Analytic Metaphysics

The Course

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: Special Topics PHI 598. Registration number: 24232

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]

Recommended background reading

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

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

- 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
• Maureen Donnelly, "Endurantist and Perdurantist Accounts of Persistence"
• E. J. Lowe
• Basic Formal Ontology
• Pieces of a Theory

- February 16 Qualities, Roles, Dispositions and Functions

• Building Ontologies with Basic Formal Ontology, Chapter 5

- February 23: 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 should be submitted in a draft version on or before March 29, and in final form on or before May 3. A powerpoint version will be presented in class in one or other of the two closing sessions .

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 29; deadline for final version: May 3)

3. 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