An introduction to the major figures of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries during which the so-called Scientific Revolution occurred. Although the course will focus on the metaphysics and epistemology of the major early modern thinkers and their predecessors, we will also devote attention to developments in the areas of philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion and political philosophy. Thinkers to be discussed will include well-known figures as René Descartes (1596-1650), Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), John Locke (1632-1704), Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716) and David Hume (1711-1776). Lesser known, though influential, authors to be treated will include Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), Francis Bacon (1561-1626) and Robert Boyle. 

Course outline [1]