Ateneo - UPO

Does time really flow? Is the future already written? Are time travels possible? This course is an introduction to the contemporary philosophical debate surrounding these questions.

The bibliography is the same for both attending and non-attending students:

1. Iaquinto S., Torrengo G. 2018. Filosofia del Futuro. Un'Introduzione. Raffaello Cortina (excluding chapter 3).
2. Ismael J. 2024. Il Tempo. Una Breve Introduzione. UTET.
3. Torrengo G. 2011. I Viaggi nel Tempo. Una Guida Filosofica. Laterza.

The basic learning objective is to gain an understanding of key themes in contemporary philosophy of time, with particular focus on theories of the future and time travel.

A more advanced learning objective is to argue in favor of or against the theories covered in the course, mastering their technical details, and identifying their strengths and weaknesses.

The course is introductory and does not require any prior knowledge of philosophy — let alone physics!

Lectures focused on interactive participation.

For notices and updates, subscribe to the course’s DIR page. For any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at: samuele.iaquinto@uniupo.it.

Students with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or special educational needs can request specific services and tools through the appropriate office, as indicated on the University website: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities. They can contact me after reaching out to the University staff, to discuss examination modalities and teaching arrangements.

Oral examination, lasting no more than 30 minutes, to assess the achievement of the Learning Objectives and the Intended Learning Outcomes. The grading will be based 30% on the understanding of the notions covered in the course, 30% on independent critical thinking, 20% on clarity of exposition, and 20% on mastery of scientific terminology. The ability to establish rigorous and original connections between the course topics is essential to achieve top marks (30 e lode).

1. Does time really flow?
1.1. Temporal ontologies: Past and future objects.
1.2. Parmenides or Heraclitus? Static vs. dynamic universe.
1.3. The same yesterday, the same tomorrow: Theories of persistence.

2. Is the future already written? Possibility and free will.
2.1. One, none, or infinitely many futures: Branching vs. linear time.
2.2. Trimming the tree: The dynamic future.
2.3. Possible worlds and divergence models.

3. Space, Time, Spacetime.
3.1. Newtonian time.
3.2. Einsteinian spacetime.
3.3. The arrow of time.

4. Are time travels possible?
4.1. Time travel paradoxes.
4.2. Objects and information out of thin air.
4.3. Travelling the multiverse.

The level of detail in each module may vary depending on the interests that emerge during the course.

At the basic level, the intended learning outcomes are:

1. Knowledge and understanding: to gain familiarity with the key notions of philosophy of time;
2. Applying knowledge and understanding: to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed theories;
3. Making judgements: to develop well-reasoned opinions on the course topics;
4. Communication skills: to clearly describe the main lines of the contemporary debate;
5. Learning skills: to explore on your own some basic topics of the contemporary research.

At an advanced level, the intended learning outcomes are:

1. Knowledge and understanding: to understand the technical details of philosophy of time;
2. Applying knowledge and understanding: to assess the efficacy of technical details in addressing the main questions about time;
3. Making judgments: to use advanced technical notions to develop well-reasoned opinions on the course topics;
4. Communication skills: to clearly explain the technical details even to those unfamiliar with philosophy of time;
5. Learning skills: to explore on your own some technical topics of the contemporary debate.