Today we began discussing the early modern background; in particular we looked at Aristotelian scholasticism. (The idea was not to become experts on early modern scholasticism but to get a brief taste of the sort of the things they did. Many of the thinkers we will be discussing in the main part of the course are explicitly avoiding a scholastic approach to philosophy; it’s useful to know what they were avoiding.) Major thinkers discussed: Suarez, John of St. Thomas, Molina.
For next class, read the Hobbes selection in Cahn’s text.
Tutorials start next week. I will be putting up the locations for particular groups shortly.
If you have any further questions, contact me by e-mail at phl210y@branemrys.org. I am available for e-mail consultation and also for meetings by appointment.