Dr. Ásta Sveinsdóttir
Metaphysics. 24. ágúst 2015
San Francisco State University
Department of Philosophy
Fall 2015
Phil 605: Metaphysics
TTh 11.00-12.15. HUM 109
Instructor: Dr. Ásta Sveinsdóttir (Dr. Ásta)
Email: asta@sfsu.edu
Course materials are available on iLearn
OHs: TTh 1-2pm; HUM 360 (best way to reach me)
TA: Kathleen O’Neal, kno@mail.sfsu.edu
Description:
Selected topics in contemporary metaphysics, including personal identity, free will, realism
and anti-realism, possible worlds, persistence over time, and social ontology.
Main text: Helen Beebee and Julian Dodd, Reading Metaphysics (Blackwell, 2007).
Requirements and Grading:
Midterm paper, 5 pages [1500 words; 40%], due Oct 15 (iLearn and in class).
Take-home final exam, 7 pages [2100 words; 60%], due Dec 10 on iLearn.
Active and thoughtful class participation and/or significant improvement may count in your
favor.
How to approach the class:
This is a lecture class that meets twice a week. Be sure to come on time (and stay throughout
the class period), have read the relevant material, and be ready to participate actively in the
class. It is your responsibility to get any assignments, revisions of the syllabus, etc. from the
course website if you cannot come to class. Use of electronic devices is limited to notetaking
only. Be sure to check your SFSU email account regularly or have email forwarded to the
account to use.
Read the introduction to the textbook; it provides a helpful guide to how to read the articles.
We read about 20 pages per week. You should read the main text at least 3 times. Do so
before you attend lectures. Come to lectures with any questions you have about the text. No
question is too silly or elementary—this is philosophy!
Plagiarism: All work submitted for the course must be your own. Plagiarism will result in
disciplinary action. For more details see: http://www.sfsu.edu/~collhum/plagiarism.html
Disability - Reasonable Accommodation: Students with disabilities who need reasonable
accommodations are encouraged to contact the instructor. The Disability Programs and
Resource Center (DPRC) is available to facilitate the reasonable accommodations process.
The DPRC is located in the Student Service Building and can be reached by telephone
(voice/TTY 415-338-2472) or by email dprc@sfsu.edu).
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Dr. Ásta Sveinsdóttir
Metaphysics. 24. ágúst 2015
Class schedule (subject to change)
Tue Aug 25: Introduction
1 Personal Identity
Thur Aug 27. Tue Sep 1: Introduction, Derek Parfit, 'Personal Identity', Commentary on Parfit
Thur Sep 3. Tue Sep 8: Marya Schechtman, 'Personhood and Personal Identity', Commentary on
Schechtman
2 Free Will
Thur Sep 10.Tue Sep 15: Introduction, Peter van Inwagen, 'The Incompatibility of Free Will and
Determinism', Commentary on van Inwagen, Appendix
Thur Sep 17. Tue Sep 22: Daniel Dennett, 'Could Have Done Otherwise' (extract from Elbow
Room), Commentary on Dennett
3 Realism and Anti-realism
Thur Sep 24. Tue Sep 29: Introduction, Donald Davidson, 'On the Very Idea of a Conceptual
Scheme', Commentary on Davidson
Thur Oct 1: Professor out of town, no class
Tue Oct 6. Thur Oct 8: Thomas Nagel, 'Thought and Reality' (extract from The View from Nowhere),
Commentary on Nagel
4 Realism and Nominalism
Tue Oct 13. Thur Oct 15: Introduction, Michael Devitt, '"Ostrich Nominalism" or "Mirage
Realism"?', Commentary on Devitt.
Midterm paper due Thur Oct 15 (soft copy on iLearn AND hard copy in class)
Tue Oct 20. Thur Oct 22: D. M. Armstrong, 'Against "Ostrich" Nominalism: A Reply to
Michael Devitt', Commentary on Armstrong
5 Possible Worlds
Tue Oct 27. Thur Oct 29: Introduction, David Lewis, extract from Counterfactuals,
Commentary on Lewis
Tue Nov 3. Thur Nov 5: Saul Kripke, extract from Naming and Necessity, Commentary on Kripke
6 Persistence over Time
Tue Nov 10. Thur Nov 12: Introduction, David Lewis, extract from On the Plurality of Worlds,
Commentary on Lewis. Sally Haslanger, 'Endurance and Temporary Intrinsics',
Commentary on Haslanger. David Lewis, 'Tensing the Copula', Commentary on Lewis.
7 Social Ontology
Tue Nov 18: Judith Butler, excerpts from Gender Trouble and Bodies that Matter, iLearn
Thur Nov 20: Ásta Sveinsdóttir, ‘The Metaphysics of Sex and Gender’, iLearn
Tue Nov 24: Thanksgiving Recess. No class.
Thur Nov 26: Thanksgiving Recess. No class.
Tue Dec 1. Ásta Sveinsdóttir, ‘Social Construction’, iLearn
Thur Dec 3: Professor out of town. No class
Tue Dec 8. Ásta Sveinsdóttir, ‘The Social Construction of Human Kinds’, iLearn
Thur Dec 10: Last day of class. Final exam due on iLearn and a hard copy in class.
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