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Unit of study_
PHIL2622: Reality, Time and Possibility: Metaphysics
2024 unit information
This is a unit in metaphysics: the discipline that tells us about the nature of the world. The unit carries on from the Reality component of first year. We engage with questions like: What is time? What is space? What makes something a person? How much change can I undergo and still be me? Are objects four-dimensional space-time worms? Do the past or future exist, and could we travel to them? Are there numbers?
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Philosophy
| Code | PHIL2622 |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Philosophy |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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12 credit points at 1000 level in Philosophy |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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PHIL3662 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Understanding of various terms that are general to Anglo-American philosophy and further: exam- ples include analytic, a priori, a posteriori, necessity, possibility, qualia, valid, invalid and so on. Throughout the course I’ll be highlighting these terms in lectures and introducing short quizzes and polls to help the mastery of these
- LO2. Capacity to form arguments: what I want from you is to be able to demonstrate that you can do philosophy. This means not just reporting what famous philosophers have thought, but having a con- sidered opinion of your own as to whether they are right. But a considered opinion is not jus the opinion you get when you consider a lot! It is an opinion backed up by arguments that follow valid patterns of reasoning from particular premises. Often we will hope that when your opinion differs from another philosopher it will be either because you can locate a premise in their reasoning which is different form yours, or else you can say where there has been a mistake in their reasoning.
- LO3. Developing a critical and enquiring attitude to questions. There is disagreement. Why? Is that the disagreement is merely apparent because terms are being used differently? (Often the case sadly) Is there a difference in premises or assumptions? Is there a difference in what is regarded as a good rule of inference? Learn to be surprised by differences of opinion, and to seek out the differ- ences that explain them.
- LO4. Learn to read philosophy: reading philosophy is unlike most other reading that you have to do in the humanities. You must read very slowly, and you must read again and again. Often with a diffi- cult article you will be none the wiser after the first read. Sort out what the conclusion is, where it fits in the debate you are dealing with, how the author’s assumptions help. Read it again. Take some notes. Discuss it with some other students.
- LO5. Learning to research in philosophy, in particular how to use original article database systems via the University Library
- LO6. Understand the nature of the time, causation and identity , and have an informed opinion on the different views in debates in the area(even if it is the opinion that we can’t tell yet!) as to which side is right.
- LO7. See that there is a real problem in both forming the questions, and justifying the answers to them
- LO8. Have an understanding of the ten broad topics we will deal with
Unit availability
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
