Phil451

PHIL 451 Problems of Metaphysics
Spring 2002-2003

OFFICE MATTERS :

Office : Room B139 in the Social Sciences Building.
Office hours : Tue 15:40-17:30, Fri 14:40-15:30. Other meeting times with the instructor are also possible by prior appointment.
Office phone : On campus: 5339; off campus: 210-5339. You can leave a message on the answering machine.
E-mail : esayan@metu.edu.tr

COURSE DESCRIPTION :

This course aims to be an introduction to some of the basic issues in metaphysics done in the style of Analytic Philosophy. Some of the problems we will be talking about are the following:
· What is philosophy? · What is causation? What do we mean when we say “C is a (or the) cause of E”? Hume’s theory of causation. · Necessary/sufficient conditions, and Mill’s and Mackie’s theories of causation. · Possible worlds, counterfactual conditionals and Lewis’ counterfactual analysis of causation. · “Atypical” cases of causation (simultaneous causation, mutual causation, backwards causation, single-case causation, epiphenomena, preemption, overdetermination) and their implications for various theories of causation. · Does everything that occurs have a cause? Quantum Theory’s rejection of causality. · Freedom and determinism. Are all our actions determined by conditions outside of us, or are we at least sometimes “free” to do what we want to do? If determinism is true, does that have to mean we are not free in our actions? · Fatalism is the claim that whatever happens happens inevitably and nothing we do can change it. Is this claim true? Are we slaves of our fates? Is fatalism the same thing as determinism? · What is time? Can there be time without change? Is time travel possible?

COURSE REQUIREMENTS :

  • There will be two midterms. Both of them will be composed, for the most part, of questions requiring short answers, such as true-false, fill-in-the blank, and multiple-choice questions. There may be, however, a couple of “classical-style” questions on the midterms, each requiring at most half-a-page-long answer.
  • For the final exam you will be required to write an essay in class.
    • On the day of the essay-writing you will be given a few topics to choose from for your essay. You won’t be given this list of topics in advance. The questions will be designed to measure your understanding of the issues discussed in class and your ability to think on your own (or “philosophize”) about those issues.
    • The length of the essay will be 3-4 pages.
    • You’ll be allowed to consult the course readings (listed in ” Sequence of Readings” below) and your class notes while writing your essay. You can also bring dictionaries to class on the essay-writing day. You won’t be allowed to bring any other books or material, however. You must, of course, avoid using the material you are allowed to bring to class in ways that may be counted as plagiarising.
    • The quality of your English, punctuation and even your handwriting will affect the grade you get on your essay, along with the organization and the philosophical content of it.
  • Attendance to classes is required. You will be expected not only to attend but also to actively participate in class discussions by asking questions, answering questions, and showing genuine interest in the problems being discussed. Class attendance will be taken randomly throughout the semester. Students can have three unexcused absences without hurting their grades. After three absences, the student’s total score will be lowered by 3 points per unexcused absence. Class attendance may be taken at the beginning of the class period as well as at the end. When it is taken at the beginning, latecomers will be counted as absent.
  • The requirements of the course will be weighted as follows:

1. Midterm : 35 pts.
2. Midterm : 35 pts.
Final (in-class essay) : 30 pts.
TOTAL : 100 pts.
Participation in class discussion : up to +8 pts.
Every unexcused absence after 3 unexcused absences : -3 pts.

The final letter grades for the course will be assigned via an “informal curve” to be set up on the basis of the students’ total scores at the end of the semester.

  • Make-ups for the exams will normally be given in cases of certified illness or certified emergency. Be warned that the make-ups will tend to be harder than the regular exams. The make-up will be especially harder in the case of students who present less than compelling reasons to take a make-up.
  • If our class hours conflict with those of another course you are taking, then you are expected to spend half of those conflicting hours in our class, rather than spending them entirely in the other class during the whole semester. At the end of the semester, you will be given a form which will be signed by the teacher of the other course as proof of the class-hour conflict, and your absences during those hours will be discounted to an appropriate extent.

SEQUENCE OF READINGS :

A. What is philosophy?: Hospers, pp.4-5; Rosenberg, pp.3-4; Grayling, pp.1-2, 5-6.
B. Causation: Excerpts from Yıldırım, pp.1-5 (up to “Place of Causation in Science”); Hospers, pp.140-147 (up to “The Causal Principle”); excerpts from Grayling, pp.1-6.
C. Determinism and freedom: Excerpts from Yıldırım, pp.5-8; Hospers, pp.147-165; Taylor, pp.35-53.
D. Fate: Taylor, pp.54-67.
E. Time: Grayling, pp.198-204; Hospers, pp.121-122.

In addition to these required readings for the course, the reading package contains the following optional readings, which are quite interesting and highly recommended:

+. Quantum Physics: Davies, pp.41-49.
+. Personal identity: Hospers, pp.185-196.

The above readings are from the following texts:

Paul Davies, Superforce (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1984).

A. C. Grayling (ed.), Philosophy: A Guide through the Subject (New York: Oxford U. P., 1995).

John Hospers, An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis, 4th ed. (London: Routledge, 1997).

Jay F. Rosenberg, The Practice of Philosophy, 3rd ed. (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1996).

Richard Taylor, Metaphysics, 4th ed. (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1992).

Cemal Yıldırım, Science: Its Meaning and Method (Ankara: Middle East Technical University, 1971).