Teaching

HUM/PL 009: Knowledge and Reality (Fall 2012)

The theme of this course is the scope and limitations of rational belief and knowledge. Students will examine the nature of reality, the nature of the self, the nature of knowledge, and how we learn about the natural world. Students will be introduced to these issues through selections from some of the world’s greatest philosophical works, including Descartes's Meditations, Pascal’s Pensées, Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Berkeley's Principles of Human Knowledge, and Kant's Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics. A variety of more contemporary readings will also be assigned. (syllabus.pdf)

PL 150: Seventeenth-Century Philosophy (Fall 2012)

This course will examine the work of several prominent philosophers active during the so-called "Century of Genius." Although we will focus on the arguments each author brings to bear in support of his or her philosophical position, historical background will be introduced to provide scientific, religious, and political context. The topics will include the limits of human knowledge, the existence and nature of mind, matter, and God, and the relationship between science and philosophy. Philosophers discussed are selected from Bacon, Mersenne, Descartes, Gassendi, Hobbes, Digby, Spinoza, Malebranche, Arnauld, More, Cudworth, Locke, Newton, and Leibniz. (syllabus.pdf)

PL 151: Eighteenth-Century Philosophy (Winter 2013)

This course will examine the work of several prominent philosophers active during the so-called Age of Enlightenment. Although we will focus on the arguments each author brings to bear in support of his or her philosophical position, historical background will be introduced to provide scientific, religious, and political context. The topics will include ideas and perception, belief and knowledge, passion and reason, matter and mind, causation and free will, and the relationship between science and philosophy. Philosophers discussed are selected from Locke, Huygens, Leibniz, Newton, Wolff, Berkeley, Rousseau, Hume, Reid, and Kant.

PL 103: Medieval Philosophy

This course examines the philosophy of Western Europe from the decline of pagan culture to the Renaissance, roughly 400–1400 C.E. Material covered will vary, but will likely include a thorough introduction to Late Greek neo-Platonic philosophy as background to reading figures such as Augustine, Boethius, Avicenna, Abelard, Averroes, Maimonides, Anselm, Albert the Great, Aquinas, Olivi, Scotus, and Ockham.