History of Modern Western Philosophy

PHIL 272
Dr. McWhorter
Spring, 2003

The History of Modern Western Philosophy is a survey course that examines philosophical developments in Western Europe from 1600 to 1800. It covers seven philosophers--Rene Descartes, Benedict Spinoza, Gottlieb Leibniz, John Locke, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and G.W.F. Hegel--and focuses primarily on their metaphysical and epistemological theories. Its purpose is to give students a background for more in-depth study in philosophy and the history of ideas.

PHIL 272 is required for both the Major and the Minor in Philosophy. The Department of Philosophy suggests that students interested in majoring or minoring in the Department take the course in the spring of the freshman or sophomore year.

PHIL 272 also satisfies the general education requirement in Historical Studies. As stated in the 1996-98 undergraduate catalog (page 48), courses in Historical Studies will "examine events and actors of the recent or distant past within the context of ideas, institutions, social norms, cultural practices, and physical environments out of which they arose" and "will enable students to understand the values of disparate societies and cultures, as well as the interrelationships among ideas, institutions, and events...." In this course, students will come to see how philosophical ideas arose within the context of historical events such as the Inquisition, England's Glorious Revolution, and the rise of Newtonian physics.

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If you have questions about this course, please email Dr. McWhorter.

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