Metaphysics
Metaphysics, it has been claimed, is the study of the most fundamental aspects of the structure of reality, and in this sense precedes empirical science. So what is metaphysics, and how does it relate to science? Before we conclude the course by considering its relation to science, we will discuss many questions that can be thought to delineate metaphysics. Among them are the following:
How can a thing change over time and yet remain that thing? Is it possible that we could have found ourselves in a world where entirely different laws of nature hold? What does it mean to say that an event caused another, and is it possible that we change the past? Do we live in space and time, and if so, what is the nature of space and time? By virtue of what is a left hand different from a right hand? Is time travel possible? And finally, do humans have free will?
This class will engage these questions with an emphasis on contemporary views and debates. Accordingly, our approach will be topic-oriented, rather than historical.