The British Empiricists:

Locke, Berkeley and Hume

Philosophy 123
Winter 1991
Syllabus

Professor

Edward N. Zalta, Philosophy Department
Office: Cordura 226 (CSLI)
Phone: 723-0345 (Cordura)
Electronic Mail: zalta@csli
Mailboxes: Ventura Hall and 91 Lounge
Office Hours:

Class Meetings:

Lectures: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 2:15 P.M., 80-83C

Required Texts:

1. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, John Locke (edited by Peter Nidditch)
2. Berkeley's Philosophical Writings, David Armstrong, editor
3. A Treatise of Human Nature, David Hume, edited by L. A. Selby-Bigge and Peter Nidditch
4. Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles of Morals, David Hume, edited by L. A. Selby-Bigge and Peter Nidditch

Required Work:

2 short papers (5-7 pages) (each 25%of your grade)
1 longer final paper (6-9 pages) (35%of your grade)
In-class participation (15%of your grade)

Course Description:

This course is an analytic introduction to the most important texts of John Locke, George Berkeley and David Hume. These British thinkers, who lived in the 17th and 18th centuries, developed some of the most fascinating conceptions of the relationships between our thoughts and the world around us, and the course will focus on their metaphysical and epistemological doctrines. The lectures are designed to give you a perspective on each work as a whole as well as provide a careful analysis of the more significant passages. You are encouraged to spend your time reading and thinking about the primary texts, rather than researching the secondary sources. Sometimes, however, you may want to pursue a line of thought that is puzzling or of special interest to you. At the end of the syllabus, you will find a list of commentaries and other secondary sources on reserve that may be of some help.

COURSE SCHEDULE

NOTE: The following course schedule is tentative and subject to change. Reading assignments and changes to the schedule will be announced in class.

January

9

Valid Arguments and the Analytic Style
read Locke's Essay

11

Some Metaphysical Vocabulary; Philosophy Before Locke

14

Philosophy Before Locke; Rationalism vs. Empiricism

16

The Corpuscular Theory of Perception

18

Ideas and Qualities

21

HOLIDAY (Martin Luther King Day)

23

Primary and Secondary Qualities

25

Substance, Modes and Relations

28

Essences, Species and Kinds

30

SHORT PAPER DUE
Language and Meaning

February

1

Knowledge

4

Personal Identity I

6

Personal Identity II

8

Berkeley on Abstraction
read Berekeley's Principles and Three Dialogues

11

Berkeley's Views on the Theory of Perception

13

Berkeley's Arguments Against Matter

15

Berkeley on Preserving Common Sense

18

HOLIDAY (President's Day)

20

SHORT PAPER DUE
Common Sense, Natural Science, and Other Minds

22

Ideas and Impressions
read Hume's Treatise (Book I only) and his Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

25

Hume's Conception of the Mind

27

Relations Among Ideas and Matters of Fact

March

1

Causality

4

Necessary Connection and the Problem of Induction

6

Hume's Scepticism

8

Hume's Religious Scepticism

11

FINAL PAPER DUE
DEAD WEEK

Secondary Sources on Reserve in Tanner Library

Locke:
1. J. L. Mackie, Problems From Locke
2. I. Tipton (ed.), Locke on Human Understanding
3. J. Bennett, Locke, Berkeley, Hume: Central Themes
4. C.B. Martin and D. M. Armstrong, Locke and Berkeley: A Collection of
Critical Essays

Berkeley:
1. G. J. Warnock, Berkeley
2. G. Pitcher, Berkeley
3. G. W. Engle and G. Taylor, Berkeley's Principles of Human Knowledge:
Critical Studies

Hume:
1. V.C. Chappell, Hume: A Collection of Critical Essays
2. J. Bennett, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume: Central Themes

Grading Policies

1. No late papers will be accepted, nor incompletes given, unless special permission is obtained from the professor in advance. Permission to turn in a late paper comes at the price of a grade penalty, unless there is a genuine emergency or the circumstances are exceptional in some other way.

2. Reevaluations: Students may request a reevaluation of a paper if they feel that it has been incorrectly graded. The work must be resubmitted to the professor within one week of the date the paper was graded and returned.

3. Participation in class and/or steady improvement will be considered in determining your final grade, especially in borderline cases.