PHIL220: History of Philosophy: Berkeley, Hume, Kant, and MILL

Texts:

Requirements:

4 of 6 pop-quizzes, a mid-term exam, and a final exam.

Grade:

Of the 100 (possible) points, 20 are from the pop-quizzes, 40 are from the mid-term, 40 are from the final exam.

Outline:

A. Introduction.

B. Berkeley.

• Berkeley's Idealism and critique of Materialism₁.
• Critique of Abstractionism.
• Berkeley's Idealism and critique of Materialism₂.
• Replies to anticipated objections.

C. Hume.

• On impressions.
• On experience.
• Hume's Problem of Induction.
• On the belief that there are bodies
• On the self.

D. Kant.

• The synthetic-a priori.
• Kantian Metaphysics.
• Kantian Ethics.

E. Mill.

• Millian Ethics.
• Mill's Phenomenalism.

F. Conclusions. Getting outside the circle of one's own ideas.

Berkeley's "Whitehall." Berkeley lived here, near Newport, RI, from 1728 to 1731. I served as "Philosopher in Residence at Whitehall"  during the summers of 1982 and 1984.

George Berkeley

 

David Hume

 

Immanuel Kant

 

John Stuart Mill