Identity has been among the central concerns of Philosophy, from Parmenides to David Lewis. What are the formal properties of identity? Is identity necessary? What is the relationship between essence and identity? When is a thing existing at a certain time identical to a thing existing at a different time? And, more specifically, when is a person existing at a certain time identical to a person existing at a different time? Is identity absolute or relative? Real or constructed? What is the relationship between qualitative identity and numerical identity, in particular, does qualitative identity entail numerical identity? Is a material thing identical to the matter of which it is made? These are some of the questions about identity that have preoccupied philosophers for centuries and still preoccupy them. The topic of identity is indeed one of the basic topics of metaphysics, and a long list of philosophical big names have made significant contributions to the understanding of identity: Aristotle, Locke, Leibniz, Hume, Russell, Wittgenstein, Kripke, and Parfit, to mention a few.
This 6-day research-oriented course is designed to familiarize participants with the latest advances in the philosophical debates about identity and related matters. The specific topics to be discussed will be the logic of identity and identity and modality; identity and essence; identity and indiscernibility; time, composition and identity; and personal identity. The course will be delivered by five leaders in their fields, and they will not only introduce those topics but also discuss their latest research on them. Participants will not only be able to interact with the course faculty in the classroom, but also during course breaks, and during lunch and dinner.
The course will follow a seminar format, and classes will be interactive with active involvement from the participants. There will be readings assigned for each class and the participants will be expected to familiarize themselves with the topics by reading the material. The course is open to graduate students (both masters and doctoral students) and early career philosophers with a background and research interest in philosophical issues concerning identity and/or metaphysics more generally.
Time permitting, selected participants may have occasion to present their own research.
Target group
This course is intended for advanced masters & doctoral students and early-career researchers. Undergraduates without a university degree will not be considered.
Pre-requisites
Enrollment in the course does not require a degree in philosophy, but all applicants must have a strong prior background in analytic philosophy. The typical applicant would be an advanced master’s/doctoral student whose research focuses on issues related to identity, or a post-doctoral researcher or an early career faculty member interested in getting up to date with the state of research. Applicants must clearly state their academic background and their motivation for doing the course in their application.
Language requirement
The language of instruction is English, thus all applicants have to demonstrate a strong command of spoken and written English to be able to participate actively in discussions at seminars and workshops. Some of the shortlisted applicants may be contacted for a telephone interview.
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://summeruniversity.ceu.edu/identity-logic-and-metaphysics-2020/eligibility