Philosophy 125: Metaphysics
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Professor
|
GSIs
|
Lecture
|
Sections
|
Branden
Fitelson |
Vanessa de
Harven (email) |
Tu/Th 2–3:30 |
See our sections page. |
TOC: [ Prerequisites ] [ Texts ] [ Requirements ] [ Sections ] [ Website ] [ Synopsis ] [ Tentative Schedule ]
Prerequisites
At least two prior courses
in philosophy. This prerequisite will be strictly enforced (i.e.,
if you have not previously taken two or more philosophy courses, you should
not enroll in the course – or you should drop the course now if you've already
enrolled).
I will not, however, presuppose that you have taken (for instance) courses
in logic
or the philosophy of language or mind. But, I will presuppose that you know
how to
write
a critical
analysis of a philosophical argument (i.e., that you have written philosophical
essays before). The emphasis in this course will be on the philosophical analysis
of arguments found in
the
texts.
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Texts
The following two books
are required for the course:
(MCI) Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction (second edition), by Michael Loux
(MCR) Metaphysics: Contemporary Readings, by Michael Loux
I will use the names
(MCI) and (MCR) to refer to these texts, below. Both required texts
are available (in both new and used vintages) at the Campus
Bookstore. There will
be various supplementary readings from various sources (some of which will
be required readings, some not). All supplementary readings will be made
available
online, via the
course syllabus page (see the Tentative Schedule below).
I will indicate (again, online) which readings are required, and which are
optional,
or "further
readings".
You will not be expected to consult or make reference to
readings outside the course reading list, below. In fact, you (undergraduate
students, that is!) are encouraged to limit your discussions and papers
to the readings listed here (the study questions and paper
topics will be
focused in this sense). And, you
(again, undergraduates) will only be obliged to discuss the required readings.
Graduate students will be encouraged
to
dig
a bit
deeper into the supplementary/further readings (graduate students should
see me about their requirements for the
course).
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Requirements
Students are expected to attend
lecture and section regularly and keep up with the reading. Warning:
If you do not attend lecture/section regularly during the first week of classes
(without a good
excuse), you will be unilaterally dropped from the course.
This course will move rather quickly, so take care not to fall
behind. Grades (for undergraduates) will be based on the following
(graduate students should see me for
their requirements and section,
which
will
be
considerably different):
Section participation
will not be formally graded, but enthusiastic and well–informed participation
will be taken into account in borderline cases.
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Sections
Sections will give you the opportunity
to discuss the readings and lectures. Our GSIs
are Vanessa
de Harven and Josh
Sheptow; their contact information
can be found on the course website. The section meeting locations, times,
and rosters
(when they are determined) will be posted on our sections
page.
Section
meetings
will
begin the second week of classes (September 1). Interested
graduate students should talk to me during
the first week of classes about the possibility of a graduate student discussion
section. If there is sufficient
interest,
I
will run such a section myself (if a graduate section should come
into existence, its setting will also be posted on the sections
page).
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Website
Current course information (including
section assignments, lecture notes, class handouts, paper topics, announcements,
study questions, interesting links, and any revisions
to the schedule) can be found on the course web site, at:
http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~fitelson/125/
The home page of our website is reserved mainly for announcements. The purpose of the other pages on our website should be self–explanatory. You should keep an eye on the course website, as it will be updated regularly with various content and announcements pertaining to the course. The site also contains many interesting links to philosophical information (and people). The only two computer applications you will need to view/print, etc. the content on our website are: (i) your favorite web browser, and (ii) Adobe Reader (version 6 or later, or – if you prefer – another program that can read Acrobat PDF version 6 files).
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Synopsis
The course is divided into
five substantive units (not including the introductory material covered in
the first week). Typically, we will spend 2–3 weeks on any given unit. And,
except for unit 4 on causation, we will follow Loux's outline in (MCI) and
(MCR) pretty
closely.
We will begin (week 1) with a general introduction to Metaphysics as a philosophical
discipline. This will include some historical remarks about the origin and
motivation of contemporary Metaphysics, as well as a brief discussion about
what metaphysics is
not (note in this connection that the word "metaphysics" has
taken on some rather bizarre
connotations in
modern English!). In unit 1, we will discuss the problem of universals and
metaphysical realism. Here, we will carefully examine several arguments for
realism about universals (a.k.a, properties, attributes, forms, etc.).
These arguments will appeal to regularities (explananda?) in both the world
and our
language(s)
and mind(s).
We will pay close attention to the kinds of argumentative strategies employed
by metaphysical realists. In particular, the notion of "explanatoriness" will
play an important role here. We will also consider various kinds of nominalism
(non–realism) about universals. Several challenges to and critiques of metaphysical
realism
(about universals) will be discussed and analyzed. And, a few alternatives
to metaphysical realism will be considered. A more radical kind of opposition
to realism – called anti–realism
– will be mentioned in this first part of the course; but anti–realism
will not be discussed
in
detail
until
the
final unit of the course (unit 5). In unit 2,
we turn
our attention
to particulars.
This will include a discussion of concrete (or material) objects
(e.g.,
persons, plants, electrons, etc.), as well as abstract particulars
(e.g., propositions, events, facts, etc.). Unit 3 is about
the nature of possibility and necessity. Specifically, we will talk a lot here
about "possible worlds". Several theories of possible worlds (and
possible world talk) will be analyzed, including both realist and non–realist
views. Next,
we will skip Loux's chapters on time and persistence through time [chapter
6 in (MCI) and
parts IV and V in (MCR)]. Instead, in unit 4, we will read a variety of selections
(all available online via the course website – see
below)
on causation. The emphasis (of course!) will
be on the metaphysics
of causation (not on the epistemology of causation, or on the psychology
of causal belief, which are also very important, popular, and closely related
topics in contemporary analytic philosophy). Finally, in unit 5, we will conclude
the course by returning to
the more radical alternative(s) to metaphysical realism mentioned in the beginning
of the course: anti–realism(s). This will bring us back to some
of the most fundamental and difficult questions in all of analytic philosophy
(a nice way to end – and/or begin! – one's study of contemporary
metaphysics).
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Tentative
Schedule (subject
to change – so stay tuned)
Most of the required readings
will be taken from the Loux texts (MCI) and (MCR). There will be some required
readings
(and many supplementary or further readings)
not contained in these texts. All supplementary readings (i.e.,
all readings not contained in either (MCI) or (MCR)) will be available online – either
in HTML or Adobe
PDF format. In order to read/print/search, etc. our PDF files
(note: all the PDF files available here are fully searchable), you will need
Adobe
Reader 6
(or another reader that can read PDF version 6 files).
I recommend that you download
the latest version of Adobe Reader asap (it's free).
Many of the texts below are difficult, and will require careful and repeated
reading. Even if you're very experienced when it comes to reading philosophical
texts, I highly recommend having a close look at James
Pryor's online guide
"How
to Read a Philosophy Paper". Pryor's advice is particularly useful
for this course. We will be reading a wide variety of philosophical texts.
Although the texts come from many diverse sources, they are all written in
a contemporary, analytical style. Our emphasis will be on comprehension and
critical analysis of arguments in
the assigned texts. Particularly
useful, important, and/or central supplementary readings will be indicated
below by a red arrow ""
(if you're going to read any supplementary texts, I would start with these).
Day 1 (8/26/03): Introduction & Administration
Unit 1: Universals
Part 1: Realism
Weeks 1–3
Day 2 (08/28/03): Introduction (Cont'd) & The
Problem of Universals
Day 3 (09/02/03): Applications
of Realism & Some Problems
Day 4 (09/04/03): Realism: Applications & Problems (Cont'd)
Day 5 (09/09/03): Finishing-up
Realism & Nominalism I
Part 2: Nominalism
Weeks 3–5
Day 5 (09/09/03): Finishing-up
Realism & Nominalism I
Day 6 (09/11/03): Nominalism
II (Why be a Nominalist? & Austere Nominalism I)
Day 7 (09/16/03): Nominalism III (Austere Nominalism
II
& Quine on 'Plato's
Beard')
Day 8 (09/18/03): Nominalism IV (Metalinguistic
Nominalism I)
Day 9 (09/23/03): Nominalism
IV (Metalinguistic
Nominalism II & Trope Theory)
Day 10 (09/25/03): Guest Lecture (Ed
Zalta on Fictional, Imaginary & Abstract Objects)
Unit 2: Particulars
Part 1: Substrata, Bundles, and
Substances
Day 11 (09/30/03): Concrete
Particulars I (Introduction and Motivation)
Day 12 (10/02/03): Concrete
Particulars II (Bundles and Substrata 1)
Day 13 (10/07/03): Concrete
Particulars III (Bundles
and Substrata 2 & Aristotelian Substance)
Day 14 (10/09/03): Concrete
Particulars IV (Aristotelian Substance & Intro to Propositions)
Part 2: Propositions and
their Neighbors
Day 15 (10/14/03): Propositions
& Their Neighbors I (Realism & Nominalism About Propositions I)
Day 16 (10/16/03): Propositions & Their
Neighbors II (Realism & Nominalism About Propositions II)
Day 17 (10/21/03): Propositions & Their
Neighbors III (Facts, States of Affairs, and Events I)
Day 18 (10/23/03): Propositions & Their Neighbors IV (Facts, States of Affairs, and Events II)
Unit 3: The Necessary & The
Possible
Day 19 (10/28/03): Modality I
Day 20 (10/30/03): Modality II
Day 21 (11/04/03): Modality III
Day 22 (11/06/03): Modality IV
Day 23 (11/13/03): Modality V
Unit
4: Causation (This unit replaces Loux's chapters on time and change)
Day 24 (11/18/03): Causation I
Day 25 (11/20/03): Causation II
Day 26 (11/25/03): Causation III
Day 27 (12/02/03): Causation IV
Unit 5: Realism & Anti–Realism
[Not covered this term]
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