PHIL 310 - Seminar in Analytic Philosophy

Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)

Topic for 2015/16a: Philosophy of the Ordinary. In this seminar, we examine an approach to philosophy that seeks, not to solve philosophical problems, but to dissolve them, returning us to a relationship with ourselves and the world that more traditional philosophical methods may obscure. It is sometimes said that this approach, devised by Wittgenstein and developed further by Austin and Strawson, aims at revealing the extraordinary in the ordinary. We study key texts by these thinkers, as well as works by contemporary representatives of this distinctive philosophical perspective. Mr. Winblad.

Prerequisite: 200-level philosophy course or permission of the instructor.

One 2-hour period.

Topic for 2015/16b: Advanced Philosophy of Language: Vagueness, Context-Sensitivity, Genericity. In this course, we will study very specific kinds of constructions of natural language that pose difficult questions for theories of meaning, mind, and metaphysics. These constructions include vague words, or words that make it difficult for us to draw a line between items to which the word does or does not apply, like “bald,” “tall,” or “old.” We will also look at context-sensitive words that appear to apply to different things depending on the context, like “yesterday,” and “every bottle of beer.” Finally, we will look at generic constructions like “Ducks lay eggs”, “Vassar students like art” and “The tiger migrated from Africa to India a long time ago.” These constructions appear to make general claims that can be true or false, but it is unclear how many of a population must have the property to make the claim true or false. The seminar will be primarily geared toward students who have focused interest on the complex workings of linguistic meaning. Mr. Lam.

Prerequisite: Philosophy 222 or 230, or permission of the instructor.

One 3-hour period.