Undergraduate Course: Mind, World, and Language: Wittgenstein (PHIL10251)
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 | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will study Wittgenstein's early and later philosophy, concentrating on the Tractatus Logico-philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations.
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| Course description |
This course will study Wittgenstein's early and later philosophy, concentrating on the Tractatus Logico-philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations. We will learn to read Wittgenstein's own work, especially the Tractatus and the later sections on rule-following and private language. The course will highlight the differences between his earlier view of language and his later view based on language-games, while also noting the considerable points of continuity in Wittgenstein's philosophy. This course is oriented around a single philosopher and his work, but attention will also be given to the connections between Wittgenstein's philosophy and enduring problems in philosophy as seen in the work of Plato, Descartes and Kant.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017) AND
Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Please note: 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. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have completed at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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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 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
100 %,
Coursework
0 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Exam 100% |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain the focal relation between the mind's use of physical signs to make contact with a discrete reality
- Describe the fundamental challenge to normativity posed by Wittgenstein's rule-following considerations
- Read Wittgenstein's Tractatus as one terminal point in analytical philosophy
- Use the publicity of mind established in Wittgenstein's private language argument
- Relate Wittgenstein's philosophy to philosophy's longest standing problematics, viz. nominalism and mind/body dualism
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr David Levy
Tel: (0131 6)50 9943
Email: david.levy@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Joan MacKenzie
Tel:
Email: jmacken8@ed.ac.uk |
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