PHIL 2420 Modern Philosophy

Abstract

This course counts toward Foundations. The course is online and predominantly synchronous. OBJECTIVES The general aim of this course is to introduce students to the major philosophical figures, movements, problems, positions, and arguments of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and. to examine their positions and arguments critically. The course will cover the major rationalists and empiricists from Descartes through Kant. We will concentrate on problems in epistemology (theory of knowledge), metaphysics, and theology that were addressed by these philosophers. The course is designed to: • Make you conversant with the positions, arguments, and impact of major authors.. • Enhance your ability to think rigorously by assessing their arguments and producing your own. • Enhance your ability to read closely. • Enhance your ability to communicate clearly, systematically, and critically. • Enhance your understanding of alternative ways of approaching philosophical problems. • Help you understand a varied range of philosophical texts, written in different times and places and in different styles.