PH 13 Modern Philosophy

Fall 2003 Schedule and Course Materials

Fall 2003 Grades

Table of Contents

The Scientific Revolution

Descartes

Leibniz

Spinoza

Locke

Berkeley

Hume

Kant

 

General  Resources

 E-book Editions 

 


Galileo and the Scientific Revolution


The Texts

Galileo, "Two Kinds of Properties"

Galileo: Selections from Dialogue Concerning Two New Sciences

Galileo: Dialogue Concerning The Two Chief World Systems

 Newton, Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy

Newton, Rules for Reasoning in Philosophy (from Principia)

Resources

Timeline of The Scientific Revolution

The View of Nature of the Scientific Revolution

Some Main Points of Aristotle's Thought

The Galileo Project
Galileo and Einstein Homepage
Nova: Galileo’s Battle for the Heavens
Fred Wilson: Galileo and the Rise of Mechanism
Lecture on Robert Boyle

History of Science Study Guide



Descartes


The Texts

Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason, and Seeking the Truth in the Sciences

Meditations on First Philosophy

Meditations on First Philosophy(1641)

Arguments drawn up in Geometrical Order
(From Replies to Objection 2)


Selected Objections and Replies to Descartes’s Medititations

Organized Thematically

Resources

An Outline of the Meditations
(full outline)

 Important arguments from the Meditations 
(Simplified versions of arguments and overview)

The Matrix and Philosophy
From the official site. Includes professional essays on the Matrix and the Dream argument.

Banach, "Descartes' Ontological Argument"
An old Undergraduate paper, but still useful for the quotes and bibliography and not too embarrassing otherwise

The Squashed (Condensed) Meditations
From Glyn Hughes Squashed Philosophers Series

W.W. Rouse Ball's Biography (stresses Mathematics)

An annotated Descartes Bibliography
by Amy Schmitter

Trilingual online edition of The Meditations

Rene Descartes.com
Some Major Works online and a bibliography

Descartes Web Project
Includes online edition of Passions of the Soul


Leibniz


The Texts

The Monadology (Latta trans.)

The Monadology (Montgomery trans.)

The Monadology (Latta trans. with glossary)

Selection from The Theodicy

Discourse on Metaphysics

Leibniz’s Philosophical Dream

Resources

Leibniz: An Universal Philosopher

George Macdonald Ross:  Leibniz
Biography and study from Past Masters series

Donald Rutherford’s Leibniz page


Spinoza


The Texts

Ethics  (With Extensive Commentary by Joseph B. Yesselman)

Works of Spinoza (Including Ethics)

Ethics  (MTSU Hypertext edition)

Resources

The Spinoza Study

Studia Spinoziana

Spinozistic Insights

Short Summary of Theory of Emotions from Book III


Locke


The Texts

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (searchable text w/framed TOC)

Resources

Oregon State Locke Page (includes timeline)

Short Summary of Locke’s Categories of Ideas

David Banach: “Who Do you think You are?
A paper (very) loosely concerned with the problems arising from Locke’s discussion of personal identity.


Berkeley


The Texts

A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge 

Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous (1713)

Resources

Trinity College Berkeley Site

Berkeley Studies

Berkeley Society

Banach, "Berkeley's Argument and the Perspectivist Fallacy"

God in the Quad
The famous limerick by Ronald Knox


Hume


The Texts

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1777 edition)

A Treatise of Human Nature

An Enquiry Concerning The Principles of Morals

An Abstract of  A Treatise of Human Nature

 Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion

Essays on Suicide and Immortality

Selection from Appendix to Treatise on Personal Identity

Selection (Section IX) from The Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals

Dialogue from appendix to The Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals

Resources

Hume Archives

Leeds Hume Project

The Squashed (Condensed) EnquiryConcerning Human Understanding
From Glyn Hughes Squashed Philosophers Series

Text outlines for The Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals

Banach, “Certainty and How to do Without it”
Outline of paper containing a refutation of Hume’s criticism of induction along with an account of Hume’s views of the role of philosophy in ordering our lives

Banach, “The Impetus of Ideas”
Outline of a paper based on Hume’s view of the force and vivacity of ideas


Kant


The Texts

Critique of Pure Reason (Kemp Smith trans.)

same text without frames

Critique of Pure Reason (Muller Translation)
(.lit file for Microsoft Reader only)

Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals (1785)

The Critique of Judgement (1790)

Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics (1783)

Resources

Glossary of technical terms from Kant

Resources from Steve Palmquist's Kant site

John Clarke's detailed outline of the Critique of Pure Reason


General Resources


Weber's History of Philosophy

Selected Philosophers from the 16th through 18th Century

Friesian History of Philosophy Site

Jonathan Bennett's translations of Modern Philosophy texts into Modern English
Includes Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant

Readings in Modern Philosophy

Timeline of 17th century

Timeline of 18th century

Political Maps of Europe for the Period