Chapter 1: Overview of metaphysics

Chapter 2: Existence, substance, change, identity

Chapter 3: Space and Time

Chapter 4: Realism, idealism, and anti-realism

Chapter 5: Freedom, determination, and fatalism

• Freedom of the will: We could have done differently.
• Determinism: Every action is determined by past events.
• Libertarianism: From 'Liberty', freedom. We have free will.
• Soft-determinism: Determinism and Libertarian free will are compatible.
• Principal of alternate possibilities: We could have done otherwise.
• Determinism is distinct from causation.
  • Determinism is a positional belief.
  • Causation is a mechanical theory.
  • Difference is that of Atheism and Gravity.
• Frankfurt:
  • Applies a 2nd order desire theory to defend Soft-Determinism.
  • 1st order desires are what our bodies will.
  • 2nd order desires are what we will to will.
  • The ability to will what you will is freedom of the will.
    • The lack of internal constraints.
  • Freedom of action is lack of external constraints.
  • Principal of Alternate Possibilities is unnecessary for FoW.
    • Necessary for freedom of action.
• Searle:
  • So much of our biology is put into experiencing FoW.
    • Determinism makes this appear trivial.
      • It probably isn't.

Chapter 6: Causation

• Hume's Fork
  • Relation of ideas
    • A priori
  • Matters of fact
    • A posteriori knowledge
  • Rejects the principal of uniformity of nature
    • IF this is not assumed, then a posteriori knowledge means nothing.
• Relata
  • Two: Cause and effect
  • A causes B to happen.
• Counterfactual analysis
  • B if and only if A.
  • If Cause had not happened, Effect could not have.

Chapter 7: Possibility and necessity

• A priori: No experience
• A posteriori: Through experience.
• Necessary: Required in all possible worlds.
• Possible: Not required in all possible worlds.
• Analytic: True by virtue of terminology.
• Synthetic: Not true due to terminology.

Chapter 8: Personal identity, bullshit, and social reality