Spring
2018: Leibniz and Spinoza
Alexander
R. Pruss
E-mail: alexander_pruss@baylor.edu
Course web page: http://AlexanderPruss.com/classes/ls/
Class times:
M 2:30-5:15 in MH 107
Office hours:
MW 10:00-11:10 am or by appointment or just catch me
Texts:
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N. Rescher, G.W. Leibniz's Monadology: An Edition for
Students, paperback.
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G. W. Leibniz, Philosophical Essays, ed. Ariew and
Garber, Hackett. Online in library.nlx.com (ÒContinental RationalistsÓ).
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B. Spinoza, Ethics; Treatise on the Emendation of the
Intellect; and Selected Letters, Hackett, paperback.
Additional
resources:
Grading and requirements:
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One 12-15 page
paper on Leibniz (due April 2) and one 9-12 page paper on Spinoza (due April
30).
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Class
participation is required and counts towards the grade. Prepare for each class by reading the
assigned reading.
Tentative reading assignments:
May change: check a week ahead.
Always read the additional selections included with
each Monadology paragraph.
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Jan 8:
Parmenides, fragments
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Jan 22: Monadology 1-6; Principles of Nature and Grace 1-2; Discourse on Metaphysics 1; Letters to Burnet, Ariew-Garber 285-290; Bailey
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Jan 29:
Correspondence with de Bosses, Ariew-Garber
197-206; Principles of Nature and Grace
3-6; Monadology 7-8; Pruss;
Smith; Garber
L:BSM chapter 2
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Feb 5: Monadology 9-22; ÒOn the Method of
Distinguishing Real From Imaginary PhenomenaÓ (Loemker, 602-607, to be put in
box); Letters
to Clarke, II.1, III.5-8, IV.1-24; "On Copernicanism..."
(Ariew-Garber, 90-94); Black; Hacking
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Feb 12: Monadology 22-39; Discourse on Metaphysics 13-15; ÒThe
Ultimate Origin of ThingsÓ; ÒContingencyÓ;
ÒFreedom
and PossibilityÓ; ÒOn What is Independent of Sense and MatterÓ (Ariew-Garber,
186-192); ÒTwo Studies in the Logical CalculusÓ (just the first two pages here);
Leftow, ÒGod and the Problem of UniversalsÓ (optional);
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Feb 19: Letter to
Countess Elizabeth (Ariew-Garber, 235-240); DescartesÕ Meditation
5; Monadology 40-55; St AnselmÕs Proslogium
I-IV; Pruss, ÒGoedelian
Argument ImprovedÓ; Pruss, ÒGoedelian
Ontological Arguments Improved Even MoreÓ
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Feb 26: Theme:
LeibnizÕs physics. ÒA Specimen of DynamicsÓ (Ariew-Garber, 117-138); various
pieces (Ariew-Garber, 307-320); Letters to Clarke II.4-II.12; Rescher, ÒWhat
Einstein WantedÓ; Monadology
56-81 (sorry, thatÕs a lot of text!); John
Roberts on Leibniz; Kenneth Pearce on miracles
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Mar 12: Theme:
space. Finish Monadology (including
Myth of Er); Sayre-McCord;
Garber and
Rauzy; Levin;
Arthur
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Mar 19: Theme:
overall assessment. Adams,
Chapters 9-11; ÒMeditation
on the Common Concept of JusticeÓ
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Mar 26: Spinoza, Ethics, part I and Letters 2-12
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Apr 2: Spinoza, Ethics, part II up to proposition 17 and
Letter 56
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Apr 9: Spinoza, Ethics, rest of part II and Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect,
and Letter 32
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Apr 16: Spinoza, Ethics, Part III; LeBuffe;
Friedman
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Apr 23: Spinoza, Ethics, Parts IV-V; Savan; Bennett,
Chapters 10-11; optional: Koistinen
Miscellaneous lecture notes (often from previous times
I taught the class, and I may no longer agree with them; use at your own risk):