Winter 2011
Lecture & Reading Schedule for PHIL 311
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What is the History of Philosophy and Why Study it? |
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Mo 1/3 We 1/5 Fr 1/7 |
Introduction: What is the history of philosophy? How should we study
the history of philosophy? How to Read & Write the History of Philosophy: Richard Rorty, “The
Historiography of Philosophy: Four Genres” Canon Formation: Margaret Atherton, “Introduction” to Women Philosophers of the Early Modern Period |
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Descartes: Rationalism and the Invention of the Mind |
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Mo 1/10 We 1/12 Fr 1/14 |
Introduction to Descartes (Discourse on Method, Parts I & II) Descartes’ Rationalist Theory of Subject: the Modern
Subject (Discourse on Method, Pts.
III & IV) Descartes’ Rationalist Epistemology I: the Method of Doubt
(Meditations, Letter of Dedication,
& Meditation I) |
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Mo 1/17 We 1/19 Fr 1/21 |
[No class for MLK
day] Descartes’ Rationalist Epistemology II: Descartes’
Invention of Mind (Meditations,
Meditation II) Descartes’ Rationalist Epistemology III: Mind, Truth, and
Knowledge (Meditations, Meditation
III) |
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Mo 1/24 We 1/26 |
Descartes’ Big Proofs I: The External World (Meditations, Meditation IV & VI) Descartes’ Big Proofs II: God (Meditations, Meditation V) Debating Cartesian Epistemology: Margaret Cavendish (Philosophical Letters) & Princess
Elisabeth of Bohemia (Correspondence
with Descartes) [Descartes Paper
due on Fri 1/28 in Lecture] |
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Locke: Empiricism and the Invention of Representations in the Mind |
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Fr 1/28 |
Intro to Locke (Essay,
Epistle & Book I, Chap. i [herafter
I.i]) |
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Mo 1/31 We 2/2 Fr 2/4 |
Locke’s Empiricist Epistemology I: Refutation of Innatism (Essay, I, ii and I, iv) Locke’s Empiricist Epistemology II: New Way of Ideas, Part I (Essay, II, i;
II, ii; II, iii; II, vii-xii) Locke’s Empiricist Epistemology III: New Way of Ideas, Part
II (Essay, II, xxix-xxxiii; IV, I;
IV, iv-v) [Guest Lecturer
George Fourlas] |
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Mo 2/7 We 2/9 Fr 2/11 |
Debating Lockean
Epistemology: Mary Astell (A Serious Proposal to the Ladies) Locke’s Empiricist Moral
Philosophy: Autonomy and Free Will (Essay,
I, iii; II, xx-xxi; and review II, i, §§9-14) Debating Lockean Morality: Catherine Trotter Cockburn (Defense of Locke; review Locke’s Essay II, i,
§§10-25) |
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Mo 2/14 We 2/16 |
Locke’s Empiricist Political
Philosophy I: (Second Treatise of
Government §1-21, §87-100, §119-131, §211-243) Locke’s Empiricist Political
Philosophy II: (Second Treatise of
Government §119-131, §211-243) [Locke Paper due
on Fri 2/18 in Lecture] |
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Hume: Skeptical Empiricism about the Modern Idea of Representations
in the Mind |
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Fr 2/18 |
Empiricism: Bishop Berkeley
between Locke and Hume (Enq HU §1) |
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Mo 2/21 We 2/23 Fr 2/25 |
Hume’s Empiricist Epistemology I:
Hume on the Origin and Association of Ideas (Enq HU §2-3) Hume’s Empiricist Epistemology
II: Problem of Induction (Enq HU §4-6) Hume’s Empiricist Epistemology
III: Hume’s Critique of Causation (Enq HU §7) |
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Mo 2/28 We 3/2 Fr 3/4 |
Debating Empiricist Epistemology: Shepherd (Perception of an External Universe) and Hume (Enq HU §12) Hume’s Empiricist Moral
Philosophy I: Introduction and the Reason/Sentiment Distinction (Enq PM §I) Hume’s Moral Phil II: Utility (Enq PM §II; cf. Appdx.
I-II); Sympathy (THN II.1.1-2,
II.3.1-3 [link] & Enq PM §V, §IX); |
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Concluding Reflections |
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Mo 3/7 We 3/9 Fr 3/11 |
Hume’s Empiricist Political
Philosophy: Government’s Utility (Enq PM §III-IV;
“Of the Original Contract”) [link] Conclusion: The Future of Modern Philosophy & The
Philosophic Present [No
Lecture on Friday, March 12 due to Instructor Conference in Spokane – but do
attend section] [Final
Descartes/Hume or Locke/Hume Paper due on Tue 3/15; submission instructions
given in lecture] |