History of Modern Philosophy Class Blog - Fall 2026

   9/15/2026 Do you believe in ghosts?     [Philosophy Club every Wednesday, 5-6 pm, in the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences room 436 ("The Cave") Bioethics Club Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30 in CAS 436.] [Ethics Zips: tonight, Tuesday, August 15th in CAS 436.]     Primary – secondary quality distinction (primary qualities are those that can be defined in terms of geometry. Shape/motion/position) (secondary qualities are imposed on our sensations by a confused mind. I don’t perceive micro-geometry AS micro-geometry)   Sensation is confused intellection   My body-awareness is also confused intellection: The reality is that I perceive the modification of my sense organs by sense objects in respect of primary qualities, but I don’t perceive things AS this relation.       Ideas OF things are putatively representative   Representation consists of a likeness between the proper...

   9/10/2026 Would you change your mind about something you believe very strongly for $1 million?   [Philosophy Club every Wednesday, 5-6 pm, in the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences room 436 ("The Cave") Bioethics Club Tuesdays from 4:30-5:50 in CAS 436.] Will = infinite Understanding = finite Assent is function of will (judgment is an ACTION)   Epistemic voluntarism (belief is a matter of choice)   Epistemic will is infinite What does this mean? Does it mean I can voluntarily assent to ANY proposition? Can I believe “I do not exist”?   Does it mean that I can voluntarily assent to any proposition that is not V&C?   Can you choose right now to believe that Bigfoot is living my basement?     The main thing going on in Meditation 5 is “the essentialist principle”     Traditionally an essence contrasts with an accident.   (EP) A property P is essential to...

 9/8/2026 Descartes offers a 2nd proof of God in M5. Why? And why wait until M5 instead of giving it right after the one in M3? [Philosophy Club every Wednesday, 5-6 pm, in the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences room 436 ("The Cave") Bioethics Club Tuesdays from 4:30-5:50 in CAS 436.][Ethics Bowl mtg today at 6:00pm]   Skeptical theism = the position that God’s superior knowledge so vastly outstrips ours that WE SHOULD NOT EXPECT to be aware of the reasons for which he permits evil. Two major views of free will: 1.    Incompatibilism : Free will is incompatible with being determined to act one way rather than another. 2.    Compatibilism : Free will is compatible with at least some cases of being determined to act one way rather than another.  God exists The idea of God includes being good (not a deceiver) Dismiss deceitful God hypothesis. So, vivid and clear perceptions are trustworthy. Truth Rule (whatever I perceive (conceive) vividly and clearly is tr...

   9/3/2026 Are some things more real than others?   [Philosophy Club every Wednesday, 5-6 pm, in the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences room 436 ("The Cave") Bioethics club Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30 in CAS 436.]   Clear Vivid   The “truth rule” Whatever I perceive (conceive) vividly and clearly is true.     The Cartesian Circle: (A)     In order to know that I can trust my intellectual judgments, I must know there is no deceitful God. (B)     In order to know there is no deceitful God, I must know that I can trust my intellectual judgments.     Is there an escape from the circle?   Option 1: D doesn’t really mean A. (Truth rule is sufficient. M3 just uses argument for God as a “mopping up” example.)   Option 2: D doesn’t have to know he can trust his intellectual judgments to be able to trust them. (He only knows he can trust them at...

 9/1/2026 If you are unsure of something, how do you know that you are unsure about it? [Philosophy Club every Wednesday, 5-6 pm, in the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences room 436 ("The Cave")] [Bioethics club TODAY in 436 from 4:30-5:30.]   Rene Descartes The “method of doubt” Skepticism: Assertoric skepticism: Nothing can be known with certainty. (Self-defeating) Problematic skepticism: Can anything be known with certainty? D introduces 4 hypothetical scenarios that would render his beliefs doubtful: 1.    Flawed senses 2.    Madness 3.    Dreams 4.    Deceitful god (omnipotent deceiver) The escape Cogito ergo sum I think, therefore I am I am thinking, therefore I exist D is sometimes accused of a twofold error in his cogito: 1.    I am thinking. 2.    Whatever is thinking exists. 3.    Therefore, I exist. The errors are alleged to be: -    Premise 2 is unlicensed. -    His trust in logic...

   8/27/2026 Have you ever seen the Milky Way when looking at the night sky? (Apparently 90% of people have not.)   Some significant events making up the “scientific revolution”   -       Printing press -       Mercantilism and the rise of state sovereignty -       Geographic exploration -       Protestant revolution(s) -       Developments in Mathematics     Galileo’s discoveries -       Moon -       Sunspots -       Moons of Jupiter -       Saturn -       Phases of Venus -       Milky Way is made of stars -       Stellar parallax         Galileo also conducted experiments invo...

“Modern Philosophy”   Philosophy lounge 436 Eric Sotnak   No electronic devices (Blog)   Weekly Responses 50%   3 paragraphs or more   2 essays = 40%   10% attendance   Attendance Policy 10% Attendance          Maximum of 12 absences before failing course          You get 1.5 points for each day you come to class. There are 29 class meetings (= 43.5 points). If you attend 24 class meetings, you will get 100% on your attendance grade (36 points). If you attend more than 24 class meetings (up to 29) you can earn 121% on your attendance grade. In addition, extra credit points will be earnable at the end of the semester depending on how many people complete the course evaluation.       AI Policy You may use AI in whatever ways you want in the course with the following restriction: You may never misreprese...