Module description
Analytic Philosophy is now the dominant philosophical tradition in English speaking countries. This was not always the case and we should ask:
- Where does Analytic Philosophy come from?
- Why did it displace its competitors?
- Is it right/fruitful/good to do philosophy in the analytic style?
The module will help students to approach these questions by going back to the beginnings of Analytic Philosophy. The module will introduce debates that shaped Analytic Philosophy. We will engage with philosophers such as Gottlob Frege, E.E. Constance Jones, Bertrand Russell, Moritz Schlick, Susan Stebbing and Ludwig Wittgenstein.
The first part of the course will explore the discussion between Frege, E.E. Constance Jones, Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein about identity, identity statements and the advantages/problems of distinguishing between sense and reference.
The second part will focus on Russell distinction between description and acquaintance, his view of judgement and truth and Wittgenstein’s critical response to Russell in the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.
Indicative list of topics
- Frege on identity and the sense/reference distinction
- E.E. Constance Jones and Russell on Reference and Description
- Russell on Acquaintance and Judgement
- Wittgenstein on Judgement and RepresentationNo
Assessment details
Summative assessment: one 3,500-word essay (100%).
Teaching pattern
One weekly one-hour lecture and one weekly one-hour seminar.