Descartes and Pascal: Early Modern French Philosophy before 1700

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The primary goal of the course is to introduce students to some of the central thinkers and historical controversies animating the French intellectual scene between the Reformation and the height of the enlightenment in the eighteenth century. Central authors include Montaigne, Descartes, and Pascal; topics to be addressed include skepticism, natural philosophy, and rationalism, and the relationship of these to questions of morals, culture, and religious belief, including divine grace and the role of religious institutions.