Tuesdays, 4:30-6:50. TBA.
| Andrew Bacon | office: 224 STO | email: abacon@usc.edu | in person office hours by appointment | zoom |
In the first half of the course we will be reading texts of historical and contemporary figures (Hume, Leibniz, Bolzano, Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Lewis, Sider, Dorr).
In the second half of the semester we will discuss a book draft I am currently writing on metaphysical analysis.
Minimal Foundations: A Modal Theory of Metaphysical Analysis Bacon.
| dropbox | signup sheet | guidelines for writing a paper proposal |
In the metaphysics literature, roughly three relations connecting the more fundamental to the less fundamental have been studied. They are, respectively, the notion of supervenience, ground, and metaphysical analysis. While there has been much work developing the former two notions precisely, there has been comparatively little work on the latter.
Throughout history, however, philosophers have been attracted to a certain kind of metaphysical foundationalism which appeals to the notion. On this picture, there are atoms of metaphysical analysis (``fundamental entities’’), in terms of which everything has a unique metaphysical analysis.
In this course we will be looking at historical and contemporary accounts of metaphysical analysis, as found in writers such as Leibniz, Bolzano, Frege, the logical atomists, Lewis, Sider and Dorr. In the latter half of the course we will look at a draft of a manuscript I am currently writing.
There are no prerequisites.
I reserve the right to move these deadlines around depending on where we are in the material.
Paper Project:
Proposal. 10%
Submit a detailed proposal of what you intend to do your final project on.
Presentation. 10%
Present an idea for a paper project in class.
This is an early draft of the syllabus. Readings will be expanded on nearer the time.
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Please come to class ready to learn, and prepared to engage in class discussions. Clarificatory questions are always appreciated, and can be helpful to your classmates. Be constructive in your interactions with other students, and try when possible to help each other out.
Laptops, phones and other distractions must be out of sight during class. I encourage students to take handwritten notes; if you have a special reason to use an electronic device contact me about it.
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This course will follow the expectations for academic integrity as stated in the USC Student Handbook. All students are expected to submit assignments that are original work and prepared specifically for the course/section in this academic term. You may not submit work written by others or “recycle” work prepared for other courses without obtaining written permission from the instructor(s). Students suspected of engaging in academic misconduct will be reported to the Office of Academic Integrity.
Other violations of academic misconduct include, but are not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, fabrication (e.g., falsifying data), knowingly assisting others in acts of academic dishonesty, and any act that gains or is intended to gain an unfair academic advantage.
The impact of academic dishonesty is far-reaching and is considered a serious offense against the university and could result in outcomes such as failure on the assignment, failure in the course, suspension, or even expulsion from the university.
For more information about academic integrity see the student handbook or the Office of Academic Integrity’s website, and university policies on Research and Scholarship Misconduct.
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