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Education :
University of Chicago
- PHIL 102(F,S) Introduction to Metaphysics and Epistemology
- PHIL 280(F) Analytic Philosophy: Frege, Russell, and the Early Wittgenstein
- PHIL 102(F,S) Introduction to Metaphysics and Epistemology
- PHIL 379T(S) American Pragmatism (Same as American Studies 379)
PHIL 102(F,S) Introduction to Metaphysics and Epistemology (W)
Metaphysics and epistemology are the two core pursuits of theoretical philosophy (as opposed to practical philosophy, the focus of Philosophy 101). Metaphysics is concerned with the ultimate character of reality. The metaphysician seeks to develop knowledge (as opposed to mere opinion or belief) of all things natural, human, and divine. She asks, for example: Are we free, or are our acts determined? Is there a God? If so, what must God be like? Epistemology is concerned with how we determine the difference between knowledge and mere opinion. The epistemologist thus asks: What does it mean truly to know something? How can we acquire such genuine knowledge? Answers to these epistemological questions are essential if we are to have any confidence in the methods and results of our metaphysical investigations. This course will emphasize the established historical classics that provide the basis for understanding contemporary work on metaphysics and epistemological issues; we will consider, among others, the work of Descartes, Hume, and Kant. Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: class discussion, frequent short papers (totaling 20-30 pages). No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 per section (expected: 19 per section). Preference given to first-year students and sophomores.
Hour: First Semester: GERRARD, MLADENOVIC Second Semester: DUDLEY, GERRARD, MLADENOVICPHIL 280(F) Analytic Philosophy: Frege, Russell, and the Early Wittgenstein
Frege, Russell, and Wittgenstein (along with G. E. Moore) are often considered the founders of analytic philosophy and are associated with the "linguistic turn" in philosophy. In Russell's book on Leibniz (1900) he wrote "[t]hat all sound philosophy should begin with an analysis of propositions, is a truth too evident, perhaps, to demand a proof." I expect that many students will find that claim not only not evidently true, but plainly false. We will examine why our three authors considered it to be true. We will ask (and try to answer) such questions as: Is there something unique about analytic philosophy? What is analytic philosophy? A constant theme will be the relationship of our three philosophers to the history of philosophy, both to our philosophers' predecessors and successors. Among the predecessors we will discuss are Descartes, Locke, Leibniz, Hume, and Kant. Among the chief successors are the Logical Positivists, J. L. Austin, Quine, and Davidson. Our texts will include Gottlob Frege, The Foundations of Arithmetic, Bertrand Russell, Principles of Mathematics, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Format: seminar. Requirements: three short papers (3-5 pages) and one longer final paper (10-12 pages). Prerequisites: Philosophy 102. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 12-15).
Hour: GERRARDPHIL 379T(S) American Pragmatism (Same as American Studies 379T) (W)
Along with jazz, pragmatism stands as the greatest uniquely American contribution to world culture. As the music wails in the background, we will study the classic pragmatists: William James, C. S. Peirce, and John Dewey. We will continue with the contemporary inheritors of the tradition: Cornel West, Richard Rorty, and Hilary Putnam. Although it has influenced both analytic and continental philosophy, pragmatism is a powerful third philosophical movement. Always asking what practical difference would it make, our authors investigate the central questions and disputes of philosophy, from epistemology and metaphysics to ethics and religion. Rather than seeing philosophy as an esoteric discipline, the pragmatic philosophers (with the possible exception of Peirce) see philosophy as integral to our culture and see themselves as public intellectuals. Format: tutorial. Requirements: students will meet with the professor in pairs for an hour each week; they will write a 5- to 7-page paper every other week, and comment on the partner's paper in alternate weeks. Prerequisites: Philosophy 102. Enrollment limit: 10 (expected: 10). Preference given to Philosophy majors.
Hour: GERRARD
See my syllabus for ENGL/PHIL 109 BLINDING KNOWLEDGE: THE HUMANITIES RECONSIDERED
See my Proof of the Superiority of Hamentashen over Latkes
See my Record article, "Public Education and Citizenship"
See my Philosophy 102 Worst Paper Title Contest page
See Chuck Hagenbuch's Winter Study project on logical puzzles
