Module description
This module introduces a range of conceptual tools developed within twentieth-century analytic thought that have become central not only to philosophy, but also to economics, linguistics, and other social sciences. Topics include core ideas from philosophy of language and metaphysics, as well as elements of set theory, probability theory, decision theory, and game theory.
The emphasis is on understanding foundational concepts and their historical and philosophical significance rather than on technical elaboration. The module equips students with the basic formal and conceptual tools that are presupposed in more advanced philosophical debates. The module bridges formal and philosophical reasoning, showing how abstract tools illuminate substantive philosophical questions.
Assessment details
Summative assessment 1: Problem sets, 1 hour (30%)
Summative assessment 2: Unseen written exam, 2 hours (70%)
Educational aims & objectives
The module introduces students to a range of technical notions that are needed to understand contemporary philosophical debates, and which would otherwise be hard for the students to acquire.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate intellectual, transferable, and practical skills appropriate to a Level 4 module. In particular, they will be able to:
- Explain key philosophical concepts, including:
- Analytic truth
- A priori knowledge
- The theory of reference
- The metaphysics of modality
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of:
- Elementary set theory
- Probability theory
- Decision theory
- Game theory
- Apply these concepts in the analysis of philosophical arguments.
Teaching pattern
One two-hour weekly lecture and one one-hour weekly seminar over ten weeks.
Suggested reading list
Lectures will draw on a range of texts, including:
- Juhl, C. & Loomis, E. (2009). Analyticity
- Kripke, S. (1980). Naming and Necessity
- Papineau, D. (2012). Philosophical Devices
- Weatherson, B. (2011). Lecture Notes on the Logic of Decision