Fall Semester, 2008 Room 457, Waterman Bldg.
Metaphysics: The Metaphysics of Objects in Time
This course is an advanced level examination of three topics in metaphysics: time, material constitution, and personal identity. Each of these is currently a ‘hot area’ of debate, so much of the literature is quite recent. Most of the issues center around arguments that purport to show that our common sense understanding of the world is mistaken in a very fundamental way, that the structure of reality underlying appearances is actually quite different than the appearances suggest.
As one simple example of a paradox we’ll examine, consider the problem of the statue and the clay. This morning I formed a lump of clay into a statue, which I set upon my mantle. The lump of clay existed yesterday and still exists now, but the statue didn’t exist until this morning, so since they have existed for different amounts of time it seems the lump of clay and the statue must be two different things. But surely there is only one thing on my mantle! And how in the world could two different things occupy the same place at the same time? We will use such puzzles to try to uncover the underlying structure of time, of material objects, and of persons in particular.
Each section focuses on a few key issues. Time: Does time exist? Do the past and the future exist? Is time travel possible? Material Constitution: Can multiple objects occupy the same place at the same time? What conditions are required for some matter to constitute an object? Personal Identity: If my brain is put in your body, while your brain and my body are discarded, who is the resulting person, me or you? Is it possible for a person to undergo fission, e.g., for the transporter to malfunction resulting in there being two Spocks when originally there was only one?
Instructor: Mark Moyer
Office: Room 204,
656-3140
Hours: Tuesdays
& Wednesdays
Email: Mark.Moyer@uvm.edu
Text:
Web Site: http://www.uvm.edu/~mmmoyer/phil_218_f08/
The course syllabus (this sheet), a tentative schedule of reading assignments, homework assignments, and miscellaneous study sheets will all be posted on this web page.
Grading: Grades will be based on surprise quizzes and mini-assignments (10% total), three homework assignments (15% each), one paper (20%), and a final exam (25%). The final exam is Thursday, December 18 at 9:00 am.
Late assignments will be counted down one sixth grade per day (e.g., a B+ becomes a B if two days late, a C+ if six days late). Please see or email me as soon as possible (preferably ahead of time) if, due to some emergency, you will miss an assignment or need an extension.