PHIL 3032—20TH CENTURY ANALYTIC CANDICE L. SHELBY

T-R 2:30-3:45 p.m.                                                     OFFICE: PL M-108F

SOUTH CLASSROOM#236                                    PHONE: 556-3223

                                               

cshelby@carbon.cudenver.edu

 

OFFICE HOURS:  TUES AND THURS 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

 

 

Course Description:

 

Students in our department often ask what the difference is between analytic and continental philosophy.  This course is designed in part as a response to that question.  It surveys the development of one side of the alleged distinction, the analytic tradition, as one line of response to the transcendental idealism of the 18th century author Immanuel Kant.  Beginning (for those who are not familiar with the work of Kant) with a discussion of Kant’s philosophical contributions, the course follows the trail of one kind of reaction to Kant’s so-called Copernican Revolution in Epistemology—the kind of reaction that understands the meaning of the experience and knowledge that Kant describes in terms of logic and language.  The topics that come to concern the analysts, as we will discover, extend beyond the meanings of mere propositions, to such larger issues as what we mean when we say that something causes something else, what we could possibly intend when we say that something is a law of nature, and what we can legitimately be said to know about any of this stuff.

 

Grades:

 

Clarity is possibly the highest value in the analytic tradition.  Hence, the writing activities assigned for this course will focus on gaining and exhibiting clarity in our thought.  Grades for this course will therefore be determined by 4 explications, a kind of argument presentation that focuses solely on saying clearly what one understands (a description of this kind of writing is attached), a take-home exam that is really more like a paper, and a final paper, 6-10 pages in length, to be presented at a class conference at the end of the term.  Course grades will be determined on the following basis:

 

            Explications (average)               30%

            Midterm paper/exam                30%

            Final presentation                      30%

            Participation                             10%

 

I do not take attendance, and will not be responsible for keeping you in class.  However, I do offer a 10% participation grade as a fudge factor in the event that a student needs a bit of help making a particular grade—I can in good conscience, and will, boost a semester grade on the basis of conscientious attendance and participation.  It is your decision whether you want to take advantage of the free points that are available through this means.

 

PHIL 3032001                                                                                    SYLLABUS P. 2

 

Required Texts:

 

Copy Packet for Phil 3032—Available in the Bookstore under that name

            (page numbers listed in assignments correspond to bookstore pagination)

The Philosophy of Language, 4th ed., A. P. Martinich (designated below as PL)

 

 

Course Schedule

 

Aug  21                        Introduction

 

Aug  23                        Kant--copy packet pp. 1-8

 

Aug  28                        Kant—copy packet pp. 9-17

 

Aug 30                         Frege, “On Sense and Nominatum”, PL pp. 199-211

 

Sept   4                        Russell, “On Denoting”, PL pp. 212-220

 

Sept   6                        Russell, “Descriptions”, PL pp. 221-227

                                    Explication #1 Due

 

Sept 11                        Strawson, “On Referring”, PL pp. 228-242

 

Sept 13                        Russell, “Mr. Strawson on Referring”, PL pp. 243-246

 

Sept 18                        Ayer, “The A Priori”, copy packet pp. 19-27

 

Sept 20                        Kripke, “Metaphysical Necessity”, copy packet pp. 29-34

 

Sept 25                        Hempel, “Empiricist Criteria of Cognitive Significance:  Problems

and Changes”, PL pp. 34-46

 

Sept 27                                    Quine, “Two Dogmas of Empiricism”, PL pp. 47-60

 

Oct    2                                    finish Quine and/or catch up  --NO NEW READING

                                    Explication #2 Due

 

Oct    4                                    Tarski, “The Semantic Conception of Truth and the Foundations of

                                    Semantics”, PL pp. 69-91

 

Oct   9                         Finish Tarski—NO NEW READING

 

PHIL 3032                                                                                          SYLLABUS P. 3

 

Oct  11                                    Wittgenstein, copy packet pp. 36-37   

                       

Oct  16                                    Wittgenstein, copy packet pp. 38-40

 

Oct  18                                    Wittgenstein, copy packet pp. 41-43

                                    HAND OUT MIDTERM QUESTIONS

 

Oct  23                                    Cook, “Wittgenstein on Privacy” PL pp. 514-530        

 

Oct  25                                    Kripke, “On Rules and Private Language”, PL pp. 531-544     

                                    MIDTERM RESPONSES DUE     

 

Oct 30                         Grice, “Meaning”, PL pp. 92-97

 

Nov   1                                    Davidson, “Truth and Meaning”, PL pp. 98-109

                                   

Nov   6                                    Russell, “On Induction”, copy packet pp. 44-47

                                    Explication #3 Due

                                   

Nov   8                                    Russell, “On the Notion of Cause, copy packet pp. 49-56

 

Nov 13                                    Ducasse, “On the Nature of Observability of the Causal Relation”

                                    Copy packet pp. 56-62

 

Nov 15                                    Collingwood, “On the So-Called Idea of Causation”, copy packet

                                    pp. 62-88

 

Nov 20                                    Ayer, “What is a Law of Nature?”, copy packet pp. 73-81

 

Nov 22                                    finish Ayer—NO NEW READING

                                    Explication #4 Due

 

Nov 27                                    Chisholm, “Knowledge and True Opinion”, copy packet pp. 31-92

 

Nov 29                                    Amico, “Roderick Chisholm and the Problem of the Criterion”,

copy packet pp. 93-98

 

Dec    4                        Catch up and Review

 

Dec    6                        STUDENT CONFERENCE

 

Dec 11 or 13                STUDENT CONFERENCE