UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS PHILOSOPHY 702D: DESCARTES
Vere Chappell Spring 1995
SYLLABUS TEXTS
Descartes, PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGS, tr. by John Cottingham et al., 3 vols. (Cambridge 1985-91).
SCHEDULE
Date Topic(s) Reading for Class Collateral Reading ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Feb 02 - Preliminaries ------- Feb 09 - Method; Physics Discourse World; Man; Optics Feb 16 - Doubt Meditation 1 etc. Search; Letters pp. 1-79 Feb 23 - The Cogito; Mind Meditation 2 etc. Letters pp. 79-146 Mar 02 - Ideas; God Meditation 3 etc. Obj & Rep 1 Mar 09 - The Circle; Error Meditation 4 etc. Obj & Rep 2; Letters pp. 146-167 Mar 16 - God; Mathematics Meditation 5 etc. Obj & Rep 3; Letters pp. 167-197 Mar 23 - ------- ------- [Spring vacation] Mar 30 - Mind and Body Meditation 6 etc. Obj & Rep 4; Letters pp. 198-216 Apr 06 - Free Will Letters pp. 216-255 etc. Obj & Rep 5 Apr 13 - Human Beings Comments etc. Obj & Rep 6 Apr 20 - Truths; Universals Principles I etc. Letters pp. 255-332 Apr 27 - Substances; Qualities Principles II-IV etc. Letters pp. 332-384 May 04 - Passions Passions 1-95 May 11 - Motivation; Autonomy Passions 96-212 May 18 - ------- ------- [Exam period] May 25 - ------- ------- [Final paper due]
REQUIREMENTS
(1) Weekly short papers (two pages maximum) to be handed in each Thursday by 12:00 noon. (2) Term paper (around 20 pages) due May 25.