Course Topics

This course will closely examine three of the major Empiricist philosophers of the early modern period: John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume.

In contrast to the Rationalists who made extravagant claims about the power of reason to reveal the nature of reality, the Empiricists' fundamental thesis was that only sense experience can reveal what exists and how things in fact are.

During the "Age of Enlightenment" (the 17^th and 18^th centuries) the Empiricists were to be found in Britain. Locke was English, Berkeley Irish, and Hume was born in Scotland. This wave of British Empiricism may be seen as a reaction to the Rationalism found mainly on the continent of Europe. These geographic groupings are probably no accident. The Rationalists' trust in reason to uncover metaphysical realities not revealed to ordinary observation cohered with the dogmas of Catholic Europe, while the Empiricists' demand that claims be grounded by one's own direct observations and experience cohered with the temperament of Protestantism found throughout Britain.

In Locke, Berkeley, and Hume we will see three very different forms of Empiricism. All agree that knowledge must be based on experience, but each draws a different conclusion about where that thesis takes us. Locke defends Realism, Berkeley argues for Idealism, and Hume lands us in the most radical Skepticism.

Among the topics we will encounter in their texts are: the nature of sense perception, the origin of ideas, the nature of the soul and personal identity, appearance v. reality, primary v. secondary qualities, real v. nominal essences, God, and causality.

Textbooks

John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, abridged and edited by Kenneth Winkler.
George Berkeley, Principles of Human Understanding, edited by Jonathan Dancy.
David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature, edited by L. A. Selby-Bigge and P. H. Nidditch.

Course Requirements
Prerequisite: PHIL 110 GE: Introduction to Philosophy
Attendance and class participation is expected and will be factored into the overall course grade. I will expect everyone to have read the selection assigned for each class, and I will call on individuals to help us summarize in our own words the positions and arguments.
There will be take home essay exams: two during the semester and a final at the end.

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.