PHIL 411 - Advanced Topics in Metaphysics

Ancient Greek Science
This course on ancient Greek science focuses on Aristotle’s physics, biology, astronomy, and meteorology and ends with special attention on his relationship to the Hippocratic writings On Regimen, On Flesh, and On Ancient Medicine. While Aristotle and his philosophical predecessors sought theoretical explanations for natural phenomena, ancient doctors had the more practical objective of inquiring into nature in order to harness its power for the production of health. How does ancient medicine navigate a path between the theoretical project of philosophy and the practice of ancient magic, with which it shares practical goals?

Ontology
This course will consider several contemporary debates concerning ontology, including whether a minimalist (sometimes called “nihilist”), common-sense, or plenitudinous ontology of (material) objects has a stronger claim to being true; the ontology of the social (groups, “socially constructed” entities); whether “abstract” objects exist and what their abstractness consists in; and the “meta-ontological” issue of the nature of ontological commitment.

Time and Modality
Through close reading and discussion of ancient, medieval, and contemporary texts, this course investigates the natures and existence of diachronic modalities-modalities that appear to be sensitive to temporal matters, such as future contingencies, past necessities, and what is inevitable or “could not have been otherwise.”

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group I
Prerequisite(s): One 300-level PHIL course
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Repeatable for Credit: May be taken up to 4 times for credit if different topics.
Notes: Not all topics offered every year. Review schedule of classes for availability. This course meets the department’s metaphysics requirement.

Ancient Greek Science: This course meets either the departments history of philosophy or metaphysics requirement.
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Understand how arguments can be made, visions presented, or feelings or ideas conveyed through language or other modes of expression (symbols, movement, images, sounds, etc.).
Analyze and interpret texts, whether literary or philosophical, in English or a foreign language, or works of the visual or performing arts.
Evaluate arguments made in or about texts (whether literary or philosophical, in English or a foreign language, or works of the visual or performing arts).