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== '''The Course''' ==  
== '''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.  
This course presents an introduction to ontology from a philosophical perspective. Topics to be dealt with include the ontology of deontic entities (such as claims, obligations, laws), realism vs anti-realism (and why realism is better), things vs. processes, ontology of language, ontology of emotions, ontology of documents and other information artifacts, money, and the environments in which organisms live.


Department of Philosophy: Special Topics PHI 598. Registration number: [http://www.buffalo.edu/class-schedule?switch=showclass&semester=spring&division=GRAD&dept=PHI&regnum=24232 24232]
Department of Philosophy: Special Topics PHI 598.  


'''Time''': Tuesdays, 1-3:50pm, Spring 2016
Registration number:  


'''Room''': 141 Park Hall, UB North Campus
'''Time''': Asynchronous online
 
'''Room''': N/A


'''Instructor''': [http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith Barry Smith]  
'''Instructor''': [http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith Barry Smith]  


'''Office hours''': Tuesdays, 12:15-1pm and by appointment via email to [mailto:phismith@buffalo.edu]  
'''Office hours''': By appointment via email to [mailto:phismith@buffalo.edu]  


<div class="noautonum">__TOC__</div>
<div class="noautonum">__TOC__</div>
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== '''Recommended background reading''' ==
== '''Recommended background reading''' ==


:R. Arp, B. Smith, A. D. Spear, ''[https://mitpress.mit.edu/index.php?q=books/building-ontologies-basic-formal-ontology Building Ontologies with Basic Formal Ontology]''
:John R. Searle, ''Making the Social World''
:John R. Searle, ''Making the Social World''
:E. J. Lowe, ''The Four Category Ontology''
:E. J. Lowe, ''The Four Category Ontology''
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== '''Schedule''' ==
== '''Schedule''' ==


== February 2: Analytic Metaphysics: Introduction and Historical Background==
== Analytic Metaphysics: Introduction and Historical Background==
Aristotle
Aristotle
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/What'sWrong.pdf What's Wrong with Contemporary Philosophy?]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/book/austrian_philosophy/ Austrian Philosophy]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/napflion.pdf Objects and Their Environments: From Aristotle to Ecological Ontology]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/book/P&M/pieces.pdf Pieces of a Theory]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/1.ppt Slides]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/1.ppt Slides]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZG0-71Qk6s Video]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZG0-71Qk6s Video]


== February 9: Ontology of Deontic Entities ==
== Ontology of Deontic Entities ==
:[https://mitpress.mit.edu/index.php?q=books/building-ontologies-basic-formal-ontology Building Ontologies with Basic Formal Ontology, Chapter 5]
:[https://mitpress.mit.edu/index.php?q=books/building-ontologies-basic-formal-ontology Building Ontologies with Basic Formal Ontology, Chapter 5]
:[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaFnMesr6uQ Massively Planned Social Agency]
:[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaFnMesr6uQ Massively Planned Social Agency]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWN4Uo-GjjE Document Acts and the Ontology of Social Reality]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/SearleIntro.pdf John Searle: From Speech Acts to Social Reality]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/SearleIntro.pdf John Searle: From Speech Acts to Social Reality]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/2.pdf Slides] [[Contents]]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/2.pdf Slides] [[Contents]]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Vefe5p6p4 Video]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Vefe5p6p4 Video]


== February 16: Ontology of Deontic Entities (continued) ==
== Ontology of Deontic Entities (continued) ==
:[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaFnMesr6uQ Massively Planned Social Agency]
:[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaFnMesr6uQ Massively Planned Social Agency]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/3.pdf Slides]  
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/3.pdf Slides]  
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:See also materials [http://ncorwiki.buffalo.edu/index.php/Workshop_on_BFO_and_the_Ontology_of_Social_Entities_2016 here]
:See also materials [http://ncorwiki.buffalo.edu/index.php/Workshop_on_BFO_and_the_Ontology_of_Social_Entities_2016 here]


== February 23: Ontological Realism ==
== Ontological Realism ==
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/bfo/IUC.pdf Individuals, Universals and Collections]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/fiat.htm Fiat Objects]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/fiat.htm Fiat Objects]
:[http://link.springer.com.gate.lib.buffalo.edu/article/10.1007%2Fs11098-010-9526-z Endurantist and Perdurantist Accounts of Persistence]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/4.pdf Slides]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/4.pdf Slides]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcyKZKxFx5A Video]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcyKZKxFx5A Video]


== March 1: Material Entities and Process Profiles ==  
== Material Entities and Process Profiles ==  
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/Classifying_Processes.pdf Classifying Processes: An Essay in Applied Ontology]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/Classifying_Processes.pdf Classifying Processes: An Essay in Applied Ontology]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/material_entities.pdf On Classifying Material Entities in Basic Formal Ontology]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/material_entities.pdf On Classifying Material Entities in Basic Formal Ontology]
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:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAmBUNB2amU Video]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAmBUNB2amU Video]


== March 8:  Mind, Language, Intentionality, Emotions, Truth, and Aboutness ==
== Mind, Language, Intentionality, Emotions, Truth, and Aboutness ==
:[http://ncor.buffalo.edu/2015/icbo-aboutness.pdf About Aboutness]
:[http://ncor.buffalo.edu/2015/icbo-aboutness.pdf About Aboutness]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/STIDS-2013.pdf Information Artifact Ontology]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/STIDS-2013.pdf Information Artifact Ontology]
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:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBKsupBquok&feature=youtu.be Video 2: About Aboutness]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBKsupBquok&feature=youtu.be Video 2: About Aboutness]


== March 22: Document Acts==  
== Document Acts==  
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/document-acts.pdf Document Acts]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/document-acts.pdf Document Acts]
:[http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/aborghin/Articles/Philosophy_of_Food/Borghini_2015_JAEE_WhatIsARecipe.pdf What is a Recipe?]
:[http://college.holycross.edu/faculty/aborghin/Articles/Philosophy_of_Food/Borghini_2015_JAEE_WhatIsARecipe.pdf What is a Recipe?]
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:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRZzYR6_jho Video]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRZzYR6_jho Video]


== March 29: Money==
== Money==


:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/searle.pdf The Construction of Social Reality]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/searle.pdf The Construction of Social Reality]
:[http://www.phil.gu.se/posters/festskrift2/mnemo_johansson.pdf Money and Fictions]
:[http://www.phil.gu.se/posters/festskrift2/mnemo_johansson.pdf Money and Fictions]
:[http://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Emerging-Media-Understanding-Appreciation/dp/0190260750 Toward a Science of Emerging Media]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/8.ppt Slides]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/8.ppt Slides]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-wmjYbcDBg Video]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-wmjYbcDBg Video]


== April 5: The Ontology of Classification==
== The Ontology of Classification==


:[http://hl7-watch.blogspot.com/2008/02/weight-of-baby.html The Weight of the Baby]
:[http://hem.passagen.se/ijohansson/function1.pdf Functions, Function Concepts, and Scales]
:[http://hem.passagen.se/ijohansson/function1.pdf Functions, Function Concepts, and Scales]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/partitions.pdf Granular Partitions]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/9.ppt Slides]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/9.ppt Slides]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3Y5sfnvd5Y Video]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3Y5sfnvd5Y Video]


== April 12: Organisms and Environments ==
== Organisms and Environments ==


*How to do biology across the Genome
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/bio/berg.pdf Aristotle's Theory of Definition]
*The central role of the Gene Ontology (GO) and Open Biomedical Ontologies (OBO)
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/bio/logic_of_classes.pdf The Logic of Biological Classification and the Foundations of Biomedical Ontology]
*The ontology of relations
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/niches.pdf The niche]
*How to understand biological universals
*[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/bio/berg.pdf Aristotle's Theory of Definition]
*[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/bio/logic_of_classes.pdf The Logic of Biological Classification and the Foundations of Biomedical Ontology]
*The ontology of biological taxa
*[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/niches.pdf The niche]
 
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/eruv.pdf On Place and Space: The Ontology of the Eruv]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/10.pdf Slides]
:[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/courses16/Analytic_Metaphysics/10.pdf Slides]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPzPU5k4vn4 Video]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPzPU5k4vn4 Video]


== April 19: Debate with John Searle on Free-Standing Y-Terms==
== Debate with John Searle on Free-Standing Y-Terms ==
 
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaQ7Q5I4kj4 John Searle: Language and Social Ontology]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBWXz-Ot0mI&list=PLyngZgIl3WTht-ilt-WpUhCv7rbB1Crd9&index=17 Video]
:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBWXz-Ot0mI Barry Smith: Debate with John Searle]
 


== Grading and Related Policies and Services ==
== 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 [http://grad.buffalo.edu/Academics/Policies-Procedures/Grading-Procedures.html here]
For policy regarding incompletes see [http://grad.buffalo.edu/Academics/Policies-Procedures/Grading-Procedures.html here]

Latest revision as of 18:14, 25 April 2024

The Course

This course presents an introduction to ontology from a philosophical perspective. Topics to be dealt with include the ontology of deontic entities (such as claims, obligations, laws), realism vs anti-realism (and why realism is better), things vs. processes, ontology of language, ontology of emotions, ontology of documents and other information artifacts, money, and the environments in which organisms live.

Department of Philosophy: Special Topics PHI 598.

Registration number:

Time: Asynchronous online

Room: N/A

Instructor: Barry Smith

Office hours: By appointment via email to [1]

Recommended background 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

Schedule

Analytic Metaphysics: Introduction and Historical Background

Aristotle

Slides
Video

Ontology of Deontic Entities

Building Ontologies with Basic Formal Ontology, Chapter 5
Massively Planned Social Agency
John Searle: From Speech Acts to Social Reality
Slides Contents
Video

Ontology of Deontic Entities (continued)

Massively Planned Social Agency
Slides
Video
See also materials here

Ontological Realism

Fiat Objects
Slides
Video

Material Entities and Process Profiles

Classifying Processes: An Essay in Applied Ontology
On Classifying Material Entities in Basic Formal Ontology
Slides
Video

Mind, Language, Intentionality, Emotions, Truth, and Aboutness

About Aboutness
Information Artifact Ontology
Slides
Video 1
Video 2: About Aboutness

Document Acts

Document Acts
What is a Recipe?
Slides
Video

Money

The Construction of Social Reality
Money and Fictions
Slides
Video

The Ontology of Classification

Functions, Function Concepts, and Scales
Granular Partitions
Slides
Video

Organisms and Environments

Aristotle's Theory of Definition
The Logic of Biological Classification and the Foundations of Biomedical Ontology
The niche
Slides
Video

Debate with John Searle on Free-Standing Y-Terms

John Searle: Language and Social Ontology
Barry Smith: Debate with John Searle

Grading and Related Policies and Services

For policy regarding incompletes see here

For academic integrity policy see here

For accessibility services see here