René Descartes is often credited with being the “Father of Modern Philosophy.” His project was ambitious: to find a new basis for all knowledge. In pursuing this aim he set in motion many of the debates which are still part of contemporary philosophy: The nature of the human mind; The nature of our internal sense of ‘self’; The relation of mind to the body; The basis of morality; Consciousness; And the question of whether non-sceptical knowledge possible. In this course we will study his ideas in depth and then relate those ideas to the contemporary world.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face / Online

COURSE OUTLINE

• Historical Context - In the seventeenth century, “consciousness” began to take on a uniquely modern sense. This transition was sparked by new theories of mind and ideas, and it connected with other important issues of debate during the seventeenth century, including debates over the transparency of the mental, animal consciousness, and innate ideas. Additionally, consciousness was tied closely to moral identity, with both French and Latin lacking even a linguistic distinction between consciousness and conscience (i.e., a moral sensibility).
• Style - In the Meditations Descartes beings by telling the reader that he has discovered that many things he had believed were in fact incorrect, making him question the nature of reality. This foreshadows his dramatic thought experiment, in which he dissects and rebuilds the theory of Knowledge.
• What was Descartes theory of the mind? - Beginning from his famous dictum cogito, ergo sum (“I think, therefore I am”), Descartes developed a theory of mind as an immaterial, nonextended substance that engages in various activities or undergoes various states such as rational thought, imagining, feeling (sensation), and willing. Descartes considers three kinds of idea: innate ideas, adventitious ideas, and what are sometimes called factitious ideas. The categories are determined by considering the possible origins of the ideational contents presented or exhibited to the mind.
• The Self - For Descartes, the embodied self, like every other substance, is not directly apprehended; it is understood only through its properties. This theory puts in question the reality of even our own bodies. We will compare his theory of self to that of John Locke and David Hume.
• Legacy - We will consider Descartes contribution to many areas of knowledge, including scientific methodology, mathematics, ethics and the importance of the counter movements against Descartes mind/body dualism. One of the most profound effect of Descartes’ philosophy arose from his idea to examine the knower as a means to determine the scope and possibilities of human knowledge.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Have gained an overall understanding of the key concepts in Descartes philosophy of mind and the self.
2. Have gained insight into the historical background of the beginnings of Modern philosophy.
3. Have read significant extracts from Descartes and other key theorists of the early modern period.
4. Relate their ideas to our contemporary debates about human consciousness and the nature of the self.
5. Have discussed many of the ideas on mind as they apply to the students personal and social lives.