Preparing for Tues 28 Feb

On Tues 28 Feb, we will discuss Section II of Hume's Enquiry. Section II has only nine paragraphs, but it is really worthwhile to study it carefully. As you start reading, please remember the main purpose of Hume's philosophical project, which we discussed last class.

Read

• Section II, Enquiry

Think About

1. What observations lead Hume to state the distinction between impressions and ideas?
2. According to Hume, what is an impression? What is an idea?
3. What observations lead Hume to establishing the relationship between impressions and ideas? How are impressions and ideas related?
4. What arguments does Hume provide to defend the relationship he discovers between impressions and ideas?
5. What does the difference between impressions and ideas have to do with the meaning of terms in metaphysics? 

Preparing for Thurs 23 Feb

 On Thurs 24 Feb, we will begin our discussion of Hume's Enquiry by discussing Section I and II. Please see the post for Tues 22 Feb for reading questions for Section I and try to get a general sense of what Hume is trying to accomplish in Section II.

Preparing for Tue 21 Feb 2012

On Tue 21 Feb, we will finish our discussion of Descartes' Meditations and start our discussion of Hume's An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Enquiry). Because we will be very selective about what parts of Meditations we discuss, you don't need to read anything from Descartes. You will want to have your book handy, though, as I'll be discussing some important passages.

To prepare for Tuesday's class, please do the following.

Read

• Hume, Enquiry, Section I

Think About

• What are the main features of the "easy" philosophy?
• What are the main features of the "asbtract" philosophy?
• What are some of the main advantages and disadvantages of both the "easy" and "abstract" philosophy?
• What features of which philosophy does Hume want to preserve?
• What is the main overall project of Hume's philosophy?

Descartes Study Questions Posted

Study questions for the Descartes Mid-Term are now posted on the PolyLearn web site.

Preparing for Tues 14 Feb

On Tue 14 Feb we will aim to finish our discussion of Descartes. This might seem ambitious but we will be rather selective about which parts of "Meditation V" and "Meditation VI" we read. To prepare for Tuesday's class, please do the following:

Read

• The rest of "Meditation III"
• "Meditation IV" - all of it

Think about

• Why does Descartes think that the idea of God is a "positive" idea? Why is this significant?
• What reasons does the thinker give for his conclusion that the idea of God is innate?
• Why must the thinker give an account of human error in "Meditation IV"?
• How does the thinker account for human error and why is this important?

Preparing for Thurs 9 Feb

Today we will continue our journey through Descartes' Meditations. Having seen the motivations the thinker has for proving that God exists, and the general rule, we will continue to study "Meditation III" until we understand how the thinker arrives at the conclusion that God exists.

I'll post questions on "Meditation III" once we have seen it. As you read it, just try to follow the general argument and read at least until the thinker concludes that God exists (bottom of p. 87)

Preparing for Tue 7b Feb

On Tues 7 Feb, we will continue our discussion of Meditation II.

In an effort to help you learn Descartes' philosophy, I have now posted a different translation (Cottingham) of the first three meditations on PolyLearn. I'm very interested in your feedback about whether Cottingham's translation is easier to understand.

To prepare for Tuesday's class, please do the following.

Read

• Cottingham translation of Meditation I and Meditation II
• Selection from Objections and Replies posted on PolyLearn

Think About

• How does the thinker arrive at the conclusion that the thinker exists? What role does the evil genius hypothesis play?
• How does the thinker arrive at the conclusion that he is a thinking thing, and what does it mean to be a thinking thing?
• Explain the thinker's thought-experiment with the piece of wax. What is the main philosophical purpose of this thought-experiment?
• Given the argument at the end of Meditation II, why is the mind known better than the body?