Assessment

Seminar presentation 10%, oral exam 30%, final exam 60%

Module Aims

In this module we will be considering the history of modern philosophy from Descartes to Kant. We will be focusing on the particularly modern concern of the relation of mind and world and how modern philosophers thought about the meaningfulness of mental content. The course will be divided broadly into three sections with each section signifying a particular group of philosophers: (i) The Rationalists, (ii) The Empiricists, (iii) Kant and German Idealism.

Learning Outcomes

• — LO1 Exhibit knowledge of this period of the history of philosophy.
• — LO2 Read critically evaluate primary texts in the history of philosophy.
• — LO3 Compare and contrast the opposing positions of historical philosophers.
• — LO4 Makes a judgement on the strengths and weaknesses of the thinking of historical philosophers.
• — LO5 Critically evaluate the impact of one period of philosophy on another.
• — LO6 Present a reasoned piece of philosophical argumentation to a class of students.
• — LO7 Defend a philosophical thesis under scrutiny.