PHIL 442: Anglo-American Philosophy
Catalog Description
Prepares students for advanced work on some aspect of the pragmatist and/or analytic philosophical traditions.
PHIL 442: Anglo-American Philosophy
The course will deal with the origins and early stages of analytical philosophy. The first part will be centered on the work of Gottlob Frege. We will look at developments in mid-19th century German philosophy that led to Frege’s position. Russell’s response will be the next topic of attention, with some brief attention in passing to similarities in the work of American philosopher C.S. Peirce. On the thematic side, we will consider Frege’s relevance to philosophy of logic, philosophy of language, and (indirectly) to epistemology.
The second part will be centered on the emergence of the logical positivists in the first decades of the 20th century, taking Rudolf Carnap as the representative figure. Themes addressed will include the project of using the ‘new logic’, the neo-Kantian heritage, the goal of eliminating metaphysics, and the ultimate development of what we know today as philosophy of science. The decline of the logical positivist (or empiricist) movement in the 1950s and 1960s will be briefly treated.
Catalog Description
Prepares students for advanced work on some aspect of the pragmatist and/or analytic philosophical traditions.
PHIL 442: Anglo-American Philosophy
The course will deal with the origins and early stages of analytical philosophy. The first part will be centered on the work of Gottlob Frege. We will look at developments in mid-19th century German philosophy that led to Frege’s position. Russell’s response will be the next topic of attention, with some brief attention in passing to similarities in the work of American philosopher C.S. Peirce. On the thematic side, we will consider Frege’s relevance to philosophy of logic, philosophy of language, and (indirectly) to epistemology.
The second part will be centered on the emergence of the logical positivists in the first decades of the 20th century, taking Rudolf Carnap as the representative figure. Themes addressed will include the project of using the ‘new logic’, the neo-Kantian heritage, the goal of eliminating metaphysics, and the ultimate development of what we know today as philosophy of science. The decline of the logical positivist (or empiricist) movement in the 1950s and 1960s will be briefly treated.