Philosophy 593S - S- Space and Time

The focus of this course will be the debate between substantivalism and relationalism with respect to space, time, and spacetime, both in a classical and relativistic setting. Substantivalism (with respect to space) is the view that space exists as a substance independently of the material objects that occupy it. Relationalism is the opposing view that only material objects exist, and that facts about space reduce to facts about spatial relations between those objects. The first half of the course will examine the debate with respect to classical physics by examining the arguments of Newton and Leibniz and contemporary perspectives on those arguments. We will also consider the issue of handedness: in virtue of what is a left-handed glove different from its mirror-image right-handed glove? The second half of the course will introduce the spacetime framework that is the foundation of the special and general theories of relativity. We will consider the debate between conventionalists and realists with respect to the geometry of spacetime. And we will examine the famous "hole argument" against spacetime substantivalism. Finally, we will ask how the geometry of spacetime in relativity theory has implications for the debate between the A-theory and the B-theory, for the objective passage of time.

2 PHIL one 300/above (UG only) The prerequisites for the course are at least two previous philosophy courses, at least one of which is 300-level or above. The math and physics needed for the course will be presented as we go; but a background of at least high school physics would be very useful.