PHIL A140: History of Modern Philosophy
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Curriculum Committee Approval Date | 09/08/2021 |
| Top Code | 150900 - Philosophy |
| Units | 3 Total Units |
| Hours | 54 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 54) |
| Total Outside of Class Hours | 0 |
| Course Credit Status | Credit: Degree Applicable (D) |
| Material Fee | No |
| Basic Skills | Not Basic Skills (N) |
| Repeatable | No |
| Grading Policy | Standard Letter (S) |
| Associate Arts Local General Education (GE) |
|
| Associate Science Local General Education (GE) |
|
| California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) |
|
| Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) |
|
| California State University General Education Breadth (CSU GE-Breadth) |
|
Course Description
This course addresses 16th through 18th century European philosophy with emphasis on broad epistemological and/or metaphysical developments of empiricism and rationalism in philosophical thought from Descartes to Kant. It may include immediate precursors and/or successors. Transfer Credit: CSU; UC. C-ID: PHIL 140. C-ID: PHIL 140.
Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)
- Present a critical philosophical analysis that articulates, interprets, and evaluates of the positions of an early-modern philosopher, based on readings of primary texts.
Course Objectives
- 1. Evaluate the sources of knowledge and their use in the relevant philosophical positions of rationalism and empiricism.
- 2. Analyze the problem of justified true belief in all relevant theories.
- 3. Compare and contrast the two major early-modern positions or schools of thought (rationalism and empiricism) with respect to: a. Sources of knowledge b. Concept acquisition c. Evidence or data d. Justification
- 4. Evaluate the analytic/synthetic distinction in both Hume and Kant
- 5. Compare and evaluate the concept of substance in Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant
- 6. Compare and evaluate the metaphysical notion of mind or self in Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant
- 7. Compare the Theory of Ideas in Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.
- 8. Interpret and articulate primary-source material.
- 9. Evaluate arguments, assumptions, principles, and explain their relevance to the major theories of early-modern philosophers
- 10. Compare and evaluate the differing methods of argumentation and inquiry used by the major early-modern philosophers
Lecture Content
Descartes Methodological Skepticism Stages of doubt the Cogito the causal argument for Gods existence the Ontological Argument The problem of error and its solution Dualism and Interactionism Spinoza Monism and the causa sui Materialism Attributes and Modes Three kinds of knowledge the nature of God Liebniz Malebranch and Occasionalism Monads and perception Monads and entelechy Simple and composite substances the nature of God Dualism and the pre-established harmony Locke Theory of ideas Substance and qualities Primary and secondary qualities Consciousness and personal identity the dream argument Knowledge and its limits Berkeley Esse est pecipi Theory of ideas Lockes primary and secondary qualities the nature of material substances Knowledge of external objects the nature of God Hume Humes skepticism impressions and ideas the genesis of ideas the ideas of substance, self and causality the problem of induction Humes skeptical solution Kant the analytic-synthetic distinction a priori and a posteriori propositions the forms of intuition the a priori categories of the understanding Noumena and phenomena Transcendental arguments Transcendental idealism
Method(s) of Instruction
- Lecture (02)
- DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
- DE Online Lecture (02X)
Instructional Techniques
Lecture Quizzes Minute papers or other in-class reflections Formative (peer-reviewed) reflections online or in-class Discussions, online and/or in-class Group projects/presentations that explain and evaluate metaphysical or epistemological concepts as they arise in the rationalists and empiricists of the 16th-18th centuries. Argumentative papers (ideas draft and final draft) Exams, objective and essay
Reading Assignments
Students will average three hours per week on the reading of primary and secondary texts.
Writing Assignments
Students will average two hours per week on minute papers, formative assessments, peer-review and argumentative papers.
Out-of-class Assignments
Students will spend approximately one hour per week on out-of-class (online) discussions and group projects.
Demonstration of Critical Thinking
Articulation, analysis and evaluation of arguments. Articulation, comparison, and evaluation of theories.
Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration
Argumentative papers that articulate, analyze and evaluate the theories of early-modern philosophers, based on readings of their primary texts.
Eligible Disciplines
Philosophy: Masters degree in philosophy OR bachelors degree in philosophy AND masters degree in humanities or religious studies, OR the equivalent. Masters degree required.
Textbooks Resources
1. Required Descartes. Meditations on First Philosophy, ed. Cambridge, 2000 Rationale: translation of a primary text from the 17th century 2. Required Descartes. Discourse on Method, ed. Oxford, 1999 Rationale: translation of a primary text from the 17th century 3. Required Leibniz. Monadology, ed. Hackett, 1989 Rationale: translation of a primary text from the 17th century 4. Required Spinoza. Ethics, ed. Cambridge, 2018 5. Required Berkeley. Principles of Human Knowledge, ed. Hackett, 1982 Rationale: translation of a primary text from the 17th century 6. Required Hume. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, ed. Hackett, 1993 Rationale: Primary source in English, no translation 7. Required Locke. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, ed. Oxford, 2019 8. Required Kant. Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics, ed. Cambridge, 2017
Other Resources
1. OER textbooks exist for all of the above works. The Curriculum Committee and Philosophy Department endorse the use of OER materials where it is feasible.