HUM 104: AGE OF DARWIN - ASSIGNMENTS AND COURSE NOTES

For 1/30 Introduction to Mary Shelley

• Readings:
  1. Biography of Mary Shelley, Introductions of the editor and of the author,
  2. Frankenstein: pp. 1-150 -- We will not discuss it, but you should have finished the novel by next Monday -- however you do this does not matter to me.
• Study questions:
  1. What is Mary Shelley's familial background?
  2. In which circumstances did Mary Shelley write her novel?
  3. What is Romanticism?
  4. What is Gothicism?
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 2

For 2/4 Frankenstein and Romanticism.

• Readings:
  1. Frankenstein: entire book.
• Study questions:
  1. What do you think is Shelley's view on the beautiful and the sublime? Select relevant passages to support your claim.
  2. What do you think is Shelley's view on the ideas of Rousseau? Select relevant passages to support your claim.
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 3

For 2/11 Frankenstein and Romanticism, continued.

• Readings:
  1. Frankenstein: entire book.
• Study questions:
  1. What do you think is Shelley's view on the figure of the romantic hero? Select relevant passages to support your claim.

For 2/20 Therese Raquin, Introduction to Zola

• Readings:
  1. Therese Raquin: read half of the book (you should have read it entirely for the next class) plus the preface.
• Study questions:
  1. How does Zola answer to the accusations of pornography?
  2. In what sense does Zola aim at applying science to literature?
  3. Explain the "experiment" in Therese Raquin
  4. What argument does Zola give in support of the idea that moral considerations are irrelevant to art?
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 4

For 2/25 -- Zola -- The experimental novel -- PAPER DUE (turn it in in class or in my mailbox by 6pm) ALONG WITH THE FIRST DRAFT AND THE PEER REVIEW SHEET

• Readings:
  1. Therese Raquin: read second half of the book
  2. Antonin Bossu, Temperaments
• Study Questions:
  1. Realists and naturalists aim at describing the world as it is. In what passages of the book do you think Zola achieves this aim?
  2. Motivations for action: What are the motivations for the love affair? What are the motivations for the murder? How does it fit the idea that Zola is relating the results of some scientific experiment?
  3. Bossu's text is an excerpt of an actual book of biology in Zola's times. Do you think the description of the various temperaments correspond to Zola's characters? Explain which character is of which temperament.
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 5

For 2/27 -- Zola -- Humans, Animals and Morality.

• Readings:
  1. Gould, The mismeasure of Man, excerpt
  2. Rheinberger, "Gene"
• Study Questions:
  1. What was Lombroso's theory of the "born criminal"?
  2. Did Lombroso follow a proper scientific method for his research? Explain.
  3. Given the state of play in genetics today, can we say that we are "pre-programmed" by our DNA?
  4. Do you think that Zola reduces his characters to animals? Are animals capable of morality?
  5. Do you think that there is a moral lesson in Therese Raquin? Why? Why not?
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 6

For 3/3 -- Hume -- Introduction to the Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion.

• Readings:
  1. Richard H. Popkin, Introduction ti our edition of the Dialogues
  2. Further Reading (not mandatory): Morris, "David Hume"
• Study Questions:
  1. What are the main works of David Hume?
  2. What is the main thesis that Hume defends in the Dialogues?
  3. Did Hume publish the Dialogues during his lifetime? Why?
  4. What is the Design Argument?
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 7

For 3/5 -- Hume -- Empiricism and Scepticism.

• Readings:
  1. Hume, Dialogues, p 1-2 + part I
• Study Questions:
  1. Try to reformulate in your own words the debate between Philo and Cleanthes on p. 5-11? Philo defends a kind of scepticism: what are the criticisms that Cleanthes raises against Philo's position? What are Philo's answers?
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 8

For 3/10 -- Hume -- The Design Argument.

• Readings:
  1. Hume, Dialogues, parts II to VIII
• Study Questions:
  1. Give the structure of the Design Argument p. 15: what are the premises? What are the exact conclusions? What is the rule of inference?
  2. What are Philo's objections against the Design Argument in part 2?
  3. Explain Cleanthes' examples in part 4: do they escape Philo's objections?
  4. What is anthropomorphism? Why do Philo and Demean think that Cleanthes is guilty of anthropomorphism?
  5. In parts 6, 7 and 8, Philo proposes 3 alternative reasonings by analogy: What are the three things that Philo says the world bears a great ressemblance to? What is ``God" in each case?
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 9

For 3/12 -- Hume -- Rational Arguments.

• Readings:
  1. Hume, Dialogues, parts IX
• Study Questions:
  1. Reconstruct Demea's argument for the existence of God.
  2. Is Demea's argument a priori or a posteriori?
  3. What is Cleanthes' objection to Demea's argument?
  4. What is Philo's objection to Demea's argument?
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 10

For 3/26 -- Darwin -- Introduction.

• Readings:
  1. Darwin, pp. 3-13, 23-40, 44-49, 61-81, 285-87
• Study Questions:
  1. What was Darwin doing on the Beagle?
  2. What are Cuvier's ideas about the history of Earth and the origin of species?
  3. What are Lamark's ideas about the origin of species?
  4. How did the works from Lyell and Whewell influence Darwin?
  5. How did Maltus' works influence Darwin?
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 12 (We skipped chapter 11, conclusion on Hume's religious views)

For 3/31 -- Darwin -- Variations and Struggle.

• Readings:
  1. Darwin, The Origin of Species, in Darwin, pp. 95-111
• Study Questions:
  1. Darwin gives an overview of his theory in the introduction. List the theses that constitute Darwin's theory of evolution according to the introduction
  2. What does Darwin say about the notion of species? Explain how it fits his theory.
  3. Is there struggle for existence for only some or for all species? Why will there be always struggle for existence?
  4. How does struggle for existence lead to certain variations to be preserved?
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 13

For 4/2 -- Darwin -- Natural Selection and Divergence of Character.

• Readings:
  1. Darwin, The Origin of Species, in Darwin, pp. 111-135
• Study Questions:
  1. Natural Selection is defined as the preservation of favorable characters over the generations. What does count as favorable character? Do you think there are some characters that are always favorable, or always disadvantageous?
  2. What is common to natural and sexual selection? What is the difference? Can they conflict with one another?
  3. How does Darwin explain that the existent species are so different from one another? Why is there no existent intermediate species between cats and dogs?
  4. Darwin provides only ``imaginary illustrations", not actual experimental results, as evidence for his theory. To what extend is this acceptable from the point of view of the scientific method according to you?
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 14

For 4/7 -- Class Cancelled

For 4/9 -- Darwin -- Objections and Answers.

• Readings:
  1. Darwin, The Origin of Species, in Darwin, pp. 135-74
• Study Questions:
  1. How is it that Darwin's theory is giving an account of the two great laws: unity of type and conditions of existence
  2. Variations in organisms lead to gradual changes in the species. That said, the geological record seems inconsistent with this claim. What is Darwin's response?
  3. How does Darwin explain the similarities in morphology and embryology of radically different species?
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 15

For 4/14 -- Darwin -- Scientific Method.

• Readings:
  1. Darwin Selections: pp. 52-7(Herschel), 257-65 (Hull), 265-7 (Sedgwick), 267-70 (Owen)
  2. Recommended: pp. 28-9 (Mayr), 280-5 (Huxley), 493-500 (Ruse)
• Study Questions:
  1. According to Herschel, what is a good candidate for being a true cause of great change in climate in the Earth's history?
  2. According to Hull, after the scientific revolution, what was considered the proper scientific method was the method of induction, which is?
  3. According to Hull, how much did Darwin rely on, respectively, the observation of empirical facts and his theoretical hypotheses?
  4. In the last quote of Darwin given by Hull, under what conditions is an hypothesis worth considering according to Darwin?
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 16

For 4/16 -- Darwin -- Descent of Man.

• Readings:
  1. Darwin Selections: pp. Darwin: 175-177, 213-22, 243-54, Huxley: 280-85
  2. Study Questions:
     1. What does Darwin intend to prove in the Descent of Man? What does he consider proved by previous work from other scientists?
     2. How do animals compare to humans as far as emotions are concerned?
     3. How do animals compare to humans as far as reasoning capacities are concerned?
     4. How do animals compare to humans as far as social instincts are concerned?
     5. How do animals compare to humans as far as moral faculties are concerned?
     6. Do you think there is any fundamental difference between animals and humans? Do you think this means animals and humans cannot come from the same ancestor? Explain.
  3. Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 17

For 4/23 -- Social Darwinism.

• Readings:
  1. Darwin Selections pp. 389-408
  2. We will organize a debate in class:
     • Students whose last names start with A-J: be prepared to defend Spencer and Carnegie's views againts Kropotkin's. What is Spencer's theory? On what scientific theories is it based? What does Spencer advocate for economics policies? Explain why the law of competition is essential to the progress of humanity according to Carnegie. How does Carnegie reconcile his social Darwinism with his being Christian?
     • Students whose last names start with K-P: be prepared to defend Kropotkin's views against Spencer and Carnegie's. What are the respective weight of struggle and cooperation in the process of evolution according to Kropotkin? What kind of evidence does he have that struggle is not the whole story?
     • Students whose last names start with R-Y: be prepared to give an account of the prisoner's dilemma, the experiments linked to it. Does it support Spencer and Carnegie's views? Kropotkin's? Neither of both?
     Each group is constituted of 6 or 7 students. You will have a little time to coordinate at the beginning of the class. Every student is expected to contribute to the debate. Try to figure out what the other camp's argument are going to be and prepare your answers.
  3. Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 18

For 4/28 and 4/30 -- Sociobiology.

• Readings: Darwin Selections:
  1. Wilson: pp. 409-14, 450-9,
  2. Gould pp. 415-9,
  3. Ruse and Wilson pp. 507-11,
  4. De Waal pp. 511-7
  5. Steven Pinker, The Moral Instinct
• We will listen to Peter and Archit on the prisoners' dilemma and then organize another debate about Sociobiology -- which is the use of Darwin's theory in Sociology:
  • Students whose last names start with A-K: be prepared to defend Wilson's views on Ethics
  • Students whose last names start with K-Y: be prepared to defend Gould's and de Waal criticism of sociobiology
  You'll have some time to coordinate.
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 19

For 5/5 and 5/7 -- Creationism and Intelligent Design.

• Readings: Darwin Selections:
  1. Scott: pp. 534-41, 586-92
  2. The Institure for Creational Research 555-7
  3. Ruse 493 - 5000 605-12
  4. The National Academy of Sciences 289-3000 617-23
  5. Johnson 581-6 Behe 592-601 Dorit 601-4
  6. Dennett 'Show me science' The New York Times, August 28, 2005: Dennett
• We will organize more debate:
  • Students whose last names start with A-J: think about both sides of the debate: is the theory of evolution a scientific theory?
  • Students whose last names start with J-P: think about both sides of the debate: is Creationism a scientific theory?
  • Students whose last names start with P-Y: think about both sides of the debate: is the existence of complex organs (make sure to understand what this phrase precisely refers to) an objection against the theory of evolution?
  We will decide on the teams in class.
• Course Notes in pdf format: Chapter 20