Philosophy 125 Home

Metaphysics (Philosophy 125 | Fall 2003 | UCB | Philosophy)

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Professor

GSIs

Lecture

Sections

Branden Fitelson
branden@fitelson.org
Office: 132 Moses Hall
Hours: Tu 4–5:30 & W 2–3:30
Tel: 642–0666

Vanessa de Harven (email)
Josh Sheptow (email)
Office: 301 Moses Hall
Hours: Josh: Fri., 3–5
Vanessa: Thurs., 11:15–1:15

159 Mulford

Tu/Th 2–3:30

See our sections page.

Announcements

12/11/03: The final exam will be in 251 Hearst Gym today, NOT in 159 Mulford (at 12:30 – no change in the time). We will also post a sign at 159 Mulford indicating this. Extra time will be given to make up for the last-minute change. Very sorry for this. This is my fault, and we will make sure that this does not adversely affect anyone's grade in the course.
12/08/03: Vanessa's Review Session: W 1–3/4 @ 100 Wheeler. Josh's: W 4–6 @ 100 Wheeler (note room change!).
12/05/03: I have sent out an email, which summarizes the (new) remarks I made about "impure properties" in class Thursday. Good luck studying for the final, and if I don't see you before then, have a great break!
12/04/04: Vanessa will hold a review session next Wednesday, December 10, from 1–3/4 in 100 Wheeler, and Josh will hold his Wednesday, December 10, from from 4–6/7 (room to be announced). Branden's office hours next week: T (2–4), W (4–6). Josh's office hours next week: Monday 3–5 in 301 Moses.
12/03/03: The GSI Strike has been averted, so we're on schedule, as planned.
12/02/03: Link added to a nice paper by Peter Vranas on some "ability paradoxes" of time travel. I have also added a link to a comprehensive paper by Hall and Paul on the various preemption-related counterexamples to the various theories of causation.
12/01/03: The Final Exam Questions have been announced (via this email message). I plan to hold a review session in class this Thursday (12/04/03). Please come armed with questions about the final exam question and/or the second assignment questions. I will not come prepared with any new material Thursday. So, when questions are exhausted (or time runs out), we'll go home.
11/26/03: The UAW Local 2865 has called a GSI Strike, beginning sometime next week. As of now, we are planning to stay on schedule with the course, but this may change in the coming days. Stay tuned to this website for updates on the strike's impact.
11/25/03: Branden will not hold office hours on Wednesday (11/27/03). Branden's office hours next week: M (2–4), W (2–4), and F (2:30–4:30). Vanessa's Office Hours Next Week: T 11:30-1:30 & Th 11:15-1:15. Josh's Office Hours Next Week: F 3–5. See lecture 25 (slide #2) for hints on study questions #2 and #3 from assignment #2. Stay tuned for final exam questions, which will appear here by Monday, December 1, 2003. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
11/19/03: I've added a link to John Norton's paper "Causation as Folk Science". This paper argues that "causation" (as metaphysicians know and love it) is not a part of science proper, but really just a folk concept that has no home in physical theory.
11/18/03: Branden's Office Hours this week: 4–6 T, 1–3 W, and 2–3 F.
11/12/03: The second set of paper topics and study questions has been announced (via this email message). And, Vanessa's realism about propositions handout has been posted. I found this handout very useful. I have compiled a list of all handouts for the course. This list now appears on the lecture notes page.
11/11/03: I have created a handout on "De Re Modality". This handout discusses five alternative theories of de re modality in some detail, with special attention paid to the central problem of reconciling the indiscernibility of identicals with the naive possible world semantics account of de re modality. I will go over this handout in detail on Thursday. That will be the end of the unit on modality. We will then move on to causation. I will be announcing the second set of study questions and paper topics on Thursday. NOTE: I will not be having office hours this week. I will make up for this with extra hours next week.
11/05/03: I have created a handout on "Accessibility and Modality". This handout fleshes out the role of the "accessibility relation", both in the formal semantics and logic of modality, and in applications of possible worlds semantics to problems in metaphysics (and epistemology). This serves as a useful supplement to my lectures on modality (in which I did not have enough time to really get into the details of accessibility between possible worlds, and the role it plays both formally and in applications).
11/03/03: Links added to papers [here and here] by van Fraassen and Rosen on non-realist accounts of modality and possible worlds. Link to Vanessa's handout on realism about propositions to be posted soon (stay tuned).
10/30/03: I have added two useful links [here and here] to discussions about Kim and Davidson (and Quine) on events. I have also added a link to a paper by Quine which critiques Davidson's account of events (and which led ultimately to Davidson's abandonment of his causal individuation criterion).
10/22/03: I have created a handout on two versions of the slingshot argument. This is far more detailed than my lecture notes, and it also discusses a stronger version of the argument due to Gödel. I have also added a link to a nice paper by John Perry on an alternative way to evade the slingshot argument.
10/21/03: I have added a link to our reading list (in the section on propositions & their neighbors) to a paper by Stephen Neale on Davidson's slingshot argument (scroll down to see a nice discussion of this important argument, also, see the REP's entry on the slingshot). Neale's recent book Facing Facts is a terrific source on this argument, and on facts in general.
10/16/03: I have created a handout on Realism, Propositions, and the Liar Paradox. This handout explains (1) why Russell's theory of descriptions cannot save the realist from either version of the liar paradox, and (2) how the Fregean theory of descriptions can save the realist from one version (the "strong" one!) of the liar, but not from the other version (ironically, the so-called "weak" one!). This is a rather subtle handout, but it should be useful.
10/15/03: I have added a few new links to our reading list (in the section on propositions). These links pertain to the Sea Battle puzzle, and the problem of future contingents (which I discussed briefly in lecture). I particularly recommend John MacFarlane's paper (and Prior's paper, for those who are interested in the "many-valued logic" approaches).
10/14/03: Josh's Office Hours on Wednesday 10/15/03 will be from 2:30–4
10/08/03: Office Hours Next Week. Branden: T 4–6, W 2–4:30; Vanessa: T 11–1:30, W 10–11 & 2–3, Th. cancelled; Josh: M 4–6:30, F 3–5.
10/06/03: I have posted a paper by Ian Hacking on the Identity of Indiscernibles (II), which relates the problem to the (early) modern debate about space and time. I have also posted a handout on "Aristotle's Division of the World" (from a course I taught on Aristotle some years ago), which may be useful for thinking about Aristotelian substance (compare Aristotle's Metaphysics).
10/04/03: I have created a handout on rigidity, abstract reference, and predication, which explains how trope theory and austere nominalism can manage to get abstract claims to be necessarily true (without saying anything crazy). I have also added to our list of readings a neat paper by Dean Zimmerman on the identity of indiscernibles (to be read in conjunction with Black's paper).
09/30/03: Here is an email message (sent to the graduate students for their section, but potentially useful for all) that explains some of the stuff we discussed in lecture today about modality, sets, etc. Thanks to all for the great questions and comments!
09/24/03: I will be in Oklahoma tomorrow, but we are very fortunate to have Ed Zalta filling-in with a guest lecture.
09/17/03: The first set of graded study questions and paper topics have been announced. See class email #2 for details. Josh has created his own handout on regress arguments. It's rather detailed, and should be useful for the study questions and paper topics. I have created a discography page for the course (for logging my pre-class musical selections).
09/13/03: All section locations are known. I have written a blog on regresses (I promise, this will be the last thing I say about them – probably!). Also, graduate students should read Quine's "On What There Is" (in Loux's collection) and Russell's "On Denoting" for Wednesday's section (this constitutes a change in plan).
09/11/03: I have posted a handout entitled "Notes on the Predication Regresses of Parmenides, Bradley, and Loux". Reminder: you need to make sure that you are on the waitlist for the course, if you intend to take the class, and are on the list of sections, but are not yet officially enrolled in the course. If this applies to you, please make sure you are in the system asap.
09/09/03: Due dates for study questions and papers are announced (and late policy is clarified). See the syllabus, questions, and topics pages. In a nutshell, both the graded study questions and the short paper topics will be announced by the 4th & 11th weeks, and they will be due in the 8th & 15th weeks. This will give you at least 4 weeks to complete each pair of assignments. I advise you to think about (and even sketch answers to!) all of the study questions as we go along. In this way, you won't have much work to do for those, which will allow you to focus on the papers during the (at least) 4 week "work period" for each pair of assignments.
09/04/03: If you do not have the textbook yet, you can download chapter 1 (in PDF format) here. This requires the latest version of Adobe Reader. More of the textbooks should be available at Ned's Friday or Monday. Meanwhile, you can always order it online.
09/02/03: Final (we hope!) rosters have been posted on the sections page (please check for accuracy, etc.). My apologies to those not on the lists (who are not enrolled). There were overwhelming numbers this term, and priority must be given to majors in this course. Branden will not be holding office hours this Wednesday, 9/3 (I'm moving!).
08/27/03: Note Branden's new Wednesday Office Hours (2–3:30). Josh's hours are Friday, 3–5. Section rosters have been determined. Sections begin next week (except the graduate section, which starts on 9/10). All undergraduate sections meet in 301 Moses for the first week only (permanent locations and final rosters to be announced soon).
08/20/03: Class Email #1