Philosophy 232 - CONTEMPORARY METAPHYSICS

This course surveys the responses of contemporary philosophers to central questions in metaphysics, including those related to: the essence of humans, our ability to persist through change, and ability to will freely; the nature of objects and their properties; causation, time, and time travel; what exists, and how we can talk about what does not exist, including fictional entities; how what could be true and must be true relates to what is true; and whether the world is mind-independent, including whether categories such as race and gender are natural kinds. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or permission of the instructor. (E)