After completing this course students are able to:

‘All human beings by nature desire to know’ — these are the opening words of Aristotle’s Metaphysics. In the history of Western thought, the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, whether theoretical or practical, is called philosophy. As a curriculum subject, philosophy is unlike the sciences: it cannot be read adequately by taking cognizance of the latest results or of the way it is practiced today, but requires a mastery of its development. If a notion like ‘progress’ is applicable to philosophy at all, its meaning will differ considerably from that in scientific progress. The appropriate way to study philosophy then, is to address it both systematically and historically.
 
The present course is a historical introduction that concentrates on two branches of philosophy, viz. ontology or metaphysics, and epistemology. This allows the exploration of issues that lie at the heart of the development of Western thought. A wide range of notions are dealt with, e.g. substance and accident; existence and being; subject and object; idea, knowledge, and certainty; causality, necessity, and freedom. With this systematic emphasis, a number of classical texts are studied in chronological order. The analysis and discussion of these works shows how philosophy, science, and religious thought have influenced each other.

Format
The class meets twice a week for two hours. In order to facilitate access and discussion of the texts, study questions are supplied to be used in preparing for students’ contribution to class discussions. Towards the end of the term, students submit one paper of around 3000 words on one or more of the philosophers studied, or one of the issues raised by these. There is a midterm exam and the course concludes with a written exam.