Metaphysics and Humans - PHI00017C
Module summary
This module explores three central metaphysical questions concerning human existence: Are we free? What constitutes our persistence over time? And in what ways does the social world shape our identities? We begin with debates on free will and moral responsibility, then examine theories of personal identity, including psychological, animalist, and narrative approaches. The final section addresses social metaphysics, investigating the criteria by which certain categories - such as gender, race, and disability - may be understood as socially constituted. Throughout, the module engages both classical philosophical problems and contemporary debates, illustrating how metaphysical inquiry can illuminate questions of human freedom, selfhood, and the organization of social reality.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2026-27 |
Module aims
- To introduce students to ideas and arguments in metaphysics that are exciting and have real-world relevance;
- To foster an appreciation of some of the key issues in the debates about free will, personal identity and social metaphysics;
- To introduce students to the critical study of demanding texts;
- To give students an appreciation of how different areas in philosophy connect with each other;
- To make students reflect on the nature of philosophical inquiry and sources of philosophical knowledge;
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- understand and explain a range of key problems, issues, and debates about free will, personal identity and social metaphysics and express this understanding in clear, precise, and accessible terms;
- develop and articulate ranges of alternative solutions to problems about free will, personal identity and social metaphysics in an open-minded way, drawing on module materials;
- develop and articulate arguments for the alternative solutions considered in relation to problems and issues about free will, personal identity and social metaphysics, drawing on module materials, identifying some points of weakness and some potential points for development;
- make a judgement about what is the best view on a particular problem about free will, personal identity or social metaphysics and argue in defence of this judgement;
- identify some of their strengths and weaknesses by evaluating their own work in relation to departmental marking criteria;
- apply simple strategies for improving their work, based on critical reflection, advice, and feedback.
Module content
We will introduce the idea of metaphysics, one of the main subfields of philosophy. The metaphysician asks, about the phenomenon they are interested in: ‘What is the nature of this phenomenon?’ This contrasts with an epistemological approach (‘How do we know about this phenomenon?) and an ethical approach (‘Is this phenomenon good or bad?’). We can do metaphysics of any domain. In this module we’ll be looking at the metaphysics of ourselves, of human-beings. We’ll do this from three different angles.
In doing the metaphysics of free will, we ask about how free will ought to be defined, whether free will is compatible with the laws of nature being deterministic and, whether if it isn’t compatible, it is more plausible to conclude that we are not free, or that the laws of nature cannot be deterministic.
In doing the metaphysics of personal identity, we will explore psychological and animalist theories of personal identity. We will also explore the ideas that identity over time might not be as important as it initially seems, and that identity over time might be a narrative construction.
In doing social metaphysics, we will ask what it means for something to be a ‘social construction’, and see why viewing something as a social construction is not a way of saying that it does not exist, or is not real. We will consider how to decide whether something (e.g. race, gender, disability) is a social construction.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100.0 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100.0 |
Module feedback
All formative and summative feedback will be returned in accordance with University and Departmental policy.
Indicative reading
- Alyssa Ney (2014): Chapter 9 (‘Free Will’) of Metaphysics. Routledge.
- Harry Frankfurt, (1971). Freedom of the will and the concept of a person. Journal of Philosophy 68 (1):5-20.
- Kristin Seemuth Whaley, ‘Psychological Approaches to Personal Identity: Do Memories and Consciousness Make Us Who We Are?’, https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2022/02/03/psychological-approaches-to-personal-identity/
- Derek Parfit (1971). Personal identity. Philosophical Review 80 (1):3-27.
- Sally Haslanger (2000). ‘Gender and race: (What) are they? (What) do we want them to be?’ Noûs 34 (1):31–55.
- Charles W. Mill (1998). "But What Are YouReally?": The Metaphysics of Race.InBlackness Visible: Essays on Philosophy and Race. Cornell University Press. pp. 41-66.