課程資訊
課程名稱
時間旅行的哲學問題
Philosophical Questions about Time Travel 
開課學期
111-2 
授課對象
文學院  哲學系  
授課教師
周先捷 
課號
Phl1911 
課程識別碼
104E07500 
班次
 
學分
3.0 
全/半年
半年 
必/選修
選修 
上課時間
星期三7,8,9(14:20~17:20) 
上課地點
博雅302 
備註
本課程以英語授課。(C)哲學專題群組,群組課程請參閱本系網頁修業課程規定。兼通識A4*。
總人數上限:120人 
 
課程簡介影片
 
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課程概述

Travel back in time fascinates us all. Its appearance everywhere in movies and fictions is almost a platitude, yet people keep drawn into them. But what is the nature of time travel? Is it really possible to travel into the past? In the light of the grandfather paradox, how should we understand time travel? Is it possible to change the past? If not? What’s the point of backward time travel? In this course, we will explore various contemporary philosophical reflections with regard to the above issues. 

課程目標
The goal of this course is to introduce philosophical issues about time travel, and to enable students to analytically evaluate views on these issues. To achieve this goal, the course relies heavily on dialogues, presentations, and writing.

Students are expected to learn how philosophers think about time travel. They are also expected to acquire abilities to analyze and critically evaluate views on time travel, and to develop and articulate their own views. 
課程要求
Each student is expected to read the assignments before class, attend every class, and participate in both in-class discussions and group discussions. In addition, there will be pre-lecture quizzes, designed to test whether you have read the assignments the lectures are about.

As for group discussion and presentation, the class will be divided into 5 sets, each of which has 5 groups. Discussion will take place in the second class session every week. Presentation shall go by sets. Group presentation will take place 4 times. Each set has to work out on its own a time/place for presentation (and debate) to take place. Presentations shall be filmed and uploaded to NTUCOOL as a proof.
 
預期每週課後學習時數
 
Office Hours
另約時間 
指定閱讀
■ Introduction
●Wasserman (2018), Paradoxes of Time Travel, Ch 1, Sec 1.
■ Modes of Time Travel
● Wasserman (2018), Paradoxes of Time Travel, Ch 1, Sec 2.
■ Presentism and Time Travel
● Wasserman (2018), Paradoxes of Time Travel, Ch 2, Sec 3-4.
■ The Grandfather Paradox and Changing the Past
● Wasserman (2018), Paradoxes of Time Travel, Ch 3, Sec 1-2.
■ Traveling in Multiverses
● Wasserman (2018), Paradoxes of Time Travel, Ch 3, Sec 3.
■ Traveling in Hypertime
● Wasserman (2018), Paradoxes of Time Travel, Ch 3, Sec 4.
■ The Grandfather Paradox and Abilities to Change the Past (I)
● Wasserman (2018), Paradoxes of Time Travel, Ch 4, Sec 1-2.1.
■ The Grandfather Paradox and Abilities to Change the Past (II)
● Effingham (2020), Time Travel Probability and Impossibility, Ch 11.
■ Backward Causation and the Bootstrapping Paradox
● Wasserman (2018), Paradoxes of Time Travel, Ch 5, Sec 1-2.
■ The Ex Nihilo Paradox and the Restoration Paradox
● Wasserman (2018), Paradoxes of Time Travel, Ch 5, Sec 3-4.
■ Perdurantism and Self-Visitation
● Wasserman (2018), Paradoxes of Time Travel, Ch 6, Sec 1-2.
■ Endurantism and Self-Visitation
● Wasserman (2018), Paradoxes of Time Travel, Ch 6, Sec 3.
 
參考書目
Wasserman, Ryan (2017). Paradoxes of Time Travel. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Effingham, Nikk (2020). Time Travel: Probability and Impossibility. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 
評量方式
(僅供參考)
 
No.
項目
百分比
說明
1. 
Two Multiple-Choice Exams 
30% 
 
2. 
Pre-Lecture Yes/No Quizzes 
20% 
 
3. 
Group Discussion/Presentation (4 students per group) 
40% 
20% (inter-group evaluation) + 20% (intra-group evaluation)  
4. 
Attendance & Participation 
10% 
 
 
課程進度
週次
日期
單元主題
第1週
2/22  Introduction 
第2週
3/01  Modes of Time Travel
What kinds of ‘time travel’ stories are really time travel? 
第3週
3/08  Presentism and Time Travel
If only the present things exist, how can we travel into the past? 
第4週
3/15  The Grandfather Paradox and Changing the Past
Can we kill our younger self? 
第5週
3/22  Traveling in Multiverses
What if there are parallel universes? 
第6週
3/29  Traveling in Hypertime
What if there is a second dimension of time? 
第7週
4/05  1st Group Discussion & Presentation 
第8週
4/12  Midterm Exam 
第9週
4/19  The Grandfather Paradox and Abilities to Change the Past (I)
How to understand the (in)ability to change the past? 
第10週
4/26  The Grandfather Paradox and Abilities to Change the Past (II)
How to understand the (in)ability to change the past? 
第11週
5/03  Backward Causation and the Bootstrapping Paradox
What’s so strange about a later event causing an earlier event? 
第12週
5/10  The Ex Nihilo Paradox and the Restoration Paradox
What’s so strange about a causal loop? 
第13週
5/17  Perdurantism and Self-Visitation
Are you the same person as your older, time-traveling self? 
第14週
5/24  Endurantism and Self-Visitation
Are you the same person as your older, time-traveling self? 
第15週
5/31  2nd Group Discussion & Presentation  
第16週
6/07  Final Exam