Some Key Concepts in Early Modern Philosophy |
Here is a quick list of some key concepts we will trace through many or all of the philosophers we study.
1. Knowledge
What is knowledge? What does it require? How much can we have? Of what sorts of things?
What is "substance"? How do we know there is any such thing? What kinds of substances are there? How many substances are there?
What is it for one event to cause another? How can we tell whether one event causes another? Can we know whether one event caused another? Must every event have a cause, and if so how do we know this?
4. God
Is there a god? Can we know whether there is a god, and if so how? What is the relation between the divine and the natural?5. Freedom
What is it to act freely? To have free will? Can we know whether we have free will, and if so how? Is the existence of freedom and/or free will compatible with the natural universe being mechanistic or deterministic?
Last update: January 17, 2003. |