Analytic Metaphysics

This course consists in an overview of central themes in analytic metaphysics viewed from a broadly realist perspective. We begin with a historical overview of analytic metaphysics and a discussion of general categories such as universals, particulars, processes, dispositions and functions. We then extend these general categories to specific areas such as social reality, documents and document acts, disease, money, and war. The course will be of interest not only to philosophers but also to those interested in ontological applications.

Department of Philosophy: PHI 531. Registration number: 23975

Time: Tuesdays, 1-3:50pm, Spring 2016

PLEASE NOTE: The first session will take place on February 2

Room: 141 Park Hall, UB North Campus

Instructor: Barry Smith

Office hours: By appointment via email at [1]

The Course

Reading:

John R. Searle, Making the Social World

E. J. Lowe, The Four Category Ontology

Roman Ingarden, The Literary Work of Art. An Investigation on the Borderlines of Ontology, Logic, and Theory of Language

R. Arp, B. Smith, A. D. Spear, Building Ontologies with Basic Formal Ontology

- February 2: Analytic Metaphysics: Introduction and Historical Background

• Aristotle
• Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein
• Husserl and the Polish School
• Contemporary Analytic Metaphysics
• Universals and Particulars

- February 9: Things and Processes; Parts and Wholes

• Eddy Zemach
• 3-Dimensionalism and 4-Dimensionalism
• E. J. Lowe
• Basic Formal Ontology
• Pieces of a Theory

- February 16 Qualities, Roles, Dispositions and Functions; Acts of Measurement

• Building Ontologies with Basic Formal Ontology, Chapter 5

- February 23: Use of Ontologies in Tracking Systems: Truth, Reference and Aboutness

• Truthmakers
• About Aboutness

- March 1: Mind and Language

• The Primacy of the Intentional

- March 8: Actions, Intentions and Plans

• Massively Planned Social Agency

- March 22: Document Acts

• John Searle: From Speech Acts to Social Reality
• Document Acts

Grading and Related Policies and Services

All students will be required to take an active part in class discussions throughout the semester and to prepare a paper on some relevant topic. The paper be submitted in a draft version on or before March 22, and in final form on or before May 3. A powerpoint version will be presented in class at the end of the semester.

Your grade will be determined in three equal portions deriving from:

1. class participation (2.5% per class attended)

2. paper (3000 words; deadline for draft: March 22; deadline for final version: May 3)

5. class presentation (graded according to quality of powerpoint slides, quality of delivery and quality of response to questions)

For policy regarding incompletes see here

For academic integrity policy see here

For accessibility services see here