Introduction to Descartes - Einzelansicht

The course is an introduction to the philosophy of René Descartes (1596-1650) for students who had little to no prior experience in philosophy. We will focus on Descartes’ most famous work, Meditations on First Philosophy, slowly going through this text. We will also read substantial selection from the so-called Objections and Replies that contain Descartes’ exchange with some of the leading intellectuals of his time concerning the Meditations. Particular focus will be given to the questions of mind-body dualism, methodological skepticism and Descartes’ arguments for the existence of God, and we will take a look at some selected secondary literature in order to help us clarify these issues.

-        The Philosophical Writings of Descartes. Edited by John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, and Dugald Murdoch. Cambridge University Press 1985. Volume II.

-        Secondary literature will be distributed in class or online.

Presentation (Referat, 20 min) or an essay (5 pages); 6 reaction papers (1 page each).