Skip to main content
This course is archived
Course date
July 13–24, 2015
Location
Budapest
Application deadline
Course delivery
In-person

This will be a philosophy course on the topic of ontology and metaontology. Ontology is a branch of philosophy (in particular, of metaphysics) concerned with questions of existence.  Important ontological questions include the following: Are there any such things as abstract objects (i.e., non-physical, non-mental, non-spatiotemporal objects)? Are there any such things as past and future objects, or are all objects presently existing objects? Are there any such things as 4-dimensional objects, i.e., objects with temporal as well as spatial extension?  Are there any such things as 3-dimensional coincident objects?; i.e., are there any pairs of 3-dimensional objects that are located in the exact same place and composed of the exact same parts (or made of the exact same physical stuff)? Are there any such things as composite objects, i.e., objects with proper parts? Are there any such things as merely possible objects, or are all objects actually existing objects? Are there any such things as Gods or non-physical souls?
 
Ontology is currently booming in philosophy. After going through a period of neglect during the middle of the 20th Century (largely because of the anti-metaphysical attacks of the logical positivists), ontology is currently going through a period of extreme resurgence. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we are currently in the Golden Age (or at least a golden age) of ontology.
 
There has also been a lot of recent interest in metaontology. Metaontology is a branch of philosophy that raises questions about ontological questions.  For example, if OQ is some specific ontological question--e.g., the question of whether there are any such things as abstract objects, or whatever--then metaontological questions about OQ will include the following: Is OQ trivial or substantive? Is OQ a genuinely factual question with a uniquely correct answer? Could humans ever know the answer to OQ?--i.e., could they know whether objects of the given kind exist?--and if so, how? What is the best semantic theory of ordinary and/or philosophical discourse about objects of the kind that OQ asks about?
 
There is a lot of cutting-edge research going on today in both ontology and metaontology, and our course will introduce students to these areas of philosophy and delve deeply into numerous questions and issues surrounding these areas. There will be seven faculty members, and each faculty member will give three lectures on different topics. Thus, students will study and be exposed to a large number of different issues and questions in ontology and metaontology.

Completed CEU Summer University Application Form

We strongly advise the use of Google Chrome to enable the full functionality of the form.

Notes:

  • You may apply to a maximum of two summer courses. In case of being admitted, you can only attend both if the two courses do not overlap in time.
  • If you applied to CEU before, please use your existing login and password to start a new application. If you do not remember your password from last year click on Forgotten Password. With technical problems, bugs, or errors related to the online application forms please contact the CEU IT Help Desk.
  • Right after login, please select the ”Summer University” radio button from the "Type of course" list, and leave all other fields empty.
  • All application materials must be submitted with the online application form(s). Materials sent by postal mail, electronic mail, or fax are not considered.
  • The maximum allowable file size for upload is 2MB per file and the acceptable file formats are PDF, JPG, and JPEG. Ensure all security features (e.g. passwords and encryption) are removed from the documents before uploading them.
  • Applications cannot be edited after submission. Please submit your application only when it is 100% final and complete.
  • Further user instructions for the online application are included in the form itself. Should you have questions regarding the application form, check the relevant Frequently Asked Questions.
  • Applications submitted after the deadline will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Inquiries

If you need help or more information during the application process, please feel free to contact the SUN staff via email.

Notification

The SUN Office will notify applicants about the selection results in April. Please check the 'Dates and deadlines' section on the relevant course websites for notification deadlines planned earlier or later. The final decision is not open to appeal.