PHIL223 Metaphysical Questions

Investigations into the nature and structure of existence. What sorts of things are there? What are possible worlds? How is change possible?

Metaphysics asks basic questions about existence, time, possibility, infinity and more. We then test answers to these questions as analytically as we can. In this paper we will read classic and contemporary works of philosophy, focusing on four main questions. What is the most general structure of the world? What is our place in the world? Are there many worlds? And why is there a world at all?

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Prerequisite

One PHIL paper or 72 points

Restriction

PHIL 323, PHIL 216, PHIL 313, PHIL 316

Schedule C

Arts and Music

Eligibility

This paper is recommended for students who have taken PHIL 101, but there are no prerequisites.

Contact

zach.weber@otago.ac.nz

Teaching staff

Dr Zach Weber

Paper Structure

Two lectures per week, approximately 90 minutes each. Weekly assigned readings and in-class presentations. Assessment by written essays and final exam.

Textbooks

Metaphysics: The Big Questions (2nd Edition) edited by Peter van Inwagen and Dean W. Zimmerman.

Graduate Attributes Emphasised

Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Research, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete the paper will acquire

1. The ability to present and assess philosophical arguments (both written and verbal) to an acceptable standard, especially in the area of metaphysics
2. A broad awareness and grasp of what is at issue in debates in metaphysics
3. A demonstrated ability to explain and assess philosophical positions and arguments and to think critically and independently about them
4. The ability to develop and analyse philosophical reasoning collaboratively in group discussion

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