Modern PhilosophyPART ONE

Historical & Conceptual Background of the Modern Era

Renaissance Humanism Renaissance

Humanism

Rebirth of Interest in Greek & Roman Literature

Technology

Other Trends

Protestant Reformation The Church

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Social & Political Changes Religion

Commerce

Background

The Rise of Modern Science Background

Copernican Revolution

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)

Galileo (1564-1642)

Implications of the New Science Galileo

Primary Qualities

Secondary Qualities

Mechanical Explanations Replace Teleological Explanations

Elimination of Final Causes & Good

background

A New Approach to Philosophy Sweeping Away the Past

The Search for a Perfect Philosophical Method

Rationalism

Empiricism

Argument Basics

Argument Concepts Defined

General Assessment: Reasoning

General Assessment: Are the Premises True?

Deductive Arguments

Introduction to Deductive Arguments Defined

Use

Assessment

Valid/Invalid, Sound/Unsound

Some Common Valid Deductive Arguments

Reductio Ad Adsurdum Defined

Form #1/Form #2

Example

Inductive Arguments

Introduction to Inductive Arguments Defined

Assessment

Strong & Weak Arguments

Analogical Argument

Introduction Definition

Uses

Form Informal

Strict Form

Premise 1: X has properties P, Q, and R.

Premise 2: Y has properties P, Q, and R.

Premise 3: X has property Z as well.

Conclusion: Y has property Z.

Analogical Argument

Assessment The strength of the argument depends on

The number of properties X & Y have in common.

The relevance of the shared properties to Z.

Whether X & Y have relevant dissimilarities.

Example

Argument from/by Example

Introduction Defined

Form Informal

Form

Premise 1: Example 1 is an example that supports claim P.

Premise 2: Example 2 is an example that supports claim P.

Premise n: Example n is an example that supports claim C.

Conclusion: Claim P is true.

Argument from/by Example

Standards of Assessment Standards

The more examples, the stronger the argument.

The examples must be relevant.

The examples must be specific & clearly identified.

Counter-examples must be considered.

Argument from Authority

Introduction Defined

Use

Form Premise 1: Person A is an authority on subject S.

Premises 2: Person A makes claim C about subject S.

Premises 3: Therefore, C is true.

Argument from Authority

Assessment Standards

The person has sufficient expertise in the subject.

The claim is within the expert’s area of expertise.

There is an adequate degree of agreement among experts.

The expert is not significantly biased.

The area of expertise is a legitimate area or discipline.

The authority must be properly cited.

Thomas hobbes (1588-1679)background

Background Personal Information

Influence: Galileo’s Works

Influence: Euclidean Geometry

Influence: English Civil War

The Leviathan (1651)

Physics & Philosophy Goal & Method

Empiricism

Metaphysical Materialism

God

Ontology

Thomas hobbesphysics & Philosophy

Types of Philosophy First Philosophy

Special Sciences

Political Science

Epistemology & Psychology Thoughts

Sensations

Imagination & Memory

Association

Language Humans

Nominalism & Reasoning

Thomas hobbes

Metaphysics Determinism

Human Behavior

Voluntary Motions

Hobbes account of Deliberation

Ethics Morality & Materialism

Thomas Hobbesphysics & politics

View of Politics Experience

Conclusions Drawn From Experience

Method

The State of Nature State of Nature

Egoism

Natural Laws Natural Laws

The Laws

The Sovereign

Thomas hobbesPhysics & politics

Social Contract The Contract

The Sovereign

Rights & Morality

Reaction

Thomas hobbesimpact & problems

Impact Impact

Problems Perception

Consciousness

Freedom, Purpose & Values

Rene Descartes (1596-1650)background

Life & Works Life

Works

Agenda Motivation

Travel

Inward Focus

Goals

Rene descartesmethod

Methodology Mathematics

Intuition

Deduction

The Meditations on First Philosophy

Rene descartesFirst Meditation

First Part Start & Goal

Method

Doubting the Senses Senses

Dream Problem

Painter Analogy

Math: Skeptical Pause

God & The Demon God

The Demon

Rene DescartesSecond Meditation

Skepticism & Certainty Method

Skepticism

The Foundation of Certainty: I am, I exist

The Self Goal

Rejected: The Body as Self

A Thing That Thinks

Rejected Human Body

Air, Wind, Fire, Vapor, or Breath

Rene DescartesSecond Meditation

Knowledge of His Existence is not via the Imagination

Certainty

The Wax Example The Wax

How the Wax is Known

Language & Errors

Perception & Inference

The Wax Proves He Exists

Conclusion

Rene Descartesthird meditation

Truth & God Standard of Truth: Clear & Distinct

External Things

God & Deception Does God Exist?

Is God a Deceiver?

Ideas Division of Thoughts

Ideas& Truth

Source of Ideas

Ideas of External Objects

Rene Descartesthird meditation

External Objects: Instructed by Nature

External Objects: Ideas do not Depend on His Will

External Objects: Resemblance

Ideas, Reality & Causes Ideas & Reality

Objective Reality

Principle: The cause must contain at least as much reality as the effect.

Formal Reality

Eminent Containment

Causes of Ideas

Regress Argument for Archetypes

Rene Descartesthird meditation

Method: Trying to find an idea he cannot be the cause of.

He could be the cause of his ideas of secondary qualities.

He could be the cause of his ideas of primary qualities.

God God

Substance & Infinity Argument

Infinity, God and Comprehension

Descartes considers he might be the cause.

Why Descartes cannot be the cause.

Rene Descartesthird meditation

More on God Goal

He is lacking, so he cannot be the author of his own being.

Infinite Parts Argument

Regress Argument

Several Causes

Parents

Idea of God

God is not a deceiver/

Rene DescartesFourth meditation

God & Reason God is not a deceiver.

Reason

The Cartesian Circle

The Possibility of Error

Points of Certainty

Rene DescartesFifth meditation

Third Proof of God The Proof

Unique to God

Rene DescartesSixth meditation

The External World The Problem

Descartes as the cause.

God as the cause.

External objects cause the ideas.

Illusions

Nature of Objects

Rene DescartesCartesian dualism

Dualism Substance

Two Substances: Mental & Physical

Meditations: Doubt

Meditations: Different

Humans & Animals

Dualism

The Cartesian Compromise Reconciliation

The Dualist Solution: The Body

The Dualist Solution: The Mind

Rene DescartesCartesian dualism

Interactionism Mind-Body Problem

Ship & Pilot Analogy

The Pineal Gland

Rene DescartesProblems & Impact

Problems Natural Light

Principle & Doubt

Infinity

Contamination Problem

Interactionism: Arnold Geulincx (1624-1669)

Parallelism

Interactionism: Nicolas Malebranche (1623-1662)

Occasionalism

Blaise Pascal

Rene DescartesProblems & Impact

Impact Certainty

Universal Science

Reconciling Science & Religion

Artificial Intelligence