Philosophy 329: Philosophy of the Enlightenment



 

Welcome to the course page for Dr. Korcz's Philosophy of the Enlightenment, Spring 2000.

Section 001:
Meeting Time: TR 11:00-12:15
Meeting Place: HLG 505
Course #: 118354
 

The Enlightenment is a span of time ranging from about 1690 to 1780. During this time, Western Europe underwent a transition from a Medieval to a Modern civilization. There were not only significant political upheavals, but there was also a transformation of both science and philosophy, a transformation which had its roots in the works of Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes, among many others. In this class, we'll explore this philosophical transformation, beginning with a brief discussion of the Scohlastics, moving on to the rationalism of Descartes and focusing mostly on the empiricism of two great figures in the Scottish Enlightenment, David Hume and Thomas Reid.
 

The online syllabus for the course contains links to the home pages of some of the philosophers we will be discussing in class. For some general background about The Enlightenment, visit Richard Hooker's web page devoted to the European Enlightenment.

For additional philosophy related links, some of which are relevant to issues discussed in class, see my Philosophy Links page. This page has over 250 links. (Some relevant sections of the links page can be accessed directly from the online syllabus.) For other useful links about doing research on the internet, writing papers, etc., see my Student Links. But please keep in mind that I cannot be responsible for websites I have not written! If you run across anything which differs from what I have told you in class, always go by what I have given you in class for purposes of completing class assignments!