Metaontology is the study of what it takes for something to count as a
‘being’ in the sense that metaphysicians care about. While the word ‘metaontology’ was
invented in the twentieth century, metaontology itself was not. The purpose of this seminar is
to introduce students to both scholastic and analytic approaches to metaontology. Among
other things, it will consider the difference between senses of ‘being’ and kinds of beings, the
proper subject matter of metaphysics, and the intersection between the two. The scholastic
thinkers discussed in this seminar might include Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas, John
Duns Scotus, Francisco Suarez, Pedro Hurtado, Bartolomeo Mastri, or Bonaventuro Belluto.
The analytic thinkers discussed in this seminar might include Rudolf Carnap, Willard Van
Orman Quine, Peter Van Inwagen, Jonathan Schaffer, Kris McDaniel, Richard Routley, or
Graham Priest