Naturalism and Its Discontents
PHIL 382
Fall 2009 not offered
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Since the 17th century, the natural sciences have played a key role in our view of the world and our place within it. Early modernity saw a reconceptualization of nature in the form of a great world-machine operating in accordance with inexorable laws. But this view of the world presented grave problems for how to understand our own nature as human beings within such a framework, and disciplines like ethics, philosophy of mind, and theology were required to address a new view of the physical world. This course will examine naturalistic views in philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, ethics, and theology from the Renaissance to the present. We will begin with the transition from scholastic to modern notions of nature and matter and variations among the early moderns on the question of what this means for human beings. In the second half of the course, we will read 20th-century debates leading up to the present day. |
Essential Capabilities:
None |
Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS PHIL |
Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
Major Readings:
Selected readings from Galileo, Descartes, Leibniz, Newton, Hume, Laplace, Darwin, Helmholtz, Mach, James, Moore, Quine, Goldman, Flanagan, Fodor, Papineau, Cartwright, Bechtel, Rouse, Horst
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Examinations and Assignments: 2 papers |
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