Warning: Everything on this schedule is tentative and subject to change!
| date | topic | reading assignment |
| Fri, Aug 24 | Introduction to the class; historical introduction to metaphysics | none |
| Mon, Aug 27 | What is metaphysics? (van Inwagen's answer); How many things are there? | van Inwagen, chapters 1, 2 |
| Wed, Aug 29 | Universals and Particulars I | Big Questions, chapter 1 (Price) helpful: Stanford Encyclopedia articles on The Medieval Problem of Universals and on Properties |
| Fri, Aug 31 | Universals and Particulars II | Big Questions, chapter 2 (Williams) |
| Mon, Sept 3 |
NO CLASS - LABOR DAY |
|
| Wed, Sept 5 | Universals and Particulars III | Big Questions, chapters 3, 4 (Russell, Zimmerman) |
| Fri, Sept 7 | Externality and Objectivity | van Inwagen, chapters 3, 5 |
| Mon, Sept 10 | Time I | van Inwagen, chapter 4 |
| Wed, Sept 12 |
Time II (is time unreal?) |
Big Questions, chapters 5, 6 (McTaggart, Broad) |
| Fri, Sept 14 | Time III (four-dimensionalism) | Big Questions, chapters 9, 10, 11 (Smart, Hinckfuss, Prior) |
| Mon, Sept 17 | Time IV (time travel) | Heinlein, "By His Bootstraps" |
| Wed, Sept 19 | Time V (time travel, continued) | Big Questions 17 (Lewis) |
| Fri, Sept 21 | Time VI (time travel, concluded) | |
| Mon, Sept 24 | Persistence through Change I | Big Questions 18-19 (Arnauld, Chisholm) |
| Wed, Sept 26 | Persistence through Change II | Big Questions 20-23 (Quine, Quine, Lewis, Geach) |
| Fri, Sept 28 | Persistence through Change III | Big Questions 24-25 (Lewis, Zimmerman) |
| Mon, Oct 1 | God I: The Ontological Argument | van Inwagen, chapter 6; Big Questions,
chapter 52 (Anselm) recommended: Stanford Encyclopedia article on "Ontological Arguments" |
| Wed, Oct 3 | God III: The Cosmological Argument | van Inwagen, chapter 7 recommended: Stanford Encyclopedia article, "Cosmological Argument" |
| Fri, Oct 5 | Interlude: the Nature of Causation | Stanford Encyclopedia article, "The Metaphysics of Causation" |
| Mon, Oct 8 | God IV: Design | paper topic due van Inwagen, chapters 8 and 9 |
| Wed, Oct 10 | review for midterm exam | no new reading |
| Fri, Oct 12 |
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| Mon, Oct 15 |
Midterm Exam |
|
| Wed, Oct 17 | God V: Design, continued | Sober, "The Design Argument" (handout) |
| Fri, Oct 19 |
Design argument, concluded |
no new reading |
| Mon, Oct 22 | Dualism and Physicalism I | van Inwagen, chapter 10 official due date for paper proposal (but I'll accept them through Friday) |
| Wed, Oct 24 | Dualism and Physicalism II | Chalmers (Big Questions, chapter 38) |
| Fri, Oct 26 | Personal Identity I: Overview | final deadline for paper
proposal van Inwagen, chapter 11 |
| Mon, Oct 29 | Personal Identity II: Psychological Continuity | Shoemaker (Big Questions, chapter 35) |
| Wed, Oct 31 | Personal Identity III: Problems | Parfit (Big Questions, chapter 36) |
| Fri, Nov 2 | Personal Identity IV: Dualism | Swinburne (Big Questions, chapter 37); Daniel Dennett, "Where Am I?" |
| Mon, Nov 5 | Free Will I: Overview | van Inwagen, chapter 12 |
| Wed, Nov 7 | Free Will II: Libertarianism | Dennett, Freedom Evolves, chapter 4 (and part of chapter 3) |
| Fri, Nov 9 | Free Will III | selection from Wegner, The Illusion of Conscious Will |
| Mon, Nov 12 | Free Will IV: Agent Causation | Timothy O'Connor, "The Agent as Cause" (Big Questions, chapter 42) |
| Wed, Nov 14 | paper presentations I | Jenny, Ariel |
| Friday, Nov 16 | paper presentations II | Austin, Andrew |
| Mon, Nov 19 | paper presentations III | Chris, Fletcher |
| Wed, Nov 21 | paper presentations IV | Troy, Nick |
| Fri, Nov 23 |
Thanksgiving Break |
|
| Mon, Nov 26 | Challenges to Metaphysics I (ontological relativity) | paper due Big Questions 43-45 (Quine, Putnam, Putnam) |
| Wed, Nov 28 | Challenges to Metaphysics II (positivism) | Big Questions 54 (Carnap) |
| Friday, Nov 30 | Challenges to Metaphysics III (feminism) | Big Questions 55-56 (Flax, Witt) |
| Mon, Dec 3 | review for final exam | no new reading |
| Tuesday, Dec 11, 8:30 AM |
Final Examination |
|
Last update: November 16, 2007 |