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Modern Philosophy


Course Description

Examination of central themes in the modern period of philosophy, focusing on those writing in the 17th and 18th centuries such as Descartes, Elisabeth of Bohemia, Margaret Cavendish, Locke, Leibniz, Spinoza, Sor Juana, Hume, Kant, etc.


Athena Title

Modern Philosophy


Prerequisite

PHIL 2010 or PHIL 2010H or PHIL 2010E or PHIL 2020 or PHIL 2020H or PHIL 2020E or PHIL 2030 or PHIL 2030H or PHIL 2030E or permission of department


Semester Course Offered

Offered springOffered fall


Grading System

A - F (Traditional)


Student Learning Outcomes

  • Students will be able to articulate some of the fundamental ontological, epistemological, and normative philosophical questions that philosophers of the modern period attempted to resolve.
  • Students will be able to explain how different philosophers of the modern period answered fundamental ontological, epistemological, and normative philosophical questions.
  • Students will be able to compare how different philosopher of the modern period answer fundamental ontological, epistemological, and normative philosophical questions.
  • Students will be able to defend an assessment of the philosophical plausibility of particular modern philosophers’ answers to fundamental ontological, epistemological, and normative philosophical questions.

Topical Outline

  • The course will proceed chronologically emphasizing such 17th and 18th century philosophers as: I. Descartes II. Spinoza III. Locke IV. Leibniz V. Berkeley VI. Hume VII. Kant

Syllabus