Texts in the bookstore:
Peter Dear, Revolutionizing the Sciences (Princeton Univ. Pr., 2001).
Thomas Kuhn, The Copernican Revolution (Harvard Univ. Pr., 1957).
René Descartes, The World and Other Writings, Stephen Gaukroger, tr. and ed. (Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1998).
Michael Matthews (ed.), The Scientific Background to Modern Philosophy (Hackett Publ. Co., 1989).
Handouts:
Francis Bacon, The New Atlantis (link to handout).
René Descartes, Principles of Philosophy, II.45-53 (link to handout).
Other readings:
Francis Bacon, The New Organon (in html format and in pdf format, 1.6M).
Robert S. Westman, "The Copernicans and the Churches," in David Lindberg and Ronald Numbers (eds.), God and Nature: Historical Essays on the Encounter between Christianity and Science (Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1986), pp. 76-113. (On reserve in Lilly.)
Blaise Pascal, "The Weight of the Mass of the Air" and "Conclusion," in I. H. B. and A. G. H. Spiers (tr.), The Physical Treatises of Pascal (New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 1937), pp. 27-75. (On reserve in Lilly.)
René Descartes, Passions of the Soul, part 1, in Elizabeth S. Haldane and G. R. T. Ross (tr.), The Philosophical Works of Descartes, vol. 1 (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1931), pp. 330-356. (On reserve in Lilly.)
Requirements: (1) Two short papers (the first paper c. 3 pp. and the second paper 4-5 pp.) on topics arising from the texts you read; in both cases I will suggest topics but you will have substantial freedom of choice. (2) A third paper (6-8 pp.) in which you explore and reflect one aspect of the Scientific Revolution; you will lead a class discussion of material related to this paper. (3) A final exam, which will test your grasp of the basic history covered. (4) Regular, prepared, and active participation in class (including completion of ungraded weekly writing assignments). Your final grade will be based on these in the following way: 10%, 15%, and 25% for the papers, 25% for the exam, and 25% for class participation.
Attendance and due dates: As part of my evaluation of your participation, I will be keeping a record of your attendance. You will be automatically excused if you notify me in advance that you will miss a class (e-mail or voice-mail messages are fine). After the fact, you will be excused if you give me a good reason or a dean's excuse. The brief writing assignments are due once each week. Due dates for the others are subject to negotiation. I will set a default due date for the class and but I am willing to set individual due dates (within reason) for those who find that inconvenient. My policy on missed deadlines is similar to that on missed classes: I'll re-negotiate the deadline (again within reason) if I hear in advance but after the fact I'll expect an excuse. Unexcused missed deadlines will have an effect on your participation grade.