17th and 18th Century Philosophy (PHIL 318)

Course Objectives

We will read philosophers from the very beginnings of Modernity (Descartes and his generation) up until the beginning of the end of Modernity (Kant).

A great many shifts took place during this span of roughly two-hundred years, but we will focus primarily on epistemological themes, using a traditional (although at times misleading) format of studying and comparing rationalism (as developed in the writings of Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz) and empiricism (as developed in the writings of Locke, Berkeley, and Hume).

As the traditional narrative has it, Immanuel Kant then came along — after these two camps had more or less exhausted themselves — and brokered a deal between the antagonistic parties, leading to an overall Happy Ending for the 18th century.

Alas, neither life nor philosophy is quite this straight-forward, but we’ll sort out the details over the course of the semester. In philosophy, as in most of life, you need to have a grasp of the big picture, but the hard and most interesting work is in the details.

The texts we will be reading are quite challenging for most undergraduate students — they certainly challenge me — but they will reward you with gifts equal to your work and attention. The readings are multi-layered and well worth your best effort.

If you do not make the effort to understand these texts, then they will strike you as obscure and pointless. If you do try to understand them, however, they will repay your efforts, and they will change you and your understanding of yourself.

By the end of the course you should have:

(1) become acquainted with the nature and history of modern Western philosophy;

(2) developed your skills for critically evaluating arguments and beliefs;

(3) developed a sense of the historiography of philosophy;

(4) found the source of a great many of our current beliefs;

(5) had ample opportunity to reflect on certain questions confronting us all:

How can I know something to be true?

What is the good life and how is it attained?

What is it to be human?

Some virtues to bring with you into the philosophy classroom:

humility when comparing your beliefs with those of others;

patience for listening closely to views that seem foolish or misguided to you;

courage to advance in the face of adversity what seems to be the correct view;

endurance for following arguments to their conclusion;

humor for those moments when you feel the utter futility of your efforts.

Manchester University // Registrar // Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies // Last updated: 17 Jul 2020