METAPHYSICS (Phil. 525, Spring 2013)
Robert Francescotti
Office Hours (Arts & Letters, 438):
Monday 4:00-5:30 pm, Tuesday 1:30-3:00 pm,
Wednesday 8:30-9:30 pm, Thursday 2:30-4:00 pm
Office phone & e-mail: 619-594-6585, rfrances@mail.sdsu.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course surveys a variety of fundamental issues in the field of metaphysics:
- the distinction between contingent and necessary truths/beings, the notion of a possible
world, the principle of sufficient reason, and how these concepts might be used to try to
prove the existence of God
- realism vs. nominalism regarding universals:: i.e., the issue of whether universals exist in
addition to the particulars that exemplify them
- whether we or any other items have any truly essential properties or whether the “essence”
of something is merely a function of how we choose to describe it
- whether an individual object (a concrete particular) is merely a bundle of properties, or
whether there is an underlying bearer of those properties (a substratum)
- the conditions under which a concrete particular remains the same thing (e.g., same object
or person) over time—i.e., what it takes to persist though time
- realism/anti-realism regarding truth: whether truth is mind-dependent, e.g., dependent on
our perceptions, beliefs, concepts or practices
- how to tell whether the way we talk about Xs commits us to the existence of Xs, and
whether there really are any entities that do not exist (nonexistent objects)
The objective of the course is to provide a strong enough background in fundamental
metaphysical issues such as these that you are well equipped to enter graduate seminars in the
area of metaphysics and to conduct your own research of topics related to those above.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
to demonstrate the ability to
- clearly explain a variety of major issues, concepts, and distinctions in the field of
metaphysics
- to explain the philosophical importance of each of the debates discussed
- to identify the main ideas of each of the authors discussed in the class
- to identify both merits of and problems with each of the theories presented
- think and write in a logically rigorous fashion
- develop and defend your own views on topics in metaphysics
REQUIRED TEXTS
Michael Loux, Metaphysics, vol. 3 (London: Routledge, 2005), at SDSU Bookstore
Course packet (Phil. 525: Readings) at CalCopy
TOPICS & READINGS
1. Necessity and Contingency, Possible Worlds, Principle of Sufficient Reason, and God
- Michael Loux (2005), Metaphysics (London: Routledge), Introduction
- excerpts from G. W. Leibniz’s Monadology, 1714. From G. W. Leibniz: Philosophical Texts, R. S.
Woolhouse and R. Francks, trans. & eds, (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 1988.
- William Rowe (1968), “The Cosmological Argument and the Principle of Sufficient Reason,” Man and
World, vol. 2, pp. 278-292.
- Loux, ch. 5
- Alvin Plantinga (1974), “The Ontological Argument,” from God, Freedom, and Evil (New York: Harper &
Rowe).
2. Universals (Realism vs. Nominalism) and Essences
- Loux, chs. 1, 2, and 5
- excerpts from Plato’s Parmenides. In J. M. Copper, ed., Plato: Complete Works (Indianapolis: Hackett,
1997).
- John Locke (1690), An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Bk. III, Ch. 3 (“Of General Terms”).
In P. H. Nidditch, ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975).
3. Substratum vs. Bundle Theory
- Loux, ch. 3
- Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Bk. II, Ch. 23 (“Of the Complex Ideas of
Substance”).
- David Hume (1739), A Treatise of Human Nature, Bk. I, Part 1, sec. 6 (“Of Modes and Substances”).
In D. F. Norton and M. J. Norton (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).
- Max Black (1952), “The Identity of Indiscernibles,” Mind, vol. 61, pp. 153-164.
4. Persistence through Time
- Loux, ch. 8
- David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature, Bk. I, Part 4, sec. 6.
5. Truth: the Realism/Anti-Realism debate
- Bertrand Russell (1912), The Problems of Philosophy (Oxford: Oxford University Press), chapter 12,
“Truth and Correspondence.”
- Brand Blanshard, (1941), The Nature of Thought, vol. 2 (New York: Macmillan), chapter XXVI,
“Coherence as the Nature of Truth.”
- William James (1907), Pragmatism (Cambridge: Harvard University Press), Lectures II & VI: “What
Pragmatism Means” & “Pragmatism’s Conception of Truth.”
- W.V.O. Quine (1968), “Ontological Relativity,” The Journal of Philosophy” vol. 65, pp. 185-212.
- Loux, ch. 9
- Hilary Putnam (1987), “Truth and Convention: On Davidson’s Refutation of Conceptual Relativism,”
Dialectica, vol. 41, pp. 69-77.
- Gottlob Frege (1918-9), “Der Gedanke,” Beträge zur Philosophie des deutschen Idealismus, vol. 1, pp. 5877. Translation in Logical Investigations, P. T. Geach, ed., (Oxford: Blackwell, 1977).
6. Ontological Commitment and Things that Don’t Exist
- Quine (1948), “On What There Is,” Review of Metaphysics, vol. 2, 21-38.
- Peter van Inwagen (1977), “Creatures of Fiction,” American Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 14, pp. 299-308.
- Terence Parsons (1979), “Referring to Nonexistent Objects,” Theory and Decision, vol. 11, pp. 95-110.
ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING
EXAMS (300 pts)
There are three in-class essay exams, each worth 100 pts.
Exam I is on February 25th
Exam II on March 27th
Exam III on May 6th
PAPER (100 pts)
A term paper (at least 7 full pages) is due during finals week on May 16th by 5 pm. In the paper,
you will explain and defend your own ideas on an issue directly relevant to the material of the
course. More details very soon.
The total number you receive out of these 400 possible points is your “BASE SCORE,” which
may be affected by:
DISCRETIONARY POINTS
On the basis of class participation, significant improvement in grades, and genuinely
strong effort, I might add a point or two or perhaps even a few to your base score. For example,
suppose you receive a grand total of 315 points on the items above. 315 is 78.75% of 400, which
is C+. But if you participated very well in class discussion and also showed significant
improvement in grades, then I might add 4 pts (for example) to the 315, which gives you 319.
319 is 79.75% of 400, which puts you just inside the B- range. (See percentage/letter grade
conversion chart below.)
But note: points for positive performance in one area (such as improved grades) might be
eliminated or even outweighed by negative performance in another area (for example, evidence
that you’re not doing the readings). So your final score could end up being lower than your base
score, and in some cases this could result in a lower letter grade being assigned. (Imagine a
change the opposite of that described above -- going from 319 to 315.)
In particular, ATTENDANCE is especially important, for whether or not you actually participate
in class discussion on a particular day, attendance is necessary to even be prepared to participate.
So I’ll keep track of attendance and subtract 2 pts from the base score per absence. With poor
attendance, then, the score could be lowered quite a bit.
Here’s how the percentages convert to letter grades:
100
92.5
A
76.5
89.5
A–
72.5
C
86.5
B+
69.5
C–
82.5
B
66.5
D+
79.5
B–
62.5
D
C+
59.5
D–
F
Disabilities
Any students with special needs due to a documented medical condition should avail themselves
of the resources at Student Disability Services, Calpulli Center, room 3101, (619)594-6473.
Students who have such concerns that might prevent them from otherwise doing well in this
course should discuss this with the instructor so that
“Student Disability Services provides support services for students with mobility limitations,
learning disabilities, hearing or visual impairments, psychological disabilities, attention
deficit disorder, and other disabilities. Counselors are available to assist students in making
personal, academic, and vocational choices, and to advise how best to utilize campus
resources. Prior to receiving assistance, students must furnish appropriate medical or
psycho-educational documentation to Student Disability Services” (p. 33, 2012-13 General
Catalog).
Religious Observances
“By the end of the second week of classes, students should notify the instructors of affected
courses of planned absences for religious observances. Instructors shall reasonably
accommodate students who notify them in advance of planned absences for religious
observances.” (p. 20, 2012-13 General Catalog).
Please notify me by the end of the second week of classes if you plan to be absent for “religious
observances.”