PHIL 220 - Metaphysics

1 unit(s)

Metaphysics is the study of reality and existence in general. At the most abstract level, metaphysics asks: What exists? What is at stake when we ask such questions? How should we go about trying to settle them? The course focuses on a set of specific metaphysical questions, including: Do we have free will? Is free will consistent with determinism? What is a cause? What is time? What is necessity? What is possibility? What is identity? What is a person? How do persons persist through time? These questions may appear intractable, vague, even pretentious. Our goal in this course is to make them precise and clear, then to offer transparent, intuitive, and definite answers. We accomplish this by focusing on highly specific arguments and puzzles, and learning the skills for assessing, and constructively responding to, debates in metaphysics. The Department.

Prerequisite(s): One 100-level course in Philosophy or permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.

Not offered in 2023/24.

Course Format: CLS