Undergraduate Course: Indian Philosophies of Mind and Language (PHIL10196)
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 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Course begins with a general introduction to the Indian philosophical tradition, in order to supply students with some necessary background context. It then explores selected topics within this tradition, particularly issues in the Philosophy of Language and Philosophy of Mind. Related and contrasting views from the Western philosophical tradition will also be examined, in an attempt to provide mutual illumination and a wider global perspective on core philosophical themes. |
| Course description |
Representative Instance of the Course (for the sake of illustration):
- Topic 1: General introduction and overview of the Indian philosophical tradition.
- Topic 2: Issues in the Philosophy of Language from a comparative perspective, with particular focus on the Ny¿ya and M¿m¿ms¿ (Bhatta and Pr¿bh¿kara branches) schools of Hinduism, and the Yog¿c¿ra-Sautr¿ntika school of Buddhism
2(i) Sentential Unity, Context Principle and Compositionality.
2(ii) Sense and Reference
2(iii) Linguistic Reference and Non-denoting Terms
- Topic 3: Issues in the Philosophy of Mind
3(i) Buddhist Analyses of the Self (with comparisons to Hume)
3(ii) Sankhya-Yoga Philosophy and the Mind/Body Problem (with
comparisons to Western Dualism)
3(iii) Advaita Ved¿nta and the Philosophy of Consciousness without an
Object (with comparisons to the Phenomenological tradition)
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014) AND
Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017)
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students studying on MA Cognitive Science (Humanities) are permitted to take this course without having met the pre-requisites of Mind, Matter and Language and Knowledge and Reality. However, it is advisable that students discuss the suitability of the course with their PT and the course organiser before enrolling. |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Midterm (40%) 1500 words
Final assignment (60%) 2500 words |
| Feedback |
Guidance will be given in advance of each assignments. Depending on the year, this may be in the form of an in-class discussion, a handout, or a formative work, or discussion of a component of the assessed work. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand basic concepts and presuppositions central to the Indian Philosophical Tradition;
- Grasp and analyze key issues in Indian Philosophy of Language, particularly with respect to the context principle, linguistic reference, and non-denoting terms.
- Grasp and analyze key issues in Indian Philosophy of Mind, particularly with respect to consciousness and the self, intentionality, and the mind-body problem.
- Explain issues in the Indian tradition in connection to related themes in Western Philosophy.
- Improve core skills in philosophy, including the ability to interpret and engage with philosophical texts, evaluate arguments, and develop critical ideas in response.
|
Reading List
Representative readings:
Representative General texts:
An Introduction to Indian Philosophy, S. Chatterji and D. Datta, Motilal Banarsidass Press, 2016 (latest edition).
An Introduction to Indian Philosophy, R. Perrett, Cambridge University Press, 2016.
Presuppositions of India's Philosophies, K. Potter, Prentice Hall, 1963.
Representative texts on more specific topics
Indian Philosophy of Language, M. Siderits, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1991.
Apoha: Buddhist Nominalism and Human Cognition, M. Siderits, T. Tillemans, A Chakrabarti, (eds.), Columbia University Press, 2011.
Indian Buddhist Theories of Persons: Vasubandhu's Refutation of a Theory of Self, J. Duerlinger, Routledge, 2003.
Consciousness in Advaita Ved¿nta, W. Indich, Motilal Banarsidass Press, 2000.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
In this course, students will learn the following skills in the following ways. Through seminars and readings, they will learn how to critically read and analyse difficult texts; how to look for the wider context; how to evaluate arguments for and against viewpoints; how to articulate cogent arguments; how to allow themselves to be challenged by views they may disagree with. Through the assessments, students will learn how to write clear and structured arguments; how to show an understanding of the materials; how to do research; how to manage time and workload.
Core skills gained or developed on this course:
Being open to different perspectives; Challenging own perspectives and assumptions; Critical thinking; Critical analysis and evaluation; Formulating original arguments and justifying it; Independence; Academic reading skills; Understanding broader perspectives; Writing clearly and concisely. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Paul Schweizer
Tel: (0131 6)50 2704
Email: paul@inf.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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