Prerequisite. One course in philosophy. Texts

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1 Philosophy 307: Descartes, Locke and the 17 th Century 3.0 Credits Where: Frelinghuysen Hall Room A1 (in the basement) When: MW 6:00PM-10:20PM Course Website: Course Instructor: Michael Johnson Office: 1 Seminary Place, Room 311 (on the third floor) Office phone: n/a Office hours: TTh 3:00-4:00PM & by appointment johnson@philosophy.rutgers.edu Prerequisite One course in philosophy. Texts There are no standardized texts for the course. All of the books we will be using may be found for free as digital copies online, checked out at a library, or can be purchased for next to nothing used. Additional readings will be scanned and placed on the sakai resources page for the course. Our texts are: Descartes, Rene Meditations on First Philosophy. Hobbes, Thomas Leviathan. Locke, John An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Recommended website: earlymoderntexts.com Course Description This is a history of ideas class. We will be focusing in-depth on the work of four major thinkers in the 17 th century: Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, and Leibniz, particularly their views on the methods of human inquiry, the nature of ideas, the sources of human knowledge, and the metaphysics of objects and persons. Papers will be assigned letter grades, possibly modified with a + or -, and for grade calculation purposes, will be treated as equivalent to the following number grades. Assignments and Grading The grading breakdown for the course is as follows: Attendance: 25%

2 1 st Paper: 20% 2 nd Paper: 25% 3 rd Paper: 30% Papers will be assigned letter grades, possibly modified with a + or -, and for grade calculation purposes, will be treated as equivalent to the following number grades. A+ = 98 A = 95 A- = 92 B+ = 89 B = 86 B- = 83 C+ = 80 C = 77 C- = 74 D = 70 F = 60 I never round final grades, but rather use this direct map from all real numbers in the interval [0, 100] to letter grades: [90, 100] A [85, 90) B+ [80, 85) B [75, 80) C+ [70, 75) C [60, 70) D [0, 60) F This means that an is still a B+. I may however choose to curve final grades (but don t count on it). Grades are to be interpreted (as per in the following way: A: outstanding B: good C: satisfactory D: poor F: failing Policy on Attendance It is very important to attend class. We have only 10 meetings (besides the first one), so if you miss 3 classes, you ve missed 30% of the entire course. That s not good!

3 Attendance is required. I will take attendance every day, and if you show up more than 10 minutes after class has begun, or leave before class is over, you will be counted absent. Each class period you attend (besides the first one) will gain you 2.5 points toward your final grade, for a total of 10 x 2.5 = 25 points. Everyone gets one free unexcused absence what this means, in effect, is that I will add 2.5 points to your final grade; if you never missed a class, you will still receive the 2.5 points. Note: If you are caught sleeping in class, you will also be counted absent. Anyone suffering from narcolepsy should have their dean contact me to make arrangements. Excused absences: For an absence to be excused, two conditions must be met: first, you must have a note from your dean requesting that I excuse you; second, you must not have already missed 2 classes. Any absence after your second will be unexcused, and result in a loss of 2.5 points from your final grade, even if you have a dean s note. If you register late, you will still be penalized for classes missed (except for the first class). Policy on Late Assignments I am a nice person and am more than willing to grant extensions to students who speak to me in advance of the deadline (a week in advance is much preferred). You are not required to have any excuse to receive an extension. Extensions will not be granted on the assignment s due date. Late papers will be marked down one grade-step (for example, from a B+ to a B-, or from a D to an F) for each day the paper is late. A paper is late if it is submitted after class ends on the day it is due (either its original due date, or its extended due date, if you received an extension). Day in this context means 24 hour period. Excused tardiness: The penalty for late papers will be annulled for those days for which you possess a dean s note requesting that I excuse you. Readings There will be lots of reading and it will be difficult (just to warn you in advance). Highlighting won t help you much that s for factoid-filled subjects, not philosophy. Your best bet is to do the reading several days before class meets and outline the authors arguments. What is the author arguing for? What is her evidence? How does the evidence support her claims? How does she respond to objections? This is the sort of thing you ll need to know. If you find Locke s antiquated English to be an unnecessary obstacle to understanding, please feel free to read the Locke selections at earlymoderntexts.com, which have been translated from Locke s English to contemporary English. Class Participation

4 You are required to ask any and all questions about the material that you have. Only your conscience will tell you whether you ve met this requirement. Respect Be on-time, turn off your cell phones, don t talk while other people are talking, stay awake, and in general accord everyone the minimum amount of decency they deserve as human beings. Including me. Academic Integrity As is no surprise, you are all obligated to abide by the Rutgers Policy on Academic Integrity, which can be found at: (Please note this policy is new as of 2008.) This includes, but is not limited to, your obligation not to copy material off the internet or from other students, and not to collaborate illicitly. I won t tolerate cheating, and any student caught cheating will receive an automatic F for the class and be reported to the dean. No exceptions! Course Schedule We will meet from 7/7 to 8/11. I will try as hard as possible to keep to the following schedule, but it is nevertheless subject to change. The readings indicated are what you should prepare for the next class. Week 1: Introduction and Descartes 5/30 Memorial day but class meets anyway. Introduction. Descartes, Meditations I & II 6/1 Descartes search for certainty Descartes, Meditations III & IV Handed out today: Sample paper topics 6/6 Descartes first proof of God s existence Descartes, Meditations V & VI Week 2: Descartes and God

5 6/8 Descartes second proof of God s existence, the soul Broad, Jaqueline Elisabeth of Bohemia In Women Philosophers of the 17 th Century, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Posted to sakai.) Descartes (unpublished ms.) Treatise on Man. (Posted to sakai.) Due today: 1 st paper, 3-4 pages, double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font 6/13 Elisabeth and Descartes dualism Week 3: Materialism and Dualism Hobbes, Leviathan Part I, Chapters 1-3, 6, 9, Gert, Bernard Hobbes s Psychology. In The Cambridge Companion to Hobbes, Sorrell, Tom (ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Posted to sakai.) 6/15 Hobbes s psychology Hobbes, De Corpore (selections on sakai) 6/20 Hobbes and thought as computation Locke, Essay, Book II, Chapters I-XII 6/22 Locke on ideas Week 4: Hobbes and Locke on Thoughts and Thinking Readings for next time: Locke, Essay, Book I Leibniz, Book I Of Innate Notions In his New Essays on Human Understanding (Posted to sakai.) Due today: 2 nd Paper, 5-6 pages, double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font Week 5: Empiricism vs. Rationalism 6/27 Locke vs. Leibniz (Empiricism vs. Rationalism) Readings for next time: Reread Locke, Essay, Book II, Chapter 8

6 Jacovides, Locke s Distinction between Primary and Secondary Qualities. In The Cambridge Companion to Locke s Essay Concerning Human Understanding pp /29 Locke on Primary and Secondary Qualities Locke, Book II, Chapters 23, 27, /4 No class Independence Day 7/6 Locke on Substance and Personal Identity Week 6: Locke s Metaphysics Due today: 3 rd Paper, 7-8 pages, double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font