The seventeenth century is a critical period for the shaping of
modern philosophy. The major philosophers of the century, from
Descartes and Hobbes to Locke and Leibniz, were stimulated to
creative philosophical systematic work by the rise of the new
science, by a century of dramatic changes in religious life and
thought, by political turmoil, and by the recovery of ancient
learning. While their thinking looks back to the Middle Ages and
even to antiquity in many ways, it is nonetheless novel, powerful,
and innovative. For us, these thinkers created the foundations of
modern philosophy, the paradigms that led to later critiques and
revolutions and ultimately to our own contemporary philosophical
world.

In this course we shall look at three major figures of the period –
Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz. All three have come in for rich and
exciting recent discussion, and all are considered central
philosophers of the century. In each case we shall read a variety of
works, explore controversial issues of interpretation, and study
important secondary literature. In one semester we cannot be
comprehensive, but we can acquaint ourselves in a serious way with
the central epistemological and metaphysical issues that these
figures raised, as well as issues concerning science, theology,
ethics, and politics, and we can familiarize ourselves with the most
recent discussion of them and their work.

There will be textual commentaries due on each of the figures and a
term essay. I conceive of this course as a graduate introduction to
17th century philosophy; we shall read extensively in texts and
secondary literature and students may be asked to report in class on
their reading.

For further information, contact me at: morganm@indiana.edu


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