This course serves as an introduction to traditional philosophical problems about the structure of reality and our attempts at understanding it. We survey topics in metaphysics and epistemology through selected essays largely free of technical terminology.
The concepts covered include perception, skepticism, time, and mind.
Core Questions
Discussions revolve around fundamental questions: Does sense perception enable us to gain knowledge about the world? Can we be certain about the existence of the external world, or must the existence of things outside of us be accepted merely on faith? What do we mean when we say that time passes? Are past and future events real? What is the nature of the mind? Is it non-physical or a mere product of brain processes?
Course Structure
Session 1: Perception
- John Locke: Ideas and the limits of knowledge
- George Berkeley: Idealism and the role of God
- Immanuel Kant: Transcendental idealism and the conditions of experience
Session 2: Skepticism
- René Descartes: Method of doubt and the cogito
- David Hume: Skepticism about causation and induction
- G.E. Moore: Common sense philosophy and proof of an external world
- Ludwig Wittgenstein: Language games and certainty
Session 3: Time
- J.M.E. McTaggart: The unreality of time
- Hilary Putnam: Time and relativity theory
- The nature of temporal passage and the persistence of objects
Session 4: Mind
- René Descartes: Mind-body dualism
- Nicolas Malebranche: Occasionalism and divine intervention
- J.J.C. Smart: Identity theory and materialism
- Thomas Nagel: The hard problem of consciousness
Learning Approach
Each session combines historical analysis with contemporary debates, examining how classical philosophical problems remain relevant to current discussions in philosophy of mind, epistemology, and metaphysics. We explore both the development of ideas and their implications for understanding reality and knowledge.