Undergraduate Course: Philosophy of Time Travel (PHIL10125)
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) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course is an introduction to the key debates and ideas in the Philosophy of Time Travel. |
| Course description |
Students who successfully complete this course will have received a thorough grounding in all philosophical aspects of the current time travel debate and should be equipped to discuss critically a range of relevant, contemporary philosophical issues in metaphysics and elsewhere. Students will be encouraged to engage critically with the works of such important figures as David Lewis, Kurt Gödel, Kristie Miller, D. H. Mellor and Robin Le Poidevin, amongst others.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017) AND
Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014)
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students studying on MA Cognitive Science (Humanities) are permitted to take this course without having met the pre-requisites of Mind, Matter and Language and Knowledge and Reality. However, it is advisable that students discuss the suitability of the course with their Student Adviser and the Course Organiser before enrolling. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have completed at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. **Please note that honours Philosophy courses are high-demand, meaning that they have a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited number of spaces.** These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
|
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 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Midterm essay (1,500 words) - 40%
Final essay (2,500 words) - 60%
|
| Feedback |
- Feedback on essay outlines and plans
- Feedback on summative assignments
- Feedback via one-to-one meetings, e.g. via office hours (on-campus or online), etc.
- Feedback via opportunities to try out ideas via extended classroom discussion. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Enjoy a thorough grounding in all philosophical aspects of the current time travel debate.
- Explore different definitions of time travel and articulate all the classic problems associated with it.
- Deploy analytical and philosophical skills on issues in contemporary philosophy of time travel, philosophy of time, metaphysics and even (if desired) the philosophies of physics and computation.
- Develop detailed knowledge of all aspects of the philosophical time travel debate and the range of issues on which it impacts.
- Be equipped to discuss critically a range of relevant, contemporary philosophical issues in (e.g.|) freedom versus determinism, laws of nature, personal identity, etc.
|
Reading List
Sample reading list:
- David Lewis, 'The Paradoxes of Time Travel', The American Philosophical Quarterly, 13, 1976: 145-52.
- Phil Dowe, 'The Case for Time Travel', Philosophy, 75, 2000, 441-451.
- Robin Le Poidevin, 'The Cheshire Cat Problem and Other Spatial Obstacles to Backwards Time Travel', The Monist, 88, 2005: 336-352.
- Richard Hanley, 'No End in Sight: Causal Loops in Philosophy, Physics and Fiction', Synthese, 141, 2004: 123-52.
- Nicholas J. J. Smith, 'Bananas Enough for Time Travel?', British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 48, 1997: 363-89.
- J. Meiland, 'A Two-Dimensional Passage Model of Time for Time Travel', Philosophical Studies, 26, 1975: 153-73.
- Stephanie Rennick, 'Things Mere Mortals Can Do, But Philosophers Can't', Analysis 75, 2015:22-26. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
In this course, students will learn the following skills in the following ways. Through seminars and readings, they will learn how to critically read and analyse difficult texts; how to look for the wider context; 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. Through the assessments, students will learn how to write clear and structured arguments; how to show an understanding of the materials; how to do research; how to manage time and workload.
Core skills gained or developed on this course:
Being open to different perspectives; Challenging own perspectives and assumptions; Critical thinking; Critical analysis and evaluation; Preparation, planning and organisation; Problem solving; Academic reading skills; Report writing; Research skills; Time management; Workload management; Written communication; Writing clearly and concisely; Self-reflection; Resilience |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Alasdair Richmond
Tel: (0131 6)50 3656
Email: A.Richmond@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Kayla Johnson-McCraw
Tel: (0131 6)50 3440
Email: Kayla.Johnson@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage