LECTURE 2• TWO POPULAR WORLD VIEWS• THE COMMON WESTERN

METAPHYSIC•WHY HAS METAPHYSICS MADE

SO LITTLE PROGRESS?

NATURALISM AND SUPERNATURALISM

NATURALISM: EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS IS A PART OF, OR A CONSTITUENT OF, SPACE-TIME.

THE FUNDAMENTAL LAWS OF PHYSICS GOVERN THE PROPERTIES AND BEHAVIOR OF EVERYTHING. THERE IS NO EXPLANATION OF THE EXISTENCE OF THESE LAWS OR OF THE BEGINNING OF THE UNIVERSE (IF IT HAD A BEGINNING). LIFE AND ITS DEVELOPMENT ARE A RESULT OF THESE LAWS, RANDOM VARIATIONS, AND EVOLUTIONARY DEVELOPMENT. LIFE AND HUMAN BEINGS HAVE NO PURPOSE.

SUPERNATURALISM (ONE KIND: MONOTHEISM)

THERE EXISTS A UNIQUE GOD WHO CREATED THE PHYSICAL WORLD, ITS LAWS, AND EVERYTHING IN IT. HE EXISTS NECESSARILY AND IS OMNISCIENT, OMNIPOTENT AND PERFECTLY GOOD. HUMAN BEINGS WERE CREATED BY GOD TO LOVE HIM

THERE ARE OF COURSE VARIATIONS AND ALTERNATIVES

NATURALISM: RECENTLY PHYSICISTS HAVE SPECULATED ABOUT MULTI-VERSES – SPACE-TIME CONTINUUA DISTINCT FROM OURS AND POSSIBLY CAUSALLY INACCESSIBLE FROM THIS ONE.

SUPERNATURALISM: THERE ARE MANY THEISTIC WORLD VIEWS, SOME ARE POLYTHEISTIC (INVOLVING MANY GODS).

THE COMMON WESTERN METAPHYSIC

ALMOST EVERYONE IN MODERN WESTERN CULTURE PROBABLY BELIEVES SOMETHING LIKE THE FOLLOWING (WHETHER THEY ARE NATURALISTS, SUPERNATURALISTS, OR NEITHER).

THERE ARE A GREAT MANY PHYSICAL THINGS (“MATERIAL OBJECTS”): BUILDINGS, TREES, STARS, PLANETS, BODIES OF PEOPLE, TABLES, CHAIRS, STICKS, SACKS, CABBAGES, KINGS…

SPACE AND OBJECTIVITY

• EVERY PHYSICAL OBJECT IS SOME DEFINITE DISTANCE FROM EVERY OTHER IN SPACE. • MANY OF THESE OBJECTS EXIST

INDEPENDENTLY OF WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE HUMAN BEINGS WITH CONSCIOUSNESS.

CAUSATION AND TIME

• THESE OBJECTS CAN SOMETIMES CAUSE CHANGES IN EACH OTHER.• THINGS HAPPEN IN TIME.

TIME SEEMS TO “PASS” OR “FLOW.”

WHY HAS METAPHYSICS FAILED TO PRODUCE IMPORTANT RESULTS?

(1) METAPHYSICAL QUESTIONS ARE MEANINGLESS. NO WONDER NO ANSWERS HAVE BEEN AGREED UPON (E.G. THE LOGICAL POSITIVISTS.

(2) METAPHYSICAL QUESTIONS ARE TOO DIFFICULT FOR HUMAN BEINGS. (E.G. KANT).

RUDOLF CARNAP(1891-1970)

MORITZ SCHLICK(1882-1936)

CARL HEMPEL(1905-1997)

HANS REICHENBACH(1891-1953)

IMMANUEL KAN(1724-1804)

SOME MITIGATING ANSWERS

THERE ARE OTHER THINGS TO BE SAID ABOUT THIS: PHILOSOPHY (AND A PART OF IT THAT WAS RIGHTLY CALLED METAPHYSICS) HAS HAD SOME IMPRESSIVE SUCCESSES: PHYSICS ITSELF WAS ONCE PART OF PHILOSOPHY. PSYCHOLOGY WAS ONCE PART OF PHILOSOPHY. WHEN A PART OF PHILOSOPHY BEGINS TO PRODUCE CONSENSUS, IT BREAKS OFF – LEAVING THE MORE DIFFICULT QUESTIONS.

IS THERE ANY INFORMATION TO BE GAINED FROM THIS COURSE?

VAN INWAGEN SAYS “NO”. CERTAINLY IT WILL NOT BE INFORMATION OF THIS SORT: “THERE IS A GOD”, “TIME IS NOT REAL”, “WE HAVE FREE-WILL” … . BUT WE WILL STUDY SOME INTERESTING REASONS FOR VARIOUS METAPHYSICAL VIEWS. PHILOSOPHERS MORE OFTEN AGREE ON NEGATIVE RESULTS: THAT DOESN’T WORK, THIS DOESN’T WORK,…

WHY IS METAPHYSICS WORTH DOING?

IF WE DON’T HAVE ANSWERS AND IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THESE QUESTIONS WILL BE SETTLED ANY TIME SOON, WHY SHOULD ANYONE “DO” METAPHYSICS?

WHY DO ANYTHING? MANY OF OUR ACTIVITIES DON’T HAVE MUCH PRACTICAL IMPACT ON THE MAJORITY OF HUMANKIND. SOME OF US CAN’T HELP THINKING ABOUT THESE THINGS AND METAPHYSICS IS RELATIVELY HARMLESS.

INDIVIDUALITY

WHAT IS AN INDIVIDUAL THING?NOT: MODIFICATIONS OF THINGSNOT: MERE COLLECTIONS OF THINGSNOT: EVENTSNOT: STUFFSNOT: UNIVERSALS

MONISM

THERE IS ONLY ONE SUBSTANTIAL THING (“THE ONE”, “THE ABSOLUTE”, “THE ABSOLUTE MIND”, “THE ABSOLUTE IDEA”, “GOD”,…)

TWO WESTERN MONISTS: BARUCH SPINOZA F. H. BRADLEY

BARUCH (BENEDICT) SPINOZA(1632-1677)

FRANCIS H. BRADLEY(1846-1924)