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Unit of study_
PHIL3695: Early Modern Philosophy: Central Themes
2025 unit information
This unit will consider Renaissance, and early modern (17th- & 18th-century) forms of scepticism and investigate the connections with modern external world scepticism. It focuses on: 1) the discussion of anti-dogmatic implications and moral implications of sceptical arguments; 2) the philosophy of perception; 3) the new method of systematic experimentation that was used to explain the nature and behaviour of the constituents of the external world; and 4) the nature of our epistemic practices, including trust, testimony, and faith, and their normative and theological implications. The unit includes a focus on sensory impairment.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Philosophy |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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12 credit points at 2000-level in Philosophy |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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PHIL3605 or PHIL3683 or PHIL3685 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Critically assess concepts and theories about knowledge and sceptical denial throughout history and up to the present day.
- LO2. Demonstrate high-level skills in argument analysis and conceptual analysis.
- LO3. Articulate ideas with clarity of expression and exposition.
- LO4. Critically evaluate historical and contemporary sceptical frameworks and of theories of knowledge acquisition.
- LO5. Understand how historical perspectives on perception, experimentation, and disability bear on contemporary philosophical
Unit availability
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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