final draft will not receive this grade! If you turn in the paper unmodified, you will get one letter grade less than the grade marked on the draft.

Final exam (30%)

Class participation
Participation in class discussion is required. Exemplary participation will add to your grade, up to two-thirds of a letter grade.

Policies

Academic honesty: Students are expected to abide by the Bowdoin Academic Honor Code. Students are encouraged to discuss issues from the course with each other and with others outside of class, to take advantage of the Writing Project, and so on. However, they are responsible for their own ideas. Papers should include citations to any works cited or consulted, as well as acknowledgments of helpful interactions.

Late papers: The paper will be considered late if it is not ready to hand in at the beginning of class on the day it is due. Each day late will result in a loss of one letter grade.

Absences: Students who will need to miss class for religious observance, away games, or for other scheduled reasons should discuss these issues with the professor at the beginning of the term. If an emergency results in absence, the student should contact the professor as soon as possible. Make-up exams will be given only for documented, excused absences.

Schedule

We are studying five philosophers this term, each for about two and half weeks. The following is a provisional schedule, with reading assignments for the first several weeks. Further reading assignments will be specified later.

M 1/26: Introduction
W 1/28: Descartes' Meditation 1 (read: 3-15, recommended: 63-67)
M 2/2: Meditation 2 (read: 16-23, recommended: 68-77)
W 2/4: Meditation 3 (read: 24-36, recommended: 78-89)
M 2/9: Meditations 4-5 (read: 37-49, recommended: 90-106)
W 2/11: Meditation 6 (read: 50-62, recommended: 107-115)
M 2/16: Berkeley's Principles, Preface and Introduction (read pages 87-102)
W 2/18: Principles, sections 1-33 (read pages 103-114)
M 2/23: Principles, sections 34-66 (read pages 114-127)
W 2/25: Principles, sections 85-122 (read pages 133-149)
M 3/1: Principles, sections 123-156 (read pages 149-162)
W 3/3: MID-TERM 1
M 3/8: Hume's Enquiry, sections 2-3 (read pages 96-107)
W 3/10: Enquiry, section 4 (read pages 108-118)
SPRING BREAK!: get some rest
M 3/29: Enquiry, sections 5-6 (read pages 119-133)
W 3/31: Enquiry, sections 7-8 (read pages 134-164)
M 4/5: Enquiry, section 12 (read pages 199-211)
W 4/7: MID-TERM 2
M 4/12: Inquiry Ch 1 and Ch 2 secs VII-IX (read pages 3-12, 22--29)
W 4/14: Ch 5 (read pages 35-61)
M 4/19: Ch 6 secs XX, XXIV (read pages 83-103); DRAFT DUE
W 4/21: Ch 7 (read pages 103-121)
M 4/26: Preface and Introduction (read pages 1-24)
W 4/28: The Transcendental Aesthetic (read pages 25-38)
M 5/3: The Deduction (read pages 39-65)
W 5/5: ...continued...
M 5/10: The Refutation of Idealism and the Ontological Argument (read pages 124-127, 196-200); FINAL PAPER DUE
W 5/12: Concluding thoughts