faculty interest : philosophy

faculty interest info : philosophy

Louis E. Loeb. (History of Modern Philosophy) Professor Loeb's book, From Descartes to Hume: Continental Metaphysics and the Development of Modern Philosophy, provides a sustained critique of the received distinction between British empiricism and continental rationalism in the history of early modern philosophy. In subsequent work, he has explored the dissimulation in the Meditations, the Cartesian circle, Descartes' account of mind-body interaction, and Hume's second thoughts about personal identity. His recent articles focus on the role of settled and unshakable belief in Descartes and Hume, as well as in ancient skepticism and Peirce. Professor Loeb is completing a book on Hume's theories of belief and justification.

Edwin Curley. (History of Modern Philosophy) Professor Curley is best known for his work on Spinoza. He published the first volume of his edition of Spinoza's Collected Works in 1985 and is currently working on the second volume; he has also written two books on Spinoza ( Spinoza's Metaphysics and Behind the Geometrical Method) and is working on a third, which will focus on the Theological-Political Treatise. He has written a wide variety of topics in 17th century philosophy--spanning metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of religion, moral philosophy and political philosophy, and dealing with the other major figures of the period (Descartes, Hobbes, Locke and Leibniz) in addition to Spinoza. Notable here are his book Descartes Against the Skeptics and his recent edition of Hobbes' Leviathan. Currently he is most interested in the history of social contract theory, the development of heterodox religious ideas, and the associated development of the ideal of religious toleration. He is a past president of the American Philosophical Association, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a recipient of fellowships from the NEH, the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Humanities Center.

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