Course Feature:
Philosophy of Time Travel with Chapman Waters
A self-proclaimed “nerd,” Chapman Waters, assistant professor/lecturer of philosophy, created Philosophy of Time Travel (PHIL 3012) because he enjoys consuming, analyzing and speculating about time travel narratives from popular fiction. Below, Waters provides more details about the class and discusses why time-traveling and non-time traveling students alike should participate in the course.
Who is this course for?
The course does not presuppose any previous background in philosophy. It would be a great course for any undergrad who is interested in the possibility and coherence of time travel, what modern physics has to say about time travel, metaphysical models of time travel, causal loops, the paradoxes of time travel, as well as practical and ethical problems with time travel. In addition to reading relevant philosophical literature, we will also examine issues to do with time travel via popular fiction – short stories, films and television. So, the course would also be suitable for students who just enjoy consuming, analyzing and speculating about time travel narratives.
How did the idea for this course come about?
It just so happens that philosophers are among those interested in issues to do with time and time travel, and that philosophical practice relies upon analytical skills appropriate to tackle these issues. Bringing these two things together (time travel fiction and philosophy) struck me as a particularly fun way for students to navigate their way through conceptual terrain that may otherwise seem daunting.
What do you hope students will take away from this course?
An appreciation of the fact that time is something completely familiar and mundane but, simultaneously, something mysteriously strange and fantastic.
Why should students enroll in this course?
Because, by enrolling, students can't lose! Why? Well, by necessity, there are only two kinds of students: time traveling students (those who have the ability to travel in time) and non-time traveling students (those who cannot travel in time). But a student cannot lose no matter which category they belong to:
Time Traveling Students: enroll in the course. If you like the course, everything will have worked out for the best. If you don't like the course, simply go back in time and enroll in some other course you like better. You can't lose!
Non-Time Traveling Students: enroll in the course. If you like the course, everything will have worked out for the best. If you don't like the course, then simply hitch a ride into the past with one of the time traveling students so that you can enroll in some other course you like better. You can't lose!
For any students wondering whether there is a flaw in this argument, enroll in the course! We'll spend much time over the semester picking apart arguments as they pertain to hypothetical time travel scenarios – and ones that are much more interesting and mind-bending than that given above.
