.philosophyoflanguage.

PHILOSOPHY 408

Dept. Web Site: http://www.wpunj.edu/cohss/philosophy

Introduction:

Philosophy is thinking about thinking. The philosophy of language is concerned with the role that language plays in thinking. In this course we will explore the fundamental properties of language that allows it to be a medium of thought and knowledge. Among these properties are truth, meaning, and reference. We will study articles by the major thinkers on these topics from the past one hundred years or so. In this course, the focus will be not so much on the memorization of who said what, but instead on the development of the understanding necessary to form your own opinions on these deep matters. Among the issues we will consider are the following. Can the fundamental properties of language be understood solely in terms of relations between words and the physical world? Or must we instead posit the existence of abstract, non-physical entities such as senses and propositions? What is involved in grasping or understanding portions of a language? To what degree does it involve knowledge about the world? Developing the skills of thinking philosophically about language has an importance way beyond the further study of philosophical topics. Developing these skills will make you a more powerful thinker, better prepared to make important decisions, and less susceptible to being tricked and manipulated by others.

Required Text:

Class discussions will be based on readings from

Meaning and Reference edited by A. W. Moore.

Students are required to read the text in its entirety. Portions of the text will be discussed in the order indicated in the course outline. The book is available at the WPU Bookstore, large retail bookstores, and at internet bookstores.

Course Objectives:

The primary goal of this course is to introduce you to the basic topics in the philosophy of language. The specific objectives are:

To understand the basic aspects of language that allow it to be a medium for the transmission of information and the encoding of knowledge, in particular, the properties of truth, reference, and meanings of sentences and sub-sentential items like words and phrase.

To familiarize you with the major positions held amongst English-speaking philosophers of language from the past 150 years.

To enable you to engage in conceptual analysis, by understanding how concepts relate to one another, and how the examination of intuitions leads to a deeper understanding of conceptual structures.

To evaluate philosophical proposals for what may be needed in further theorizing about the functioning of language.

Student Learning Outcomes:

You will learn that the basic property that allows portions of language to enable the transmission of information and the encoding of knowledge is the property of truth. You will come to appreciate the contributions that pieces of sentences such as subject and predicate phrases make to the truth values of sentences.

You will learn how various philosophers have thought about the contributions that words make to the truth values of sentences in terms of the concept of reference.

You will learn to evaluate arguments in favor of and against the postulation of senses or meanings to account for the informativeness of identity statements.

You will learn to classify subject phrases into the categories of names, definite descriptions, and demonstratives. You will learn the relation of these categories to philosophical theories about truth, reference, and sense.

Outline:

Teaching Methods:

The teaching methods for this course consist primarily of lecture, discussion, and group activities. We will carefully study the text together, and follow many of its suggestions for in-class, small group activities.

Course Expectations:

You are required to attend class, to do the readings, to participate in discussions and in-class work, to take the exams, and to complete all course assignments. Readings, assignments and exams are listed on the outline above. The readings are short (about 30 pages per week) but may some times be difficult. Take the time you need to take! The schedule is flexible: stay tuned to find out if it changes. If it's necessary to change these policies, I'll do my best to consult with you and to ask everyone's opinion.

Attendance is required. I will take attendance Also required is your participation in class. I will make note of who does and who does not participate in in-class discussions and activities. Get involved! Don’t be afraid to ask questions and volunteer answers—your grade depends on it.

There will be 6 take-home written assignments worth 5% each . Each assignment is due at the beginning of the last class meeting of the week for which it is assigned. There will be 2 in-class exams worth 20% each. You are permitted to make up work only with medical or legal documentation. You are expected to treat your fellow students (and yourself!)with respect. Respect others and they'll respect you. A few common sense rules: no eating (nonalcoholic beverages are ok); no cell phones. Don't call me or e-mail me to tell me that you will be missing a class. Do call me if you have any serious problems.

If you have any problems with attending, or any emergencies, or any disabilities or other difficulties you think may become issues with your involvement in the course, please talk to me. Please don't wait until the end. We can usually work something out before there are problems. I'm always happy to try to reschedule something for you if you tell me beforehand. If you miss an exam without notice, I reserve the right not to let you take it or to let you take it for partial credit. If you wait more than 1 week for a missed exam or if I've already handed it back to the class and you haven't taken it, you cannot take it. It's up to you to try to maximize your grade. Tell me what you want to do!

Grading and Assessment:

Class participation is worth 30% of your grade.

There are 6 written assignments worth 5% each. Written assignments frequently will be required to be turned in electronically using e-mail Assignments will also frequently involve accessing the internet web-page for this course. All students of this university have access to the required electronic resources and assistance in using those resources. Your failure to understand how to use them will not be an acceptable excuse for missed work.

There is one mid-term exam (worth 20%) and one final exam (worth 20%). Exams are cumulative, multiple-choice exams. They are closed-book, closed-note exams. The Final Exam is administered during Finals Period as Scheduled (I do not schedule the Final).