The Empiricists

Lecturer: Sandy Berkovski

Spring 2016

Contact details: sandy.berkovski+comment@gmail.com, Bilkent ext. 1048
Office hours: FA113C, Mon 16:30-17:30, Wed 16:30-17:30, and by appointment

Readings

In this course we are going to study the classical texts by Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. Any complete edition, including online editions, of the texts below is fine. However, the book store will have the editions below available for you to purchase.

[Ber08]: G. Berkeley. Philosophical Writings. Cambridge University Press, 2008.
[Hum00]: D. Hume. A Treatise of Human Nature. Oxford University Press, 2000.
[Loc08]: J. Locke. An Essay concerning Human Understanding. Oxford University Press, 2008. Abridged by P. Phemister.

Preliminary term schedule

Abbreviations: `E': [Loc08]; `NTV': An Essay towards a New Theory of Vision, in [Ber08]; `PHK': An Essay Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge, in [Ber08]; `DHP': Three Dialogues between Hylas and Phylonous, in [Ber08]; `T': [Hum00]. In all the texts, other than DHP, references are to paragraph numbers.

Week 1: General introduction; Innate principles and ideas: Locke, E I.ii-iv
Week 2: Ideas, primary and secondary qualities: Locke, E I.i.8, II.i-ii, viii
Week 3: Abstraction, substance, essence: Locke, E II.xi.1-11, xxiii, III.ii-iii
Week 4: Knowledge: Locke, E IV.iii-iv
Week 5: Identity, freedom: Locke, E II.xxvii, xxi
Week 6: Statement of immaterialism: Berkeley, PHK Part I (1-7); Perception of distance, spatial perception: Berkeley, NTV (2-51); Abstract ideas: Berkeley, NTV (121-126)
Week 7: Visual and tactile perception: Berkeley, NTV (127-131); Nature of geometry: Berkeley, NTV (149-159); From perception to metaphysics: Berkeley, DHP 1 (174-195, 203-206)
Week 8: Materialism, scepticism: Berkeley, DHP 2 (208-213); intelligibility of matter: Berkeley, DHP 2 (215-226); Midterm exam
Week 9: Objections and replies: Berkeley, DHP 3 (233-249)
Week 10: Ideas, impressions: Hume, T 1.1.1-7
Week 11: Causation, the idea of necessary connection: Hume, T 1.3.1-3, 1.3.6, 1.3.14
Week 12: The external world: Hume, T 1.4.2
Week 13: Soul, personal identity: Hume, T 1.4.5-6, Appendix (§§10-17)
Week 14: Freedom and necessity: Hume, T 2.3.1-2; Essay due
Week 15: Final exam

Requirements

Midterm exam: Students will take an open-book written midterm exam.
Essay: Students will write one essay to be submitted by the end of week 13.
Final exam: Students will take a closed-book written final exam.
Quizzes: Six quizzes (twenty minutes each) will be administered in the course of the semester. Their dates will not be announced in advance. They will typically require commenting on a short fragment of the text. Note that you will have to complete these quizzes on standard, clean A4 sheets.
Participation: Students are encouraged to take part in the discussion at the class. This includes asking meaningful questions, however trivial they might seem. Additionally, students may submit short written comments (200-300 words) on the text we currently study before the relevant class.
Etiquette: Please note that latecomers will not be allowed into class, including those that are late from the break. This rule will be strictly enforced throughout the semester.

Grading

Grades will have the following weight:

Midterm exam		16%
Essay		42%
Final exam		16%
Quizzes		18%
Participation		8%

While your overall grade at the end of the term will be according to Bilkent's standard A-F scale, I shall grade your work during the term by using my own percentage scale. These two scales relate to each other as follows:

Numerical scale (%)		Bilkent scale
95 - 100		A
90 - 94		A-
86 - 89		B+
82 - 85		B
78 - 81		B-
74 - 77		C+
70 - 73		C
67 - 69		C-
63 - 66		D+
59 - 62		D
00 - 58		F

Participation grades will be announced prior to the exam week. Please note that the students will be allowed to sit the final exam only if they get at least 59/100 for their midterm exam and at least 59/100 for their essay.

File translated from T_EX by T_TH, version 4.08.
On 27 Jan 2016, 19:53.