Debates in theoretical philosophy

Basic Information

Course modules 2026/2027
Lecturer
Sven Rosenkranz
Fabrice Correia
Semester
2nd.
Department
Department of Philosophy
University
Universitat de Barcelona
Module
Module 3. Research Seminar in Theoretical Philosophy
Code
570631
Credits
5
Language
English

Dates

Schedule
10:00 - 13:00 everyday during the indicated period

Description

The course consists of a one-week intensive introduction to the topics of the course, given by Sven Rosenkranz (25/01/2025 to 29/01/2025), followed by a one-week intensive course given by Prof. Fabrice Correia from the University of Geneva, Switzerland (01/02/2025 to 05/02/2025). The aim of the course is to cover some of the main currents in contemporary metaphysics of time, with special emphasis on realist theories of tense, permanentist and temporaryist ontologies, the logic and semantics of future contingents, and the extent to which relativistic physics poses a threat to certain metaphysical theories of time.

 

Structure and Contents

 

Views about tensed discourse

What is tensed discourse? What are the assumptions about tense that underlie temporal logic? What does it mean ‘to take tense seriously’ in the context of metaphysical enquiry?

 

The A-theory and the B-theory of time

Traditionally, metaphysical theories of time are distinguished into so-called A-theories and B-theories. Similarly, some theories are typically characterised as ‘dynamic’ and others as ‘static’. What do these distinctions amount to?

 

Temporal ontology: presentism, the growing block theory, and permanentism

Presentists typically hold that everything is present, while the growing block theory is typically glossed as the view that some things are present, some things past, while everything is either present or past. Permanentism also countenances things that are future. How do we have to understand the universal quantifier in each case? What does it mean to say that something is past, or that it is present, or that it is future?

 

The problem of future contingents

Future contingents are statements about the future whose truth-value is not predetermined by what is going on in the present or was going on in the past. Can such statements still have a determinate truth-value? How does this question relate to the question of whether the future is open?

 

Identity through time

What is it for an object to persist through time? Do objects that so persist have temporal parts? Does change imply identity through time? Can an object be self-identical even at times when it does not exist?

 

Time travel

Is time travel at all conceptually possible? If it is not, why not? If it is, then what is the best account of what is going on when someone travels through time? And what metaphysical claims does it presuppose?

 

A-theories and B-theories of time in a relativistic setting

Classical theories of time presume a clear separation of time and space and think of time as akin to a line that each moment divides into past, present, and future. Relativistic physics challenges these assumptions. What can philosophers of time say in response?

Learning outcomes

C05 – Apply philosophical knowledge and critical skills developed in new practical contexts and situations. (Type: Competence)

C06 – Use diagnostic abilities and creativity to solve philosophical problems. (Type: Competence)

C07 – Develop autonomous learning skills based on the capacity for analysis, reflection, synthesis, broad perspectives, and advanced critical reasoning. (Type: Competence)

C08 – Design research projects independently, identifying the topic, objectives, and appropriate methodologies for the corresponding philosophical research project. (Type: Competence)

H07 – Critically assess lines of argumentation in specialised philosophical articles. (Type: Skill)

K09 – Identify the central theories and arguments of contemporary theoretical philosophy. (Type: Knowledge)

H02 – Use information sources critically and responsibly in accordance with the standards of analytic philosophy. (Type: Skill)

K05 – Defend conclusions, as well as the knowledge and underlying reasons supporting them, before both specialist and non-specialist audiences in a clear and unambiguous manner. (Type: Knowledge)

K06 – Discuss problems independently within the field of contemporary theoretical philosophy. (Type: Knowledge)

K07 – Illustrate the practical implications of one of the contemporary theories discussed. (Type: Knowledge)

Methodology

The course will combine lectures given by the course instructors with seminar-like discussions to which students are expected to actively contribute.

Evaluation

Evaluation will be based on active participation in class and a final essay, of around 3000 words, on a pertinent question to be agreed with the course instructors. The course instructors may schedule additional oral exams to ensure student essays were not just AI-generated. Essays count for 75% and classroom participation counts for 25%.

Bibliography

A definite reading list will be distributed in early 2027. But the following titles are anyway well worth having a look at beforehand. An engaging, easily accessible book on the metaphysics of time is

Mellor, H., Real Time II, London 1998: Routledge.

 

Students may also want to read the articles in the section on ‘Time, Space-Time, and Persistence’ of

Loux, M. J. and Zimmerman, D. W. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Metaphysics, Oxford 2003: Oxford University Press.

An excellent collection of more recent essays on the philosophy of time is

Callender, C. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Time, Oxford 2011: Oxford University Press.

A good selection of older but very influential texts on the topics of the course can be found in the section on time in:

Van Inwagen, P. and Zimmerman, D. W. (eds.), Metaphysics: The Big Questions, 2nd edition, Oxford 2008: Wiley-Blackwell.