Introduction to Modern Philosophy
Can I be certain that there is a world outside me, or am I confined to my own mind alone? What can I know reliably about the world, if there is one? And if it exists knowably, how can I live with other people within it? Are we naturally selfish and dangerous? Or do we have a compassionate and gentle nature brutalised by a corrupt society? These are some of the questions to be discussed in this introduction to early modern philosophy of knowledge and social and political philosophy. The way of approaching the questions will be through a critical and historical treatment of selected writings by Descartes (1596-1650), Hobbes (1588-1679) and Rousseau (1712-1778).
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Who teaches it
Named by students in their reviews. These ratings cover this module only, and don't count towards its overall score.
- Timothy MooneyModule coordinator
3.5Good teaching2 ratings · Spring 2025/26
Reviews(2)
Anonymous Student
Sep 22, 2026
In practice
Two lectures and plenty of readings. The readings take up a fair amount of time, but he explains them in class
Advice
He gave us the exact exam questions, so just study up for those topics and nothing else.
Anonymous Student
May 13, 2026
such a lovely professor kinda old school though doesn’t use powerpoint or slideshows for lectures