24.01 | Spring 2016 | Undergraduate

Classics of Western Philosophy

Lecture Notes

SES # TOPICS LECTURE NOTES
1 First class The Apology and Crito (PDF)
Socrates (c. 470 BCE - 399 BCE) and Plato (429? BCE - 347 BCE)
2 Socrates and the Law Study Questions for the Apology, Crito, and Euthyphro (PDF)
3 Elenchus Socratic Definition and the Elenchus (PDF)
4 Akrasia & Pragmatic Paradox Socrates on Weakness of Will (PDF)
5 Knowledge and Learning Meno and the Paradox of Inquiry (PDF)
6 The Soul in Plato Immortality and Forms in the Phaedo (PDF)
Aristotle (384 BCE - 322 BCE)
7 The Soul in Aristotle Matter and Form, Body and Soul, in De Anima (PDF)
8 Happiness Aristotle on Happiness (PDF)
9 Virtue Aristotle on Virtue (PDF)
Renè Descartes (1596–1650)
10 Skepticism Cartesian Doubt in Meditation 1 (PDF)
11 Cogito Descartes’ Cogito (Meditation 2) (PDF)
12 Existence of God Descartes on God and Matter (Meditations 3–5) (PDF)
13 Distinction between Mind and Body The Real Distinction between Mind and Body (Meditation 6) (PDF)
Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673)
14 Intelligent Matter No lecture notes for this session
David Hume (1711–1776)
15 Empiricism Hume’s Empiricism (PDF)
16 Induction Hume on Induction (PDF)
17 Causation Hume on Causation (PDF)
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804)
18 The Good Will Kant and the Moral Will (PDF)
19 Hypothetical and Categorical Imperatives Kant’s Categorical Imperative (PDF)
20 Hypothetical and Categorical Imperatives (Cont.) No lecture notes for this session
John Stuart Mill (1806–1873)
21 Utilitarianism Mill’s Utilitarianism (PDF)
22 Women’s Rights? The Subjection of Women (PDF)
23 Slavery Three Philosophers on Slavery (PDF)
W. E. B. DuBois (1868–1963)
24 Double Consciousness Du Bois and The Souls of Black Folk (PDF)
Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986)
25 Transcendence Beauvoir on Gender, Oppression, and Freedom (PDF)
26 Last class No lecture notes for this session

Course Info

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Lecture Notes
Written Assignments with Examples