PHILOSOPHY 203: METAPHYSICS 2014/1

SYLLABUS

Instructor: Phil Hanson Off: WMX 5648; Ph: 778-782-3330, (Philosophy Gen: -3343); Hrs: Wed. 1:30-3:00, Fri. 1:30-3:00, or by appointment; E-mail: hanson@sfu.ca (use sparingly, please)

Required Text: Brian Garrett, What Is This Thing Called Metaphysics? (2^nd Ed.)

Chapters to be covered, and in which order:

1. Ch. 3: Existence

2. Ch. 11: Facts

3. Ch. 12 Truth

4. Ch. 6: Objects and properties

5. Ch. 4: Modality

6. Ch. 5: Puzzles of constitution and identity

7. Ch. 7: Causation

8. Ch. 8: Time, the fundamental issue

9. Ch.9: Time, three puzzles

10. Ch 10: Free Will

There will also be some background reading assignments, the preponderance of which will be drawn from the web material cited by the author. The instructor will also post substantial notes summarizing the critical discussion of the chapters that has taken place in class.

The final grade will be based on 4 short written assignments (in the neighbourhood of 1500 to 1800 words each) on topics taken up in the reading material. There will be about two weeks to complete each assignment from the time of its distribution. The topics for the 1^st assignment will be drawn from chs. 3 and relevant parts ofchs 11 and 12; the 2^nd from chs. 6 and 4; the 3^rd from chs. 5, and 7; and the 4^th from chs. 8,9, and 10. The instructor will try his best to get the marked assignments returned about a week after submission. Tentative dates for the distribution of topics for each assignment are:

1^st: Friday, January 17th

2^nd: Friday, February 7^th

3^rd: Wednesday, March 5th

4^th: Monday, March 24^th (This assignment will be due by the end of the last day of classes, which is Wednesday April 9^th.)