The History of Western Philosophy, Chapters 1-9

For the seminar I had on tuesday, I discovered that I was one of the lucky people having to lead the seminar and do a seminar paper. This was ever so more daunting for me, as I was struggling with the book to say the least! For the seminar paper, I had to make notes on the first 9 chapters, and be ready to discuss them in the seminar. After doing so, I will admit I still don't complete understand the book, but I'd like to think I'm getting there... slowly! Here is a copy of my seminar paper, in note form:

General Characteristics:

• Modern Philosophy is made up of two parts: science and religion.
• Beginning of rejection of ecclesiastical authority – that of religion.
• Authority of science was increasing, due in large part, to more evidentiary support that science is fact.
• Science – less of a doctrine, more of a technique.
• More about individual beliefs) individualism).

The Italian Renaissance:

• Modern began in Italy with the renaissance.
• Not a popular movement – was generally only supported by scholars and artists.
• Italy was free from foreign interference (1250-1494)
• Until 1494 the wars were bloodless - French troops shocked Italian’s by actually killing people!
• World was seen to be dominated by God.
• First emancipation from Church – not to make men think rationally, but to open their minds.
• Epicurus – Believed pleasure was the absence of pain.

Machiavelli

• Machiavelli – Supreme in political philosophy. People were quite often shocked by him.
• Political philosophy is scientific and empirical (experimental).
• Religion – Prominent place as social cement.
• “The Church has kept and still keeps out country divided”.
• A ruler will perish if he is always good.
• A Prince should seem to be religious.
• Typically of the renaissance, there is no reference to Christ.

Erasmus and More

• In northern countries the renaissance began later than in Italy.
• Both Erasmus and Sir Thomas More despised scholastic philosophy. Neither were really philosophers.
• Northern Renaissance was more about piety and public virtue, and was not anarchic or amoral.
• Erasmus was sent to a monastery by his guardians, and discovered he was better at Latin than one of his guardians!
• Decided to teach himself Greek as he felt it was essential to be able to work on the bible.
• Savoyard Vicar – True religion comes from the heart, not the head.
• Utopia (More) – All things are held in common
  - All the streets and houses are alike
  - No locks on doors
  - Every 10 years people move house to prevent feeling of ownership
  - All go to bed at 8 and sleep 8 hours
  - Before marriage, bride and groom see each other naked

Reformation and Counter-reformation

• Shows rebellion of less civilised nations.
• Reformation – Authority of pope rejected.
• Counter-reformation – revolt against intellectual and moral freedom of Renaissance.
• Three great men – Luther, Calvin and Loyola.
• Reformation and counter-reformation were seen as bad, but good in the long run as it showed everyone that neither the Protestants or Catholics could end up victorious.

Rise of Science

• Almost everything that distinguishes modern world is due to science.
• Copernicus (1473-1543)
  - Leisure was devoted to astronomy
  - Believed sun was centre of the universe
  - Possessed both patience in observation and boldness in framing hypothesis.
• Kepler (1571-1630)
  - Shows what can be achieved by patience alone.
  - Adopted the heliocentric theory.
  - Discovery of three laws of planetary motion.
• Galileo (1564-1642)
  - Born on the day Michelangelo died, and died in the year Newton was born.
  - Discovered the importance of acceleration (change of velocity)
  - Established the law of falling bodies.
• Newton (1642-1727)
  - Proved that every planet has an acceleration towards the sun.
  - ‘Every body attracts every other with a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them’.

Bacon

• Has permanent importance as the founder of modern inductive method.
• Prosecuted for accepting bribes.
• Got a fine of £40,000 and imprisonment in the Tower, but didn’t have to pay the fine and was only imprisoned for 4 days!
• After 5 years in retirement, he died of a chill while experimenting on refrigeration by stuffing a chicken full of snow.
• Emphasised the importance of induction instead of deduction.
• Rejected the Copernican theory.

Hobbes Leviathan

• Outlook similar to Machiavelli.
• An empiricist.

Descartes

• The founder of modern philosophy.
• A mathematician – mathematical objects exist only in the mind.
• Writes as a discoverer and explorer, wanting to share with people his discoveries.
  Enlisted in the Dutch Army as he wanted to be somewhere quieter. (Had two years of quiet meditation).
• He disliked getting up before midday!
• Liked to be left in peace so he could do his work undisturbed.
• Queen Christina of Sweden made Descartes give her daily lectures at 5 in the morning!
• Descartes never married, but had a daughter that died at the age of 5.
• Adopted a general rule that: All things that we conceive very clearly and very distinctively are true.
• In Descartes is an unresolved dualism between contemporary science and scholasticism.
• Ideas seem to be of three sorts
  - Those that are innate
  - Those that are foreign and come from without
  - Those that are invented by me.
• Descartes though Aristotle was a waste of time.
• Descartes’ Epistemology:
  - ‘I think therefore I am’
  - No presumption that the universe actually exists. Could all be in the mind.
  - Solipsism: Can anyone be certain other people exist? No.