René Descartes, 1596-1650. Engraving by W. Holl after painting by Franz Hals. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [reproduction number: LC-USZ62-61365 (b&w film copy neg.)].)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Sally Haslanger
MIT Course Number
24.805
As Taught In
Spring 2005
Level
Graduate
Course Description
Course Description
The seminar will explore the phenomenon of a priori knowledge. We'll consider some notable attempts to account for a priori knowledge in the history of philosophy (e.g., by Plato, Descartes, Hume, and Kant), some influential critiques of the notion; we will end by considering some contemporary approaches to the a priori.