Postgraduate Course: Introduction to Philosophical Methodology (Online) (PHIL11132)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course aims to introduce students whose academic background is not primarily in philosophy to the topic of philosophical methodology. This will be achieved by studying the structure of philosophical arguments as they appear in a selection of important contemporary philosophical texts, particularly in the core areas of philosophy of science, philosophy of language, epistemology, ethics, and philosophy of mind.
Formative feedback available:
- students can submit a formative essay by the week 6 closing deadline.
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| Course description |
Week 1: Introduction to Conceptual Analysis and Thought Experiments
- Asynchronous forum seminar
Week 2: Functionalism, Inverted Qualia and Blockhead
- Asynchronous forum seminar
Week 3: Physicalism and Zombies
- Synchronous seminar
Week 4: JTB Analysis of Knowledge and Gettier Cases
- Asynchronous forum seminar
Week 5: Reliabilism, Clairvoyance and the New Evil Demon
- Synchronous seminar
Week 6: Galileo's Falling Bodies, Newton's Bucket, and Einstein's Elevator
- Asynchronous forum seminar
Week 7: Artificial Intelligence and the Chinese Room Argument
- Synchronous seminar
Week 8: The Open Question Argument and the Paradox of Analysis
- Asynchronous forum seminar
Week 9: Moral Twin Earth
- Synchronous seminar
Week 10: Descriptivism about Proper Names
- Asynchronous forum seminar
Week 11: Kripke's Epistemic, Modal and Semantic Arguments
- Synchronous seminar
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
| Course Start Date |
15/09/2014 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Online Activities 20,
Revision Session Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
164 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
85 %,
Practical Exam
15 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Students will be assessed by a 2500 word essay at the end of the semester (85%) and successful participation in the on-line activities associated with the course (15%).
Essay deadline: Monday 15th December 2014 by 12 noon
Word limit: 2500 words maximum
Return deadline: Monday 19th January 2015 |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
| Students will become familiar with the methods of philosophy, with particular focus on philosophical topics in the fields of epistemology, ethics, philosophy of mind and cognitive science, and philosophy of science. They will develop their ability to read philosophical texts, and will also develop their skills in critical thinking and in the oral and written presentation of philosophical arguments.
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Reading List
Week 1
Class Readings
Chris Daly, An Introduction to Philosophical Methods, Broadview Press, 2010. Chapter 2.
Week 2
Class Readings
Ned Block (1978) 'Troubles with functionalism', in Timothy O'Connor and David Robb (eds.), Philosophy of Mind: Contemporary Readings. Routledge, 2003. 222 - 233. Available as an e-book.
Week 3
Class Readings
Todd Moody (1994) 'Conversations with zombies' Journal of Consciousness Studies, 1, 196 - 200 (read this first)
Daniel Dennett (1995) 'The unimagined preposterousness of zombies' Journal of Consciousness Studies, 2, 322 - 326
Week 4
Reading list TBD
Week 5
Reading list TBD
Week 6
Class Readings
Norton, J. D. (1995) 'Are Thought Experiments Just What You Thought?¿ Canadian Journal of Philosophy 26(3): 333 - 366.
Week 7
Class Readings
Searle, J. R. (1980) 'Minds, Brains and Programs,' Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(3): 417 - 424.
Plus these responses (also in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, vol. 3, 1980): Abelson, R. P. 'Searle's argument is just a set of Chinese symbols,' 424 - 5. Block, N. 'What intuitions about homunculi don¿t show,' 425 - 6. Dennett, D. 'The milk of human intentionality,' 428 - 30. Hofstadter, D. R. 'Reductionism and religion,' 433 - 4. Minsky, M. 'Decentralized minds,' 439 - 40.Rorty, R. 'Searle and the special powers of the brain,' 445 - 6.
Week 8
Class Readings
Moore, G. E. (1903) 'The Subject Matter of Ethics' in his Principia Ethica, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Baldwin, T. (2010) ¿The Open Question Argument' in The Routledge Companion to Ethics, John Skorupski (ed.), Oxford: Routledge
Week 9
Class Readings
1. Hare, R. M. (1952) The Language of Morals (OUP) p148-50.
2. Horgan, T. and Timmons, M. (1991) 'New Wave Moral Realism Meets Moral Twin Earth' Journal of Philosophical Research 16
Week 10
Class Readings
Jesper Kallestrup, Semantic Externalism, London: Routledge, 2011. Chapter 1.
Week 11
Class Readings
Jesper Kallestrup, Semantic Externalism, London: Routledge, 2011, Chapter 2.
The full weekly reading list is available on Learn. |
Additional Information
| Course URL |
Please see Learn page |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
This course is only for MSc/Dip/Cert Epistemology, Ethics and Mind students.
Course lecturers: Prof. Jesper Kallestrup, Dr. Suilin Lavelle, Dr. Alistair Isaac, Dr. Debbie Roberts. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jesper Kallestrup
Tel:
Email: jesper.kallestrup@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lynsey Buchanan
Tel: (0131 6)51 5002
Email: Lynsey.Buchanan@ed.ac.uk |
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