This course covers the major philosophers of the 17th and 18th centuries. In spring 2025, the theme will be materialism and its critics. Materialists hold that everything that exists is material, meaning that it is extended or has measurable dimensions. Their critics argued that materialism cannot explain some of the following phenomena: the existence of minds, as thoughts and conscious experiences are not extended, free will, personal identity despite physical changes, and causal relations. We will read Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.

The materials make heavy demands on their readers’ analytical and interpretive skills. Our discussions and writing assignments will focus on the arguments in these works. That is where your analytical skills will come into play. Since we are reading works from a different period in history, we will also have to work hard at interpreting material that is written in ways that are unfamiliar and that reflects concerns and beliefs that are sometimes different from our own.

The syllabus has a schedule of topics for discussion, readings, and assignments; it also describes the standards for grades and other policies for the class. Registered students can find all other materials on Canvas.