Undergraduate Course: Philosophical Naturalism (PHIL10220)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
| Course type | Sandwich |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Naturalism as a philosophical doctrine has no one precise definition. Minimally, naturalism suggests that philosophy should in some sense be guided by science, with different forms of naturalism offering a range of proposals as to what such guidance might entail. 'Naturalism' is widely viewed as a positive term, and that a view counts as naturalist carries great weight across diverse philosophical debates.
This course will expressly interrogate the notion of naturalism itself, as well as the role that naturalism plays in a number of different debates. We will consider such questions as: What is the distinction, and relation, between ontological and methodological naturalism? What is the relation between naturalism and physicalism? What arguments are offered for different forms of naturalism? How do different conceptions of naturalism impact on realism/anti-realism debates across different areas of philosophy? What alternatives to naturalism have been proposed? What implications does methodological naturalism have for philosophy itself? |
| Course description |
The aim of the course will be to consider and critically assess both the concept and different forms of naturalism. Naturalism as a philosophical doctrine has no one precise definition. At the same time, 'naturalism' is widely viewed as a positive term, and that a view counts as naturalist carries great weight across diverse philosophical debates. The term typically conveys some kind of connection with science. On the one hand there is the claim that we ought not to count as part of the content of reality things that are not somehow countenanced by science. There is no place in reality for "spooky" or "supernatural" entities. On the other, there is the claim that the scientific way of investigating reality is superior to all others. Both of these claims are philosophical claims and hence need to be subjected to philosophical scrutiny. Naturalism raises two broad groups of questions:
(1) Questions about the relationship between philosophy and science: How might philosophy be guided by the sciences? Are science and philosophy methodologically continuous?
(2) Questions about how to explain or accommodate entities and phenomena that are not obviously countenanced by science (e.g. some mental facts, normative and evaluative facts, mathematical facts, modal facts). Do they have to be reducible to natural (or physical) facts to count as natural and thus real?
This course will engage both types of questions.
Representative topics: ontological naturalism, methodological naturalism and the relation between them; physicalism, naturalism and the relation between them, reductive and non-reductive naturalism, different conceptions of naturalism (e.g. disciplinary, causal, Quinean); the relation between philosophy and science; naturalism in action in specific debates (e.g. ethics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of maths, modality)
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Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Mid term essay (40%) 1500 words
Final essay (60%) 2500 words |
| Feedback |
Guidance will be given in advance of each assignment. This may be in the form of an in-class discussion, a handout, or discussion of a component of the assessed work. Instructor feedback on essay outline and peer feedback provides further formative opportunities ahead of final essay. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the differences between different forms of naturalism
- Identify diverse conceptions of naturalism in the context of particular philosophical debates and critically evaluate their presuppositions
- Think critically about the relation between philosophy and science
- Improved core skills in philosophy, including the ability to interpret and analyse philosophical texts, evaluate arguments, and develop critical ideas in response
- Further developed written communication skills
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Reading List
To keep the readings up to date and to allow different course organisers to emphasise different topics, the following list of readings is merely indicative. Due to time constraints, only selections from the books listed below would be covered and only articles relevant to the particular topics covered in a year would be assigned:
Baker, Lynne Rudder (2013). Naturalism and the First-Person Perspective. Oxford University Press USA.
Craig, W. and J. Moreland (eds.) Naturalism: A Critical Analysis, Routledge (2000)
De Caro, Mario and MacArthur, David (eds). Naturalism in Question, HUP (2004)
De Caro, Mario & Macarthur, David (eds.) (2022). The Routledge Handbook of Liberal Naturalism. Routledge.
Ladyman, James & Ross, Don (2007). Every Thing Must Go: Metaphysics Naturalized. Oxford University Press.
Maddy, Penelope. Second Philosophy, OUP 2007.
Price, Huw. Naturalism Without Mirrors, OUP 2010
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Through the lecture component of the course, students will learn about particular first order debates in different sub-fields of philosophy and be introduced to the meta-philosophical questions that arise from these first-order debates. This will help them understand broader perspectives, as well as foster an understanding of the role of philosophy in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding. In tutorials, students will learn how to evaluate arguments for and against viewpoints, how to articulate cogent arguments; how to allow themselves to be challenged by views they may disagree with. In preparation for tutorials, students are asked to read research articles and book chapters, which will help them learn how to critically read and analyse difficult texts and how to evaluate arguments for and against viewpoints. As this is a metaphilosophical course, this will include different viewpoints on philosophical methodology. Through the written assessments, students will learn how to write clear and structured arguments; how to show an understanding of the materials; how to formulate original arguments; how to manage time and workload.
Core skills gained or developed on this course:
Challenging own perspectives and assumptions; Critical analysis and evaluation; Formulating original arguments and justifying it; Academic reading skills; Research skills; Resilience; Self-reflection; Time management; Understanding broader perspectives; Written communication; Writing clearly and concisely; Oral communication (discussion, debating respectfully, influencing); Preparation, planning and organisation; Reflecting on research methodology; Understanding the role of philosophy in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jo Wolff
Tel: (0131 6)50 3649
Email: jo.wolff@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Catriona Keay
Tel:
Email: ckeay4@ed.ac.uk |
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