Language and Mind
First handout (of very few)
March 29, 2004

I. Organization of our work:

a. Seminar:

i. We will divide into two groups, each of which will meet as a seminar. Our (new) seminar room looks as though it will accommodate both discussions.

ii. Everyone will work as a seminar leader. When you lead, you will do so for both seminars on Monday, or both on Tuesday.

iii. Each group will have two leaders, so there will be four in all for any given day: leading will done in teams of two, and both teams will collaborate with one another.

iv. Monday’s schedule:

10–10:30: leaders meet with Chuck
10:30–12: seminar
12-1: lunch break
1-3: seminar (debrief, last 15’)

v. Tuesday’s schedule:

9–9:30: leaders meet with Chuck
9:30–11: seminar
11–12:30: lunch break
12:30–2:30: seminar (debrief, last 15’)

vi. Friday’s schedule:

10–12:30: Project presentations
12:30–1: wrap up for the week

b. Writing:

After week 1 every week each student will do one of three things (depending on your seminar group or assignment as seminar leader, i.e. not ad lib):

1) Submit an essay to Chuck on Monday or

2) Post a comment on Web-X (by Monday) and respond to at least two other posted comments (by Thursday afternoon) or

3) Lead either the Monday seminars or the Tuesday seminars.

II. Assignments for week 1, March 29-April 2

a. Explore the program web site

b. Read “Study Guide: Reading Philosophy Texts” found in Garth Kemerling’s “Philosophy Pages” web-site

c . Read Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy. Begin by reading through all six meditations. We will work through them carefully during the first week, beginning with the first two on Tuesday.

d. Write a briefing paper on each of Descartes’ "Meditations" for someone who wants to know what Descartes has said but who does not or will not read the work himself. (Maybe you’re the philosophy coach in the west wing of some Imperial President. Perhaps this guy has to prepare for a meeting with another head of state whose first love is philosophy.)

i. For each meditation, organize your brief around the questions that Descartes raises and the answers he gives to them.

ii. Your briefing paper for all six meditations is due on Friday, April 2.

III. Projects

By Wednesday, I will post further information and suggestions about the projects. We will discuss projects on Friday. On Friday of week 2, April 9th, you will each make a short presentation of what you plan to do. By Friday of week 3, April 16th, you must have identified your major resources and begun to work with them.

IV. Assignments for week 2, April 5-9

a. Read Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, “The Epistle to the Reader”; “Introduction”; Book I (“Neither Principles nor Ideas are Innate”), chapter 1 or 2*; Book II (“Of Ideas”), chapters 1-2, 8, 11-12, 23 [*The chapter title should be "No Innate Speculative Principles." There may be an inconsistency in the numbering between editions.] Book III “Of Words” Chapters 1-3; Book IV “Of Knowledge and Probability”) chapters 1-2, 3 (sections 1-12), 5. [Added late: Ch. 11 of Book IV]

b. Write an essay comparing Descartes' and Locke's discussion of “ideas.” (I may post additional details later in the week.)