Nature and Culture

Nature and Culture

Fall Semester 2023, Monday 1-3:40pm, including special weekend session on November 6-7 (block course on Matter featuring Jobst Landgrebe)

(PHI 420/520) Registration

Undergraduate [1]

Graduate [2]

Venue: Park 141

Instructors:

Barry Smith

Jobst Landgrebe

Prerequisites: Open to all persons with an undergraduate degree and some knowledge of philosophy

Office hours: By appointment via email at phismith@buffalo.edu

The Course

Course Description: Monism is the view that there is only one kind of entity in the universe, namely matter. Dualism is the view that there is a second kind of entity, namely mind. On a simple account, we might identity nature with the sum total of what is material, and culture with the creations of the mind. This course will take this simple account as its starting point, focusing especially on questions such as:

what is nature?

what is culture?

how do we treat cultural entities -- such as laws, debts, works of music, theorems in mathematics and models in physics -- which are not made of matter?

what does it mean to say that something is made of matter?

is everything in nature made of matter?

The course will have a strong ontological emphasis. In the block seminar on matter on November 4-5 it will also dig deeply into matters of physics.

Course Structure: This is a three credit hour graduate seminar.

The final session will be structured around powerpoint presentations by the students in the class. These presentations will be recorded.

Target Audience: The course is open to all interested students with an undergraduate degree and some knowledge of philosophy.

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Draft Schedule

September 11: Introduction to the Course

Massively Planned Social Agency

September 18: Making Space

Readings:

The natural, cultural, cognitive and social niches of human activity

A political ontology of territorial boundaries

Environments Inside and Outside the Organism

November 4-5: Matter (with Jobst Landgrebe) (weekend block course)

Saturday

09:00 Matter: Overview and history since Democritus, 1

10:15 Break

10:30 Matter: Overview and history since Democritus, 2

12:00 Lunch

12:30 Quantum field theory (Overview: Quantum field theory and matter)

13:45 Break

14:00 Quantum field theory (Introduction to the theory, 1)

15:15 Break

15:30 Quantum field theory (Introduction to the theory, 2)

17:00 Close

Sunday

09:00 Quantum field theory (Introduction to the theory, 3)

10:15 Break

10:30 Quantum field theory (Introduction to the theory, 4)

12:00 Lunch

12:30 Metaphysical consequences

13:45 Break

14:00 Matter: What next?

Student Learning Outcomes

Program Outcomes/Competencies	Instructional Method(s)	Assessment Method(s)
The student will acquire a knowledge of the philosophy of both the natural and social sciences.	Lectures and class discussions	Review of reading matter and associated online content and participation in class discussions
The student will acquire experience in using the methods of philosophical argument, in formulating complex propositions on the interrelations between between matter and mind and between nature and culture	Participation in practical experiments	Review of results
The student will acquire experience in formulating ideas using powerful persuasive prose.	Creation of documentation and youtube presentations	Review of results

How to Write an Essay

Steven Pinker, The Sense of Style, Penguin Books, 2014

Strunk and White, The Elements of Style

Harvard's guide to writing philosophy

Jim Pryor's guide to writing philosophy

Jordan Peterson's Essay Writing Guide

How to Use ChatGPT to write an essay

Important Dates

Sep 7	- about now start to discuss by email the content of your essay or essays with Dr Smith
Sep 25	- submit proposed title and abstract
Oct 10	- submit a table of contents and 300 word summary plus draft of associated ppt slides
Oct 20	- submit first draft of essay (~1000 words) and associated powerpoint (~10 slides)
Nov 15	- submit second draft of essay (~2000 words) and associated powerpoint (~10 slides)
Nov 20	- class presentation
Dec 10	- submit final version of essay and powerpoint and upload final version of video to youtube

Grading

Grading will be based on two factors:

I: understanding and criticism of the material presented in classes 1-13

All students are required to take an active part in class (and where relevant on-line) discussions throughout the semester.

II: preparation of an essay, and associated powerpoint slides and recorded presentation.

Content and structure of the essay should be discussed with Dr Smith.

Grading Policy: Grading follows standard Graduate School policies. Grades will be weighted according to the following breakdown:

Weighting Assignment

20% - class discussions

15% - youtube video presentation

15% - powerpoint slides

50% - essay

Final Grades

Percentages refer to sum of assignment grades as listed above

Grade Quality Percentage

A	4.0	90.0% -100.00%
A-	3.67	87.0% - 89.9%
B+	3.33	84.0% - 86.9%
B	3.00	80.0% - 83.9%
B-	2.67	77.0% - 79.9%
C+	2.33	74.0% - 76.9%
C	2.00	71.0% - 73.9%
C-	1.67	68.0% - 70.9%
D+	1.33	65.0% - 67.9%
D	1.00	62.0% - 64.9%
F	0	61.9% or below

An interim grade of Incomplete (I) may be assigned if the student has not completed all requirements for the course. An interim grade of 'I' shall not be assigned to a student who did not attend the course. The default grade accompanying an interim grade of 'I' shall be 'U' and will be displayed on the UB record as 'IU.' The default Unsatisfactory (U) grade shall become the permanent course grade of record if the 'IU' is not changed through formal notice by the instructor upon the student's completion of the course.

Assignment of an interim 'IU' is at the discretion of the instructor. A grade of 'IU' can be assigned only if successful completion of unfulfilled course requirements can result in a final grade better than the default 'U' grade. The student should have a passing average in the requirements already completed. The instructor shall provide the student specification, in writing, of the requirements to be fulfilled.

The university’s Graduate Incomplete Policy can be found here.

Related Policies and Services

Academic integrity is a fundamental university value. Through the honest completion of academic work, students sustain the integrity of the university while facilitating the university's imperative for the transmission of knowledge and culture based upon the generation of new and innovative ideas. See http://grad.buffalo.edu/Academics/Policies-Procedures/Academic-Integrity.html.

Accessibility resources: If you have any disability which requires reasonable accommodations to enable you to participate in this course, please contact the Office of Accessibility Resources in 60 Capen Hall, 645-2608 and also the instructor of this course during the first week of class. The office will provide you with information and review appropriate arrangements for reasonable accommodations, which can be found on the web here.

University suppert services: Students are often unaware of university support services. For example, the Center for Excellence in Writing provides support for written work, and several tutoring centers on campus provide academic success support and resources.

Available resources on sexual assault: UB is committed to providing an environment free of all forms of discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, domestic and dating violence and stalking. If you have experienced gender-based violence (intimate partner violence, attempted or completed sexual assault, harassment, coercion, stalking, etc.), UB has resources to help. This includes academic accommodations, health and counseling services, housing accommodations, helping with legal protective orders, and assistance with reporting the incident to police or other UB officials if you so choose. Please contact UB’s Title IX Coordinator at 716-645-2266 for more information. For confidential assistance, you may also contact a Crisis Services Campus Advocate at 716-796-4399.

Counselling services: As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning or reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. These might include strained relationships, anxiety, high levels of stress, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, health concerns, or unwanted sexual experiences. Counseling, Health Services, and Health Promotion are here to help with these or other concerns. You learn can more about these programs and services by contacting:

Counseling Services: 120 Richmond Quad (North Campus), phone 716-645-2720

Health Services: Michael Hall (South Campus), phone: 716-829-3316

Health Promotion: 114 Student Union (North Campus), phone: 716- 645-2837