PHIL 492R/RLST 366R: God and Evil LA 118 Time: TR 2:30-3:45 Professor: Eric Stencil Office: LA 121 T Office Hours: TR 1:30-2:30 Email: eric.stencil@uvu.edu Course Requirements 50%--Paper

A substantial paper engaging some material covered in class. The paper should be about 7-9 pages (though this should be considered a rough guideline, the goal is to write a substantive and interesting piece of quality scholarship). The paper must engage one of the texts/topics/arguments covered in class and include both an examination of and a response to some text from the class. In addition to material from class, one should engage with secondary literature not covered in class (I can help you find the relevant secondary literature) and be interpretive, and/or philosophical, and/or natural theological in nature.

25%---Attendance and Participation There is no formal attendance requirement, though attendance and participation contribute to final grade.

25%---Class Presentation Each student will be responsible for leading one class. The class participation can be a formal organized presentation or a less formal leading of class discussion. Either way the student must create and lead discussion in the class and present some material/questions from the assigned reading and the philosophical importance therein. You MUST discuss with me what you are planning on presenting at least 24 hours before your presentation. This can be a causal chat before or after class, or meeting in my office. Failure to meet with me will result in a 25% penalty on the grade for this presentation.

Note: I reserve the right to give random reading quizzes. I very much hope not to have to do this in a course of this nature, but if necessary I will (and I will be sad). You are responsible for checking your uvu.edu email regularly, as I will occasionally send out updates and assignment specifics via e-mail. NO CELL PHONES IN CLASS Course Description: In this course we will study the Problem of Evil and Theodicy and related issues in 17th century (western) philosophy focusing on figures including Descartes, Conway, Malebranche, Leibniz, Masham. Arnauld, and Spinoza. Course Texts: (1) René Descartes, Philosophical Essays and Correspondence (Hackett) Abbreviated ‘D’ (2) ed. Margaret Atherton Women Philosophers of the Early Modern Period, (Hackett) Abbreviated ‘W’ (3) Nicolas Malebranche Philosophical Selections (Hackett) Abbreviated ‘M’ (4) Gottfried Leibniz Discourse on Metaphysics, Correspondence with Arnauld, Monadology (Open Court Publishing) Abbreviated ‘L’ Other Materials: (5) Baruch Spinoza’s Ethics

You will need to have access to Spinoza’s Ethics I (any edition will do). Free translations are available online. See, for example: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3800/3800-h/3800-h.htm

(6) Leibniz’s Principles of Nature of Grace and On the Ultimate Origination of Things Free translations of each are available online (e.g., in The Monadology and Other Philosophical Writings, ed. and trans by Robert Latta, Clarendon Press, 1898), and are also included in many Leibniz collections.

Books on Reserve in Library: (7) Cambridge Companion to Malebranche, ed. Steven Nadler (8) On True and False Ideas, Antoine Arnauld, trans. Kremer.

Course Objectives: 1. To study, in great detail, a host questions surrounding Theodicy in 17th century (European) philosophy. 2. Develop one’s ability to carefully and critically read, engage and discuss difficult texts and topics. 3. To develop one’s ability to write clearly and concisely.

Grading Scale A = 94% and above A- = 90 – 93 B+ = 87 – 89 B = 84 – 86 B- = 80 – 83 C+ = 77 – 79 C = 74 –76 C- = 70 – 73 D+ = 67 – 69 D = 64 – 66 D- = 60 – 63 E (Failing) = Below 60 Accessibility Services Statement: Students who need accommodations because of a disability should contact the UVU Accessibility Services Department (ASD), located on the Orem Campus, in LC 312. To schedule an appointment, or speak with a counselor, call the ASD office at 801-863-8747, or for Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals, use the video phone number, 886-760-1819 Academic Dishonesty Students are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty and integrity, as outlined in the UVU Policies and Procedures, see especially IV-D. Each student is expected to maintain academic ethics and honesty in all its forms, including but not limited to, cheating and plagiarism as defined hereafter:

1. Cheating is the act of using or attempting to use or providing others with unauthorized information, materials or study aids in academic work. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, passing examination answers to or taking examinations for someone else, or preparing or copying other's academic work.

2. Plagiarism is the act of appropriating any other person's or group's ideas or work (written, computerized, artistic, etc.) or portions thereof and passing them off as the product of one's own work in any academic exercise or study.

Please cite any and every source you use in completing an assignment (including all articles, books, websites, etc.). The punishment of any instance of cheating or plagiarism will be determined by the professor and depending upon the severity of the offense can range from failing the assignment to failing the entire course. Please see me right away if you ever have any questions or uncertainties regarding plagiarism. SERIOUSLY, NO CELL PHONES IN CLASS Reading Schedule (subject to change): Week 1: Aristotelian Background, Introduction to Descartes and the Cartesian Background Tuesday August 27—Aristotelian Background Thursday August 29—Descartes’ Meditations I-III, D 104-122 Week 2: Descartes cont., Malebranche-Arnauld debate on ideas Tuesday September 3—Descartes Second Objections and Replies; Fourth Objections and Replies D 159-166, D

177-190 Thursday September 5—Malebranche, Vision in God, M 27-76, recommended: Nolan, Lawrence, "Malebranche's Theory of Ideas and Vision in God", The Stanford Encyclopedia of

Philosophy available: http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2013/entries/malebranche-ideas/ Week 3: Malebranche-Arnauld debate on ideas Tuesday September 10— Malebranche, Vision in God, M 27-76, cont. Arnauld On True and False Ideas (actual

reading TBD) Thursday September 12--- Arnauld On True and False Ideas cont., Rec: “Malebranche versus Arnauld”, Monte Cook Journal of the History of Philosophy, Volume 29, Number 2, April 1991, pp. 183-199, available Project Muse

Week 4: Causation—Interactionism, Occasionalism Tuesday September 17--Descartes-Elizabeth Correspondence in W 9-21, Rec: Lisa Shapiro, "Elisabeth, Princess of Bohemia", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, available: http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2013/entries/elisabeth-bohemia/ and begin: Malebranche M 92-144 Thursday September 19—Malebranche M 92-144 cont, Rec: “Malebranche on Causation”, Steven Nadler in

Cambridge Companion to Malebranche pp. 112-138 Week 5: Causation—Pre-established Harmony Tuesday September 24—Finish Malebranche and Occasionalism, Begin, Leibniz Discourse on Metaphysics XIV L

23-25. Leibniz-Arnauld Correspondence, L 142-145, 149-154, 172-174, 180-189, 211-218 Thursday September 26--- Leibniz Discourse on Metaphysics XIV L 23-25. Leibniz-Arnauld Correspondence, L

142-145, 149-154, 172-174, 180-189, 211-218, cont. Week 6: Theodicy, Part I, Descartes and the Cartesian God. Tuesday October 1—Meditation IV, Sixth Objections and Replies VI, M 190-206. Wednesday October 2nd: Philadelphia Flyers opening day! Thursday October 3---M 190-206; Letters to Mersenne (M 28-30), Mesland (M 216-221), Recommended: Edwin

Curly, “Descartes on the Creation of the Eternal Truths”, The Philosophical Review, 93, pp. 569-597, JSTOR Week 7: Spinoza’s God Tuesday October 8—Spinoza’s Ethics Book I, Thursday October 10 FALL BREAK NO CLASS Week 8: The Rationalist God, Malebranche, Leibniz and Conway Tuesday October 15— Malebranche Dialogues on Metaphysics M 222-M 253 Thursday October 17--- Malebranche Treatise on Nature and Grace M 257-264 Week 9: Tuesday October 22— Malebranche Treatise on Nature and Grace M 265-268, Recommended: Steven Nadler

“Occasionalism and General Will in Malebranche” Journal of the History of Philosophy, 31, pp. 31-47. In: Project Muse

Thursday October 24--- Malebranche Treatise on Nature and Grace M 269-277; Denis Moreau “The Malebranche-

Arnauld Debate” in The Cambridge Companion to Malebranche Week 10: Tuesday October 29--- Leibniz-Discourse on Metaphysics I-VIII (L 3-14), Recommended: Catherine Wilson,

“Leibnizian Optimism”, The Journal of Philosophy, 80, pp. 765-783, (JSTOR) Thursday October 31--- Leibniz Discourse on Metaphysics IX-End (L14-63) Week 11: Tuesday November 5—Leibniz-Arnauld Correspondence L 72-142;

Thursday November 7— Leibniz-Arnauld Correspondence L 72-142 cont. Week 12: Tuesday November 12--- Leibniz-Masham Correspondence, W 77-95, Leibniz Principles of Nature and Grace

Thursday November 14--- Conway W 46-76, Rec: “Anne Conway: Bodies in the Spiritual World” Marcy Lascano Philosophy Compass 8/4 (2013): 327–336

Week 13: Tuesday November 19--- Conway W 46-76

Thursday November 21--- Leibniz On the Ultimate Origination of Things, Week 14: Tuesday November 26---Outline Day Thursday November 28 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY NO CLASS Week 15: Tuesday December 3---Arnauld’s best texts on this topic are not in English translation. Read the excerpts from the

Fourth Objections D 177-182 and focus on “Arnauld’s God” Steven Nadler, Journal of the History of Philosophy 46, pp. 517-538, available on Project Muse. I will likely send around some other Arnauld texts as well.

Thursday December 5—Rough Draft Day Week 16: Tuesday December 10---Steven Nadler “Choosing a Theodicy: The Leibniz-Malebranche-Arnauld Connection”, The

Journal of the History of Ideas, 55 pp. 573-589. Thursday December 12—Concluding thoughts, etc Final Exam: Tuesday December 17th 1-2:50 pm