Course readings schedule| Date | Readings and information |
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Monday, January 8 | : (no reading, first class).
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| Background: Aristotelian Metaphysics |
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Wednesday, January 10 | : selections from Aristotle (on substance and
accident).
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Monday, January 15 | : No class (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
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Wednesday, January 17 | : selections from Aristotle and Porphyry (on the
predicables and the categories). ME #1 due.
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Monday, January 22 | : selections from Plotinus, Porphyry, Avicenna, and
Thomas Aquinas (on substance and accident). ME #2 due.
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| Descartes |
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Wednesday, January 24 | : Descartes, Discourse on the Method, parts 1–3
(pp. 20–35), part 6, first paragraph (p. 46); Principles of Philosophy
I.1–3 (p. 160), IV.207 (p. 212). ME #3 due.
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Monday, January 29 | : First Meditation (pp. 76–9). No ME due.
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Wednesday, January 31 | : beginning of Second Meditation (pp. 80–83,
through the paragraph ending “in this restricted sense of the term
it is simply thinking”); Principles of Philosophy I.9–10 (p. 162–3),
.20 (pp. 166–7); Objections and Replies, selection entitled “[Appendix:
Arguments Arranged in Geometrical Fashion],” pp. 150–52. ME #4 due.
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Monday, February 5 | : remainder of Second Meditation (pp. 83–6); Principles
of Philosophy I.8 (p. 162), .11 (p. 163), .45–8 (pp. 174–6), .51–4
(pp. 177–8), .63 (p. 182), .66 (p. 183), II.4 (p. 190). ME #5 due.
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Tuesday, February 6 | : First paper due.
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Wednesday, February 7 | : Third and Fifth Meditations (pp. 86–98; 105–110).
No ME due.
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Monday, February 12 | : Fourth and Sixth Meditations (pp. 98–105, 110–22);
Principles of Philosophy I.6 (p. 161); Objections and Replies, selection
entitled “[The indifference of the will]” (pp. 134–5).
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| Spinoza |
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Wednesday, February 14 | : Spinoza, Ethics I, beginning through Scholium
to Prop. 15 (pp. 31–43). Theologico-Political Treatise, ch. 7, tr. Elwes,
pp. 98–top of 101 (ending “which occur in the Bible”). (All readings from
the Theologico-Political Treatise are available as a single file on Canvas.)
ME #6 due.
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Friday, February 16 | : ME #8 due.
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Monday, February 19 | : No class (Presidents’ Day)
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Wednesday, February 21 | : Ethics I, Prop. 16 through
end and Ethics II, beginning through Scholium to Prop. 18 (pp. 43–79).
Theologico-Political Treatise, pp. 101–4 (ending “its meaning concerning
them”); paragraph beginning at the bottom of p. 106 (“We have thus
shown …”) and ending on p. 107 (“…about the former”); top of p. 114
(beginning “There only remains”)–top of p. 117 (ending “the learned fare
alike”). ME #9 due.
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Monday, February 26 | : (This lecture was canceled.) ME #10 due.
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Tuesday, February 27 | : Second paper due.
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Wednesday, February 28 | : Ethics II, Prop. 19 to end (pp. 80–101).
Theologico-Political Treatise, pp. 117–119.
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Monday, March 4 | : Ethics III, beginning through Scholium to Prop. 11
(pp. 102–111) and Prop. 53 (p. 136); IV, Definitions (pp. 155–6) and
Prop. 28 (p. 168); V, Preface (pp. 201–3), Prop. 4 (p. 206) and
Prop. 14 to end (pp. 210–23). ME #11 due.
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| Leibniz |
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Wednesday, March 6 | : Leibniz, “A New System of Nature,” first three
paragraphs (pp. 138–9); from letters to Clarke: 1.4 (pp. 320–21), 2.12
(p. 324), 3.17 (p. 327), 4.42 (p. 331), 5.107–11 (pp. 343–4), along
with Clarke’s replies to each; “A Specimen of Dynamics,” first two
paragraphs (pp. 118–19); “Discourse on Metaphysics,” §§ 8–12, 24, 26–8,
33 (pp. 40–44, 56–7, 58–60, 64–5). ME #12 due.
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Thursday, March 7 | : “A New System of Nature,” remaining
part (pp. 139–45); “Monadology,” §§1–61 (pp. 213-21). No ME due. This
special make-up lecture will be via Zoom only. It will be at the
usual class time (5:20–6:55), but on a Thursday. It will be recorded and
posted to YouTube, as usual. Attendance is not required (as usual), but
encouraged for those able to make this time.
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Monday, March 11 | : selections from Thomas Aquinas (on angels); Leibniz,
from letters to de Volder, last two paragraphs of B, first paragraph of
C, and first paragraph of D (pp. 178–9, 181–2); “Monadology,” §§62–81
(pp. 221–3). Introductory paragraph and outline of final paper
due. No ME due.
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Wednesday, March 13 | : Leibniz, “Dialogue on Human Freedom,” pp. 111–17;
letter to Coste (pp. 193–6); “Discourse on Metaphysics,” §§13–16, 19–20,
30–32, 35–7 (pp. 44–9, 52–3, 60–64, 66–8); “Monadology,” §§82–end
(pp. 223–5). ME #13 due.
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Wednesday, March 20 | : final paper due.
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