Module PHL2108 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL2108: Fundamental Ontology
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
The philosophers listed are indicative. The texts chosen may deviate from those mentioned below.
- The problem of change in ancient Greek philosophy – Zeno, Parmenides, Heraclitus, Democritus, Plato
- Aristotle on substance – Aristotle
- Cartesian dualism and responses – Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz
- Idealism – Berkeley, Kant, Hegel
- Materialism – Democritus, Hobbes, Marx
- Neutral Monism – Spinoza, Mach
- Process and the critique of substance – Whitehead
- Physicalism and the place of philosophy – Sandra Mitchell, Quine, Carnapp
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
---|---|---|
28.5 | 121.5 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
---|---|---|
Lectures | 17.5 | 11 x 90 minute lectures |
Tutorials | 11 | 11 one hour tutorials |
Guided independent study | 33 | Assigned reading associated with lecture and tutorials |
Guided independent study | 10 | Preparation for in-class discussion |
Guided independent study | 33 | Preparation for assigned essay |
Guided independent study | 47.5 | Exam Revision and private study |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Aristotle’s Metaphysics (Ross translation available at http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/metaphysics.html)
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Basic reading:
Lloyd, G.E.R. (1970) Early Greek Science: Thales to Aristotle. Norton (New York, London)
Collingwood, R.G. (1945) The Idea of Nature OUP (Oxford)
Woolhouse, R.S. (1993), Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz: The Concept of Substance in Seventeenth Century Metaphysics. Routledge (London, New York)
Rescher, N. (2000), Process Philosophy: A survey of Basic Issues. University of Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh)
Selections from…
Spinoza’ Ethics (1996) Penguin Classics translated by Edwin Curley
Leibniz (1992) Discourse on Metaphysics and Other Essays: Translated and Edited by Garber, D. and Ariew, R. Hackett (Indianapolis)
Whitehead, A.N. (1946) Science and the Modern World, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge)