Postgraduate Course: The Philosophy of Wittgenstein (PHIL11020)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | We shall consider the continuity of Wittgenstein's philosophy, with an emphasis throughout on his philosophy of language and its relation to the mind.
Shared with UG course The Philosophy of Wittgenstein PHIL10014.
For courses co-taught with undergraduate students and with no remaining undergraduate spaces left, a maximum of 8 MSc students can join the course. Priority will be given to MSc students who wish to take the course for credit on a first come first served basis after matriculation. |
| Course description |
We will consider the philosophical work of Ludwig Wittgenstein in this course, focusing especially on the period from his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus to his Philosophical Investigations. Apart from the details of Wittgenstein's philosophical positions in these two works, we will consider the continuity of his philosophy and his views on ethics.
We will not be discussing any of Wittgenstein's works after the Philosophical Investigations, including On Certainty nor his several remarks and writings on the philosophy of psychology.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- grasp and analyze central themes in Wittgenstein's philosophy
- identify and articulate problems in the interpretation of Wittgenstein's work
- assess Wittgenstein's reasons for the views he advocates
- grasp the nature of Wittgenstein's methodology in his work
- relate Wittgenstein's philosophising to that of historical and contemporary philosophers and evaluate Wittgenstein's contribution to modern philosophy
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Reading List
We will work from primary texts, so you will need to bring to each seminar:
Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (London: Routledge, various editions). N.B. Two translations are available from Routledge, one by Ogden and one by Pears & McGuinness; either will suffice.
Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations (Oxford; Blackwell, 2009, 4th edition). N.B. The 4th edition from 2009 is strongly recommended over other editions.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Close reading.
Selective note taking.
Critical interpretation.
Developing an argument.
Written communication.
Oral debate.
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| Keywords | Philosophy,Wittgenstein,Language |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr David Levy
Tel: (0131 6)50 9943
Email: david.levy@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Becky Verdon
Tel: (0131 6)50 3860
Email: Rebecca.Verdon@ed.ac.uk |
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