Early Moderns: The Enlightenment
$1.00/elective term
Early Moderns: The Enlightenment
This class is currently archived, but if you're interested in it being taught again, you can
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About the course
Dr. Mitch Stokes begins his introduction to the Enlightenment of the 18th century with the Greek Pythagoreans and the “problem of change” and traces those issues to the Scientific Revolution. Students learn about the search for certainty that led to skepticism through the works of Galileo, Descartes, Newton, Hume, Kant, and finally Reid, as each philosopher grapples with the nature of knowledge.
Course Objectives
- To become proficient in the conversational approach to learning: close readings, interpretive questions, and Socratic discussions of the texts.
- To gain a grasp of the literary figures and the historical framework of the time period.
- To develop lateral thinking skills by analyzing and synthesizing themes and motifs.
- To cultivate an appetite for learning as a way of life (the life of the mind).
- To cultivate a desire to pursue the highest things.
- To be able to think Christianly and write persuasively about perennial human questions.
Texts
UNIT THREE: THE ENLIGHTENMENT
- What is Enlightenment, Emmanuel Kant
- The Sidereal Messenger, Letter to Benedetto Castelli, and Letter to the Grand Duchess, Galileo Galilei
- Discourse on Method and Meditations, René Descartes
- Laws of Gravity and Motion, General Scholium, and Optics, Isaac Newton
- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, David Hume
- An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense, Thomas Reid
Materials for this course will be made available free of charge by the instructor.
About the teacher
Gilmore F. Greco
Gil lives in Eugene, Oregon with his wife and three boys. In addition to teaching for Kepler, he currently serves as House Manager, Meals Progam Cook, and Event Coordinator for Gutenberg College. He earned his B. A. in Liberal Arts from Gutenberg College.