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  6. PH302N: ONTOLOGY

PH302N: ONTOLOGY (2014-2015)

Last modified: 28 Jun 2018 10:27


Course Overview

Ontology is the branch of metaphysics that studies questions of existence. Are there numbers? Are there properties? Are there tables and chairs? If there are numbers, do they exist in the same way as tables and chairs? And what is existence, anyway? The course has three parts. We start off with a historical overview of the topic, and then we investigate some of its central notions. Finally, we undertake a case study of one of the classic questions of ontology.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 3
Term First Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus None. Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Thomas Brouwer

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

None.

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

It has been claimed that the problem of ontology can be phrased in a three-word question: What is there? Despite this easy formulation of the question, the answer has proved to be difficult through the history of philosophy. This course explores some main questions of both classic and contemporary ontology, connected to the notions of being and existence. Some such questions are: Is being univocal? Is there a distinction between being and existence, and between there is and exists? What does the Kantian motto, Existence is not a predicate, mean? Is existence a property? Is the notion of existence captured by the existential quantifier of elementary logic?The course includes a broad historical overview, starting from the pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides, going through Plato's theory of being, Aristotle's criticisms of it, and the ontology of major Medieval thinkers like Aquinas and Avicenna. Next, the modern positions of Hume, Leibniz, and Kant on the subject are investigated. Finally, the inquiry turns to contemporary philosophy, analytic ontology, and the philosophy of quantification of such authors as Frege, Russell, Quine, Peter van Inwagen, Nathan Salmon, and Graham Priest.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt: Level 3 students: one 1,500 word essay (50%) plus 1 two-hour examination (50%).

Failure to submit a component piece of assessed work, or submitting a token piece, will result in the withdrawal of the class certificate.

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Feedback

Comments attached to the evaluation of essays will be returned to students. Comments attached to the evaluation of final exam will be available to students.

Course Learning Outcomes

None.
 

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