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Are we the only rational beings in the universe? Is such a thing as a soul? Can we predict the future? The truism goes that history is told by the victors, and the same is true for the history of ideas -- so, join us for a journey into the history of ideas that haven't made it into modern textbooks. Featuring materials from Hamilton College’s Special Collections, this course focuses on a series of case studies from early modern Europe and the Atlantic world that represent pivot points to teleologies in the history of science and thought. The result is a history of wonderment followed by doubt, illuminating divergent and sometimes abandoned paths once frequented by the wisest among humankind.