Fall 2005. Tuesday and Thursdays, 11:15-12:30, Herter 119.
Prof. Brad Skow. (follow link for contact information.)
Schedule subject to change; check this page for updates.
Last update: 11/30/05.
'(CP)' indicates readings in the course pack. All required readings not on the internet, in the course pack, or in a textbook will be handed out in class.
'*' indicates optional secondary reading. The Garber and Bennett readings are available for xerox in the grey cabinet in the hall of the philosophy department. (Undergraduates: if you want to copy these readings, you may take them out of the building to the library to xerox, but you MUST BRING THEM BACK when you are done.)
Note that Jstor can only be accessed by using a computer on UMass's network.
| Part I: Space and Time | ||
| 9/8 | Introduction | Handout |
| 9/13, 9/15 | Cartesian Relationalism Descartes, Principles of Philosophy, part II (CP). *Garber, 'Descartes' Physics,' in The Cambridge Companion to Descartes. *Bennett, Learning from Six Philosophers, volume 1, chapters 2-3. |
Outline Questions Handout |
| 9/20, 9/22 | Newtonian Absolutism Newton, 'De Gravitatione,' pp. 12-29. Newton, Principia, pp. 59-93. *Rynasiewicz, 'Newton's Views on Space, Time, and Motion,' sections 4-7. Note on the Principia reading: Pay special attention to the Scholium to the definitions (pp. 64-70) and Corollary V; skim the rest. You do not need to follow all of the mathematics. |
Handout |
| 9/27, 9/29 | Leibnizian Relationalism Leibniz and Clarke, Correspondence: Leibniz's 2nd letter, $1-$2; Clarke's 2nd letter, $1-$2; Leibniz's 3nd letter, $1-$8; Clarke's 3rd letter, $1-$8; Leibniz's 4th letter, $1-$20, $41, postscript; Clarke's 4th letter, $1-$19, $41; Leibniz's 5th letter, $26-$29, $33-$35, $47, $52-$58, $105, $125-$130; Clarke's 5th letter, $21-$32, $52-$54. |
Handout |
| 10/4, 10/6 | Machian Relationalism Barbour, The End of Time, chapter 3, pp. 39-46; chapters 5 and 7 (CP). *Pooley and Brown, 'Relationalism Rehabilitated? I: Classical Mechanics,' sections 4-5. (Philsci archive) |
Handout |
| 10/11, 10/13 | Relationalism and the Structure of Space; Incongruent Counterparts Huggett, 'Geometry and Topology for Relationalists' (skip section 4). Pooley, 'Handedness, Parity Violation, and the Reality of Space' (skip appendix A). |
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| 10/18, 10/20 | Conventionalism and the Measurement of Time Poincare, 'The Measure of Time,' sects. I-V (CP). Le Poidevin, Travels in Four Dimensions, Chapter 1. van Fraassen, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Time and Space, III.2. |
Handout |
| Part II: Spacetime | ||
| 10/25, 10/27 | Galilean Spacetime Geroch, General Relativity from A to B, chapters 1-3. |
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| 11/1, 11/3 | Minkowski Spacetime Geroch, General Relativity from A to B, chapters 4-5. |
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| 11/8, 11/10 | Minkowski Spacetime, continued Geroch, General Relativity from A to B, chapter 6. |
Handout Supplement 1 |
| 11/15, 11/17 | Traveling Faster than Light Arntzenius, 'Causal Paradoxes in Special Relativity.' (Jstor) |
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| 11/22 | Time in Special Relativity Putnam, 'Time and Physical Geometry.' (Jstor) Stein, 'On Einstein-Minkowski Space-Time.' (Jstor) |
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| 11/29, 12/1 | Relativity and Relationalism Geroch, General Relativity from A to B, chapter 7. Sklar, Space, Time, and Spacetime, pp. 206-221 (CP). Maudlin, 'Buckets of Water and Waves of Space,' sections 5-6. (Jstor) |
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| 12/6, 12/8 | Time in General Relativity Stein, [introduction to Godel's paper.] Godel, 'A remark about the relationship between relativity theory and idealistic philosophy.' Belot, 'Dust, Time, and Symmetry,' sections 1-3. (Philsci archive) |
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| 12/13 | Final Exam | |
| 12/16 | Final Papers due |