Postanalytic Philosophy: Science and Metaphysics
PHIL 265
Fall 2015
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01
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The analytic movement in early 20th-century philosophy distinguished the domain of philosophy from that of empirical science. The sciences were empirical disciplines seeking facts, whereas philosophy primarily involved the analysis of linguistic meaning, often using the resources provided by formal logic. Criticisms of this conception of philosophy and its relation to the sciences have shaped much of the subsequent development of anglophone philosophy. This course will examine closely some of the most influential later criticisms of the early analytic movement and the resulting reconceptions of philosophy as a discipline. The central themes of the course cut across the fields of epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of language and mind. Special attention will be given to philosophy's relation to the empirical sciences, since this has been a prominent issue raised by the criticisms of the early analytic movement. Among the philosophers most prominently considered are Quine, Sellars, Davidson, Putnam, Dennett, Kripke, Brandom, and Haugeland. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA PHIL |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (PHIL)(PHIL-Philosophy)(PHIL-Social Jus)(STS) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Harold Morick, CHALLENGES TO EMPIRICISM
Wilfrid Sellars, EMPIRICISM AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF MIND
Saul Kripke, WITTGENSTEIN ON RULES AND PRIVATE LANGUAGE
plus extensive reserve reading by Rudolf Carnap, W.v.O. Quine, Donald Davidson, Daniel Dennett, Hilary Putnam, Robert Brandom, John Haugeland, et al.
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Examinations and Assignments:
One comparative/expository essay on Quine and Sellars
Two intermediate-length papers (~6-8 pp.) OR one term paper (~12-15 pp.) |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course presupposes some prior familiarity with philosophy, but no specific course. |
| Instructor(s): Rouse,Joseph T. Times: .M.W... 02:40PM-04:00PM; Location: CFH106; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 25 | | SR major: 7 | JR major: 7 | | |
| Seats Available: 9 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 5 | JR non-major: 4 | SO: 2 | FR: 0 |
| Web Resources: Syllabus |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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