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Unit I: Introduction to Philosophy in General and Metaphysics & Epistemology in Particular

Optional reading: “Evaluating Arguments: Two Helpful Concepts” here on the course web site

Unit II: Descartes

Our main readings will be Discourse on Method (Parts I and II), Meditations on First Philosophy, and selections from Objections and Replies and Principles of Philosophy

Here is a list (in PDF format) of all the future readings in Descartes, after the Discourse on Method and the front matter of the Meditations (Descartes' dedicatory letter, preface, and synopsis).

To accompany the Fourth Meditation: A Taoist Approach to the Problem of Evil.

To accompany the Fifth Meditation: Anselm's Ontological Argument, to compare with Descartes'.

Exam #1

Unit III: Leibniz

Our main readings will be The Monadology, Discourse on Metaphysics, Primary Truths, A New System of Nature, and Dialogue on Human Freedom & the Origin of Evil (here on the course web page).

Road Map to Leibniz. This tells you the main points to learn about in Leibniz and where each one is discussed in the readings. Use it. It's in PDF format.

Anderson, The Opening Arguments in Leibniz's Monadology (in PDF format). As you read the first parts of the Monadology, this might help you understand what Leibniz is up to.

In case you're interested, I found a copy of the Monadology on the web in a different translation than ours that comes with a glossary of many of the confusing key terms that arise. 

Optional reading: rough draft of a paper on freedom in Leibniz by Alan Nelson (my advisor at UCI Irvine), "Is Hypothetical Necessity Possibly Fatal?" in PDF format.

Midterm Exam. The exam will cover all study questions except those on Exam #1, but will emphasize recent material.

Unit IV: Locke

Our reading will be selections from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

Here are the reading assignments for Locke, in PDF format. (Note that these are subject to change; it is likely that we will only read a subset of what is listed here.)

Theories of meaning. Our discussion of the philosophy of language became more extensive than I had intended, so to help out I found some supplemental reading which you may find helpful. Here is a handout (in PDF format) on theories of meaning, and their problems, from Clifton Pye's Linguistics 107 course at the University of Kansas. (Note that what he calls "referential" theories are what I called "object" theories; and what he calls "mental image" theories I called "ideational.")

Unit V: Berkeley

Our main reading will be from A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, and maybe Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous

Unit VI: Hume

Main reading: An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding

Essay draft due (by e-mail) April 6. (The essay assignment is here.)
Essay due in class April 15 deadline extended to 5PM Friday April 16th, in my office or my e-mail inbox.

Final Exam

The final exam will be held at noon on Sunday April 25 in HoL 209.

For those of you who want to take it sooner, an early final exam will be held at noon on Thursday April 22 in HoL 103 (note that this is not our regular classroom and is too small to hold all of you!).

If you want to arrange to take the final exam at some other time, e-mail Jeremy right away at jeremy.anderson at iname.com (substitute '@' for ' at ' and remove any spaces).

The final exam will cover all study questions not on previous exams (i.e., all study questions not struck out on the Study Questions web page), but will emphasize recent material.

Official dates to remember:

Jan. 26: Final day to add classes
Feb. 2: Final day to submit Johnston regular course contract
Feb. 13: Final day to drop classes or change grading option
March 1-5: Spring recess
April 19: Last day of classes (our last day will be April 15th)
April 20: Study Day
April 21-25: Final Exams