Philosophy and Science in Early Modern Period - Einzelansicht

In this course we will consider the period of what is usually called ”Scientific Revolution”, in which the framework of modern science was shaped, and in which science and philosophy were intertwined to a much greater extent than they currently are. We will read substantial selections from the texts of some standard figures of the early modern philosophy, such as Descartes, Locke, Leibniz and Berkeley. Unlike in standard courses on early modern philosophy, however, we will do this with a focus that reveals their engagement with philosophical issues related to the development of science (of which at least Descartes and Leibniz were themselves the major protagonists). Furthermore, we will look at some passages from the works of some of the most significant scientists of the time, namely Galileo and Newton, who also engaged philosophical issues and presented philosophers with focal points for discussion. Some of the topics that we will focus on include: the issue of scientific method; the role of senses in knowledge acquisition; the distinction between primary and secondary qualities; the status of space and time.

Primary texts:

-        Galileo, selections from The Assayer and the Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems.

-        Descartes, elections from the Rules for the Direction of the Mind and from the Principia.

-        Locke, selections from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.

-        Newton, selections from the Principia, Optics and his correspondence (all available in Newton: Philosophical Writings, ed. Andrew Janiak).

-        Leibniz, The Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence and selections from New Essays Concerning Human Understanding.

-        Berkeley, selections with the critique of the primary/secondary qualities distinction.

Presentation (Referat, 30 min) or an essay (5 pages); 6 reaction papers (1 page each).