Course I

Course 1:  Prelude to the Enlightenment:
 The Pre-Enlightenment Philosophers 

Course Book:  Gottlieb, Anthony.  The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy  (2016)


Course Description:

Enhance your knowledge of the 17th century philosophers who laid the intellectual groundwork for the 18th century philosophers of the Enlightenment.  Understand their theories and debates on human nature, the workings of the mind, the best form of government, religious toleration, and more as they reacted against the philosophies of the medieval Catholic Churchmen.  The ideas of a dozen philosophers including René Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, Baruch Spinoza, and John Locke will be covered.  Each session will have a class discussion period.  

This course will be followed by a course on the 18th century Enlightenment in the fall semester. 


Course I Syllabus:

     Session 1:   Course Introduction  /  René Descartes                  Read Chapter 1  (35 pages)

     Session 2:   Natural Law Tradition  /  Thomas Hobbes             Read Chapter 2  (49 pages)
                          Pre-class assignment: The social contract    

     Session 3:   Baruch Spinoza  /  Pierre Bayle                             Read Chapters 3 & 5  (35 pages)

     Session 4:   Algernon Sidney  /  John Locke                             Read Chapter 4  (43 pages)

     Session 5:   Samuel Pufendorf  /  Gottfried Leibniz                  Read Chapter 6  (33 pages)

     Session 6:   Scottish Enlightenment  /  David Hume                 Read Chapter 7  (36 pages)


Note:  Most historians of the Enlightenment see the Enlightenment as happening between 1715 and 1800.  They refer to philosophers of the 17th century, starting with Rene Descartes, as "pre-Enlightenment" philosophers.  But some historians consider everything from 1637 to 1800 to be the Enlightenment.  We will be using the pre-Enlightenment / Enlightenment distinction that most historians use.      

Not all philosophers during these periods were Enlightenment philosophers.  Many philosophers continued on with the earlier styles of philosophy rather than adopt the new interests and methods of the Enlightenment philosophers or directly argued against the liberal and progressive views.  

The term "early modern philosophy" covers the whole 1637 - 1800 period.  The "late modern" period begins around 1800.
  
A brief essay:  What was the Enlightenment?