Undergraduate Course: Philosophy of the Scottish Enlightenment (LLLI07020)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | THIS IS A FOR-CREDIT ONLY COURSE OFFERED BY THE OFFICE OF LIFELONG LEARNING (OLL); ONLY STUDENTS REGISTERED WITH OLL SHOULD BE ENROLLED.
18th-century Edinburgh was described by Smollet as 'a hotbed of genius'. This course will utilise extracts from primary sources written by some of the greatest philosophical thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment, to establish the truth of this claim. |
| Course description |
1. Origins of the Scottish Enlightenment
The notion of 'modernity'; Scotland in the period before the Enlightenment; the University of Edinburgh in the early eighteenth century.
Readings:
Maclaurin, C., 1750. An Account of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophical Discoveries (extract in Broadie 1997)
Minutes of Edinburgh Town Council (in Rendall 1978)
2. Hume and the Science of Man
The importance of 'improvement'; Hume's approach to philosophy; the application of Newtonian scientific method to the study of humanity.
Reading:
Hume, D., 1748. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (extract in Broadie 1997)
3. Hume's Theory of Perception
Section 2 of Hume's An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding.
Reading:
Hume, D., 1748. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (extract in Broadie 1997)
4. Reid and Common Sense
The Common Sense rejection of Hume's theory of perception, and its motivation.
Reading:
Reid, T., 1764. An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense (extract in Broadie 1997)
5. Kames and the Existence of God.
The importance of religion in the period of the Enlightenment; Hume¿s position on arguments for the existence of God; Kames' rebuttal of Hume in his Essays on the Principles of Morality and Natural Religion.
Reading:
Home, H., 1751. Essays on the Principles of Morality and Natural Religion (extract in Broadie 1997)
6. Hume on Suicide.
Hume's notion of philosophy as an 'antidote' to 'false religion', as presented in his essay 'On Suicide'.
Reading:
Hume, D., 1778. 'On Suicide' (extract in Broadie 1997)
7. Smith's Moral Sentiments
Enlightenment ethical thinking; the relationship between theories of mind and moral theories; Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments.
Reading:
Smith, A., 1759. The Theory of Moral Sentiments (extract in Broadie 1997)
8. Social Theory in the Eighteenth Century.
Social Theory as a new concern of intellectuals; the relationship between history and social structure; the 'Stages' theory in Smith's writings.
Reading:
Smith, A., 1776. An Enquiry Concerning the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (extract in Broadie 1997)
9. Dugald Stewart and the Nineteenth Century Curriculum
Stewart's Common Sense position; the cultivation of social virtue; the philosophical case for a generalist curriculum.
Reading:
Stewart, D., Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind (extract in Broadie 1997)
10. The Legacy of the Scottish Enlightenment
The influence of Scottish Enlightenment thought on American philosophy, politics, and education; the later influence of Kant on Scottish philosophy, and the 20th century revival of interest in Hume.
Reading:
No specific extract for this week.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Lifelong Learning - Session 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
98 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One 2000 word essay submitted after the course finishes, worth 100% of the total course mark. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
Identify key themes in Scottish Enlightenment philosophy;
Read primary texts and subject those texts to appropriate philosophical scrutiny;
Locate the various texts studied in the wider context of the Scottish Enlightenment, and of philosophy generally.
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Reading List
Essential
Extracts from primary sources will be made available online, also contained in:
Broadie, A., 1997. The Scottish Enlightenment - An Anthology. Edinburgh: Canongate.
Rendall, J., 1978. The Origins of the Scottish Enlightenment. London: Macmillan.
Recommended
Broadie, A., 2001. The Scottish Enlightenment. Edinburgh: Birlinn.
Broadie, A., ed., 2003. The Cambridge Companion to the Scottish Enlightenment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Web sources
Extracts and class summaries will be available on the tutor's website: www.glaucon.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
Class handouts
Class handouts (extracts and class summaries) will be available on the tutor's website. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Academic reading, writing and tutorial skills;
Ability to construct and to evaluate an argument;
Skills of intertextual analysis. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr James Mooney
Tel: (0131 6)50 3077
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Diane Mcmillan
Tel: (0131 6)50 6912
Email: |
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