Summer 2004

PHL s329L • Early Modern Philosophy: Descartes - Kant

Course Description

In this course we will study key texts from major philosophers of the early modern period (17th and 18th centuries). We will begin with Descartes' attempt to found human knowledge on secure foundations as a result of skeptical investigation, proceed by way of Berkeley's radical anti-materialist empiricism, and Hume's 'mitigiated scepticism' to the synthetic metaphysics of Kant.

Texts

D. Clarke (ed.), Rene Descartes: Meditations and Other Metaphysical Writings; Penguin (0-14-044701-6) K. Winkler (ed.), George Berkeley: A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge; Hackett (0-915145-39-1) E. Steinberg (ed.), David Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding; Hackett (0-915144-16-6) J. W. Ellington (ed.), Immanuel Kant: Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics; Hackett (0-915144-25-5)

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