Philosophy 317: Metaphysics
Syllabus
Spring 2016
Instructor: Dr. Joshua Spencer
Office: 613 Curtin Hall
Phone: (414) 229-5215
E-mail: spence48@uwm.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:00-4:30 or by appointment
Coffee Hours: Wednesdays 12:30-1:30 (to be held at Roast)
Course Description:
Metaphysics is the study of the fundamental nature of reality (or something like that). In
this class, I propose that we learn what metaphysics is by doing metaphysics. We’ll seek
answers to some of the following question: What is it for something to exist? What is
space? What is time? What is possibility? And what are they all like? What is causation
and what are the laws of nature? How, exactly, do we fit into the world? Are we just
another body governed by the laws of nature and if so do we ever act freely? We’ll
explore answers to these questions by reading and discussing recent work in metaphysics.
Textbook: None, all readings will be posted on D2L.
Course Requirements:
Participation
You are expected to be in class on time with all your homework completed. Many of the
skills you learn in this class will build on previously learned skills. Regular attendance
along with completed homework will make it more likely that you will be able to learn
and master these skills. If you must miss any day of class, then give the reason for your
absence in advance of that day. Your absence will be excused only if your reason is
acceptable. Acceptable reasons include serious illness or emergency situations.
Homework and Classwork (40%)
There will be several short assignments to be done as homework or as in-class
assignments. These are designed to help you practice summarizing the key portions of
essays and critiquing arguments. These assignments usually involve writing one or two
paragraphs in response to a question about the reading. Most (though not all) of these
assignments will involve contributing to the discussion board on D2L.
Formal Take-Home Essays (15%, 20%, and 25%; total of 60%)
There will be three longer essay assignments for this class. Each of these essays should
be about 3-5 pages long. More details will be given about each writing assignment in
class.
1
Expected Time Commitment
This 3 credit course meets for 2 1/2 hours of lecture/discussion per week during the
semester. Students are expected to put in at least 6 1/2 hours per week (on average)
studying and working on assignments to achieve the learning objectives of this course.
Classroom and University Policies:
Late Work Policy
All homework assignments should be turned in on time. Any homework that is turned in
late will be penalized one full letter grade for each day that it is late. No late homework
will be accepted after two days have passed.
All formal essays assignments should be turned in on time. If the final draft of your
formal writing assignment is late, then you will be penalized one third of a letter grade
for each calendar day that it is late.
Certain exceptions to these policies will be made for students if prior arrangements are
made or in extreme and unexpected circumstances.
Academic Respect
In this class we will be critically evaluating the views of others and emphasizing the
importance of using arguments to support various positions. A well written paper will
focus on various reasons in support of a position and will consider and evaluate reasons
for opposing positions. Class discussions will follow a similar pattern. In this class you
will be asked to provide reasons for the claims that you make during a discussion.
Moreover, you will be expected to be respectful toward others while engaging in debate.
Condescending and belligerent tones hinder academic discussion. Such tones are
unacceptable in this kind of atmosphere.
Electronics Policy
In my classroom, you are not permitted to use laptops, cell phones or other devices with
internet capabilities. Recent studies have shown that the average grades of students who
use such devices are lower than those of students who do not. This seems to be an
instance of a more general phenomenon. Using internet capable devices in class tends to
lead to multitasking. However, recent studies have shown that people who multitask tend
to perform those tasks less well than those who perform the same tasks in succession.
Academic Dishonesty
No one may use the ideas expressed in (or quote from) a paper, book or website without
properly citing the source. No one may have another person write a paper (in part or in
whole) and pass it off as one’s own. No one may use ideas that originated from another
person through the course of a conversation without properly acknowledging that that
other person is the source of those ideas. This list of prohibited activities should not be
construed as exhaustive.
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For more information about academic dishonesty and the procedure for dealing with
cases of academic dishonesty, please consult the following university website:
http://www4.uwm.edu/acad_aff/policy/academicmisconduct.cfm
Students with Disabilities
If you will need accommodations in order to meet any of the requirements of this course,
please contact me. For more information please consult with the Student Accessibility
Center: http://www4.uwm.edu/sac/SACltr.pdf
Other University Policies: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/SyllabusLinks.pdf
Tentative Schedule
Week 1: Ontology
1/25
1/27
David Lewis & Stephanie Lewis: “Holes”
Week 2: Space
2/1
2/3
Gottfried Leibniz: “The Leibniz-Clarke Correspondences”
Week 3: Space
2/8
2/10
Brian Greene: The Fabric of the Cosmos
Week 4: Space
2/15
James van Cleve: “Incongruent Counterparts and Higher
Dimensions”
2/17
Week 5: Time
2/22
2/24
J.M.E. McTaggart: “The Unreality of Time”
Judith Jarvis Thomson: “McTaggart on Time”
Week 6: Time
2/29
3/2
Alyssa Ney: “Time” from Metaphysics an Introduction
Arthur N. Prior: “Some Free Thinking About Time”
Week 7: Time
3/7
3/9
Ned Markosian “How Fast Does Time Pass?”
First Essay Due
3
Week 8: Spring Break
3/14
No Class
3/16
No Class
Week 9: Composition
3/21
Ted Sider: Excerpt from Four Dimensionalism
3/23
Trenton Merricks: Composition and Vagueness;
Elizabeth Barnes: Vagueness and Arbitrariness
Week 10: Composition/Persistence
3/28
Peter van Inwagen: “The Doctrine of Arbitrary Undetached Parts”
3/30
Jennifer Wang: “The Ship of Theseus” (Video)
Week 11: Persistence
4/4
Sally Haslanger: “Persistence Through Time”
4/6
Week 12: Reconciliation
4/11
Eli Hirsch: “Physical Object Ontology, Verbal Disputes, and
Common Sense”
4/13
Week 13: Free Will
4/18
4/20
Peter van Inwagen: An Essay on Free Will
Second Essay Due
Week 14: Laws of Nature
4/25
D.M. Armstrong: What is a Law of Nature?
4/27
Week 15: Possibility
5/2
David Lewis: Counterfactuals and On the Plurality of Worlds
5/4
Week 16: Goodbye!
5/9
5/16
Third Essays Due
4