The Nature of Reality

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2014:

an anverage of 8.5 hours per week

None.

None.

One of the following subjects is recommended but not required:

None.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Our central question in this subject will be the extent to which our everyday experiences are determined by the nature of the world itself versus the extent to which they're determined by the structure of our own minds. Our approach to this question will be multi-faceted, drawing on philosophical texts and films, as well as our personal experiences. In Unit 1, Our Access to the External World v. The External World In-Itself, we'll discuss Realism v. Idealism. Is the world really as it seems intuitively to be to us (Realism) or is it just a projection of our minds (Idealism). The starting point of our discussion will be the film Inception. In Unit 2, The Nature of Material Objects, we'll ask whether the world comes ready made with objects such as trees, rocks, and coke bottles or whether objects are constructed out of our responses to the world. We'll watch the film The Gods Must Be Crazy and discuss the extent to which our individuation of the world into objects is influenced by our cultural background. In Unit 3, Modality: Necessity & Possibility, we'll ask whether there are necessary facts (e.g. Necessarily 2+2=4) and possibility facts (e.g. Possibly I'll visit Sydney next month) independent of us or whether necessity and possibility arise from our way of viewing the world. We'll watch the film Sliding Doors. In Unit 4, Time, we'll look at the nature of time. Does only the present moment exist or does reality consist of many moments of time - some past, some present, and some future? Is there really any such thing as time or is it, as Kant says, just a feature of our minds? We'll look at the philosophical assumptions made by the film The Time Traveler's Wife.

On completing this subject students will:

• have a critical understanding of the main issues in contemporary analytical metaphysics.
• have developed skills in philosophical reasoning concerning issues covered.
• be in a position to go on to more advanced work in this area.

Written assignment of 1000 words, 30% (due mid-semester), written assignment of 2000 words, 50% (due end of semester), two in-class quizzes, each the equivalent of 500 words, 10% each.

Hurdle Requirements: A hurdle requirement of a minimum attendance at 80% of tutorials applies in this subject. Regular participation in tutorials is required. Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10% per day, after 5 working days late assessment will not be marked. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject..

A subject reader will be available at the university bookshop at the beginning of semester.

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

Students who successfully complete this subject should:

• develop familiarity with the main issues in contemporary metaphysics and ability to understand how metaphysics fits with other disciplines, and how it applies outside academia.
• develop the ability to think critically and systematically about abstract intellectual problems, and the ability to apply such abstract reasoning to concrete situations.
• develop the ability to read critically and to analyze ideas (one's own and those of the authors read) orally and in writing.