This course is an introduction to the thought of the major figures of western philosophy of the 17th and 18th centuries. We will read major works by Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and some lesser known pieces by some women writing in the era. In particular, we will focus on the questions of self, world, and God. What is the self? What makes me the same person over time? What is the nature of reality, and what can we know about it? What is the nature of God, and can we know whether he exists? We will explore how these important thinkers thought about these questions, and other important philosophical topics such as free will, causation, and skepticism.

Jamin Asay’s webpage