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PHYSICS AND PHILOSOPHY

HANDBOOK

2004 - 2005

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

Joint Committee for Physics and Philosophy

Physics and Philosophy Handbook 2003-2004

Getting started

Each degree course at Oxford has a unique organization, and Physics and Philosophy (PP) is no exception. You will have much in common with students taking Physics degrees, but there are important differences. You should remember that the PP degree is not the responsibility of the Department of Physics but of the Standing Joint Committee for Physics and Philosophy (SJCPP). And whilst you should read this handbook alongside the Physics Handbook - to which you will often be referred - you should remember that yours is a distinct degree course and that you have legitimate needs and concerns of your own. This Handbook is intended to address them. First year students are advised to read the Introduction (Section 1), and the first two parts of Section 2, Structure of the Course; you will also need more logistical information from Section 4. But by the end of your first year you should have carefully read all of Sections 2 and 3, to familiarize yourself with the whole of the course. In your second year you will have to make choices about your degree, and you will need to understand what those choices entail.

Physics and Philosophy (PP) is a relatively small school at Oxford, but there is a thriving physics and philosophy community all the same; dispersed though it is among the colleges, you will find that there are frequent opportunities to meet with others on the course. But it is for you to make the effort. You should use e-mail to keep in touch with each other and with your tutors and lecturers, and there is a dedicated Philosophy of Physics Website (http://users.ox.ac.uk/~ppox/) that presents an overview of all activities in philosophy of physics at Oxford, and up-to-date information on every aspect of the course, from lecture schedules, course materials and reading lists to the visiting research seminar and announcements of coming events, with links to the Physics Website, the Philosophy Website, and elsewhere. More important still, you should introduce yourselves on your arrival at Oxford, to each other and to some of the faculty whom you will be seeing regularly throughout the course. Get to know your fellow physicists. You must attend the induction for all students entering physics degree courses (including PP). It is held on the Friday of the week before full term begins (“0th Week”), from 2.15 pm to 4.15 pm. To keep the numbers manageable, students are split by college into two groups that start at different places and then swap over at half-time. You should start in the Nuclear and Astrophysics Laboratory Lecture Theatre if you are a member of Balliol, Brasenose, Exeter, Jesus, Magdalen, Mansfield, Merton, Pembroke, Queen’s, St. Catherine’s, St. John’s, St. Edmund Hall, Wadham, or Worcester College, and you should start in the Martin Wood Lecture Theatre in the Clarendon Laboratory otherwise.

You must also attend the safety lecture that is held on Monday of the first week of Michaelmas Term at 2 p.m. in the Martin Wood Lecture Theatre, Clarendon Laboratory. Only those who attend are allowed to work on the Physics Practical Course. Unlike your fellow students in Physics, you do not have to do any practicals in your first year, but � provided you have attended the safety lecture � you may do one or more practicals (by arrangement with your tutor) if you wish. You will have to have completed three practicals by the end of your second year. Get to know your fellow PP students. Come to the Introductory Meeting for Physics and Philosophy, held immediately following the Induction for Physics, at the Philosophy Centre, 10 Merton Street, at 5.00 pm (in 2004, on October 8). This is a small meeting catering only for first-year PP students; here you can meet one another and some of your tutors and lecturers, and ask questions about any aspect of the course. Later in the year, come too to the annual Physics and Philosophy Tea Party, also at the Philosophy Centre, usually held at the beginning of Trinity Term on Friday of 0th Week, open to PP students from all the years of the course. It is at the Tea Party that the student representative on the SJCPP is elected.

Comments on this Handbook, as on any other aspect of the course, are welcome. Contact Dr Harvey Brown on [email protected].

CONTENTS

1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 4

2 The Structure of the Course ..................................................................................................................... 6

2.1 Overview ................................................................................................................................................ 6 2.2 The first year .......................................................................................................................................... 9 2.3 The Second Year................................................................................................................................... 10 2.4 The Third Year..................................................................................................................................... 11 2.5 The Fourth Year................................................................................................................................... 13 2.5a This section applies only to those entering their fourth year in October 2005 or ............................. 13 2.5b This section applies only to those entering their fourth year in October........................................... 15 2.6 The Class of Degree.............................................................................................................................. 15 2.7 Choosing your Options ........................................................................................................................ 16

3 Academic Life .......................................................................................................................................... 19

3.1 Teaching .............................................................................................................................................. 19 3.2 Research .............................................................................................................................................. 20 3.3 Examinations ...................................................................................................................................... 21 3.4. Assessment of Class............................................................................................................................ 22 3.5. Illness ................................................................................................................................................... 23 3.6. The Awarding of your Degree ........................................................................................................... 24 3.7. Changing your Course ........................................................................................................................ 24

4 University Institutions and Facilities ..................................................................................................... 26

4.1 Contacts................................................................................................................................................. 26 4.2 The Department of Physics and the Philosophy Centre.................................................................... 26 4.3 Libraries................................................................................................................................................ 27 4.4 Computing ............................................................................................................................................ 29 4.5 Scholarships, Prizes, and Grants ........................................................................................................ 29

5 Afterwards ............................................................................................................................................... 31

Appendix 1: Study Guide.............................................................................................................................. 32 Appendix 2: Syllabuses for Public Examinations in Philosophy ............................................................... 34 Appendix 3: Aims and Objectives of all Joint Schools involving Philosophy........................................... 44 Appendix 4: Feedback and Redress ............................................................................................................. 46


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1 Introduction The Oxford University Physics Department is one of the largest in the UK, with an average annual intake of about 180 undergraduates of whom 120 study for a MPhys, 45 for a BA in Physics and 15 for a BA in Physics and Philosophy. There are about 70 academic staff based in six sub-departments: Astrophysics; Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics; Atomic and Laser Physics; Condensed Matter Physics; Particle Physics; and Theoretical Physics. These represent the main areas of research carried out in the department.

The Philosophy Faculty of Oxford comprises one of the largest teaching and research groups in philosophy in the world. Unlike physics, it is not constituted as a department; neither is there a degree in philosophy alone. Rather, philosophy can only be taken as part of an undergraduate degree, in combination with other subjects. In all there are seven such degrees involving philosophy. Some have large numbers of candidates: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) has more than 500 each year. Physics and Philosophy (PP) is much smaller, with between 10 and 20 students each year. In numbers and organization it is closest to Mathematics and Philosophy (MP), the only other undergraduate degree involving philosophy that leads to a Masters qualification. Philosophy is taught in lectures, classes, and tutorials, but it is also a reading and writing discipline: philosophy, like problem solving, is an activity. Your tutor is there to direct your reading and to give you critical feedback on your understanding of your readings and on your essays. To make the most of tutorials, you have to prepare for them well. Your lecturers are there to present you with an overview of a given field in philosophy of a group of topics. The core lectures in philosophy correspond to particular philosophy subjects and their associated examination papers (and are usually named after them); they are clearly marked as such in the Philosophy Lecture Prospectus and the Philosophy Lecture List (available from the PP website). An informal description of all philosophy subjects open to you is included in Appendix 2 of this Handbook. Although core lectures are not compulsory, you may be seriously disadvantaged in examinations if you have not attended them. Some core lecture courses may be accompanied by faculty classes, which pursue topics of the lectures and provide a forum for debate and discussion of individual lectures and readings. Faculty classes also contain a written element; attendance of them is required. Email. It is essential that you use email. It will be used to send you important information about your course. Please check your mail regularly, and do not exceed your user allocation, as this will prevent you from receiving new mail. The IT support staff in your college will set up an email account for you. Lecture Lists. Separate PP Lecture Lists are published before the start of each term. The most up-to-date versions are available on the following web sites: Philosophy - www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk Physics - www.physics.ox.ac.uk Data Protection. You should have received from your college a statement regarding personal student data, including a declaration for you to sign indicating your acceptance of that statement: please contact your college's Data Protection Officer if you have not. Further information about data protection within the University can be found at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/councilsec/oxonly/dp/. For smaller degree schools like PP and MP you may find yourself alone in your year in your college. The Philosophy Centre at 10 Merton Street can provide you with an alternative sense of community on the course. It comprises a library and facilities for tutorials, lectures and seminars, but also a tea room, a computing room and photocopying facilities, and the offices of some of the core faculty and visitors in philosophy of physics. The Philosophy Library is a lending library directed specifically to the needs of undergraduates. There you will also find reading lists, and up to date information on lecture courses and lecture handouts. You should enrol there as soon as you can (see the part on libraries in Section 4, University Facilities). Its holdings in philosophy subjects that you will study for the PP are quite comprehensive, although you will find the Radcliffe Science Library is also well-stocked in philosophy of science and philosophy of physics - and, naturally, in physics.

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The Philosophy Centre is generally open from 09.30 to 17.25, Monday to Friday (16.25 outside of weeks 0 - 9). The administrative offices are closed between 13.00 and 14.00. The Centre is sometimes open for evening meetings, or when its component Library has longer hours. The Centre is closed for about ten days at Christmas and Easter, and for five weeks from the beginning of August to early September. For general guidelines on how to deal with any difficulties that you may have with your college or tutor, see the Appendix Feedback and Redress. Students in joint degrees involving philosophy are sometimes a minority among those taking degrees in the allied field, and it is important that you have a voice and that your needs can be heard. To this end there are a number of consultation mechanisms operating and it is very important that you participate in them. See too the first part of Section 4, Contacts.


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2 The Structure of the Course 2.1 Overview Aims and Objectives “Physics, and physics alone, has universal coverage” (W.V. Quine); but Quine was a philosopher; it is philosophers who must engage with every branch of science. Physics and philosophy have a special relationship: they both aim to give a truly universal account of the world, and of our place and our knowledge within it. Their history is inextricably linked, and the stimulus for each lies in part in the other. Physics and Philosophy began as a degree course at Oxford in 1969. It was designed from the outset to train students to a high level of scientific and humanistic literacy. It prepares you for graduate study in either discipline, but teaching as it does a broad range of technical and analytic skills, it provides a springboard to almost any profession. The aims and objectives of the Masters degree include those of the four-year Masters degree in Physics, and include those prescribed for all the undergraduate degree courses involving philosophy: see the Section on Aims and Objectives in the Physics Handbook and Appendix 3 of this Handbook respectively. There are also aims specific to the PP course: in physics, to study in depth the meaning of fundamental physical principles and to acquire a mastery of theoretical physics; in philosophy, to critically evaluate contemporary doctrines in metaphysics and the theory of knowledge, including the philosophy of science, and to pursue independent study and write an essay for examination in each philosophy subject taken in the fourth year. In addition the aim of the course is to provide an understanding of foundational and philosophical aspects of contemporary physics; the latter is called the philosophy of physics. In the first year the objectives are to learn most of the mathematics and formal logic that will be needed in subsequent years, and the elements of mechanics and special relativity. A further objective is to study the historical and philosophical context in which mechanical concepts were first introduced, in the ideas of Galileo, Descartes, Newton and Leibniz. In the second and third year the objective is to acquire a broad understanding of theoretical physics, and, in philosophy, to read and to analyze the writings of a number of the most important philosophers in analytic metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of science. It is further to study the philosophy of physics proper: to study the foundations of special relativity and of quantum mechanics. In the fourth and final year you face more in depth study, appropriate to a Masters degree, and broader choices: you may specialize in either physics or philosophy or continue in both together. Further, you can choose among all the options you have prepared for quite freely. It is an important aim of the PP degree to prepare you for graduate work in either discipline, physics or philosophy, depending on your inclination; or for you to continue in the philosophy of physics proper. In 2000-01 the University of Oxford embarked on a new initiative: to explore collaborations in teaching and research with Princeton University. There is now a research partnership in PP that has included joint workshops and exchanges of graduate students; for those entering the fourth year from October 2005, it is our aim to offer the possibility, should you wish, and subject to finding a suitable exchange student at Princeton, of spending the fourth year entirely at Princeton. Teaching For teaching of physics subjects, see the Physics Handbook. Philosophy lectures are generally given in the Philosophy Centre or in the neighbouring Examination Schools. They provide the backbone of the degree: it is the material covered in lecture courses (not courses of tutorials) that dictates the questions set for examinations.

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Faculty classes sometimes supplement lecture courses, and usually run in tandem with them. They also contain a written element. You will be assigned to classes in the same way as tutorials, and attendance is compulsory. Cases of absenteeism will be reported to your college. There are three lecture courses specifically designed for the PP degree: the Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence in the first year, Intermediate Philosophy of Physics in the second and third years, and Advanced Philosophy of Physics in the fourth year. Tutorials and faculty classes are provided in tandem with each course, to be arranged by your college tutor. The arrangement of Tutorials is the responsibility of your college. In the week preceding each full term, you should meet with your college tutors (in physics and in philosophy) and with your subject tutors - who may be attached to other colleges - for the subjects you will study in that term. The tutorial system at Oxford provides highly personalised guidance on your studies - in particular to give you feedback on your written work and on problem-solving exercises - but it only functions properly if you prepare for them well. Tutorials are not individualised lectures, they do not provide synopses of topics or of books. For the great majority you will have written an essay or completed a problem set, and invariably you will have studied a prearranged topic: in tutorials your own reasoning and argumentation will also be searchingly scrutinized. At the end of each term you will be given a report on your progress in tutorials and classes, but your tutor is not formally examining you, and your tutor’s opinion of you plays no part in determining the class of your degree - your tutor is there only to assist you in your studies. For more detailed advice on what to expect from tutorials, see the first part of Section 3, Teaching. For details relating to the PP degree course, see below. Although the focus in physics of the PP degree is theoretical rather than practical, nevertheless the course does meet all the aims and objectives of the 3-year Physics BA. To that end, you have to complete three days of practicals by the end of your second year. For teaching arrangements, see the sections marked “Practical Work” in the Physics Handbook, in years 1-3. Vacations British degree courses are among the shortest in the world. They hold their own in international competition only because they are full-time courses, covering vacations as well as terms. This is particularly true of Oxford, where the eight-week terms (called Full Terms) occupy less than half the year. Vacations have to include time-off from study, and very likely they include time-off to earn money, but still study in vacations is vital to completing the degree. Sometimes you will be assigned specific tasks to do in vacations, but you should always review the material you have learned the term before. Usually, in the week before each teaching term begins (0th week), your college will require you to take written tests (called Collections). They do not count towards your degree classification; they are intended to help you and your college tutor to prepare you to take your final examinations. You will only profit from taking collections if you have prepared for them! Examinations Like every other degree course at Oxford, the syllabus of the PP degree is set by the University, which grants degrees and is ultimately responsible for examining for them. Only the teaching of the course is shared between the University and the college. The PP syllabus prescribes the subjects of the University examinations: the first-year examinations (called Moderations or Mods), and the final examinations, for the Final Honour School (FHS). You can only enter the FHS in PP when you have satisfactorily completed the first-year examinations.1 The FHS of the new PP degree is now split into three parts: Part A, to be taken in your second year, Part B in your third year, and Part C in your fourth year; see sections 2.3.b and 2.4.b. for further details of the syllabuses etc for Part C for 2004 - 2005.

1 Graduates of other universities can apply through their colleges for Senior Status, which exempts them from having to

take a Public Examination in their first year.


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All these examination are Public Examinations. This means that you are examined subject to rigorous standards of care, fairness and impartiality. Among other things they require that you be examined anonymously. Your examiners may not know your identity; your name will not appear on any of your scripts, so there can be no personal prejudice or bias operating either for you or against you. In Physics and Philosophy the class of your degree is determined entirely by your performance in Public Examinations, so this guarantee extends to your degree classification. It also follows that it will depend only on your knowledge at the time of examining, so there is plenty of time to consolidate your understanding and for your studies in one subject to reinforce those in another. Syllabuses for all the philosophy papers are published annually in the University's Examination Regulations (also called The Grey Book); informal descriptions are provided in Appendix 2. Informal descriptions of these and other FHS options in philosophy, along with the recommended preparation for each subject (normal prerequisites), are also provided. Syllabuses for the physics papers in PP Finals Parts A, B and C may be found in the Appendices to the Physics Handbook, as detailed in sections 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5a and 2.5b. For general guidelines on how scripts are marked, and criteria for awarding degree classifications, see Section 3.4, Examinations. Those who enter the FHS in October 2003 or later and who satisfactorily complete the fourth year will be eligible to petition for a Masters degree, the M.PhysPhil, but those who, for whatever reason, do not wish to proceed to the fourth year, or who begin but do not complete the fourth year or who otherwise fail to complete it satisfactorily, will be eligible only for the B.A., as determined by their performance in Part A and Part B of the FHS. Those entering the FHS in October 2002 must complete the fourth year to obtain an honours degree, which may be a B.A. or a Masters degree, the M.Phys, depending on specialization in the fourth year. The Oxford-Princeton Exchange Subject to finding a student concentrating in either Physics or in Philosophy at Princeton University with whom to exchange, you may if you wish elect to spend your fourth year at Princeton instead of at Oxford. You will pay no additional fees for such an exchange and there you will be treated exactly as is every other Princeton student in your elective department in their fourth year. For general information about Princeton University, and life as a Princeton undergraduate, go to the Princeton website. You will have to make your own travel arrangements, so as to arrive in Princeton for the start of their academic year by the end of August, but medical insurance and accommodation will be arranged for you by Princeton University. Bursaries of up to £3000, paid by Oxford University, will be available for successful exchange candidates, for travelling and relocation expenses. Whilst you will not have to pay the tuition fee for your year at Princeton (currently about $35,000) you will have to pay for all housing and living expenses, just as you do at Oxford. The cost of living in Princeton is comparable to that in Oxford. If you are successful in obtaining an exchange, you should do all that you can to reserve a room in your college for the fourth year, to be taken by your partner in the exchange. (You will not, however, be penalized if your college has no accommodation available.) If you are interested in entering for an exchange you should consult with the Chair of the SJCPP well in advance, and in any event before the end of the Hilary Term of your third year. Application forms for the exchange can be downloaded; a link is provided from the Philosophy of Physics website, under “teaching” and “the Oxford-Princeton Exchange”.

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2.2 The first year Syllabus and Examinations PP Moderations consists of five written papers, three in physics and mathematics (referred to as Physics and Mathematics) and two in philosophy. There are no optional papers in the first year. The three papers in physics and mathematics are: CP1 Mechanics and Special Relativity CP3 Mathematical Methods CP4P Differential Equations and Waves CP1 deals with mechanical principles expressed in more abstract and mathematical ways than you have probably been used to, and also provides a first introduction to Special Relativity. Your preparation for CP3 and CP4P equips you with the concepts you will need to study field theory and quantum mechanics: differential and integral calculus in one and more variables, complex numbers, vectors and matrices, and the mathematics of wave motion. The detailed syllabuses for CP1, CP3 and CP4P are given in Appendix C of the Physics Handbook. The two philosophy papers are Elements of Deductive Logic and Introduction to Philosophy. The first is on modern logic, including quantification theory; analytic philosophy is heavily dependent on the development of modern logic. The second paper consists of questions on topics in metaphysics and theory of knowledge as discussed by a range of authors, from the early modern period through to quite recent writings; it also includes questions on Alexander's edition of The Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence, one of the most influential of the early texts in the philosophy of physics (or “natural philosophy” as it was then called). Leibniz made important contributions to physics, and his philosophical writings reflected his discoveries; Clarke’s contributions to the Correspondence, meanwhile, were guided by Newton, whom he championed. There will also be questions on Newton’s Principia, and broader questions in the philosophy of space and of time. A Mods result is pass, fail, or distinction2. If you should fail, then in normal circumstances your college will enter you for another Public Examination later on in the same summer (called the Preliminary Examinations or Prelims). So long as you pass Prelims, your college will normally allow you to enter the Final Honours School of the degree.3

Please note that all five Mods papers are sat in the Examination Centre in Summertown, off the Banbury Rd. First year students in PP should note that they will have to complete, as part of their Part A requirements (see section 2.3.b), three particular physics practicals during their second year. Although there is no requirement for practical work in the first year, it is possible to arrange (through your college physics tutor) to do some if you want to. In any case, it is compulsory for all first year students to attend the Safety Lecture on Monday of 1st Week (11 October 2004) at 2.00 p.m. in the Martin Wood Lecture Theatre. Teaching Your physics tutor of your college will arrange tutorials for you in physics and direct your studies. See the Physics Handbook for a comprehensive guide to the schedule of lectures, including the Induction and Safety meetings (see Getting Started, above). Note that you do not have to undertake any experimental work in your first year; this is one of the key ways in which your first-year teaching will differ from that of those taking the Physics degree. In other respects you will often be taught alongside them, possibly even in your own tutorials.

2 The criterion, as set out in the Grey Book, is: 'Distinction can be obtained by excellence either in Physics and Mathematics or in Philosophy provided that adequate knowledge is shown in the other subject of the examination.'.

3 You will have to take a Prelims paper for each Mods paper that you fail. If you fail either of the philosophy papers, you

will take a single paper that covers the syllabuses of both of them (see the Grey Book). In exceptional circumstances your college may permit you to enter for Prelims without having attempted Mods.


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Your philosophy tutorials will be arranged for you by your college tutor in philosophy. Tutorials and lectures for Elements of Deductive Logic are the same for PP and MP. The lectures are given in Hilary Term; there is also an introductory course of lectures in Michaelmas Term, intended for PPE students as well. The lecture class devoted to the Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence is specifically intended for first-year PP students. During these lectures, you will be introduced to your peers in the PP degree course from other colleges, as well as to faculty who specialise in philosophy of physics. Attendance of this class is required of all PP students. Included as an Appendix to this handbook is the Study Guide, which is the teaching schedule for Physics and Philosophy as recommended by the SJCPP (Standing Joint Committee for Physics and Philosophy). Do your best to adhere to it; if your college tutor advocates any departure from this schedule it should be for a good reason. You should always feel free to contact the Philosophy Representative of the SJCPP for advice on this and any other matters relating to the degree. For more background on teaching and what to expect from your college and the University, see the first part of Section 3, Teaching.

2.3 The Second Year Syllabus and Examinations You take PP Finals Part A at the end of Trinity Term of your second year. The examination consists of three physics papers: A1 "Thermal Physics", A3: "Quantum Physics", and A2P: "Electromagnetism". The syllabuses for A1 and A3 are the same as for Physics Part A and are given in Appendix D of the Physics Handbook. The syllabus for A2P is the same as that for Paper CP2 in Physics Prelims but without the topics in circuit theory (see Appendix C of the Physics Handbook). For the experimental requirements in PP Finals Part A, three Physics Practicals must be completed by the end of your second year. They are: "Free and bound electrons" (Practical GP14 in the Handbook of the Physics Practical Course), "Michelson Interferometer" (Practical OP02) and "Stern-Gerlach effect" (Practical OP15). Note particularly that you must have attended the Safety Lecture in the Physics Department before you can do any experiments. Preferably, you should have done so in your first year, but if you missed it then please be sure to attend in your second year. For 2004, the Safety Lecture will be given on Monday of First Week of Michaelmas Term (11 October 2004) at 2.00 p.m. in the Martin Wood Lecture Theatre. You will be asked to sign a safety declaration. Also as part of the requirement for PP Finals Part A, in Hilary Term of your second year you must give a short talk (as do the physicists). This is intended as an exercise to help you develop your skills in oral communication. It will be assessed by your college tutor, and will be preceded by a lecture in the Physics Department giving guidance on how to give a talk. There is one more very important point to note about the second year Physics course, concerning Mathematical Methods. There is a 20-lecture course on this in Michaelmas Term of the second year, the syllabus for which is given in Appendix D of the Physics Handbook. This material is not attributed to any specific paper in Part A, but "short questions on mathematical methods will be set on one or more of papers A1, A2 and A3" (A2 and A3 are the ones required for PP). Further, "one long question on mathematical methods may be set in one of papers A1, A2 and A3". PP students are strongly advised to take this Mathematical Methods course very seriously, as it underpins all the theoretical parts of the physics course. On the philosophy side you will attend lectures and tutorials for the paper “Knowledge and Reality”, introducing you to some of the core questions of contemporary metaphysics and epistemology: on existence, modality, time and identity (metaphysics), and on truth, knowledge, and the nature of sensory evidence (theory of knowledge or `epistemology). This paper includes a section on the Philosophy of Science, and you will be required to answer at least one question from it: you should attend lectures and tutorials in Philosophy of Science in Hilary Term. There

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is a also a dedicated lecture course for second year PP students: "Intermediate Philosophy of Physics". This course is the backbone of the degree and continues in your third year as well. In the second year it is devoted to the foundations of space-time theory, particularly special relativity. (For details of the syllabus see Appendix 2). It is given in the last four weeks of Hilary Term, and in the first four weeks of Trinity Term. There is no examination in Philosophy in PP Finals Part A. On the philosophy side, therefore, you have a substantial period of time (the second and third year) in which to pursue your interests without interruption by exams half way through, so that your knowledge of different subjects can be reinforced and cross-fertilised by the time you take Part B at the end of your third year. Teaching For general comments on lectures, faculty classes, and tutorials, including advice on procedures, see the first part of Section 3.1, Teaching. The Study Guide, included as an Appendix, gives the recommended teaching arrangements in every year of the degree. While you can expect some variations in scheduling of tutorials, lecture courses and classes should not change and you should make sure that you attend them in the terms as stated. Tutorials should always be scheduled with this in mind. If you depart from the Study Guide, it should be for good reason, and you should discuss any departures carefully with your college tutor. You are also encouraged to discuss any scheduling difficulties with student representative on the SJCPP; Physics and Philosophy is a very carefully constructed degree course and you will find your representatives on the Committee fully ready to help you. For teaching arrangements of physics subjects, consult the Physics Handbook .2 Teaching for both the compulsory subjects in philosophy are given in the second year. You should attend one or more lecture courses for “Knowledge and Reality”, normally given in Michaelmas Term, and in that term you should take a course of eight tutorials, or four tutorials together with a course of 7 faculty classes. The examination paper for this subject includes a section on Philosophy of Science, and PP students are required to answer at least one question from it. A lecture course in philosophy of science is normally run in Hilary Term, and you should attend it. You should take 4 tutorials in this subject, or 2 tutorials together with 7 faculty classes. Teaching for the other compulsory philosophy subject, “Intermediate Philosophy of Physics”, is spread over the second and the third year. This subject breaks into two parts, the first of which concerns the philosophy of spacetime physics. Teaching, both lectures and tutorials, is given in the last four weeks of Hilary Term and the first four weeks of Trinity Term. In this subject the tutorials are particularly closed linked to the lectures, and you are strongly advised to attend them. This lecture course is the backbone of the degree. Four tutorials (two if a series of faculty classes is offered) are usually given for this first part of the subject. 2.4 The Third Year Syllabus and Examinations The examination for PP Finals Part B in physics consists of three papers: BT1 "Classical Mechanics"; BT2 "Covariant Electromagnetism"; and one of the following three papers: B1 Atomic Structure, Special Relativity and Sub-atomic Physics B2 Condensed Matter Physics and Photonics B3 Astrophysics and Atmospheric Physics BT1 and BT2 are "Short Options" in the physics course. But note that, unlike in physics degrees, they are not examined as pass/fail papers: marks for them help to determine your degree classification. Syllabi for these papers and for the B1, B2 and B3 papers is given in Appendix F and Appendix E of the Physics Handbook respectively.


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The examination for PP Finals Part B in Philosophy consists of two compulsory subjects, "Knowledge and Reality" and "Intermediate Philosophy of Physics", and a third subject which you must choose from among subjects 101, 103, 104, 107-119,122 and 199, as specified in the list in the Grey Book under "Special Regulations for Philosophy in all Honour Schools Including Philosophy"; there you will also find the syllabus for each subject (see also Appendix 2 of this Handbook). Each subject (apart from the 199, the thesis option) is examined in one three-hour paper. PP candidates must answer at least one question from the section on philosophy of science in the "Knowledge and Reality" paper. Your readings for "Knowledge and Reality" will introduce you to some of the core questions of contemporary metaphysics and epistemology: questions about existence, modality, time and identity (metaphysics), and questions about truth, knowledge, and observation, including scientific method (theory of knowledge or epistemology). "Intermediate Philosophy of Physics" concerns the foundations of the two most important theories of modern physics: special relativity and quantum mechanics. Lecture courses and tutorials for this paper will introduce you to contemporary debates on the nature of spacetime (in your second year) and on the interpretation of quantum mechanics (in your third year). In recent decades the consensus established by the founding fathers of quantum mechanics, in particular by Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, has largely broken down. What will replace it is as yet unknown. Teaching For general comments on lectures, faculty classes, and tutorials, including advice on procedures, see the first part of Section 3.1, Teaching. The Study Guide, included as an Appendix, gives the recommended teaching arrangements in every year of the degree. While you can expect some variations in scheduling of tutorials, lecture courses and classes should not change and you should make sure that you attend them in the terms as stated. Tutorials should always be scheduled with this in mind. If you depart from the Study Guide, it should be for good reason, and you should discuss any departures carefully with your college tutor. You are also encouraged to discuss any scheduling difficulties with student representative on the SJCPP; Physics and Philosophy is a very carefully constructed degree course and you will find your representatives on the Committee fully ready to help you. For teaching arrangements of physics subjects, consult the Physics Handbook. The only teaching arrangements that are compulsory, for PP students, are for the papers BT1 and BT2: the lectures for these are the same as for the Short Options of the same name (options for physics candidates), but unlike the bulk of the Short Option papers, they are provided in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms respectively. You should make sure that your college arranges tutorials for you for BT1 and BT2. If you want to offer one or more Physics Major Options in Part C (see the next section) please note that there will be a general introduction to the Major Options in the sixth week of Trinity Term of your third year (for details please consult the Physics Lecture List.) By Friday of sixth week (TT) you will be required to return a form indicating your option choices in order of preference. The information is not binding, but is needed by the physics department to make arrangements for the option class teaching. Teaching for the second part of “Intermediate Philosophy of Physics”, on the foundations of quantum mechanics, continues throughout Michaelmas Term, both in lectures and tutorials. If there are no faculty classes, you should have four tutorials, and otherwise two, together with seven class meetings. You should also attend any lecture course in your elective philosophy option, which may be given in either Michaelmas or Hilary Term, but you should in every eventuality take a course of eight tutorials (or four tutorials together with seven faculty classes) in Hilary Term. Revision classes may be provided for “Knowledge and Reality” (including the section on philosophy of science) and in your elective philosophy subject in the first four weeks of Trinity Term: naturally you should attend them.

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2.5 The Fourth Year 2.5a This section applies only to those entering their fourth year in October 2005 or later Syllabus and Examinations for Part C at Oxford The fourth year comprises Part C of the FHS of the PP degree. The examination is in the latter part of Trinity Term in both disciplines. Candidates will be required to offer three units in Physics or Philosophy, chosen in any combination from the lists for Physics and for Philosophy. A unit in Physics consists of either a written paper on a Major Option, or a project report on either advanced practical work or other advanced work, as specified for Part C of the Honour School of Physics. A unit in Philosophy consists of one of the subjects 101-104, 107-122 (provided it was not offered in Part B), as specified in the Grey Book, or the Rise of Modern Logic as specified in the Regulations for the Degree of Bachelor of Philosophy, or a thesis, as specified below. The major physics options and projects are those specified in the Physics Handbook and the MPhys Projects Handbook respectively (for the fourth year of the M.Phys degree). Provisional syllabuses for the major physics options may be found in Appendix G of the Physics Handbook, and arrangements for lectures and classes are described under ‘Fourth Year 2004-5’ in the Physics Handbook. All units in physics or philosophy (except for the thesis and project) are examined by a three-hour written examination. For each unit you offer in philosophy (other than the thesis option) you must write an essay of at most 5000 words in that subject, to be handed in before the start of Trinity Term, on which you will also be examined. The regulations governing the writing and examination of such essays, as well as those for the thesis option, are set out in the Special Regulations for Physics and Philosophy in the Grey Book. Teaching for Part C at Oxford For information about teaching in physics in the fourth year, see the Physics Handbook. In philosophy, you will as usual attend lecture courses in your elected subjects and take a course of tutorials for each, but the latter - whilst restricted to the same number of tutorials as for your Part B subjects - will include tuition for your essay for examination. You must therefore seek a balance, with the guidance of your tutor, between time spent discussing your essay, and reviewing a first draft of it, and time spent on other topics to be prepared for examination. Note that you must avoid any substantial repetition of material presented in your essay with material presented in your three-hour written examination. In your fourth year, therefore, you will have to show rather more initiative in the study of your elected subjects than for subjects taken for examination in Part B of the FHS, consonant with doing work of Masters level. Similar considerations apply to the thesis option. A thesis in your fourth year has a word limit of 20,000 words, whereas a philosophy thesis written for part B (and for all the B.A. degrees involving philosophy at Oxford has a word limit of 15,000 words). The Oxford-Princeton Exchange The fourth year may instead be spent at Princeton. All teaching is then the responsibility of Princeton University. The examination remains the responsibility of Oxford University, however: it is in the latter part of Trinity Term in both disciplines. It is conducted on the basis of written material produced for grading purposes at Princeton throughout the academic year. (i) Application to the Exchange Scheme


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Entry into the exchange program is conditional on formal acceptance by your department of choice (either Physics or Philosophy) at Princeton, and on obtaining a suitable match with a Princeton student. If there are insufficient numbers of Princeton students wishing to come to Oxford on the exchange program, you will be selected on merit, on the basis of your application, on the recommendation of your tutors, and on your achievement in public examinations to date. There are no joint degrees available from Princeton University: you must be associated with either the Physics Department or the Philosophy Department. You will, however, be able to take courses from your non-elective department should you wish. In your initial application for the exchange, you should give a non-binding indication of the broad area of your thesis and of your likely choice of lecture courses. You will, by the beginning of Trinity Term at latest, have to make a formal application to one or other department. (ii) Syllabus Like every undergraduate in their fourth year (“senior”) at Princeton you will have to write a thesis, the equivalent of a load of two lecture courses, and enrol in six lecture courses, at least two from your elective department and at least four in total from the Physics Department and the Philosophy Department - these to be counted towards your final degree classification. The remaining two courses may be from any Princeton Department and will be counted to your degree classification on the basis of pass/fail only. Your choice of lecture course must be approved by the Chairman of the SJCPP and by the Director of Undergraduate Studies of your elective department. (iii) Teaching The academic year at Princeton is divided into two semesters, the first running from early September to mid-January (with 2 weeks off for Christmas), the second from the end of January to the end of May. Each semester includes a 2 week “reading period”). Whilst you will have the option of talking to your course lecturer (in “office-hours”), and whilst one of the three hours of each week is normally given over to discussion in a class of no more than 15 students with your lecturer (or, for the larger courses, with graduate students acting as teaching assistants), you will have no tutorials for them as such. Only for your thesis will you have the sort of close contact with faculty that you will have been used to at Oxford. Although as a successful applicant to the exchange you will have indicated a choice of lecture courses and the general area of your thesis, you will not have to make any final decisions on these matters before your contemporaries at Princeton do, generally about four weeks from the beginning of the autumn semester (for your thesis topic and thesis supervisor, and enrolments for your courses for that semester). In this way you will have the option of sitting in on the early weeks of lecture courses before choosing among them, and of discussing your ideas with members of the Princeton faculty before making a definition decision on your thesis topic and supervisor. You will, however, have to obtain the endorsement of the Chairman of the SJCC for your final choices. (iv) Examination You will have to answer problem sets or write essays during the semester for each lecture course which you are enrolled just as any other senior student at Princeton; these will be handed in and marked (“graded”) by your lecturer or teaching assistant. And the end of the course you may have a written examination of the sort you are familiar with at Oxford. Your final grade for each course, as determined at Princeton, will be decided on the basis of all the work that you produce during the course. Your thesis will be graded by two members of your elective department. You will also be orally examined in the general area in which it falls. Your final grade for your thesis is determined by both these grades. Your Part C results, however, will be determined not by your grades as assigned by Princeton, but by your marks as determined by the Physics and Philosophy Examiners at Oxford. They will mark all the materials

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that you produce at Princeton for the four courses that you take from the Physics or Philosophy Departments, along with your thesis. Your official transcript will also have to show that you obtained a passing grade in your two remaining elective lecture courses. It will be your responsibility to ensure that your elective department retains copies of all materials produced for grading purposes, and that these are conveyed, under seal, together with your official transcript of grades, to the Chairman of Examiners for Physics and Philosophy, c/o Examination Schools, Oxford, by noon on Friday of the sixth week of Trinity Term. 2.5b This section applies only to those entering their fourth year in October 2004 The fourth year comprises Part C of the FHS of the PP degree. The examination is in the latter part of Trinity Term in both disciplines. Candidates will be required to offer one of the following four options: Option 1 Physics Option 2 Physics with Philosophy Option 3 Philosophy with Physics Option 4 Philosophy Under Option 1, candidates will be required to offer (a) written papers in each of two major Physics Options, and (b) a project report on either advanced practical work in physics, or other advanced work in physics. Under Option 2, candidates will be required to offer (a) either written papers in each of two major physics options, or one written paper in one major physics option together with a project report on either advanced practical work in physics or other advanced work in physics, and (b) a written paper on one subject in philosophy chosen from among subjects 101, 103, 104, 107-119, 121-199 in the list in the Grey Book (see also Appendix 2 of this Handbook), provided it was not offered before in Part B. Under Option 3, candidates will be required to offer (a) written papers on two subjects in philosophy chosen from among subjects 101, 103, 104, 107-119, 122 and 130-199, provided neither was offered before in Part B, and (b) a two-hour paper on subject 121, “Advanced Philosophy of Physics”, as specified in the list in the Grey Book (see also Appendix 2 of this Handbook), and (c) either one written paper in one major physics option, or a project report on either advanced practical work in physics or other advanced work in physics. Under Option 4, candidates will be required to offer written papers on four subjects in philosophy chosen from among the subjects 101, 103, 104, 107-119, 121-199, as specified in the list in the Grey Book (see also Appendix 2 of this Handbook), provided that none of them was previously offered in Part B. The major physics options and projects are those specified in the Physics Handbook (for the fourth year of the M.Phys degree). Syllabuses may be found in Appendix G of the Physics Handbook. 2.6 The Class of Degree

You should read part 3.4, Examinations, for a general introduction to the procedures of Public Examining at Oxford. There you will also find further particulars on the marking conventions for the PP degree. In the FHS the papers in physics offered by PP candidates are marked in exactly the same way as those offered by physics candidates (but note there are small variations in the conventions on how these marks are used to determine the class of the degree: see 3.4 below for details). Marking of the three-hour philosophy papers is similar: the FHS to which they are counted does not affect the way that they are marked. In this sense you have a perfectly level playing field with anyone else who is taking your paper, whether physicists or philosophers. But


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you do not have to achieve excellence in both disciplines to obtain the highest marks; it is enough if you excel in only one, provided that you prove adequate in the other. See Section 3.4, Examinations, for more details. 2.7 Choosing your Options In PP Mods you have no options in either physics or philosophy; each of the five papers is compulsory. Likewise, there are no options in Part A of the FHS. This section concerns only Part B and Part C. Your Choices in Part B In Part B of the new degree you must choose one physics paper out of the three listed (B1, B2 and B3). In making this choice you should bear in mind your likely choices in Part C. The required physics papers in Parts A and B will prepare you adequately for the physics major “Theoretical Physics”, but not for any of the other major options; for these you have to choose the right option in Part B. For the major option “Condensed Matter Physics”, you must take B2; for “Astrophysics” and “Atmospheres and Oceans”, B3; and for “Atom, Lasers and Optics” and “Particle Physics” you must take B1. Your choice of philosophy subject in Part B should ideally be made at the end of your second year, so that you can do some reading for it over the long vacation. If you are still in doubt at the beginning of Michaelmas Term of your third year, you should at least have narrowed your choices down to no more than two: you are advised to attend any lecture courses in either offered that term. You should certainly have decided by the end of the Michaelmas Term, so that you can contact your prospective tutor and obtain some suggestions on reading over the Christmas vacation. You are advised not to opt for subject 199, a thesis in philosophy, in Part B of the FHS: if you want to do a thesis you should leave it to your fourth year. On the other hand there is no formal bar to writing it earlier; but if you are determined to make this your option for Part B, you are strongly advised to begin work on it over the long vacation (so at the end of your second year). Obtain guidance from your college tutor. If you do go ahead with a thesis in Part B, the following section will be of relevance to you too. Your Choices in Part C There are essentially no constraints, over and above duplication of material and adequate preparation, in your choices in Part C. Unless you wish to go on to do graduate work, the only advice worth taking at this stage is - study what takes your interest. If you do wish to go on to do research as a graduate student, other advice may be helpful. If in general philosophy, respectively physics, you would do well to specialize in philosophy, respectively physics. In physics in particular your strength is in the more theoretical end of the spectrum, and you would do well to consolidate it by taking “Theoretical Physics” as a major option. In philosophy, unless you are determined to do research in philosophy of physics, you would do well to broaden your base. But if your love is for philosophy of physics, you would do well to specialize in physics (and in particular to take “Theoretical Physics”). Increasingly research in the philosophy of physics requires masters level expertise in physics. You are also, of course, advised to take “Advanced Philosophy of Physics” (see below). It is by no means necessarily in your best interest, should you wish to continue in research, to do research in Part C. It will certainly not count against you if you do not (although it would be a pity to forego the research element involved in the advanced subject, should philosophy of physics be your interest). But for those who do wish to do original work in Part C, some tips. Research in Physics

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The M.Phys includes as a component a research project, and this is available to you too. It is carried out during the Hilary Term of the fourth year. You must specify your choice of project by noon on Friday of the second week of Michaelmas Term of your fourth year. Please refer to the Physics Handbook and to the M.Phys Projects Handbook for details about the Physics Projects. Research in Philosophy of Physics The subject “Advanced Philosophy of Physics” is taught and examined as any other subject in philosophy, but it is unusual in that much of the literature that you will be studying is recent and that you will be considering at least some topics at the forefront of research in the discipline. For those entering the fourth year in October 2005 or later, who elect to take this subject, you will also be writing a 5000 word essay which will in effect be a research paper. Research in this field may also be conducted, at still greater depth, if you opt to write a thesis in philosophy. It is not unknown for PP students to turn their Part C theses in philosophy of physics into published papers. Finally, if you are interested in continuing in philosophy of physics, you are strongly advised to come to the weekly philosophy of physics research seminars, run in Hilary and Trinity Terms (and sometimes in Michaelmas Term). It meets on Thursdays at 4.30, either in the Lecture Room of the Philosophy Centre, or the Wharton Room of All Souls College. For details go to the Philosophy of Physics website. The Philosophy Thesis You must seek approval of the topic of your proposed thesis by the Friday of the fourth week of Michaelmas Term preceding the examination. The right time to seek approval is earlier, however, before you start to work on it in earnest. Begin thinking about it in the Easter vacation of your third year; talk to one of your tutors about it in the following Trinity Term. If your tutor thinks that the subject is manageable, get some initial suggestions for reading; follow them up in depth over the Long Vacation. Bear in mind that much of your reading will be discovered by yourself; so arrange to be in Oxford, or near a large library, for some weeks of the vacation. Remember that tutors can only advise: the decision to offer a thesis is your own, and so is the choice of topic. So of course is the work; what makes a thesis particularly worthwhile is that it is your own independent production. The regulations state that you may discuss with your tutor “the field of study, the sources available, and the method of presentation”. The plan must be yours, but the tutor can help you make sure it is clear, coherent and feasible. If you decide to go ahead, submit your title and 100-word outline to the Chairman of the Board c/o the Administrator, 10 Merton Street, in accordance with the regulations for theses in the Grey Book, as early as possible. You needn’t worry if in the event you do not adhere to your outline: the point of it is to make clear the general subject of the thesis and to show that you have some idea how to tackle it. Don't let your topic expand, or your reading range too widely; 15,000 words (20,000 words for those entering the fourth year on or after October 2005) is the length of two or three articles, not a book. Do not try to cover too much material, for this is likely to result in a thesis that is superficial. The examiners will be more interested in your attempt to develop your own line of argument, in some detail, and much less interested in your account of what others have said on the topic. Your tutor may read and comment on your writing, consistent with the amount of tutorial time available to you - the same as for the teaching of a normal paper in philosophy - so tutorial sessions can be used for trying out first drafts of parts of the thesis; however, you have to write the finished version on your own. Make sure you allow plenty of time - almost certainly, more will be needed than you first expected. You must not exceed the word limit, excluding quotations and bibliography. That will probably, to your surprise, become a problem; but the exercise of pruning is a valuable one, and you will find it encourages clarity and precision that you should be aiming for in any case.


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Some further advice: (i) the examiners cannot read your mind; explain in your introduction just what you are going to do, and in what follows present the argument, step by step, in as sharp a focus as you can achieve; (ii) break your argument into suitable chapters or sections, and provide a helpful table of contents; (iii) notes and references should be given at the bottom of each page, but don’t let notes like this proliferate: usually a point is either important enough to be included in the main text, or not important enough to be included at all; remember that footnotes are included in the word count; (iv) include a bibliography at the end, listing all the works to which you refer, plus any others you have used that are relevant to the final version; the style for references can be modelled on any recent philosophy book or periodical; (iv) bad spelling and bad grammar do not help to convey an overall impression of clarity and competence; (vi) examiners will notice if you try to fudge issues or sweep difficulties aside; it's much better to be candid about them, and to show that you appreciate the force of counter-arguments. The rules for format and submission, and for any change of title, are in the Grey Book. If for any reason you expect to submit your thesis late, consult your Senior Tutor in good time. The proctors may grant permission for you to do so, but there will generally be a financial penalty, and they may at the same time give permission to the examiners to reduce the mark on the thesis by up to one class. If permission is not sought, or is refused, the thesis may be rejected, or its mark may be reduced by up to one class.

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3 Academic Life 3.1 Teaching Tutors Anybody to whom you go for tutorials or college classes counts as one of your tutors. In Physics and Philosophy there are bound to be at least two of them, and there are likely to be six or more over the four years. Some will be tutorial Fellows or Lecturers of your own college; some may be tutorial Fellows or Lecturers of other colleges, or Research Fellows, or graduate students. The overall responsibility for giving or arranging your tuition will lie with tutorial Fellows or Lecturers of your own college, probably one in each of Physics and Philosophy. Behind them stands the Senior Tutor, who must see that proper arrangements are made if one of these people is absent through illness or on leave. It will probably be a rule of your college that you call on these in-college tutors at the beginning of term to arrange tuition, and at the end of term to arrange vacation reading and next term's subjects. In any case it is a very good idea to pay such calls, if necessary on your own initiative. Colleges have different rules about when term 'begins'. The official start is Sunday of First Week of Full Term, but you will almost certainly be required back before then, and you should try to ensure that by the Sunday you know who your tutors for the term will be, have met or corresponded with them, and have been set work and assigned tutorial times by them. If you would like to receive tuition from a particular person in Oxford, ask the in-college tutor concerned; do not approach the person yourself, who cannot take you on without a request from your college. If you would like a change of tutor, say so if it is not embarrassing; otherwise don't just do nothing, but take the problem to someone else in your college - your College Adviser, the Senior Tutor, the Women's Adviser, the Chaplain, or even the head of college, if your difficulty is serious. Most such problems arise from a personality-clash that has proved intractable; but since in a university of Oxford's size there are almost certain to be alternative tutors for all your subjects, there's no point in putting up with a relationship that is impeding your academic progress. In these circumstances you can usually expect a change, but not necessarily to the particular tutor whom you would prefer. Lectures and Faculty Classes Each term a lecture list for Physical Science and a lecture list for Philosophy are published which cover all physics and philosophy lectures. Philosophy lecture lists also appear in the Social Studies and Psychological Studies lecture lists. Lecture synopses for physics are circulated to college tutors by the Department of Physics (see below); and the Philosophy Faculty issues a Lecture Prospectus each term, which you can get from the Philosophy Centre or from your philosophy tutor. Get copies of the lecture lists from the Philosophy or the Physics web sites at the beginning of term; take them to your meetings with tutors to help in constructing your work schedule. Lectures form the backbone of the Physics and Philosophy course. Those specifically laid on for PP students have already been mentioned; in Appendix 1, the Study Guide, you will find the general schedule. Learn to take notes at lectures; they will be useful to you later, when you can fit them into a wider picture. Although in Oxford's system lecturers do not necessarily set the University examinations, they will be consulted by those who do. Faculty classes in philosophy are run as a series (usually of 6 or 7 per term) and meet weekly for 1½ hours, Each series is devoted to a particular subject (and usually to a particular lecture course). They involve independent reading and writing (usually two assignments per term). You must arrange to attend them with your philosophy tutor, and you are obliged to attend, just as you are obliged to attend tutorials. Tutorials and College Classes What you are expected to bring to a tutorial is knowledge of the reading which was set for it, and answers or at least attempted answers to problem sets. What you have a right to expect is your tutor's presence and scholarly attention throughout the hour agreed, plus guidance, e.g. a reading list, for next time. Beyond that styles differ,


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depending on how many students are sharing the tutorial, the nature of the topic, and above all the habits and personality of your tutor. You must not expect uniformity, and you will gain most if you succeed in adapting to differences. You will normally have more than one tutorial a week - on average two - and you can expect to be set written work for every tutorial. Some of it, especially in philosophy, will be tutorial essays. You will quickly learn what is expected, though it may take many terms' practice to perfect your technique of getting a philosophical argument across. Work on a tutorial essay involves library searches, reading, thinking, and writing. It should occupy a minimum of three days. Read attentively and thoughtfully, skipping bits that obviously do not bear on your topic: one hour of that is worth many hours of 'summarising' paragraph by paragraph with the music on. As your reading progresses, think up a structure for your essay (but do not write an elaborate plan which you won't have time to execute). Expect to have to worry out your thoughts, both during and after reading. Use essays to develop an argument, not as places to store information. As you write, imagine that the audience is not your tutor, but people you are seeking to interest and instruct - e.g. one of your peers. You will learn a lot if you share ideas with fellow students, and if you chance your arm in tutorial discussion. Remember that tutorials are not designed as a substitute for lectures, or for accumulating information, but to teach you how to think, write and argue in a clear and articulate way. You should take notes during a tutorial, but mainly they should concern the feedback you are getting on your written arguments. There are arguments for and against using a word-processor. On the one hand it makes one's notes and essays more 'inviting' to read later, and in writing an essay it becomes possible to postpone commitment to all the stages in an argument until the very end of the essay-writing process. On the other hand there is a danger of getting out of practice in writing time-limited examinations, especially University examinations, in which word-processors may not be used. Some tuition is by means of College classes, a system specially suited to subjects in which your written work is exercises. In these cases attendance is compulsory. In philosophy, colleges often use classes for logic teaching. You have a right to expect that written work for a class will be returned to you with written or oral comments. Most colleges will require you to sit college examinations, 'collections', before the start of each term. The objects are to test your comprehension of work already covered, and to practise you in writing timed papers. Make sure at the end of each term that you know the times and subjects of next term's collections. Oxford trains you as a writer to meet deadlines; so equip yourself with a writer's tools - a dictionary, such as the Concise Oxford Dictionary, and, unless you are very confident, a thesaurus and Modern English Usage. 3.2 Research The research communities in physics and in philosophy at Oxford are among the largest and most active in the UK. For more information on them, visit their respective web-sites; keep an eye out for fliers for coming conferences and talks by physicists and philosophers. You will find, particularly in your final year, that you will be able to follow most of those intended for a general audience; you will be able to get a good sense of the excitement and pace of research in these two disciplines. Research Seminars The local community in philosophy of physics meets once a week in Hilary and Trinity term for the philosophy of physics research seminar. It is held on Thursdays at 4.30 pm, either in the Lecture Room of the Philosophy Centre, or in the Wharton Room of All Souls College. Seminars are usually presented by visitors from abroad, who are staying at Oxford, or by researchers in the field in the UK, who have travelled to Oxford especially for the

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occasion. Presentations usually run for about an hour, followed by about an hour of discussion. In your first two years of the FHS you will find them a stretch, but in your final year you should do your best to attend at least some of them, particularly if you are interested in going on to a research degree. . Check the Philosophy of Physics website for up-to-date details and venue: (http://users.ox.ac.uk/~ppox/). The Philosophy of Physics Discussion Group The discussion group is run by graduate students interested in philosophy of physics. It usually meets for a sandwich lunch at 10 Merton St. on Wednesdays, and continues with a presentation at 2.00 at a nearby college (hitherto either at Holywell Manor, the Queen’s College, or Christ Church). The setting is informal and you are welcome to attend. Check the Philosophy of Physics website for details and venue (http://users.ox.ac.uk/~ppox/). 3.3 Examinations Each year a board of “moderators”, drawn from the members of the two departments, is appointed to examine PP Mods and Prelims, and a board of examiners, also drawn from the departments but including one external member in addition, is appointed to examine PP Finals. The Finals examiners are assisted by a number of assessors, also members of the respective departments, who help with some of the specialised subjects. It is chance whether any of your own tutors examines you. If that happens, the convention is that the tutor takes no part knowingly in deciding your result; but since scripts are anonymous, the convention is rarely required to operate. It is your personal responsibility to enter for University examinations, and if you enter, or change your options, after the due date, you must pay a late fee and gain the examiners' consent. Entry is through colleges. The forms are kept in college offices, which may advertise times for applying. The University deadlines are listed each year in the Grey Book. Results in PP Mods are Distinction, Pass, Pass in some papers, or Fail; in PP Prelims Pass or Fail; in PP Finals Class 1, Class 2 Division 1, Class 2 Division 2, Class 3, Pass, or Fail. Results are published in the Examination Schools. Marks are reported to your college, which will normally pass them on to you. The criteria for marking scripts in Finals are given below, in �Examination Procedures for Finals�. The criteria for awarding a Distinction in Mods are similar to those for awarding the First Class in Finals; for Pass and Fail in Mods, they are the same as the criteria in Finals for distinguishing the Second and Third Class from a Fail. If you take PP Mods and fail in any papers, you may offer only the corresponding papers in PP Prelims, unless you fail one of the two philosophy papers (in which case you must offer the paper `Philosophy’, which covers both philosophy papers of Mods). If you pass in all your Prelims papers, you will have completed the First Public Examination. The starting dates of examinations, which don't often vary in relation to weeks of term, are announced each year in the Grey Book, and the University Diary. Your tutors can tell you them. Working to these dates the examiners issue a timetable a month or two before each examination; it is posted in the Examination Schools, and should also be posted in your college lodge. When planning your examination strategy, it is sensible to keep before your mind the nature of the examination system at Oxford. If the examiners allowed you to set the questions, you could prepare good answers in a few weeks; by setting the questions themselves, they ensure that a candidate cannot be adequately prepared without study over the whole course. They will therefore not be interested in answers that are in any way off the point. FOCUS ON THE DETAILS OF THE QUESTION THAT IS ASKED! In philosophy, the following advice may be useful. The examiners are looking for your own ideas and


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convictions, and you mustn't be shy of presenting them as your own: whether you are conscious of having inherited them from somebody else doesn't matter one way or the other. When you have selected a question, work out what it means and decide what you think is the answer to it. Then, putting pen to paper, state the answer and defend it; or, if you think there is no answer, explain why not. Abstain from background material. Don't write too much. Many of those who run out of time have themselves to blame for being distracted by irrelevances. Good examinees emerge from the examination room with most of their knowledge undisclosed. At University examinations, you must wear academic dress with sub-fusc clothing. Academic dress is a gown, and a regulation cap or mortar board (it must be mortar board for men). Sub-fusc clothing is: for women, a dark skirt or trousers, a white blouse, black tie, black stockings and shoes, and, if desired, a dark coat; for men, a dark suit and socks, black shoes, a white bow tie, and plain white shirt and collar. There are special University regulations on the typing of illegible scripts (NB: 'the cost of typing and invigilation shall not be a charge on university funds'), on the use of typewriters in examinations, on blind candidates, on dyslexic candidates, on religious candidates unable to take papers on certain days, on the use (where permitted) of calculators in examinations, and on the use (where permitted) of computers in examinations; see the Grey Book. If your native language is not English, you may request to use your own bilingual dictionary during examinations. The request must go to the Proctors through your college, usually your Senior Tutor. If you have any problems connected with University examinations which you want to take further, never approach the examiners directly: always communicate through your Senior Tutor. This applies to complaints too (although every student has a statutory right to consult the Proctors directly on any matter at any time in their Oxford career). The regulations for PP Mods, Prelims and Finals are in the Grey Book. 3.4. Assessment of Class This section deals with procedures and conventions applied by examiners in the process of marking scripts and assigning results in Finals. Although the examiners have a large degree of autonomy in their decisions, they are advised by the SJCPP. The procedures for marking physics scripts etc are outlined in the Physics Handbook.

Note that whereas the papers on classical mechanics and covariant electromagnetism are “short options” for Part B physics finalists, they are compulsory for Part B of the PP degree, reflecting the greater focus of PP on conceptual issues. Accordingly there is a difference in the way the mark for this paper is used to determine the overall degree classification. For the BA and M.Phys degree, except for borderline cases, all that matters is whether you pass or fail: for the PP degree, the marks are used in the same way as the mark for your chosen option B1, B2, or B3. The following remarks concern the procedures adopted for marking in philosophy. All scripts, theses and supervised dissertations are double marked. Any wide discrepancies, or discrepancies that might affect a candidate’s class, are either re-read by the two original markers or given an adjudicating mark by a third marker. The External Examiners play a special role in adjudication. A Fail mark in one or more subjects may disqualify for Honours, or even, in extreme cases, for a Pass degree. Candidates who miss a paper are governed by the general regulations in the Grey Book, which allow for classification in some circumstances.

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The mark scale is divided by classes:

Class I II.1 II.2 III Pass Fail

100-70 69-60 59-50 49-40 39-30 below 30 The boundary for each class is an average mark which is set a little below the minimum mark associated with that class (e.g. it is not necessary to score an average of 70 for a First). The penalty for a missing or negligible answer is about 10 marks. The penalty for ignoring instructions on the question paper (such as �show knowledge of both authors’) is 5 marks or more, depending on the offence. Uniform standards are required of markers, as or like the following First Class script: work displaying analytical and argumentational power, with good command of the factors and/or arguments relevant to the questions and evidence of ability to organise them with clarity, insight and efficiency. When these qualities are evident throughout, the mark should be 74 or above. A script marked in the the range 86 and above will be truly outstanding. Such marks should be used very rarely, and for work that shows remarkable originality of mind and depth of understanding. Upper Second Class script: work displaying analytical power and argumentation of the quality associated with a First, but with less comprehensive and thorough command of evidence; or work showing considerable thoroughness but less analytical skill or less clarity of organisation. Lower Second Class script: Competent work with no major defects, but giving an incomplete account of the question, or marred by inaccuracies. Or work which demonstrates lapses in (but does not lack) analytical and argumentational skills. Third Class script: Work that is generally weak with muddled argumentation, but containing some evidence of knowledge of facts and analytical skill. This class does not qualify for an Honours degree. These marks should be used for work that, while competent and knowledgeable in itself, does not address the question asked by the examiners. Pass Degree script: Very poor quality work, showing only slight evidence of having studied. Fail script: Work of such a low standard that it cannot be given a Pass mark. The overall classified result is derived from the individual marks obtained on your written papers of the FHS, taking Parts A, B and C together. In combining them, as written in the Grey Book, "The highest honours can be obtained by excellence either in Physics or in Philosophy, provided that adequate knowledge is shown in the other subject area". The JCPP has adopted the following guideline: excellence need not be attained in the same discipline in each part of the FHS, to obtain highest honours. For example, it is possible to excel in Part B in physics only, and in Part C in philosophy only, and obtain the highest classification. On the other hand, the Committee has also adopted the guideline that excellence in one or even both disciplines in only one of Parts A, B or C or (where applicable) solely in the minority subject in Part C (philosophy in option 2, physics in option 3) will not normally be sufficient to obtain highest honours. And finally, to obtain any honours classification at all, you must attain the honours standard in both subjects either in Part A and B taken together, or in Part C. 3.5. Illness If illness interferes seriously with your academic work, make sure that your tutors know the fact. If at all possible choose a Fellow of your college in whom to confide - otherwise it will be difficult for the college to help. Help may involve: excusing you tutorials for a bit; sending you home; asking the University to grant you dispensation from that term's residence (to qualify for the BA you must reside and study in Oxford for nine terms - or six if you


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have Senior Status - and a term for that purpose means forty-two nights); or permitting you to go out of residence for a number of terms, with consequent negotiations with your funding body. If illness has interfered with preparation for a University examination, or has affected you during the exam itself, your college must report the fact to the Vice-Chancellor and Proctors, who will pass the information to your examiners 'if, in their opinion, it is likely to assist the examiners in the performance of their duties.' Your college also reports to the Proctors if illness or disability has prevented you from attending part of a University examination, or makes it desirable that you should be examined in a special place or at a special time. The college officer concerned is the Senior Tutor. You, therefore, must deal with your Senior Tutor, never with the examiners. Give the Senior Tutor as much notice as possible; in particular, examinations specially invigilated in a special place (usually your college) take a lot of organising, and the deadline for getting permission in respect of foreseeable problems such as dyslexia is Second Week of the term of the examination. Probably you will need a medical certificate; college doctors have the right University forms. 3.6. The Awarding of your Degree Once your name has appeared on the PP Class List or Pass List, if you entered the FHS on or after October 2003, and successfully completed all three parts of the FHS, you may 'supplicate' for the degree of Master of Physics and Philosophy, that is, ask to be 'presented' to the Vice-Chancellor or the Vice-Chancellor's deputy, either in person or in absentia as you choose. Your college presents you, and you must apply through it. If you wish to be presented in person, you must apply many months in advance: there are about a dozen ceremonies each year (usually in the Sheldonian), but they are heavily booked. You may ask your college for up to three tickets entitling guests to attend a degree ceremony, and your college will probably invite you, and possibly your guests, to lunch on the day. Dress is sub-fusc, and you must also make sure that you have, perhaps by loan from your college, an undergraduate gown, mortar board or cap, and also a Masters gown and hood. The same procedure applies to the degree of MA, for which you may supplicate - together with or after your M.PhysPhil - in or after your twenty-first term from matriculation. If you only successfully completed parts A and B of the FHS, you may only supplicate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Likewise, if you entered the FHS before October 2003, it is this degree that you may supplicate for. In these cases, if you are presented in person for the degree ceremony, you should bring a BA gown and hood. But note that in the later case, if you chose Option 1: Physics, in Part C, you may supplicate for the degree of Master of Physics. 3.7. Changing your Course Don't think of changing course at the first sign of difficulty. All courses that are worth anything bring the student up against obstacles, and your tutors will guide you past them. Seek the advice of your tutors at all times when in difficulty. Discuss problems also with your contemporaries; you are not in competition with them, and you should get into the habit of helping and being helped. If you decide you really do want to change, there are three bodies which must approve: the University, your college, and those who are paying for you. The University is unlikely to be an obstacle. There are no restrictions on examination entry: provided that your college approves, you may be a candidate in any part of the First Public Examination; and the condition for entering for a Final Honour School, besides college approval, is that (if not exempt) you should have passed some part of the First Public Examination - any complete Mods or Prelims will do. However, a few departments, such as Psychology, do have quotas for acceptance on to their courses. It is your college that has admitted you to read for a particular Honour School, or a particular combination of First Public Examination plus Honour School. You cannot change without its permission, which is liable to be refused if the 'receiving' tutors think you unsuited to their course, or don't have room (in some courses the teaching

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resources are often very strained). If you wish to explore the possibility of changing, the first rule is, 'Don't delay' - you could be losing vital learning time. Talk to your current tutors or, if that is embarrassing, to your College Adviser or the Senior Tutor or some other Fellow whom you know. If you hold an award from your Local Education Authority, even if it's fees-only, you will need the authority's permission to change course. Your college’s Senior Tutor will do the correspondence. Other awards, scholarships, sponsorship, etc. may be tied to a particular course. Again the Senior Tutor will help, once your college has agreed to let you change. Sometimes a change of course involves a fresh start, delaying Finals by a year. Local Education Authorities are required to fund the extra time, on condition that the new course is no longer than the abandoned one, and that you have been accepted on to it within sixteen months of starting, which is deemed to mean by the end of December of your second year. This rule applies even if the new course is at a different UK university. But remember that acceptance on to a course may take several months, and you cannot plead that you failed to foresee the due formalities. You won your place at Oxford University, and with your college, as a candidate for the 4-year degree, but for those who entered the FHS on or after October 2005, you have the option of leaving the degree course at the end of your third year (or at any point in your fourth year). In such a case you may only supplicate for the B.A. degree. This does not constitute a change of course: you will simply be electing to terminate your course early.


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4 University Institutions and Facilities 4.1 Contacts Physics and Philosophy is the joint responsibility of the Board of the Faculty of Philosophy and the Board of the Faculty of Physical Sciences (for physics), bodies elected, like the other fourteen faculty boards in the University, by and from the members of their associated faculties, which include, respectively, the Faculty of Philosophy and the Sub-faculty of Physics. The members of the faculties or sub-faculties are, roughly, those employed to carry out teaching or research within the University. The Philosophy Faculty Board meets four times a term, the Philosophy Faculty twice, and the Physics Sub-faculty once a term. The Philosophy and Physical Sciences Boards appoint the Joint Committee for Physics and Philosophy (JCPP), which administers the course and makes regulations for examining it. The Philosophy contact person is Dr. H. Brown (Tel: 76930; Email: [email protected]). The JCPP meets on Mondays of the week before full term each term of the academic year, with an undergraduate representative normally attending. The latter is elected at the Physics and Philosophy tea party in Trinity Term. A number of suggestions originating from the student body for improving the PP course have been implemented by the JCPP, with the approval of the relevant (sub-)faculties and the faculty boards. In 2004-5, your representative is Melissa Gibson (Email: [email protected]). Linked to each (sub-)faculty is an Undergraduate Joint Consultative Committee on Faculty Matters (JCC). In addition to Senior Members, the Physics JCC also contains four undergraduate members, and the Philosophy JCC contains an undergraduate representative from every college whose students care to appoint one. The undergraduates must be reading for some Honour School involving physics or philosophy respectively, but not necessarily PP; however, the Philosophy JCC also contains an undergraduate PP representative. The Physics JCC meets twice a term, the Philosophy JCC once a term. They make recommendations to their parent faculty or sub-faculty, or through them to the JCPP. They appoint two of their undergraduate members to attend faculty or sub-faculty meetings as observers. Undergraduate representation on these committees is often patchy, and it is to be hoped that circulation of this handbook will help to advertise the existence of the JCCs. The Chairman of the Philosophy USCC for 2004/05 is Kalbir Sohi ([email protected]). Gloriously independent of this formal system of checks and balances is an entirely separate system of enthusiasm and motivation, the Oxford Physics and Philosophy Student Society, recently established as a Society of the University (and so entitled to University funding) but run by students for students. The OPhPhSS arranges meetings on topics of interest in both philosophy and physics. As a young and small society, any contributions and suggestions (particularly on how to abbreviate its name) are welcomed. Further details can be found on the Society’s website (reached from the Philosophy of Physics website). 4.2 The Department of Physics and the Philosophy Centre The Department of Physics The Department of Physics is divided into six sub-departments: Astrophysics; Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics; Atomic and Laser Physics; Condensed Matter Physics; Nuclear and Particle Physics; and Theoretical Physics. It is housed in four buildings: the Nuclear and Astrophysics Laboratory and the Theoretical Physics building on the west side of Parks Road, and the Clarendon Laboratory and the Atmospheric Physics building on the east side. The Department publishes its own Handbook, which as already stressed includes important material for those reading Physics and Philosophy. You should make sure your Physics tutor gives you a copy.

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The Philosophy Centre The Philosophy Centre at 10 Merton Street is open from 09.30 to 17.25, Monday to Friday (16.25 outside of weeks 0 - 9). The administrative offices are closed between 13.00 and 14.00. The Centre is sometimes open for evening meetings, or when its component Library (see below) has longer hours. The Centre is closed for about ten days at Christmas and Easter, and for five weeks from the beginning of August to early September. As well as the Library, it contains a lecture room, a seminar room, a meeting room, a common room, a garden, and the administrative offices. All enquiries, including the purchasing of Logic Exercises, and Doing Logic (both widely used in Prelims logic teaching) and other study aids, should be directed to the Secretarial Assistant (Tel: (2)76926; Email: [email protected]) in room G11 (second office on the left of the administrative corridor). A few members of the Philosophy Faculty have offices in this building, though most are based in their colleges. All PP students are sent invitations to the annual Physics and Philosophy Tea Party, which normally takes place in the Ryle Room at the Philosophy Centre at the beginning of Trinity Term, and all are encouraged to attend. It is an opportunity for students to get to know one another as well as members of the JCPP. It is also an occasion when queries, suggestions, or complaints on the part of students can be discussed. The undergraduate PP representatives on the Philosophy JCC and on the JCPP are usually selected by the students present at the Tea Party. 4.3 Libraries The library provision in Oxford University is very good but rather complex. Physics and Philosophy students will need to use a variety of libraries during their time in Oxford. Your local College library will have a good selection of books which can be borrowed. A more extensive range of books will be available from the relevant University libraries. Brief information about each of these libraries is listed below. Looking at the web page, picking up a paper guide or asking the library staff can provide you with further information about specific services or the rules and regulations of each library. Admission: The University card, which is distributed by your College, will be required to enter and/or to borrow books or order items from closed stacks. The best policy is to always carry your University card with you when you go to a library. (If you lose your University card, request a replacement as soon as possible from your College.) Induction: There are induction sessions for all Physics and Philosophy students during 0th week. You will be taught how to use OLIS, the Oxford University library catalogue, and OxLIP, the local interface to a large selection of subject databases and internet resources. These sessions take place in the Philosophy Centre Lecture Room (10 Merton Street). You will receive further instructions from your College about the timing of these sessions. If you miss your induction session, the Philosophy Library offers 4 sessions daily for new members throughout the year. Finding books: Begin by checking the OLIS catalogue for items listed on your reading lists but bear in mind that not all books are on OLIS. You may need to use the paper catalogue in some libraries. Ask library staff for assistance if you cannot find the books you need. Ask the library how to suggest new purchases if the item is not in Oxford. Finding journal articles: First look for the title of the journal you need in the OLIS catalogue. If it is not there, ask if there is a separate paper list. If you do not know the issue or the page number of the article, ask library staff who can help you search for the item in one of the many subject databases available from OxLIP, e.g. Philosopher’s Index. Some journals are now available electronically via OxLIP, for reading or printing. Feel free to ask library staff for further information and assistance! Borrowing from a library or reading in the library: Once you have found the books or journal articles you wish to read, you may be able to borrow the item from a lending library or you can read the reference copy in a Bodleian Library Reading Room. In addition, your college library will often have lending copies of items on


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reading lists. Library Main subjects covered BOD PPE Economics, Management, Philosophy, Politics,

International relations, Sociology Hooke Lending Library Science Philosophy Faculty Library Philosophy Radcliffe Science Library Science Library Opening hours

During term Monday – Friday

Saturday Number of seats

Number of PCs

Printers available?

BOD PPE 9:00 – 22:00 9:00 – 13:00 170 9 YES Hooke 9:00 – 17:00 9:00 – 12:30 6 3 (+4 OLIS) YES Philosophy 9:30 – 17:30 9:30 – 12:00 60 12 YES RSL 9:00 – 22:00 9:00 – 13:00 520 32 YES Library Number of photocopiers Price Type of card BOD PPE 2 7 – 13 pence University common card Hooke 1 5 pence (A4)

10 pence (A3) University common card

Philosophy 2 5 pence (A4) University common card RSL 5 pence (A4)

10 pence (A3) Colour: £1 (A4) £1.40 (A3)

University common card

Library Electricity mains for

laptops available? Ethernet available for laptops?

Location allowed

BOD PPE YES NO Designated desks Hooke NO NO N/A Philosophy YES YES CRR and Main Library RSL YES YES Throughout

Lending Library

Loan Allowance

Loan Period

Renewal Allowed?

Number of renewals per book

Renewals via OPAC possible?

Reservations Allowed?

Reservations via OPAC possible?

Hooke 15 7 days YES 25 YES YES YES Philosophy 12 2 days

7 days YES 1 YES YES YES

Reference Library Number of

stack requests allowed

Held in library for how long?

Reservation for stack material allowed?

Reservation via OLIS OPAC possible?

Bodleian (including PPE) 6 7 days YES YES, Telnet version only Radcliffe Science Library 10 7 days in RR,

24 hrs at pcs YES YES, Telnet version only

Library Web address Bodleian http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/ Hooke http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/dept/hooke/ Philosophy http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/guides/philosophy/

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RSL http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/rsl/

We hope you will enjoy using Oxford’s Libraries. Please respect other Library users and take care of books and facilities.

Copyright The copying of books and journals and the use of self-service photocopiers are subject to the provisions of the Copyright License issued to the University of Oxford by the Copyright Licensing Agency for the copying (from paper on to paper) of: - up to 5% or one complete chapter (whichever is the greater) from a book; - up to 5% or one whole article (whichever is the greater) from a single issue of a journal; - up to 5% or one paper (whichever is the greater) from a set of conference proceedings. 4.4 Computing Many colleges have a computer room, with software for word-processing and other applications, connections to the central University machines and the Internet, and printers. There are a number of workstations in the computing practical laboratory on the second floor of the Nuclear and Astrophysics Laboratory. Fourteen reader workstations are situated throughout the Philosophy Library at 10 Merton Street, including three in the new Computing Resources Room, which also has a printer and mains and ethernet points for student who want to use their own laptops in the building. The Library and Centre are open 09.30 to 17.25 (16.25 outside of weeks 0 – 9), Monday to Friday. The Oxford University Computing Services (OUCS) are at 13 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6NN. The building is open to non-keyholders Monday to Friday 08.30 - 22.00. Users must register, either in person, or at telnet register.ox.ac.uk, or at: http://info.ox.ac.uk/oucs/register; in each case you will need your University card with you. Registered undergraduates have access to courses on the use of the central computers and personal computers, to the Learning and Resource Centre (Monday to Friday 09.00 - 22.00), the Help Area (Monday to Friday 10.00 - 16.00), the Micro Centre for advice on the use of computers and help in choosing what to buy (Monday, Wednesday, Friday 14.00 - 16.00), and the Shop (Monday to Friday 09.15 (Tuesday 09.45) - 17.00); also, by application, to e-mail, the Internet, printers and software. Further details may be obtained from the reception desk (Monday to Friday 08.30 - 17.30, tel: 273200) or from the World Wide Web on: http://info.ox.ac.uk/oucs; or questions can be sent by e-mail to [email protected]. You are strongly encouraged to arrange your personal e-mail account, and to read your e-mail on a regular basis. This will greatly facilitate communications, particularly with out-of-college tutors, and with the Chair of the Joint Committee running the course. You are also encouraged to use the Philosophy of Physics web site. 4.5 Scholarships, Prizes, and Grants After your first year you will be eligible for a scholarship or exhibition from your college, on academic criteria which the college decides and applies. The University administers a number of trust scholarships, mostly narrow and none specifically for PP subjects; they are listed in the University's Statutes, Decrees and Regulations (the Blue Book), which you can consult in your college office or a library. University prizes are listed in a supplement of the Oxford University Gazette each year, which is available at the Philosophy Library and many college libraries.4 Philosophy prizes concerning PP students include: (1) The Henry

4 The Gazette also carries regular details of special lectures and seminars being given in Oxford and is worth consulting


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Wilde Prize, value about �500, is offered for an outstanding performance on the philosophy papers in one of the Final Honour Schools. (2) A Gibbs Prize, value up to �100, is offered for an outstanding performance in the philosophy subjects in PP finals. No applications are needed. (3) The Duns Scotus Prize in Medieval Philosophy, value £150, is offered each year for an outstanding script in the Medieval Philosophy paper. No special application is required. This prize is available to students in all Final Honour Schools involving Philosophy. (4) The Elizabeth Anscombe Thesis Prize, value £100, is awarded each year for the best Final Honour Schools Philosophy thesis across all Final Honour Schools involving Philosophy. No special application is required. Grants for special purposes such as research travel, or for hardship, are available from many colleges to their members. There are also two more general schemes. (1) Access Funds are provided by the state to give financial help to full-time 'home' undergraduates and postgraduates where access to higher or further education might be inhibited by financial considerations, or where students, for whatever reasons, including disabilities, face financial difficulties. Application should be made to your college. (2) The University's Committee on Student Hardship makes grants and loans for the relief of financial hardship, which must have been unforeseeable at the time of admission. It meets once a term, and application forms, which are held in your college office, must be completed and in the hands of a designated college officer, probably the Senior Tutor, before a designated time, probably in Fourth Week (First Week in Trinity Term). The Oxford-Princeton Exchange A grant of up to £3000 is available to those participating in the Oxford-Princeton undergraduate exchange. Further details are available from Dr Harvey Brown ([email protected]) The Socrates/Erasmus Programme This programme is a European Union initiative which is designed to help students to study at other universities in the Union other than in their home country. Because of the tightly-knit structure of the PP degree course, it is not advised that you make use of the programme in Part A of the FHS (and still less in your first year!), but in Part B it may be possible for you to spend up to one term abroad with profit. The programme is in effect a reciprocal exchange scheme, established between Oxford and specific institutions in the EU. You should apply directly to the institute you are interested in visiting. Details of institutes in physics may be obtained from the Physics Department; in philosophy, from the Administrator of the Philosophy Centre. There is one institution of particular interest to PP students, namely the Institute for the History and Foundations of Mathematics and the Physical Sciences, at Utrecht, Holland. For advice and further information on this and other departments in the Philosophy of Physics and Foundations of Physics, you should contact your philosophy representative of the JCPP.

regularly.

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5 Afterwards The summer of your penultimate year is probably a good time to start thinking about what you will do next after Finals. The Careers Service at 56 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6PA (Tel: 274646, Fax: 274653), is at the disposal of all students, while studying and for four years after they leave Oxford. It is open from 10.00 to 13.00 and 14.00 to 17.00 on Mondays to Fridays, and from 10.00 to 13.00 on Saturdays during Full Term. If you are thinking of further study or going into research, talk about it with your tutors, if possible, by the beginning of your final year. Most postgraduate applications (to the northern hemisphere) have to be submitted by December, and you will need to spend time working on your application. Overseas fellowships and scholarships may have closing dates as early as November. If you are interested in applying to study physics at a UK university, you should contact the physics departments concerned by December. These departments are independently allocated funds for postgraduate projects, which are assigned to successful applicants after interview. If you are interested in going to a department of philosophy in the UK, you should apply for a British Academy Postgraduate Award yourself. The deadline for this is 1 May; you will have to provide evidence of at least provisional acceptance on to a named course at a named UK university. You should anyway have applied to the university concerned by the New Year. You should collect and complete an application form for the award as soon as the forms arrive in your college office, usually during February. Your initiatives are the beginning of an elaborate process which fails if not completed by 1 May. Universities in the United States of America provide particular opportunities. Not only are they among the best in the world, they are the best funded, bar none. If you are accepted on to a graduate program in one of the better US universities, you will probably be offered a much higher stipend than you will from the British Academy. Such programmes are highly competitive but there is no bar to non-US citizens in applying for them. The criteria for acceptance is the same whatever your country of origin: a good formal preparation in your chosen field, evidence of excellence, very strong letters of support, and � in philosophy � an outstanding writing sample of about 6000 words. Putting together an application of this kind takes time: you will need to start a month or more before the likely deadline of December. Whether you are interested in continuing your studies abroad or in the UK if your chosen field is the philosophy of physics then you should consult with your philosophy representative of the Joint Committee.


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6. Appendices Appendix 1: Study Guide Years 1-3 The Joint Committee for Physics and Philosophy recommends the following pattern for years 1-3. (Note: where Faculty Classes are provided - typically meeting 7 times per term, each 1½ hr. - the number of Tutorials per term, usually 8 meetings, will be halved.) 1st year philosophy

MT Lectures: Introduction to Logic (as for PPE); Introduction to Philosophy Tutorials Introduction to Philosophy, Logic (7)

HT Lectures: Introduction to Philosophy; Elements of Deductive Logic Tutorials: Introduction to Philosophy, Logic (7)

TT Lectures: Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence Tutorials Leibniz-Clarke (4)

1st year physics MT Lectures: CP1 (Mechanics and Special Relativity); CP3 (Mathematical

Methods); CP4P (Differential Equations and Waves) Tutorials: CP1 (3); CP3 (3); CP4P (3)

HT Lectures: CP1 (Mechanics); CP3 (Mathematical Methods); CP4P (Differential Equations and Waves)

Tutorials: CP1 (3); CP3 (4); CP4P (2) TT Lectures: Revision for CP1, CP3, CP4P

Tutorials: CP1 (2); CP2 and CP3 (4) 2nd year philosophy

MT Lectures5: related to Knowledge and Reality Tutorials: Knowledge and Reality (8)

HT Lectures2: Intermediate Philosophy of Physics (Special Relativity), Philosophy of Science

Tutorials: Intermediate Philosophy of Physics (2), Philosophy of Science (4). TT Lectures11 Intermediate Philosophy of Physics (Special Relativity).

Tutorials Intermediate Philosophy of Physics (2) 2nd year physics

MT Lectures: A1 (Kinetic Theory and Thermodynamics); A3 (Quantum Mechanics); Mathematical Methods (see under section 2.3.b)

T/Classes: A1 (4); A3 (2); Mathematical Methods (4) HT Lectures: A2P (Electromagnetism); A1 (Statistical Mechanics); A3 (Quantum

Mechanics; Atomic Physics) T/Classes: A2P (2); A1 (3); A3 (4)

TT Lectures: A3 (Atomic Physics); A2P (Electromagnetism revision) T/Classes: A1 (1); A2P (1); A3 (2).

5 Students should consult their tutors about appropriate lectures on their philosophy option and on Knowledge and Reality

throughout the academic year.

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3rd year philosophy MT Lectures: Intermediate Philosophy of Physics (Quantum Mechanics); Part A

philosophy option Tutorials: Intermediate Philosophy of Physics (Quantum Mechanics) (4); Part

A philosophy option HT Lectures: Part A philosophy option

Tutorials: Part A philosophy option TT Revision

3rd year physics MT Lectures: Physics option, BT1

T/Classes: Physics option, BT1??? HT Lectures: Physics option, BT2

T/Classes: Physics option, BT2??? TT Revision:

Year 4: Consult with your physics and philosophy tutors.


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Appendix 2: Syllabuses for Public Examinations in Philosophy The formal syllabuses (which are not very informative) for all subjects in philosophy, including philosophy of physics, may be found under “Special Regulations for Philosophy in all Honour Schools including Philosophy”, in Examination Regulations (the Grey Book). Those for subjects required for every PP candidate are given below, along with informal descriptions of the optional philosophy subjects in the PP degree. You should always consult your tutor about your choice of options. Keep in mind the need to satisfy the normal prerequisites for your choice of subjects: your choice in your third year dictates the possibilities open to you in your fourth and final year. (a) Formal Syllabuses of Philosophy Subjects Required of Physics and Philosophy 1. Moderations in Philosophy Elements of Deductive Logic Subjects to be studied include: propositional and predicate languages; truth tables; tableaux; relations; the critical application of formal logic to the analysis of English sentences, and inferences (problems of symbolization, scope, truth-functionality, quantification, identity, descriptions); elementary metatheorems about propositional calculus (including the following topics: expressive adequacy, duality, substitution, interpolation, compactness, consistency, soundness and completeness). Some questions of a mathematical nature will be set. The logical symbols and tableaux rules to be used are those found in the second edition of Wilfrid Hodges, Logic (Penguin Books). Philosophical Questions about logic may be studied by reading Mark Sainsbury’s Logical Forms: An Introduction to Philosophical Logic (Blackwell), Chapters 1,2, and 4, omitting the starred sections.

Introduction to Philosophy This paper consists of two parts. Part A, General introduces students to key topics in epistemology and metaphysics, including knowledge, skepticism, perception, induction, primary and secondary qualities, the relation of mind and body, personal identity and free will. Part B is studied in connection with The Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence, ed. H. G. Alexander, Manchester University Press, 1956 (to be studied principally as an introduction to the philosophy of space and time). 2. Final Honour School Subjects in Philosophy 102. Knowledge and Reality (Required for Part B) Candidates will be expected to show knowledge in some of the following areas: knowledge and justification; perception; memory; induction; other minds; a priori knowledge; necessity and possibility; reference; truth; facts and propositions; definition; existence; identity, including personal identity; substances, change, events, properties; causation; space; time; essence; natural kinds; realism and idealism; primary and secondary qualities. There will also be a section on Philosophy of Science. Candidates’ answers must not be confined to questions from the section on Philosophy of Science. 120. Intermediate Philosophy of Physics (Required for Part B) The paper will consist of two sections. Section A will include philosophical problems associated with classical physics and some basic philosophical issues raised by the Special Theory of Relativity, Section B will be concerned with introductory philosophical problems related to the interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. Candidates will be required to answer at least one question from each section.

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(b) Informal Syllabuses for FHS Subjects in Philosophy Normal Prerequisites (indicated by NP) In what follows you will find that some subjects are named as 'normal prerequisites' for the study of others. For instance: 112 The Philosophy of Kant (NP 101) means that those studying 112, Kant, would normally be expected to have studied 101 (History of Philosophy from Descartes to Kant). In some cases alternatives are given as the prerequisite, e.g. 107 Philosophy of Religion (NP 101 or 102) means that those studying 107, Philosophy of Religion, would normally be expected to have studied either 101 (History of Philosophy) or 102 (Knowledge and Reality). It may be inadvisable to study a subject if you have not met the designated prerequisite, and if you propose to do so you must consult your tutor beforehand. 101. History of Philosophy from Descartes to Kant The purpose of this subject is to enable you to gain a critical understanding of some of the metaphysical and epistemological ideas of some of the most important philosophers of the early modern period, between the 1630s to the 1780s. This period saw a great flowering of philosophy in Europe. Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz, often collectively referred to as "the rationalists", placed the new "corpuscularian" science within grand metaphysical systems which certified our capacity to reason our way to the laws of nature (as well as to many other, often astonishing conclusions about the world). Locke wrote in a different, empiricist tradition. He argued that, since our concepts all ultimately derive from experience, our knowledge is necessarily limited. Berkeley and Hume developed this empiricism in the direction of a kind of idealism, according to which the world studied by science is in some sense mind-dependent and mind-constructed. Kant subsequently sought to arbitrate between the rationalists and the empiricists, by rooting out some assumptions common to them and trying thereby to salvage and to reconcile some of their apparently irreconcilable insights. A knowledge of the writings of these philosophers will be of immense use to you in all your further work in modern philosophy. It constitutes “the canon”; every philosopher working subsequent to this time will have studied it intensively, and will have had his or her ideas shaped in part by it. Reading the primary texts is of great importance. Since you are required to show knowledge of "at least two" of the philosophers listed, choice is wide, although those taking paper 111 may not answer questions on Descartes, Spinoza or Leibniz, and those taking Paper 112, may not answer questions on Kant. If you are offering 102 as well as 101, you should avoid repetition of material across examinations, but you may assume that good answers to questions would not involve repetition for which you might be penalised. For Finals in 2005 and 2006 only: Since you are required to show knowledge of “at least two” of the philosophers listed, choice is wide, although those taking paper 111 may not anser questions on Descartes, Spinoza or Leibniz, and those taking Paper 112 may not answer questions on Kant. If you are offering 102 as well as 101, you should avoid repirition of material across examinations, but you may assume that good answers to questions would not involve repetition for which you might be penalized. For those taking Finals in 2007 and thereafter, paper 101 will have a new format. The paper will be divided into three sections and students will be required to answer at least one question from Section A (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz) and at least one from Section B (Locke, Berkeley, Hume). Section C will contain questions on Kant and students taking paper 112 may not attempt questions from this section. R.S.Woolhouse, The Empiricists; J.Cottingham, The Rationalists (both O.U.P. Opus series). 102. Knowledge and Reality The purpose of this subject is to enable you to examine some central questions about the nature of the world - metaphysics - and the nature and extent to which we can have knowledge of it - epistemology, also known as theory of knowledge.


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Knowledge: you will examine whether it is possible to attain knowledge of what the world is really like. Is our knowledge of the world necessarily limited to what we can observe to be the case? Indeed, are even our observational beliefs about the world around us justified? Can we have knowledge of what will happen based on what has happened? Is our understanding of the world necessarily limited to what we can prove to be the case? Or can we understand claims about the remote past or distant future that we cannot in principle prove to be true? Reality: you will focus on questions such as the following. Does the world really contain the three-dimensional objects and their properties - such as red buses or black horses - which we appear to encounter in everyday life? Or is it made up rather of the somewhat different entities studied by science, such as colourless atoms or four-dimensional space-time worms? What is the relation between the common sense picture of the world and that provided by contemporary science? Is it correct to think of the objects and their properties that make up the world as being what they are independently of our preferred ways of dividing up reality? These issues are discussed with reference to a variety of specific questions such as 'What is time?', 'What is the nature of causation?', and 'What is perceptual evidence?’ The examination paper contains a second section called 'Philosophy of Science’, from which PP candidates must answer at least one question. Like the first, this section poses questions in the theory of knowledge and the content of our knowledge. What is distinctive about the field is the focus on scientific knowledge, and metaphysical questions - concerning space, time, causation, probability, necessity, and realism - that are directly raised by developments in science. As such philosophy of science is concerned with distinctive traits of science: testability, objectivity, scientific explanation, and the nature of change in scientific theories. It is also concerned with major schools in the philosophy of science. Among them is logical positivism (later logical empiricism), which has a special importance in analytic philosophy. The logical positivists were the early champions of the ideas of Frege, Russell, and the early Wittgenstein. There are themes that thread their way through both parts of the Knowledge and Reality paper, and you are advised to explore them under the guidance of your tutor. You may well have tutorials on the philosophy of science with a different person from your tutor in metaphysics and theory of knowledge: if so, you should remind each tutor of the importance of finding such common themes. Examples include causation and induction, necessity and the nature of physical laws, space, theories of truth, including analytic truth, and philosophical foundationalism and naturalism. Note that in studying such topics as reference, truth and definition, there is the possibility of overlap with subject 108. Candidates taking the latter as their optional subject in philosophy should avoid repetition of material across examinations, though it is safe to assume that good answers to questions would not involve repetition for which you might be penalised. Jonathan Dancy, Introduction to Contemporary Epistemology (Oxford), chs. 1-3 Michael J. Loux, Metaphysics (Routledge) Don Gillies, Philosophy of Science in the Twentieth Century (Blackwells) W. V. Quine, The Pursuit of Truth (Harvard) 103. Ethics The purpose of this subject is to enable you to come to grips with some questions that exercise many people, philosophers and non-philosophers alike. How should we decide what is best to do, and how best to lead our lives? Are our value judgments on these and other matters objective or do they merely reflect our subjective preferences and viewpoints? Are we in fact free to make these choices, or have our decisions already been determined by antecedent features of our environment and by our genetic endowment? In considering these issues you will examine a variety of ethical concepts, such as those of justice, rights, equality, virtue, and happiness, which are widely used in moral and political argument. There is also opportunity to discuss some

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applied ethical issues. Knowledge of major historical thinkers, e.g. Aristotle and Hume and Kant, will be encouraged, but not required in the examination.

John Mackie, Ethics (Penguin), chs. 1-2 104. Philosophy of Mind (NP 101 or 102) The purpose of this subject is to enable you to examine a variety of questions about the nature of persons and their psychological states, including such general questions as: what is the relation between persons and their minds? Could robots or automata be persons? What is the relation between our minds and our brains? If we understood everything about the brain, would we understand everything about consciousness and rational thought? If not why not? Several of these issues focus on the relation between our common sense understanding of ourselves and of others, and the view of the mind developed in scientific psychology and neuroscience. Are the two accounts compatible? Should one be regarded as better than the other? Should our common sense understanding of the mind be jettisoned in favour of the scientific picture? Or does the latter leave out something essential to a proper understanding of ourselves and of others? Other more specific questions concern memory, thought, belief, emotion, and perception.

Paul Churchland, Matter and Consciousness (Cambridge) chs. 1-3

Note: Papers 105. Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Psychology and Neuroscience, and 106.

Philosophy of Science and Social Science may not be taken by PP finalists.

107. Philosophy of Religion (NP 101 or 102) The purpose of this subject is to enable you to examine claims about the existence of God and God's relationship to the world. What, if anything, is meant by them? Could they be true? What justification, if any, can or needs to be provided for them? The paper is concerned primarily with the claims of Western religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam), and with the central claim of those religions, that there is a God. God is said to be omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good, a source of moral obligation and so on. But what does it mean to say that God has these properties, and are they consistent with each other? Could God change the past, or choose to do evil? Does it make sense to say that God is outside time? You will have the opportunity to study arguments for the existence of God - for example, the teleological argument from the fact that the Universe is governed by scientific laws, and the argument from people's religious experiences. Other issues are whether the fact of pain and suffering counts strongly, or even conclusively, against the existence of God, whether there could be evidence for miracles, whether it could be shown that prayer "works", whether there could be life after death, and what philosophical problems are raised by the existence of different religions. There may also be an optional question in the exam paper about some specifically Christian doctrine - does it make sense to say that the life and death of Jesus atoned for the sins of the world, and could one know this? There is abundant scope for deploying all the knowledge and techniques that you have acquired in other areas of philosophy. Among the major philosophers whose contributions to the philosophy of religion you will need to study are Aquinas, Hume and Kant. M. Peterson and other authors, Reason and Religious Belief, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion (Oxford University Press) 108. The Philosophy of Logic and Language (NP Prelims/Mods Logic)

The purpose of this subject is to enable you to examine some fundamental questions relating to reasoning and language. The philosophy of logic is not itself a symbolic or mathematical subject, but examines concepts of interest to the logician. If you want to know the answer to the question 'What is truth?', this is a subject for you. Central also are questions about the status of basic logical laws and the nature of logical necessity. What, if anything, makes it true that nothing can be at the same time both green and not green all over? Is that necessity


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the result of our conventions or stipulations, or the reflection of how things have to be independently of us? Philosophy of language is closely related. It covers the very general question how language can describe reality at all: what makes our sentences meaningful and, on occasion, true? How do parts of our language refer to objects in the world? What is involved in understanding speech (or the written word)? You may also investigate more specific issues concerning the correct analysis of particular linguistic expressions such as names, descriptions, pronouns, or adverbs, and aspects of linguistics and grammatical theory. Candidates taking 102 as well as 108 should avoid repetition of material across examinations, though it is safe to assume that good answers to questions would not involve repetition for which you might be penalised.

Mark Sainsbury, 'Philosophical Logic', in Philosophy, a Guide through the Subject, edited by A. C. Grayling (Oxford) 109. Aesthetics (NP 101 or 102 or 103 or 104 or 115) The purpose of this subject is to enable you to study a number of questions about the nature and value of beauty and of the arts. For example, do we enjoy sights and sounds because they are beautiful, or are the beautiful because we enjoy them? Does the enjoyment of beauty involve a particular sort of experience, and if so, how should we define it and what psychological capacities does it presuppose? Is a work of art a physical object, an abstract object, or what? Does the value of a work of art depend only upon its long or short-term effects on our minds or characters? If not, what sorts of reasons can we give for admiring a work of art? Do reasons for admiring paintings, pieces of music and poems have enough in common with one another, and little enough in common with reasons for admiring other kinds of things, to support the idea that there is a distinctive sort of value which good art of every sort, and only art, possesses? As well as general questions such as these ones, the subject also addresses questions raised by particular art forms. For example, what is the difference between a picture and a description in words? Can fiction embody truths about its subject-matter? How does music express emotions? All of these questions, and others, are addressed directly, and also by examining classic texts, including Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Poetics, Hume's Essay on the Standard of Taste and Kant's Critique of Aesthetic Judgement.

Malcolm Budd, Values of Art (Penguin) 110. Medieval Philosophy The purpose of this subject is to provide you with the opportunity for the critical study of some of the writings either of Thomas Aquinas or of Duns Scotus and Ockham.

Does God exist? What is the nature of God? Are we immortal? Are we free? How does human action differ from the behaviour of animals? What is happiness, and where can we find it - on earth or in heaven? Should I do what my conscience tells me is right or what is in fact right? These are some of the questions raised in the writings of the great medieval theologian and philosopher, Thomas Aquinas. These are studied in translation rather than the Latin original, though a glance at Aquinas's remarkably readable Latin can often be useful. Aquinas's writings are not treated as sacred texts, and candidates are encouraged to criticise them as well as to understand them.

A choice of texts and issues within Aquinas's philosophy is offered. Paper 116, Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, goes well with this option.

B. Davies, The Thought of Thomas Aquinas (O.U.P.)

You can, as an alternative, study the philosophy of Duns Scotus and Ockham, two influential writers on issues in

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logic and metaphysics. For this option 101 or 108 or Aristotle's Physics (131(b)) are a good background. F. Copleston, A History of Philosophy vol 2 part II: Medieval Philosophy, Albert the Great to Duns Scotus

111. Continental Philosophy from Descartes to Leibniz (NP 101 or 102 or 103 or 112) The purpose of this subject is to enable you to study some of the metaphysical ideas, and the theories of knowledge, of a group of seventeenth-century philosophers leading up to Leibniz which includes most of those who had a dominant influence upon him. Leibniz in turn has a special place in the philosophy of physics, as you will have appreciated in your study of the Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence in the first year of your degree. Descartes, Spinoza, Malebranche and Leibniz are often called "rationalists", because they all held that we have a capacity for purely rational thinking, independent of sense-experience, by which we can achieve an understanding of the world and of our place in it. They differed considerably in what they took this to imply, and as a result held radically different views on the nature of the world. Spinoza for example argued that there is really only one genuinely individual thing, or "substance", which could be equated with God or Nature; Leibniz held that there are infinitely many substances, all of them (in a sense) mental. Gassendi was a vigorous opponent of rationalist thinking in any form, holding knowledge to be grounded on sense-experience, and in consequence very limited in extent. You do not have to know the work of all these authors in equal detail; in the examination you have to show knowledge of at least three of them. R. S. Woolhouse, The Concept of Substance in Seventeenth-Century Metaphysics (Routledge) Buchdahl, Metaphysics and the Philosophy of Science 112. The Philosophy of Kant (NP 101) The purpose of this paper is to enable you to make a critical study of some of the ideas of one of the greatest of all philosophers. Immanuel Kant lived from 1724 to 1804. He published the 'Critique of Pure Reason' in 1781, and the 'Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals' in 1785. The 'Critique' is his greatest work and, without question, the most influential work of modern philosophy. It is a difficult but enormously rewarding work. This is largely because Kant, perhaps uniquely, combines in the highest measure the cautious qualities of care, rigour and tenacity with the bolder quality of philosophical imagination. Its concern is to give an account of human knowledge that will steer a path between the dogmatism of traditional metaphysics and the scepticism that, Kant believes, is the inevitable result of the empiricist criticism of metaphysics. Kant's approach, he claims in a famous metaphor, amounts to a "Copernican revolution" in philosophy. Instead of looking at human knowledge by starting from what is known, we should start from ourselves as knowing subjects and ask how the world must be for us to have the kind of knowledge and experience that we have. Kant thinks that his Copernican revolution also enables him to reconcile traditional Christian morality and modern science, in the face of their apparently irreconcilable demands (in the one case, that we should be free agents, and in the other case, that the world should be governed by inexorable mechanical laws). The Critique has a special significance for the philosophy of physics, for it is in many respects the outcome of Kant’s lifelong attempt to reconcile Leibniz’s natural philosophy with Newton’s. In Kant’s last work in 'theoretical� philosophy (as opposed to 'practical’ or moral philosophy), the Critique was to be used as a kind of underpinning for Newton’s laws of motion (in Kant’s Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science). Kant remained enormously influential among nineteenth century physicists such as Helmholtz, Hertz and Poincaré; the logical positivists were likewise indebted to him; even Frege, who broke decisively Kant’s with philosophical ('transcendental’) logic, continued to uphold broadly Kantian principles in the context of geometry. Texts: Critique of Pure Reason, trans. Norman Kemp Smith (Macmillan)


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Groundwork of the metaphysics of Morals, trans. H. J. Paton (Hutchinson) Roger Scruton, Kant M. Friedman, Kant and the Exact Sciences (Harvard) 113. Post-Kantian Philosophy (NP 101 or 102 or 103 or 112) Many of the questions raised by German and French philosophers of the 19th and early 20th centuries were thought to arise directly out of Kant's metaphysics, epistemology and ethics: Hence the title of this subject, the purpose of which is to enable you to explore some of the developments of (and departures from) Kantian themes in the work of Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre and Merleau-Ponty. Students typically focus their study on only two chosen authors. Hegel and Schopenhauer delineate global, metaphysical systems out of which each develops his own distinctive vision of ethical and (especially in the case of Hegel) political life. Nietzsche's writings less obviously constitute a 'system', but they too develop certain ethical and existential implications of our epistemological and metaphysical commitments. Husserl will interest those pupils attracted to problems in ontology and epistemology such as feature in the Cartesian tradition; his work also serves to introduce one to phenomenology, the philosophical method later developed and refined by Heidegger, Sartre and Merleau-Ponty. In Heidegger and Sartre, that method is brought to bear on such fundamental aspects of human existence as authenticity, social understanding, bad faith, art and freedom. Merleau-Ponty (who trained as a psychologist) presents a novel and important account of the genesis of perception, cognition and feeling, and relates these to themes in aesthetics and political philosophy. While this is very much a text-based paper, many of the questions addressed are directly relevant to contemporary treatments of problems in epistemology and metaphysics, in aesthetics, political theory and the philosophy of mind.

Robert C. Solomon, Continental Philosophy since 1750: The Rise and Fall of the Self (O.U.P.)

114. Theory of Politics (NP 103) In order to understand the world of politics, we also need to know which views of politics and society people have when they make political decisions, and why we recommend certain courses of action rather than others. This purpose of this subject is to enable you to look at the main ideas we use when we think about politics: why do we have competing views of social justice and what makes a particular view persuasive, possibly even right? What happens when a concept such as freedom has different meanings, so that those who argue that we must maximise freedom of choice are confronted with those who claim that some choices will actually restrict your freedom? Is power desirable or harmful? Would feminists or nationalists give a different answer to that question? Political theory is concerned with developing good responses to problems such as: when should we obey, and when should we disobey, the state? But it is also concerned with mapping the ways in which we approach questions such as: how does one argue in favour of human rights? In addition, you will explore the main ideologies, such as liberalism, conservatism and socialism, in order to understand their main arguments and why each of them will direct us to different political solutions and arrangements.

Will Kymlicka, Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction (O.U.P.) 115. Plato, Republic Plato's influence on the history of philosophy is enormous. The purpose of this subject is to enable you to make a critical study of The Republic, which is perhaps his most important and most influential work. Written as a dialogue between Socrates and others including the outspoken immoralist Thrasymachus, it is primarily concerned with questions of the nature of justice and of what is the best kind of life to lead. These questions

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prompt discussions of the ideal city - which Karl Popper criticised as totalitarian - of education and art, of the nature of knowledge, the Theory of Forms and the immortality of the soul. In studying it you will encounter a work of philosophy of unusual literary merit, one in which philosophy is presented through debates, through analogies and images, including the famous simile of the Cave, as well as rigorous argument, and you will encounter some of Plato's important contributions to ethics, political theory, metaphysics, philosophy of mind and aesthetics. You are expected to study the work in detail; the examination contains a question requiring comments on chosen passages, as well as a choice of essay questions.

Julia Annas, An Introduction to Plato's Republic, introduction and ch. 1 Set translation: Plato: Republic, tr Grube, revised Reeve (Hackett) 116. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics The purpose of this subject is to give you the opportunity to make a critical study of one of the most important works in the history of philosophy. Like Plato in the Republic, Aristotle is concerned with the question, what is the best possible sort of life? Whereas this leads Plato to pose grand questions in metaphysics and political theory, it leads Aristotle to offer close analyses of the structure of human action, responsibility, the virtues, the nature of moral knowledge, weakness of will, pleasure, friendship, and other related issues. Much of what Aristotle has to say on these is ground-breaking, highly perceptive, and still of importance in contemporary debate in ethics and moral psychology. You are expected to study the work in detail; the examination contains a question requiring comments on chosen passages, as well as a choice of essay questions.

J. L. Ackrill, Aristotle the Philosopher, ch. 10. Set translation: Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics translated and with notes by T.H. Irwin (Hackett) 117. Frege, Russell, and Wittgenstein (NP Prelims/Mods Logic) The purpose of this subject is to enable you to study some classic texts from which emerged modern logic and philosophy of language. Frege invented and explained the logic of multiple generality (quantification theory) and applied this apparatus to the analysis of arithmetic. Russell continued this programme, adding some refinements (the theory of types, the theory of descriptions), and he applied logic to many traditional problems in epistemology. Wittgenstein's Tractatus outlined an ambitious project for giving a logical account of truths of logic (as tautologies). The texts are dense and sophisticated, but they are elegant and full of challenging ideas. Ability to understand logical symbolism is important, and previous work in philosophical logic would be advantageous. There are also profound links between all of these writings and the writings of the logical positivists, particularly those of Rudolf Carnap, and hence with philosophy of science in the first half of this century. Anthony Kenny, Frege (Penguin) and Wittgenstein (Penguin) 118. The Later Philosophy of Wittgenstein (NP 101 or 102 or 108 or 117) The purpose of this subject is to enable you to study some of the most influential ideas of the 20th century. The main texts are Wittgenstein's posthumously-published Philosophical Investigations and The Blue and Brown Books. These writings are famous not just for their content but also for their distinctive style and conception of philosophy. There is much critical discussion about the relation between those aspects of Wittgenstein's work.


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Wittgenstein covers a great range of issues, principally in philosophy of language and philosophy of mind. In philosophy of language, one key topic is the nature of rules and rule-following. What is involved in grasping a rule; and how can I tell, in a new case, what I have to do to apply the rule correctly? Indeed, what makes it the case that a particular move at this stage is the correct way of applying the rule; is there any standard of correctness other than the agreement of our fellows? Other topics include: whether language is systematic; the relation between linguistic meaning and non-linguistic activities; whether concepts can be illuminatingly analysed. In the philosophy of mind, Wittgenstein is especially famous for the so-called "private language argument", which tries to show that words for sensations cannot get their meanings by being attached to purely internal, introspective, "private objects". Other, equally important, topics include the nature of the self, of introspection and of visual experience, and the intentionality (the representative quality) of mental states. Most generally, can we (as Wittgenstein thought) avoid Cartesianism without lapsing into behaviourism?

The texts: try Philosophical Investigations paras 1-80; Blue Book pp. 1-17 Saul Kripke: Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language (Blackwell) 119. Formal Logic (NP Prelims/Mods Logic) This subject is precisely what its name suggests, an extension of the symbolic logic covered in the Prelims/Mods logic course. Only in highly exceptional circumstances would it be appropriate to do this subject without first having done Prelims/Mods logic, indeed without first having done it very well. Formal Logic is an extremely demanding and rigorous subject, even for those who have Mathematics A Level. If you lose your way in it, there is liable to be no way of avoiding disaster. But granted these caveats, the subject is a delight to those who enjoy formal work and who are good at it. Its purpose is to introduce you to some of the deepest and most beautiful results in logic, many of which have fascinating implications for other areas of philosophy. There are three sections. The first, Propositional and Predicate Logic, is the most closely related to the material covered in the Prelims/Mods course. The other two sections are: Set Theory, which includes the rudimentary arithmetic of infinite numbers, and Metamathematics, which includes some computability theory and various results concerning the limitations of formalization, such as Gödel's theorem. Candidates are permitted a free choice of question i.e they will not be required to answer from section (i) and they will not be required to answer from more than one section of the paper.

George S. Boolos and Richard C. Jeffrey, Computability and Logic (Cambridge, 3rd edn.) 120. Intermediate Philosophy of Physics (NP 102, Physics 1, Fundamental Principles 1) This forms the backbone of Part A of the FHS in Physics and Philosophy. It consists of an in-depth philosophical study of the central ideas of modern physics. The syllabus falls naturally into two parts. The first concerns the origins, concepts and structure of Einstein’s special theory of relativity. This in many ways marked the culmination of classical physics and provided a final synthesis of the Maxwell-Lorentz theory of electrodynamics with the principles of mechanics, modified in the light of Einstein’s discoveries. You will study not only the details of Einstein’s arguments, but of alternative conceptions of the meaning of the transformation laws of special relativity, including a careful analysis of the significance of the observable empirical phenomena, especially the well-known dilation and contraction effects. Much of the philosophy of space and time written in the twentieth century has been influenced by Einstein’s theory of special relativity: the basic lines of philosophical thought, including realism, instrumentalism and conventionalism, will be examined with care. The second part of the syllabus is concerned with the concepts and foundations of quantum mechanics. As with relativity theory, you will be building on your knowledge of physics, including a study of the history of the subject and of its interpretation. Unlike the philosophy of space and time, the philosophy of quantum mechanics is dominated by a single, over-arching problem: the problem of measurement. Much of the syllabus on quantum mechanics is given over to a study of this problem and of purported solutions to it, ranging from hidden-variable theories (such as that of Louis de Broglie and David Bohm), theories of state-reduction (such as the Ghirrardi,

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Rimini and Weber theory), and more philosophical approaches, such as the once-orthodox Copenhagen interpretation and the Everett relative-state interpretation. D. Albert, Quantum Mechanics and Experience (Harvard) M. Redhead, Quantum Mechanics, Non-Locality, and Realism (Cambridge) 121/123. Advanced Philosophy of Physics I (NP 120) As the name suggests, this subject is effectively a continuation of subject 120, building on it in breadth as well as depth. Topics in space-time physics and quantum mechanics are pursued with a new focus on some central questions in philosophy, in metaphysics, philosophical logic, and in the philosophy of probability. Also, you will be studying for the first time foundational questions in thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. The two are linked: in both cases the fundamental questions concern the existence and significance of certain symmetries; in the case of thermodynamics, they concern the emergence of a directedness to time from a formal framework which is manifestly time symmetric. Unlike your other philosophy subjects the paper for Advanced Philosophy of Physics may be taken as a two hour paper or as a three hour paper, with a corresponding difference in weighting to your FAS classification (a two-hour paper for 121, a three-hour paper for 123). D. Albert, Time and Chance (Harvard University Press) G. Nerlich, The Shape of Space (Cambridge, 2nd Ed.) L. Sklar, Physics and Chance 122. Philosophy of Mathematics (NP 101 or 102 or 108 or 117 or 119 or 120) What is the relation of mathematical knowledge to other kinds of knowledge? Is it of a special kind, concerning objects of a special kind? If so, what is the nature of those objects and how do we come to know anything about them? If not, how do we explain the seeming difference between proving a theorem in mathematics and establishing something about the physical world? The purpose of this subject is to enable you to examine questions such as these. Understanding the nature of mathematics has been important to many philosophers, including Plato, Aristotle, and Kant, as a test or as an exemplar of their overall position, and has also played a role in the development of mathematics at certain points. While no specific knowledge of mathematics is required for study of this subject, it will be helpful to have studied mathematics at A-level, or similar, and to have done Logic in Prelims/ Mods.

Stephen F. Barker, Philosophy of Mathematics (Prentice-Hall)


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Appendix 3: Aims and Objectives of all Joint Schools involving Philosophy (a) Aims The Faculty of Philosophy shares the University’s general aims as found in its Mission Statement. In providing teaching in Philosophy it aims: 1. by drawing on the strengths of the University and of its constituent Colleges, to provide a high-quality

education, one which enriches the student’s knowledge and understanding of fundamental issues; 2. to offer a structured but flexible programme of studies, one which entails the demands and the benefits

of studying Philosophy in tandem with another discipline, and which allows study of an interdisciplinary nature;

3. to develop in students qualities and skills of value to them in their professional and personal life; 4. to attract and select high calibre students in the context of the University’s policy on equal

opportunities; 5. to appoint research-active staff to contribute their knowledge and skills to the teaching programmes. (b) Objectives At all levels students will enjoy a challenging education in Philosophy. They will: 1. have developed the ability to read carefully and with sensitivity to context philosophical texts of

different ages and/or traditions, through following a guided programme of regular reading assignments; 2. have been required to develop and to present (usually in writing) to their tutor/supervisor their own

critical understanding of the issues studied; 3. have learned to engage in critical dialogue with their tutors and peers during regular tutorials, i.e.

meetings between an expert tutor and one, two or occasionally three students, at which the participants’ views are discussed, and have benefited from the oral and/or written feedback on their work for tutorials;

4. have enjoyed, through the University and their College, access to excellent library holdings and a good range of IT resources, and have learned to use libraries effectively;

5. have had the opportunity to attend lectures and/or seminars (many given by leading researchers) both within and outside their chosen options, together with a range of special lectures and Philosophy society meetings.

Through the above they will: 6. have acquired knowledge and understanding of philosophy; 7. have developed the ability to think critically, to look for underlying principles, to identify and analyse

key concepts; 8. have developed independence of approach, good writing skills, a facility for independent learning and

investigation, and good organisational skills. In addition they will: 9. have had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities at College and

University level to stimulate personal development; 10. have received sustained academic support from their tutors and pastoral support where appropriate from

other providers; 11. have had the opportunity of appropriate careers advice.

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For their first year examinations in Philosophy students will have: 12. pursued a course which introduces them to central philosophical texts and issues, and enables them to

acquire key philosophical skills and concepts. After the first examinations students work towards their Final examinations. On completion, all will have: 13. taken an active role in planning a path through their programme, selecting subjects within each

discipline and the balance between Philosophy and the other discipline(s), and will have benefited from the simultaneous study of both disciplines at a higher level;

14. developed enhanced precision of thought and expression in the analysis of problems and in the construction and marshalling of arguments;

15. received regular feedback through tutorials and regular reports, together with College examinations where considered appropriate, to enable them to assess their progress and identify strengths and weaknesses;

16. taken the Final written examinations in up to five Philosophy subjects at a time, thus enjoying the benefit of a mature understanding and possible cross-fertilisation between subjects.


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Appendix 4: Feedback and Redress (a) Participation Consultation Consultation of students is a serious concern to the departments, faculties and sub-faculties and takes a number of forms discussed below. It is important that you give us your views and feel free to do so, in order that we may deal with problems that arise both relating to you personally and to the course. Feedback from students takes both an institutional form via the Joint Consultative Committees (JCCs) but also involves you as individuals making the effort to complete lecture or tutorial report forms or to seek out college or departmental officers for discussion. Confidentiality is preserved when we seek feedback and will be maintained if you wish it when you discuss issues of concern to you. It is important that you remember that both the college and the department will seek and welcome your feedback in various ways. Students in the Physics and Philosophy degree are also encouraged to discuss any suggestions they have for improving the course � or for that matter any other matters of an academic or logistic nature � at the annual tea party. You are also encouraged to contact your Philosophy Representative on the JCPP or to raise the matter directly with the Chairman. Student Feedback The feedback which you provide to lecturers and tutors is valued and is taken seriously. It has an important contribution to make to maintaining the quality of the education you receive at Oxford. Lecture questionnaire forms will be provided for you to comment on each set of lectures. They will be handed out by the lecturer towards the middle or end of his or her set of lectures, and further copies will be available from department or sub-faculty offices. Completed forms may either be left for the lecturer at the end of the lecture or sent to the relevant departmental office. The results of the questionnaire are seen by the lecturer and also by the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Undergraduate Studies Committee. This Committee is responsible for ensuring that any problems reported through the questionnaires are addressed. These are reported to the department or sub-faculty and its JCC. You will also be expected to provide feedback on tutorial teaching to your college, and although you will find that colleges may differ in the exact ways in which they provide for this, in general they will ask your views on the amount and quality of teaching, reading materials, timeliness of comments on essays and tutorial performance, and feedback on your progress on the course. Colleges also arrange for you to hear or read reports written by your tutor and to make comments on them, and also for you to submit your own self-assessment of your progress to date and your academic goals. Joint Consultative Committees (JCCs) Each faculty, sub-faculty or department has an Undergraduate Joint Consultative Committee on Faculty matters (JCC). The JCC is your forum, where faculty officers will keep you informed of developments within the sub-faculty. Typical agenda items include course developments, lecture arrangements, library provision and IT. Senior members will be looking to you for comments and suggestions, which may bring beneficial changes. It is also the forum in which you should raise any matters of concern to you relating to the organisation, content and delivery of the course. The JCC comprises several Senior Members e.g. Faculty Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies, and an undergraduate representative from each college. The undergraduates must be reading for one of the Honours

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Schools involving Philosophy. Each JCC meets once per term. It elects one of its undergraduate representatives as convenor. The convenor prepares the agenda and minutes for meetings, and attends meetings of the relevant faculty, reporting JCC discussions there. For the JCCs to function well, it is important that undergraduate representatives participate actively in its work. Make sure your college has a representative, and ask him/her to raise matters of concern at the JCC. (b) Student Support Equal Opportunities The University has in place policies relating to equal opportunities, harassment and disability which are kept under review. Details can be found in the university prospectus, on the Oxford University web site (http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/) and in the Proctors’ and Assessor’s Memorandum, a booklet which is given to all students on arrival. Harassment The University has a Code of Practice on Harassment, which is published in the Proctors' and Assessor's Memorandum. The Code of Practice makes it a disciplinary offence for any member of the university to harass another on any grounds. There are a number of confidential advisers who can be contacted for help on any matter related to harassment: for Physics, Dr S. Sarkar (Tel: (2)73962; Email: [email protected]) and Dr J. Yeomans (Tel: (2)73992; Email: [email protected]) and for Philosophy, Dr Katherine Morris (Tel: (2)70985, Email: [email protected]) and Mr Derek Parfit (Tel:(2)79282, Email: [email protected]). You will also find that your college has people that you can approach if you feel harassed. You may wish to go to your tutor or to the Senior Tutor; alternately you may wish to deal with someone who is not connected directly with your academic work or your course.

Disability The University operates a code of practice to provide equality of opportunity for those with disabilities. There are currently over 500 students with disabilities at Oxford and the University and the colleges are committed to making arrangements to enable students with disabilities to participate as fully as possible in student life. The University’s Committee for Disabled People is responsible for considering the issues facing disabled staff and students of the University, improving access to University buildings for people with impaired mobility, and providing support to disabled staff and students. Detailed information about provision and sources of assistance, including the University’s Disability Statement and the Access Guide for People with Disabilities, which gives details about the accessibility of most University buildings, can be found on the web site at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/. Local information on access and resources can be found on the Philosophy Faculty webs site at http://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk. Further information and advice are available from the University Disability Co-ordinator, Deborah Popham, Tel: (2)80660, E-mail: [email protected]. The Disability Co-ordinator for the Philosophy Faculty is Dr Hilla Wait, Tel: 92)76927, E-mail: [email protected]. Observations or complaints concerning disablement issues should be addressed via college and departmental complaints procedures – see Section 10.8.). Complaints Procedures It is the policy of the faculties responsible for the teaching of PP to deal with all complaints from individuals fairly, promptly, and in confidence. Complaints should normally be addressed in the first instance to the Chair of the Philosophy Faculty or the Chair of the Physics Sub-faculty. Or, in the case of harassment, to the individuals named in the preceding paragraph. Alternatively, students can approach the respective directors of


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undergraduate studies in Philosophy or Physics, or the Chair of the Joint Committee for Physics and Philosophy. In addition, at Oxford the Proctors provide a special forum for dealing with complaints. They have power to investigate directly complaints from any member of the University and to take appropriate measures to provide redress. Details can be found in the Proctors' and Assessor's Memorandum, which sets out complaints procedures, and provides further information on disciplinary procedures, equal opportunities policy, harassment, disability and other welfare issues. Finally, on matters relating to university teaching and examining, your college tutor, or your college's senior tutor and its other officers concerned with welfare are keen to support you; they can provide an immediate and well-informed source of advice about the best procedure to adopt.

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