An intensive seminar on the foundations of analytic philosophy for first-year graduate students. We will work our way through a large selection of classic texts, from Frege's Foundations of Arithmetic to Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations. We will meet for six hours each week, in two three-hour sessions, to discuss this material.
Assignments and Course Format
Each session will mostly consist of a discussion of previously assigned questions on the reading. To introduce the discussion, students will give a short presentation on their assigned questions. The use of handouts as a presentational aid is highly recommended. Handouts on a variety of topics will be distributed by the instructor throughout the term.
A short essay (3-4 pages) answering one question is due each week. A 10 page final paper is due at the end of term. Final paper topics should be arranged with the instructor.