phi3dtk descartes to kant
DESCARTES TO KANT
PHI3DTK
2019
Credit points: 15
Subject outline
This subject will discuss the questions, problems, and issues that preoccupied philosophers in the 17th-and 18th-centuries. What is the nature of our world, and how do we know about it? Are there limits to what our senses can tell us about the world? What is the relation between mind and body? Is there an objective basis for moral and political obligation? This is a period with much interaction between science and philosophy, and whose core ideas influenced subsequent metaphysics and epistemology, as well as ethics and political philosophy. Students will grapple with the ideas of at least four of the following philosophers of the period--Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant--and can expect to read original texts those thinkers wrote, and exchanges between them and critics such as Princess Elizabeth and Mary Astell. In discussing these exchanges we will also raise questions about the historiography of this period of philosophy, including the maleness and whiteness of philosophy and science, and the relationships between dead philosophers and contemporary thinking.
SchoolSchool of Humanities & Social Sciences
Credit points15
Subject Co-ordinatorRob Wilson
Available to Study Abroad StudentsYes
Subject year levelYear Level 3 - UG
Exchange StudentsYes
Subject particulars
Subject rules
PrerequisitesN/A
Co-requisitesN/A
Incompatible subjectsN/A
Equivalent subjectsN/A
Special conditionsN/A
Learning resources
Readings
| Resource Type | Title | Resource Requirement | Author and Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Readings | Various | Prescribed | Various | Various |
Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes
01. Learn to read and interpret original philosophical texts
- Activities:
- In class discussion and class preparation; reading logs
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
02. Grasp the argumentative dialectic between philosophers who disagree on fundamental issues
- Activities:
- In class discussion; essay writing
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
03. Understand the context in which philosophical ideas during the period arose and reflect on that context.
- Activities:
- In class discussion, reading logs, essay writing.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Speaking,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
Subject options
Select to view your study options…
Melbourne, 2019, Semester 2, Day
Overview
Online enrolmentYes
Maximum enrolment sizeN/A
Enrolment information
Subject Instance Co-ordinatorRob Wilson
Class requirements
Lecture/SeminarWeek: 31 - 43
One 3.0 hours lecture/seminar per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short essay (1500-1800 words) | 25 | 01, 02, 03 | |
| Long essay (2500-3000 words) | 50 | 01, 02, 03 | |
| Reading logs, class quizzes, and weekly exercises. | Final grade for this component will be a function of the grades for each component. | 25 | 01, 02, 03 |