This course undertakes a close examination of four major Rationalist philosophers: Descartes, Malebranche, Spinoza and Leibniz. Each of these thinkers made extravagant claims for reason, and produced systems of metaphysics that claimed certainty on issues such as the existence of God, the concept of substance, the immortality of the soul, and the nature of the world. Prerequisite: PHIL 110 GE: Introduction to Philosophy.

TEXTBOOKS:

• Descartes. Meditations on First Philosophy. 3rd ed. trans. Donald A. Cress. Hackett Publishers.
• Malebranche. Philosophical Selections. ed. Steven Nadler. Hackett Publishers.
• Spinoza. The Ethics and Selected Letters. trans. Samuel Shirley. Hackett Publishers.
• Leibniz. Discourse on Metaphysics and Other Essays. trans. Roger Ariew & Daniel Garber. Hackett Publishers.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

• 1 1250-1750 word paper (35%)
• 1 2500 word paper (40%)
• 1 Final Exam (25%)

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Students are expected to attend all classes. Students who have 4 absences without documented excuses will have 10% deducted from their final grade, and 10% for every 3 absences thereafter.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

East Stroudsburg University demands academic integrity from its students. Any form of academic dishonesty, including (but not limited to) plagiarism or cheating at tests or exams, is a sufficient ground for failure in this course and for further academic discipline.