Ethics and Metaphysics in Early Modern Philosophy, 
Thursday, 4-5h30 pm, Building “I”, 1st floor, room 121 
BBN-FIL-214, BMA-FILD-214
First class will be held on 23rd February

Level: 
BA, MA
Type: 
Seminar
Semester: 
2016/2017 2nd semester
Instructor: 
BOROS Gábor

Description:
The course introduces the main thinkers, topics and issues in early modern philosophy.
 
Course goal:
The primary goal of the course is to help students to understand the main issues in the 17th and 18th century philosophy, in the period between the two illuminating but probably false divides, “scholastic-renaissance” and “continental-analytic.” This is the period mostly called “Enlightenment”, although one can, as it seems, legitimately ask the question of much if not all the chiaroscuro paintings: “Where does the light come from?” 

Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students will be expected to understand the main trails of early modern philosophy. They will also be expected to understand both the shared convictions of almost all the main thinkers of the 17th and the 18th centuries respectively, and the peculiar differences between their standpoints. They will acquire some practice in analysing texts of various types and of various aims written by philosophers in the early modern period.

Teaching style
The course will combine some lecturing at the beginning, with more seminar work as it proceeds, involving students in active participation.

Week 1 
General introduction. Issues in historiography

Introduces the notion of “early modern philosophy” as distinct from both “medieval/renaissance philosophy” and “modern/19th century” philosophy, points out the general historical, philosophical and ecclesiological etc. background to the development of philosophy in these centuries.
	
Obligatory reading:
Descartes: Discourse on method, Parts 1-3
Spinoza: Preface to the Treatise on the emendation of understanding (TIE)

Week 2 
The birth of new philosophy(ies) out of the spirit of the new mathematical-mechanical sciences

Obligatory reading:
Descartes: Discourse on method, part 5 & 6
Hobbes: Preface to Leviathan
Spinoza: Ethics, Part 2, Prop. 13 + Physical digression

Week 3 
Descartes’ new mathematical-mechanical system of philosophy 

Obligatory readings: 
		Descartes: Rules… 1, 12 + comments, Meditations on first philosophy 2 & 4, Principles of philosophy Preface to the French version & Part 4 final articles, Passions of the soul Part 2, the articles on the primary passions, Part 3, last articles 

Week 4 
Hobbes’ mechanical system of philosophy linked to his deep insights in historical philology
Obligatory readings: 
		Hobbes: On bodies, Ch. 1 & 6, Leviathan Chapters 1-3, 6-12

Week 5
Reactions to the two types of philosophical “paradigm shift”: Pascal, “Cambridge Platonists”

Obligatory readings: 
		Pascal: Selected fragments from Pensées, 
		H. More: Correspondence with Descartes 

Week 6.  	
Spinoza’s geometrical-platonic system of ethics and his philologically based criticism of Bible and of political theology 

Obligatory readings:
	Spinoza: Ethics, Part 1 Appendix; Part 2 Preface; Part 3, props. 1-18; Part 4, Preface & Appendix; Part 5, Preface & prop. 33-42 

Week 7.
Malebranche’s Augustinian reassessment of Cartesian thought

Obligatory readings: 
		Malebranche: Dialogues on metaphysics and religion 1-3; The Search after Truth Part 3, Ch. 1 (Passions); Dialogue between a Christian Philosopher and a Chinese Philosopher on the Existence and Nature of God
		
Week 8.	
Locke’s rational-experimental method of discrediting innate notions

Obligatory readings: 
	Locke: An Essay on human understanding, Book 1, Ch. 4; Book 2, Chs. ???, Book 3, Chs ???m Book 4, Chs 17-18. 

Week 9.	
Leibniz’s accomplishment of Cartesian thought extended to all domains of human wisdom

Obligatory readings: 
		Leibniz: New system…; Monadology; On God’s cause (De causa Dei)

Week 10	
Four ways of reacting to / developing further Locke’s and Leibniz’s respective ideas: Toland, Berkeley, Voltaire, and Wolff

Obligatory readings: 
		Toland: Pantheisticon, Chs ??? 
Berkeley: Principles of human understaning, Preface, Art. 1-7 (?)
		Voltaire: Philosophical dictionary (parts of…)
	
Week 11	
Two ways of capturing the bio-mechanical flux philosophically: Hume and Diderot

Obligatory Readings:
		Hume: Treatise of Human Nature, Preface, Summary of the first two books, Book 3, Part 1, Chs 1-2
		Diderot: Dream of D’Alembert; Continuation…

Week 12	
Rousseau and the philosophy enlightened from another source of light

Obligatory Readings: Rousseau: Emil, “Confession of faith of the Savoyard Vicar”

Week 13
Conclusion

Assessment:
Discussion in the class-roughly 10 %
Presentation in the class – roughly 30 %
Final paper – roughly 60 %