20th CENTURY
ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY
PHRU 3654, Spring 2009
M/R 4:00-5:15, Keating 206
Professor: Dr. Stephen Grimm
Office: Collins 119
Office Hours: Mon. and Thurs. 9:50-11:50; and by appointment
Tel.: 718-817-3282
e-mail: sgrimm@fordham.edu
Course Description
This course will survey the origins as well as some of the crowning achievements of
20th century analytic philosophy. Topics will span the gamut, and will include such
questions as: Is metaphysics meaningless? What is involved in understanding or
grasping concepts? And do we have privileged access to the contents of our mind?
Texts for the Course
A.J. Ayer, Language, Truth, and Logic (Dover)
Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations (Blackwell)
Ludwig Wittgenstein, On Certainty (Harper)
Additional readings will be assigned throughout the course, and will be available
either via Blackboard or via the web.
Requirements for the Course
Précis Assignments
Once a week (more or less, see below for qualifications), you will be required to turn
in a 300-350 word précis of some aspect of the reading for that week. The précis
should focus on the reading for the day on which you turn it in (rather than, say, on a
reading which we discussed previously in class). The précis could either be a
summary of the main gist of the reading for that day (its leading idea, its basic
moves, etc.), or a summary of one particular argument/objection that you take to be
especially important.
The first précis will be due during the second week of class; in this case, since we
have Martin Luther King day off, it will be due on January 22nd. Précis will also be
due every subsequent week, with the following exceptions: the week your paper is
due, the week before Easter, and the last two weeks of class.
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Given the number of weeks we have for the course, this means that you will be
responsible for 1o précis overall. I will drop your lowest précis grade. If a précis is
not turned in, a zero will be given for that assignment.
Further details: Please try to fit the précis on one page; use both sides of a single
piece of paper if necessary. Also, a word count should be included at the top of the
page. Précis are due at the beginning of class.
Paper
One 1,400-1,600 word paper (roughly, 4-5 pages), due March 8th, is required. You
may (in consultation with me) write on an original topic, or I will assign you a topic
beforehand.
Final Exam
The Final will feature short and long essay questions, and will cover topics and
figures from the course. I will send you a set of questions ahead of time, and the
exam will be constituted by a subset of these questions.
Attendance and Participation
Regular attendance is required and active participation is encouraged. Also, make it
a point to be on time for class: walking into class late is disruptive both to the
instructor and to your fellow classmates.
Classroom Courtesy
Cellphones should be turned off for the duration of the class, and texting during class
is not permitted.
Because they tend to be used for non-class related purposes, laptops will also not be
allowed in class. If you have a special reason to use a laptop please see me and I will
try to accommodate you.
Academic Misconduct
You will be strictly held to the Fordham University code of conduct. At a minimum,
you will receive an “F” on any work that involves academic misconduct, and you may
very well fail the course, depending on the circumstances.
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Grading
Precis (9*5) = 45%
Paper = 20%
Final = 25%
Attendance and Participation = 10%
Schedule of Readings
January
12 Welcome and overview
15 Russell on definite descriptions (Blackboard)
19 No Class—Martin Luther King Day
22 Wittgenstein, Tractatus, a ridiculously quick tour (Blackboard)
26 Ayer, Language, Truth, and Logic [criterion of meaning]
29 Ayer, Language, Truth, and Logic [the a priori]
February
2 Ayer, Language, Truth, and Logic [ethics and theology]
5 Ayer, wrap-up
9 Wittgenstein, Investigations
12 Wittgenstein, Investigations
[16 No Monday Class on Presidents’ Day; Instead, Monday Class will meet on
Tuesday, the 17th]
17 Wittgenstein, Investigations
19 Wittgenstein, Investigations
23 GE Moore, “Proof of an External World” (Blackboard)
26 Wittgenstein, On Certainty
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March
2 Wittgenstein, On Certainty
5 Wittgenstein, On Certainty
9 Wittgenstein, On Certainty [Paper due]
12 No Class—SRG Conference
16 & 19 No Class—Spring Break
23 Quine, “Two Dogmas of Empiricism” (Blackboard)
26 Quine, “Two Dogmas of Empiricism”
30 Ryle, “Knowing How and Knowing That” (Blackboard)
April
2 Putnam, “Meaning and Reference” (Blackboard)
6 Burge, “Individualism and the Mental” (Blackboard)
9 & 13 No Class: Easter Break
16 Putnam and Burge wrap-up
20 Nagel, “What is it Like to be a Bat?” (Blackboard)
23 class choice?
27 LAST CLASS
May
FINAL EXAM (tentative): Thurs., May 7, 1:30 p.m.