Syllabus

Philosophy 4360 - Metaphysics

Section 001                                                                                                                Professor Michael Tooley
TTh 12:30-1:45                                                                                                         Hellems, Room 277
Hellems 245                                                                                                               Office Hours:     TTh 11:00-11:30
                                                                                                                                                               TTh 2:00-3:00

Textbooks

The text that we will be using in this course is as follows:

Metaphysics – Second Edition, edited by Ronald C. Hoy and L. Nathan Oaklander.

We will also be reading some articles that are not in the above anthology. Copies of those articles will be on placed on e-reserve.

Two useful sources of (generally) good overview articles for many of the central topics in this course are the Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Paul Edwards (8 volumes, plus a 1996 Supplement, edited by Donald M. Borchert; call number: B41 .E5), and the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward Craig (10 volumes; call number: B51 .R68). A copy of the former is available in the Reference room of Norlin Library. Copies of the latter are stored offsite.)

Another useful source, though it is still in a very incomplete state, not all of the articles have not yet been written, is the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, found online at http://plato.stanford.edu/

Required Work

The required work for the course will consist of the following:

(1) Two essays, of about 1200-1500 words in length. Each essay will count for one-third of your final grade. The due dates for the essays are as follows:

First Essay: Tuesday, October 26

Second Essay: Tuesday, December 7

(2) A two and one-half hour, closed-book, essay-style, final examination. This will also count for one-third of your final grade. The final examination will be on Saturday, December 11th, 7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. in Hellems 245.

Class Web Site

Course materials can be found online at the following location:

http://spot.colorado.edu/~tooley/Philosophy4360.html

Topics and Readings

I. What Is Metaphysics?

"Introduction", Ronald C. Hoy and Nathan Oaklander, Metaphysics, pp. 1-4.

II. Personal Identity

"Introduction to Part II - Identity", Ronald C. Hoy and L. Nathan Oaklander, Metaphysics, pp. 87-9.

"Of Identity and Diversity", Thomas Hobbes, Metaphysics, pp. 121-24.

"Of Identity and Diversity", John Locke, Metaphysics, pp. 124-34.

"Of Identity and on Mr. Locke's Theory of Personal Identity", Thomas Reid, Metaphysics, pp. 135-40.

"On Identity and Personal Identity", David Hume, Metaphysics, pp. 140-8.

"Problems of Identity ", Roderick Chisholm, Metaphysics, pp. 148-157.

"Identity Through Time", David Armstrong, Metaphysics, pp. 158-65

"The Third Night: The Bodily Theory of Personal Identity", John Perry, Metaphysics, pp. 165-70.

"Personal Identity", Derek Parfit, Metaphysics, pp. 171-83.

“Friends and Future Selves”, Jennifer E. Whiting, Metaphysics, pp. 184-201

"The Self as a Private Object", Thomas Nagel, Metaphysics, pp. 201-09.

Iii. The Nature of the Mind

"Introduction to Part III - Mind", Ronald C. Hoy and L. Nathan Oaklander, Metaphysics, pp. 213-5.

"Phaedo", Plato, Metaphysics, pp. 90-109.

"On the Soul", Aristotle, Metaphysics, pp. 216-28.

"Meditations on First Philosophy", René Descartes, Metaphysics, pp. 229-41.

"The Nature of the Mind", David Armstrong, Metaphysics, pp. 270-7.

"Philosophy and Our Mental Life", Hilary Putnam, Metaphysics, pp. 277-85.

IV. Consciousness, and the Existence of Emergent, Sensuous Qualities

"What Is It Like to Be a Bat?", Thomas Nagel, Metaphysics, pp. 285-93.

"Epiphenomenal Qualia", Frank Jackson, Metaphysics, pp. 293-300.

"Reduction, Qualia, and the Direct Introspection of the Brain", Paul M. Churchland, Metaphysics, pp. 300-312.

“Time, Consciousness, and the Knowledge Argument”, John Perry, Metaphysics, pp. 76-83.

V. Intentionality and the Mind

"The Distinction Between Mental and Physical Phenomena", Franz Brentano, Metaphysics, pp. 216-24.

"Intentional Systems", Daniel C. Dennett, Metaphysics, pp. 225-33.

"Reductionism and the Irreducibility of Consciousness John R. Searle, Metaphysics, pp. 312-320.

"Dualism and the Arguments against Neuroscientific Progress”, Patricia S. Churchland, Metaphysics, pp. 320-41.

VI. Is Change Possible?

"Being Is Not Temporal", Parmenides, Metaphysics, pp. 8-10.

"A Contemporary Exposition of Zeno's Paradoxes", Wesley C. Salmon, Metaphysics, pp. 11-13.

VII. Time: Realist Versus Reductionist Views

"Introduction to Part I - Time", Ronald C. Hoy and L. Nathan Oaklander, Metaphysics, pp. 5-7.

"Time Is Absolute", Isaac Newton, Metaphysics, pp. 29-33.

"What Is Time?", St. Augustine, Metaphysics, pp. 21-28.

"Time Is a Measure of Change", Aristotle, Metaphysics, pp. 14-20.

"Time Without Change", Sydney Shoemaker, Journal of Philosophy, 66 (1969), pp. 363-81.

VIII. Time: Static Versus Dynamic Views

"Time Is the Flux of Duration", Henri Bergson, Metaphysics, pp. 34-43.

"Time Is Not Real", J. M. E. McTaggart, Metaphysics, pp. 44-55.

"The Myth of Passage", Donald Williams, Metaphysics, pp. 55-64.

"McTaggart, Fixity, and Coming True", D. H. Mellor, Metaphysics, pp. 65-76.

“Time, Consciousness, and the Knowledge Argument”, John Perry, Metaphysics, pp. 76-83.

IX. A Causal Theory of the Direction of Time

Chapter 9 of Time, Tense, and Causation, Michael Tooley.

X. Laws of Nature: Realist Versus Reductionist Views

"Laws of Nature", Fred I. Dretske, Philosophy of Science, 44 (1977), pp. 248-68.

"The Nature of Laws", Michael Tooley, Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 7 (1977), pp. 667-98.

XI. Causation: Realist Versus Reductionist Views

"Causation: Reductionism Versus Realism", Michael Tooley, pp. 172-92, in Ernest Sosa and Michael Tooley (ed.), Causation, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993).

XII. Freedom of the Will: Logical Fatalism

"Introduction to Part IV - Freedom", Ronald C. Hoy and L. Nathan Oaklander, Metaphysics, pp. 345-47.

"Fatalism, Voluntary Action, and Choice", Aristotle, Metaphysics, pp. 348-52.

"Freedom and the New Theory of Time", L. Nathan Oaklander, Metaphysics, pp. 355-65.

XIII. Freedom of the Will: Theological Fatalism

“Whether There Is Anything Voluntary in Human Acts?”, Thomas Aquinas, Metaphysics, pp. 366-7.

"God's Foreknowledge and Human Freedom", St. Augustine, Metaphysics, pp. 368-71.

"Predestination, Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom", William L. Rowe, Metaphysics, pp. 371-80.

XIV. Freedom of the Will: Freedom and Causal Determinism

"On Liberty and Necessity", David Hume, Metaphysics, pp. 381-90.

"Of the Liberty of Moral Agents", Thomas Reid, Metaphysics, pp. 391-96.

"Free Will", G. E. Moore, Metaphysics, pp. 396-401.

"Human Freedom and the Self", Roderick Chisholm, Metaphysics, pp. 401-8.

"Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility", Harry Frankfurt, Metaphysics, pp. 408-414

"Responsibility, Luck, and Chance: Reflections on Free Will and Indeterminism", Robert Kane, Metaphysics, pp. 415-29

"A Hearing for Libertarianism", Daniel C. Dennett, Metaphysics, pp. 429-52

“Freedom and Constraint by Norms”, Robert Brandom, Metaphysics, pp. 452-62.

XV. Realism Versus Idealism

"A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge", George Berkeley, Metaphysics, pp. 544-64.

"An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding", David Hume, Metaphysics, pp. 564-82.

"Philosophy and the Scientific Image of Man", Wilfrid Sellars, Metaphysics, pp. 603-27.

"Ontological Relativity", Willard V. O. Quine, Metaphysics, pp. 627-44.

"The World Well Lost", Richard Rorty, Metaphysics, pp. 645-54.

"Yes, Virginia, There Is a Real World", William P. Alston, Metaphysics, pp. 654-68.

Contacting Me Concerning Urgent Matters

        People tend to rely rather heavily on e-mail. This is not the best idea in my case, since I sometimes get absorbed in my research, and then I do not check my email on a regular basis. In addition, many matters can be dealt with much more quickly and effectively by a conversation. So please contact me by telephone, rather than by email, especially if it is a matter of some urgency.

        My home phone is (303) 541-0933, and you will almost always be able to reach me between the hours of 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and generally on weekends, and in the evenings on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Course Plagiarism Policy

        Each student is expected to submit his or her own original work for each exercise, essay, and final exam.

        The use of essays and other material downloaded from the Internet is obviously a serious case of plagiarism. But, in general, any substantial use of material from any source must be clearly acknowledged, and any ideas should be expressed in one's own words.

        A first violation of this plagiarism policy, the University Honor Code, and/or the Honor Code pledge shown below will result in a grade of zero for the relevant piece of work, and, in accordance with University requirements, will have to be reported. In addition, if that first violation is especially serious – such as the copying of a whole document – the result will be a failing grade for the course as a whole.

        A second violation will result in a failing grade for the course as a whole.

Honor Code Pledge

“On my honor, as a University of Colorado at Boulder student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work.”