O, that this too, too solid flesh...

...would not get sick at inopportune times. I awoke Friday morning in a state of illness; hence my absence.

Two items of business for Monday.

Item the First: If you have any interest in the proposed theatric-philosophical field trip, comment on that posting THIS WEEKEND. Time is short to arrange it, so I will need to get it moving on Monday if it's to happen at all.

Item the Second: Our first exam will be on Tuesday. You should make sure you know (and love) the important terms, and their definitions, reviewed on Thursday in class. (For those of you who were not there, the handout is online here - but it will be VERY HELPFUL for you to get in touch with a classmate who was present, since the online version is MUCH LONGER than you need). Also, re-read Descartes' First Meditation, making sure you understand what radical skepticism is, and why Descartes believes it is the only choice (cf. the Hopeful/Doubtful arguments).

Monday will be your chance to ask for any clarifications. The test format: expect to spend 30-40 minutes answering 15-20 multiple-choice questions, plus approx. 10 argument-evaluation questions (like what we did on Thursday at the end of class): in each of these, I will present a short argument, and it will be your job to evaluate it (what are the premises, and what is the conclusion? is the argument inductive or deductive? if inductive, is it strong (and, possibly, good)? if deductive, is it valid (and, possibly, sound)?