Rethinking Metaphysics: Early Modern Philosophy
UndergraduateMUR-PHL2082027
Course information for 2027 intake
Revisit early modern metaphysics through thinkers often left out of the standard story. Study women philosophers alongside major debates about matter, mind, freedom, causation and God in the Enlightenment.
Enrol today with instant approval and no entry requirements
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- Subject may require attendance
- Enrol by
- 14 Feb 2027
- Entry requirements
- No ATAR needed, No prior study
- Duration
- 15 weeks
- Start dates
- 22 Feb 2027
- Price from
- $2,257
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Rethinking Metaphysics: Early Modern Philosophy
About this subject
At the completion of this subject, students will be able to:
- Critically appraise the origins, influence and enduring significance of metaphysical questions and seminal thinkers.
- Identify and explain key concepts that inform our understandings of the natural world.
- Demonstrate an understanding of how research and thought is informed by collaboration with others.
- Construct an evidence-based argument in written, visual, oral, audio and/or digital form, demonstrating articulate communication skills and applying ethical and other conventions of the discipline.
- Letters of Thought (1 & 2)
- Princess Elizabeth (1618-1680) (3 & 4)
- Margaret Cavendish (1623-1673) (5 & 6)
- The Two Sophies (1630-1714; 1668-1705) (7 & 8)
- Anne Conway (1631-1679) (9 & 10)
- Emilie du Chatelet (1706-1749) (11 & 12)
European philosophy of the Enlightenment was characterised by its development of a number of traditional metaphysical questions addressing the rise of the natural sciences. Thinkers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries investigated problems such as the fundamental nature of matter and its relationship to mind; how motion is possible; whether we have souls and whether they are free; whether we can know causes; and, inevitably, the role of God in the overall scheme of things. But while the names of figures such as Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, Newton, Leibniz, Voltaire, and Hume are well established, the names of their female contemporaries — including Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia, Margaret Cavendish, Anne Conway, Sophie of Hanover, Sophie Charlotte of Prussia, and Émilie Du Châtelet – are not. In this subject students examine the works of these women philosophers. Working with the women’s treatises, essays and correspondence — often with men who have become well known in history — students gain an understanding of enduring philosophical ideas and those who shaped them.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport.
Assessment in this subject includes an exam. Most OUA students will be required to complete their final exam remotely online (Remote eExam) via myMurdoch Learning (LMS), using Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor. You will require a device meeting the minimum standards with a webcam, microphone, and stable internet connection and perform a one-time installation of ‘Respondus LockDown Browser’ using the unique Murdoch link. You are required to complete the mandatory practice quiz before the start of the exam period to ensure a smooth experience on the day. More information regarding Respondus can be found on the Remote eExam page: https://goto.murdoch.edu.au/RemoteExams
- Imagined abstract (20%)
- Abstract and presentation (response to Essay Plan) (20%)
- Essay (30%)
- Final Invigilated Exam (Remote eExam using Respondus) (30%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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- 0.125 EFTSL
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