19-20 PY1002: Introduction to Modern Philosophy
Lecturer: G. Anthony Bruno
Email: g.anthony.bruno@rhul.ac.uk
Office room and hours: TBD
Lecture: Tues. 1-2pm (Horton HLT1)
Seminar: Tues. 2-3pm (Windsor 102), Tues. 4-5pm (McCrea 033)
Tutor: Ian Jakobi (Ian.Jakobi.2016@live.rhul.ac.uk)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Modern philosophy emerges at a time of great optimism. The enlightenment inspires the idea that questions about existence and knowledge can be answered by human reason as opposed to traditional authority. And the scientific revolution shows how empirical inquiry can access facts about nature with increasing precision and rigour. It is in this context that the metaphysical and epistemological theories of René Descartes and John Locke develop. We will examine some of their central texts as means to addressing perennial problems concerning certainty, doubt, error, the self, the world, and God.
OBJECTIVES
Gain an understanding of the basic concepts and arguments in Descartes’ Meditations and
Locke’s Essay.
Grasp Descartes’ and Locke’s attempts to formulate and solve problems from ancient and
medieval philosophy.
Register the continuing relevance of Descartes’ and Locke’s views for philosophy today.
Critically assess Descartes’ and Locke’s substantive theses about certainty, doubt, personal
identity, existence, perception, and theism.
EVALUATION
Textual analysis: 500 words (10%), due Oct. 25, 10:00am
Essay: 1,500 words (50%), due Dec. 6, 10:00am
Exam: 1 hour (40%)
Students can choose from sample essay questions below or choose their own if approved by me. In their textual analysis, students cite a key term or claim in an assigned reading, define its meaning, and explain its role in the relevant argument from that reading. Please include the word count in your analysis.
SUBMISSION POLICY
As stated in the Philosophy Undergraduate Student Handbook, all essays are marked and receive written comments. Marks and comments are provided via Grademark, the Turnitin essay marking system. The Department uses Turnitin plagiarism detection software. Students are required to upload a copy of their essay to Turnitin via Moodle. Electronic copies must be uploaded by 12:00pm on the submission date or penalties for late submission will be applied in accordance with the College rules outlined in section 7.4 of the Handbook. Any late essays have a separate submission box. See grading criteria below.
DISABILITY AND DYSLEXIA SERVICES
Students with diverse needs are welcome in this course. Contact DDS for needs assessment and arrangements:
https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/students/help-support/disabilities-and-dyslexia/home.aspx.
TEXTS
Required:
R. Descartes, Discourse on Method, trs. D.A. Cress. Hackett, 1998.
R. Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, With Selections from the Objections and Replies,
ed. J. Cottingham. CUP, 1996.
F. Jackson, “Epiphenomenal Qualia” in Philosophical Quarterly (1982: 32).
J. Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, ed. R. Woolhouse. Penguin, 1997.
H. Putnam, “Brains in a Vat” in Reason, Truth, and History. CUP, 1981.
Recommended:
J. Cottingham (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Descartes. CUP, 2006.
D. Cunning (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Descartes’ Meditations. CUP, 2014.
V. Chappell (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Locke. CUP, 2006.
L. Newman (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Locke’s Essay Concerning Human
Understanding. CUP, 2007.
19-20 PY1101: Epistemology and Metaphysics
1. Demonstrate awareness of the relevance of scepticism to epistemology;
2. explain the significance of the problem of induction to concerns about the status of scientific knowledge;
3. appreciate the significance of the relationship between determinism, freedom and morality;
4. understand the metaphysical problems posed by the nature of time and identity;
5. understand the following distinctions: contingency and necessity; analyticity and syntheticity; a priori and a posteriori; dualism and monism; realism and nominalism;
6. present a critical evaluation of a piece of contemporary philosophy;
7. demonstrate an awareness of the connections between different areas of philosophical inquiry.
19-20 PY1102: Tutorial Special Study
Outline
The aim of this course is to accelerate the development of the critical and presentational skills that are key to the successful study of philosophy. Students in small groups will meet weekly with a member of the academic staff to discuss an article of chapter of a book that has been specified in advance (below). In preparation for most meetings you will be asked to submit online an analytic précis of the piece in question and one of the participants will present theirs to the group for critical discussion. Assessment of the course will be on the basis of the quality of these outlines and an essay derived from one of them.
Aims
Having successfully completed this course students will be able to:
- Present orally complex philosophical issues clearly and rigorously;
- Critically and precisely evaluate philosophical texts;
- Understand the relevance of philosophical investigation to issues of pressing moral and political concern;
- Demonstrate an ability to write cogently and philosophically about a topic of contemporary relevance;
Structure
10 one-hour Tutorials.
19-20 PY1106: Introduction to Aesthetics and Morals
The aim of this course is to give students a grounding in some of the
central issues in moral philosophy and aesthetics. In the first half of the
course, we will look at a number of philosophers working on moral philosophy,
looking at the standard positions taken, as well as some of the criticisms
raised to traditional formulations of moral philosophy. In the second half of
the course, we will briefly look at some work in the field of aesthetics, which
deals with questions of the nature of beauty and of art. Having looked at the
value and nature of our aesthetic concerns, we will conclude by considering
what an artwork might actually be.
Having successfully completed this course, students will be able to:
1. describe different conceptions of the philosophical enterprise;
2. evaluate different ways of understanding our ethical commitments to others;
3. describe some of the criticisms of our common sense understanding of ethics;
4. critically engage with some of the central debates within aesthetics;
5. present a critical evaluation of a piece of philosophical writing;
6. demonstrate an awareness of the connections between different areas of philosophical inquiry.