Handbook

In the capstone, you will consolidate your grasp of the discipline of philosophy by examining a pivotal text in the history of philosophy that (a) weighs in on the relation between the two main streams of the discipline (mind/metaphysics/epistemology and value theory); and (b) has been broadly influential upon contemporary philosophical debates and practices. The selected text may vary from semester to semester, but some representative examples would include: Spinoza’s Ethics, Hume’s Treatise of Human Nature, Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. The selected text will be examined with respect to: its historical context; its integrity as a unified and systematic work; the independent power of its arguments; the implications of these arguments for other areas of humanistic inquiry; and the enduring influence of the text over contemporary debates and philosophical practice. The practical apprenticeship of the subject will be developed by introducing students to the variety of research practices of the discipline and encouraging students to reflect upon those practices in the development of a sustained and integrated research project.  You will refine your skills for focused analytic writing that will serve you in a range of future career paths, both academic and non-academic.