Undergraduate Course: Metaphysics (PHIL10155)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will introduce and examine a number of central issues in contemporary metaphysics. |
| Course description |
Metaphysics is the study of the most basic and general features of reality. This course will focus on a range of traditional and contemporary problems in metaphysics. Specific topics to be discussed may include: universals and particulars; objects, properties and events; composition and constitution; the nature of necessity and possibility; fundamentality; ontological dependence; realism and anti-realism about truth; conceptual relativity; and the question "Why is there something rather than nothing?".
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 26 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
In-Class Presentation: 10%
Midterm Essay: 1500 words, 40%
Final Essay: 2000 words, 50%
|
| Feedback |
Midterm Essay of 1500 words, due in October |
| No Exam Information |
|
| Academic year 2015/16, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)
|
Quota: 5 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
In-Class Presentation: 10%
Midterm Essay: 1500 words, 40%
Final Essay: 2000 words, 50%
|
| Feedback |
Midterm Essay of 1500 words, due in October |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate core skills in philosophy, including the ability to interpret and engage with philosophical texts, to evaluate arguments, and to develop one's own critical ideas in response
- Acquire an understanding of some of the central problems in metaphysics and of leading approaches to resolving them
- Acquire an understanding of some of the central problems in metaphysics and of leading approaches to resolving them
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Reading List
Allaire, E. 'Bare Particulars', Philosophical Studies 14:1-2, pp. 1-8 (1963)
Anscombe, G.E.M. 'Causality and Determination', (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1971) (excerpts)
Armstrong, D.M. Universals: An Opinionated Introduction (Boulder, CO:
Westview, 1989). (Excerpts)
Armstrong, D.M. 'Against "Ostrich Nominalism": A Reply to Devitt', Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 61 (1980): 440-49.
Beebee, H. 'Causation and Necessary Connection', in D. O'Brien and A. Bailey, eds., Continuum Companion to Hume (London: Bloomsbury, 2012), pp. 131-45.
Beebee, H. 'Causing and Nothingness', in L. A. Paul, E. J. Hall & J. Collins (eds.), Causation and Counterfactuals. The Mit Press. 291--308 (2004)
Black, M. 'The Identity of Indiscernibles', Mind 61:242, pp. 153-164 (April, 1952)
Cartwright, N. 'Causal Laws and Effective Strategies', Noûs, 13 (1979): 419-37.
Hume, D. A Treatise of Human Nature, Book I, Part III; An Enquiry Concerning the Human Understanding, sect. 4 (any edition)
Kim, J. 'Causes and Events: Mackie on Causation', The Journal of Philosophy, 68 (1971): 426-41.
Lewis, D. "Causation," Journal of Philosophy, 70(17), 1973, pp. 556-567.
Lewis, D. On the Plurality of Worlds (Oxford: Blackwell, 1986), ch. 1, sect. 1 & 2; ch.
2; ch. 3, sects. 1-2; ch. 4, sects. 1-2.
MacBride, F. 'Universals: The Contemporary Debate', in R. Le Poidevin, et al.,
eds., The Routledge Companion to Metaphysics (London: Routledge, 2009), pp.
276-85.
Mackie, J.L. 'Causes and Conditions', American Philosophical Quarterly, 2 (1965): 245-264.
Mackie, J.L. The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation. Oxford:
Clarendon, 1974, ch. 3.
Mill, J.S. A System of Logic, vol. 1, 1843, book III, ch. 5.
Price, H.H. 'Universals and Resemblances', in Thinking and Experience (London:
Hutchinson, 1953), pp. 7-32. Reprinted in C. Landesman, ed., The Problem of
Universals (London: Basic, 1971).
Quine, W.V.O., 'On What There Is', Review of Metaphysics, 2 (1948): 21-28.
Paul, L. 'Aspect Causation', Journal of Philosophy xcvii (4), 235-256.
Van Inwagen and D.W. Zimmerman, eds., Metaphysics: The Big Questions, Blackwell 2008
Williams, D.C. 'The Elements of Being', Review of Metaphysics 7(2):3-18 & 171-192 (1953)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Nick Treanor
Tel: (0131 6)51 3085
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Susan Richards
Tel: (0131 6)51 3733
Email: |
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