All programmes > Metaphysics: Advanced Course

Metaphysics: Advanced Course (B-KUL-W0Q13A)

6 ECTSEnglish39 First termCannot be taken as part of an examination contract
Tegtmeyer Henning
This course is not taught this academic year, but will be taught next year. This course is not taught this academic year, but will be taught next year.
POC Philosophy (internationaal)

Aims

The purpose of this course is (1) to acquaint students with important texts and debates in the history of metaphysics, (2) to deepen their knowledge of the various transformations metaphysics underwent, and (3) to let them critically engage with the relevant metaphysical texts and selected secondary literature.

At the end of the course, students should be able to

  • give an account of the historical and cultural context of the relevant texts;
  • identify, explain, compare, and contrast the ideas and arguments that are put forward in these texts;
  • present their understanding and assessment of elements of the texts and their context during the discussions in class;
  • present their understanding and assessment of the texts and their context in the form of one or more essays that meet the criteria of an academic paper.

Previous knowledge

Students should have a basic knowledge of metaphysics and its history.

Is included in these courses of study

Activities

6 ects. Metaphysics: Advanced Course (B-KUL-W0Q13a)

6 ECTSEnglishFormat: Lecture39 First term
Tegtmeyer Henning
POC Philosophy (internationaal)

Content

The content of the course and the teacher change from year to year.

In 2023-24 the course will taught by Henning Tegtmeyer. It will focus on Leibniz's Theodicy (1710).

It has become common among contemporary theologians and philosophers of religion to reject or even ridicule Leibniz's defence of God's goodness and his claim that God created the best possible world. Leibniz's argument is often said to be the product of an extreme and one-sided rationalism or even the expression of a distinctively modern form of hubris. And yet his ideas are deeply rooted in scholastic thinking. In this course, we will carefully study and discuss Leibniz's Essay on Theodicy, with a special focus on whether and how it manages to deal with "horrendous evils" (Marilyn McCord Adams).

 

Course material

The study material will be made available on Toledo.

Format: more information

Interactive lectures, including group discussions and discussions in small groups. Students are required to read the assigned texts beforehand and to participate in the discussions.

Evaluation

Evaluation: Metaphysics: Advanced Course (B-KUL-W2Q13a)

Type : Partial or continuous assessment with (final) exam during the examination period
Description of evaluation : Oral, Paper/Project

Explanation


The exam consists in three small written assignments, two of which are based on presentations, (30 %) and a final essay of 3000-3500 words (70 %). All assignments must be submitted in order to pass. Students are required to meet with the teacher during the exam period to receive feedback on their essays. This meeting is obligatory but does not affect the grade.

Students should inform themselves about the faculty guidelines with regard to plagiarism and about the general faculty guidelines for papers and bibliographical referencing.

Information about retaking exams

Sufficient partial grades remain valid during the third exam period. Presentations are mandatory but will not be graded and cannot be retaken.