PHIL 854 Special Topics: 17th and 18th C Philosophy

Descartes on Human Nature

Spring Semester 2012 | Day | Burnaby

INSTRUCTOR   L. Shapiro, WMC 4627

TEXT

• Rene Descartes, The Philosophical Writings of Descartes, ed. Cottingham, Stoothof and Murdoch. Cambridge Universite Press
  Required: Vols 1 and 2 ISBNS 978-0-521-28807-1 and 978-0-521-28808-8
  Recommended: Vol 3 ISBN 978-0-521-42350-2
• Rene Descartes, The Passions of the Soul, ed. Stephen Voss, Hackett
• Excerpts from other texts and from secondary literature will also be made available, and will be required.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

From the time of the publication of his Meditations, Descartes faced some hard questions about what sort of account his dualist metaphysics afforded of a human being. It is clear that human beings are thinking things. But it is also clear that human beings are no angels; that is, human beings are embodied things as well. In the Sixth Meditation, the meditator notes that a human being is a ‘true union’ of mind and body. He is clear what this union is not – it is not merely like a pilot and a ship – but he is less clear about what the union is. In this course, we will examine three distinct dimensions of the Cartesian union of mind and body: its ontological status (ie, Is the union a third substance?); the nature of the causal relation between body and mind (and that between mind and body) (ie How are mind and body connected?); and finally, the account of mental representation of the material world (ie How do human beings have knowledge of the world around them?).  We will be addressing these questions through close readings not only of the Meditations but also of the Principles of Philosophy, correspondence, and especially the Passions of the Soul. We will also look to Descartes’s near contemporaries for insight into how others read Descartes. The contemporary secondary literature on these issues will help to frame our discussion.

Students will gain a deeper understanding of Descartes’s philosophy, insight into the 17^th century context of that philosophy, and will become familiar with contemporary interpretative debates. In doing this, students will also gain proficiency in the methodology of the history of philosophy.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Presentation  - 20%
• Weekly responses to readings (1-3pp) - 20%
• Longer Paper (10-15pp Draft with revision) - 45%
• Participation