module

Undergraduate Module Descriptor

PHL2011A: The Philosophy of Nature 1

This module descriptor refers to the 2023/4 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:

Nature in Ancient Greek: Substance, Essence, and Teleology

Mechanicism, Vitalism, and Organicism

Substance versus Process Ontology

The Darwinian View of Nature: Design, Essence, and Teleology Reconsidered

Human Nature

Human Minds and the Physical World: Agency, Causation, and Materialism

Nature, Ecology, and Feminism

Nature in Non-Western Philosophy: Asian, African, and Native-American Perspectives

The Gaia Hypothesis

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	22	Weekly 2-hour lectures/seminars or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar
Guided independent study	28	Preparation for essay, library, research etc.
Guided independent study	100
		Private study: Reading books and articles, and taking notes from them, as specified in reading lists for each seminar. Guidance on this will be provided through ELE and in the seminars.

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

Lecture notes and reading lists are made available through ELE.