Philosophy 25B (Summer 2009)

Philosophy 25B: Modern Philosophy
Summer 2009

MTuWTh 2:00-4:00pm
156 Dwinelle

Instructor: John Schwenkler
E-mail: jls@berkeley.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays from 10am-12pm, in Moses 301
Website: http://philosophy.berkeley.edu/people/detail/96/

GSI: Jeremy Carey
E-mail: jeremycarey@berkeley.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1pm-2pm, in Moses 301

Course description:

An examination of central issues in early modern philosophy by way of texts by René Descartes, John Locke, Julien Offray de La Mettrie, George Berkeley, David Hume, Thomas Reid, and Immanuel Kant. Topics covered will include: skepticism and knowledge; matter and the soul; perception, thought, and personal identity; the nature of moral judgment; metaphysics; and the philosophy of science. Of particular interest will be the rise of philosophical naturalism, and the question of how the modern scientific understanding of nature impacts philosophers’ treatments of the above subjects.

Course requirements:

Students will be expected to come to class with the day’s readings in hand, ready to discuss the material in depth. Attendance at section is required. Overall, your final grade will be calculated as follows:

• Attendance and class participation: 10%
• Two short papers (2-3 pp. and 4-5 pp.) on assigned topics: 15% and 25%, respectively
• Midterm examination: 20%
• Final examination (cumulative): 30%

Plagiarism and academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any form. In your papers, cite all written sources you have relied on in any way and explicitly acknowledge any other help you have received, and if you have any question as to whether a given action might be viewed as dishonest, speak with the instructor or GSI. For more on plagiarism and the proper methods for citing your sources, please visit http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/instruct/guides/citations.html.

Required texts:

• René Descartes, Meditations, Objections, and Replies (trans. Cress and Ariew, Hackett)
• John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (ed. Phemister, Oxford World’s Classics)
• Julien Offray de La Mettrie, Man a Machine and Man a Plant (trans. Watson and Rybalka, Hackett)
• George Berkeley, A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge and Three Dialogues (ed. Woolhouse, Penguin Classics)
• David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature (ed. Selby-Bigge, Oxford University Press)
• Thomas Reid, Inquiry and Essays (ed. Beanblossom and Lehrer, Hackett)
• Immanuel Kant, Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics (trans. Ellington, Hackett)

Preliminary schedule of readings:

Week 1:

• Monday 7/6: Introductory matters
• Tuesday 7/7: Descartes, Meditations, Letter of Dedication (pp. 1-4), last two pars. of the Preface (from “But now, after having, …”, pp. 5-6), and Meds. I-II (pp. 9–19)
• Wednesday 7/8: ibid., Meds. III-V (pp. 19-40)
• Thursday, 7/9: ibid., Med. VI (pp. 40-50); Second Set of Objections, 3rd and 4th objections (pp. 72-74) and Descartes’ replies (pp. 82-86); Fourth Set of Objections, “Concerning the Nature of the Human Mind” (pp. 116-122) and Descartes’ reply (pp. 131-138); Sixth Set of Objections, final objection (p. 166: “Finally, the ninth concern …”) and Descartes’ reply (pp. 175-176)

Week 2:

• Monday 7/13: Locke, Essay, Book 1, ch. 1 (pp. 1–16); Book II, ch. 1 §§1-8 and 20-25 (pp. 54-57 and 62-63), ch. 2 (pp. 64-65), chs. 6–7 (pp. 69–73), ch. 8 §§7-25 (pp. 75-82), chs. 9-12 (pp. 82-99)
• Tuesday 7/14: ibid., Book II, chs. 20-21 (pp. 136-174)
• Wednesday 7/15: ibid., Book II, ch. 23 §§1-18 and 32-37 (pp. 179-187 and 193-196), and chs. 26-27 (pp. 201-219)
• Thursday 7/16: ibid., Book IV, chs. 1 (pp. 332-336), 4 (pp. 360-367), 8-11 (pp. 390-412)

Week 3:

• Monday 7/20: La Mettrie, Man a Machine, first part of the editor’s introduction (pp. 1-7), preface by the printer (pp. 18–19) and pp. 27-49 and 59-76 of the main text; G.W. Leibniz, Monadology, §17 **FIRST PAPER DUE**
• Tuesday 7/21: Berkeley, Dialogues, Preface and First Dialogue (pp. 117-156)
• Wednesday 7/22: ibid., Second Dialogue (pp. 157-174)
• Thursday 7/23: ibid., Third Dialogue (pp. 175-208)

Week 4:

• Monday 7/27: IN-CLASS MIDTERM EXAMINATION
• Tuesday 7/28: Hume, Treatise, Introduction (pp. xiii-xix); Book I, Part I (pp. 1-25), Part II, sec. vi (pp. 66-68), and Part III, secs. i-ii (pp. 69-78), vi (pp. 86-94), and xiv (pp. 155-172)
• Wednesday 7/29: ibid., Book I, Part IV, secs. i-ii (pp. 180-218)
• Thursday 7/30: ibid., Book I, Part IV, secs. v-vii (pp. 232-274)

Week 5:

• Monday 8/3: ibid., Book II, Part III, secs. i-iii (pp. 399-418); Book III, Part I (pp. 455-476)
• Tuesday 8/4: Reid, Essays on the Intellectual Powers, Essay One, ch. 1, pp. 135 (from “5. Thinking is a very general word …”) to end; Essay Two, chs. 5, 10, 14, and 20 (pp. 159–180 and 198-206)
• Wednesday 8/5: ibid., selections from Essays Three and Four (pp. 206-233); and Essay Six, ch. 1 (pp. 251-257)
• Thursday 8/6: Reid, Essays on the Active Powers, Essay Four, chs. 1, 2, and 4 (pp. 323-336); and Essay Five, ch. 7 (pp. 360-368) **SECOND PAPER DUE**

Week 6:

• Monday 8/10: Kant, Prolegomena, Preface and §§1-5 (pp. 1-22)
• Tuesday 8/11: ibid., §§6-20 (pp. 23-42) and 27-33 (pp. 49-54)
• Wednesday 8/12: ibid., §§40–42 (pp. 64–66), 45–48 (pp 68–71), and 60 (pp. 95–98); plus the “Solution of the General Question” from pp. 99-104
• Thursday 8/13: Review session with GSI
• Friday 8/14: IN-CLASS FINAL EXAMINATION