Philosophy of Language [2491]

General Information

• Credits: 6 ECTS
• Prerequisites: baccalaureate level or equivalent; proficiency in English
• Learning format: asynchronous distance learning – 100% e-learning
• Language of instruction: English
• Course access: available at any time of year
• Disability liaison officer: Cécile Boucherle

Course Overview

This course explores the major questions and debates in the philosophy of language through a selection of foundational texts from the analytic tradition and its critics. Beginning with the emergence of analytic philosophy and the linguistic turn, it examines central issues such as meaning, reference, truth, analysis, verification, counterfactuals, and the relationship between language, logic, and philosophical inquiry. Through readings from authors including Bertrand Russell, P. F. Strawson, P. M. S. Hacker, Peter Hylton, J. L. Mackie, and A. J. Ayer, students develop a critical understanding of the role of language in philosophy and assess the strengths, limitations, and evolution of the analytic approach.

Learning Outcomes

This course enables you to:

• have a broad awareness of the concerns of philosophy of language; 
• discover the topics that feature in philosophy of language;
• have an awareness of theories of meaning and debates around those theories; and
• discover the broad concerns of the philosophy of language, to the main topics discussed in the philosophy of language and to theories of meaning and debates around those theories.

Course Competencies

This course is linked to the following competency:

• Examine the foundations, sources and validity of knowledge through logic, language and the philosophy of science. 

Course Outline

Section 1: The Shape of the Problems

Section 2: Theories of Meaning

Section 3: Earlier Thought

Section 4: Wittgenstein on Philosophy and Language

Section 5: The Problem of Meaning in Linguistics

Section 6: Two Perspectives on Knowledge of Language

Section 7: On Denoting

Section 8: Why "On Denoting"?

Section 9: Russellianism and Referential Uses of Descriptions

Section 10: On Sense and Direct Reference

Section 11: On Referring

Section 12: Meaning

Section 13: Meaning and Intention: An Examination of Grice's Views

Section 14: Grice on Meaning: 50 Years Later

Section 15: Inferentialism and Some of Its Challenges

Assessment Methods 

Course assessment is based on:

• tracking and completion of the course and of all learning activities. These activities, designed as essential practice and learning exercises, may be completed multiple times and are not factored into the final grade; and
• the final assessment quiz, which constitutes the graded evaluation.

Learning Format

The course is taught entirely online via the MyDomuni platform, accessible 24/7.
Learning resources include:

• written course materials;
• supplementary documents and, depending on the content, video resources;
• interactive learning activities (quizzes, exercises); and
• a discussion forum with the course instructor and fellow participants.

Prerequisites

This course is open to anyone with a general level of education equivalent to the baccalaureate, or with personal or academic experience related to the topics covered.

A good command of written English is recommended to facilitate understanding of the content and participation in the activities offered.

Accessibility

The course is accessible at any time, from any internet-connected device, via the MyDomuni platform.
For students with disabilities, specific support can be arranged upon request to ensure equitable access to course content and activities.

Disability liaison officer: cecile.boucherle@domuni.eu. 

Selective Bibliography

• William P. Alston, Philosophy of Language, London, Prentice-Hall, 1964, pp. 10–31.
• Simon Blackburn, Spreading the Word: Groundings in the Philosophy of Language, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1984, pp. 3-38.
• W. D. Hudson, Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Bearing of His Philosophy upon Religious Belief, London, Lutterworth Press, 1968, pp. 9-18.
• Willard Van Orman Quine, “The Problem of Meaning in Linguistics”, in Jerry A. Fodor et Jerrold J. Katz (eds.), The Structure of
• Language: Readings in the Philosophy of Language, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice-Hall, 1964, pp. 21-32.
• John T. Richardson, The Grammar of Justification: An Interpretation of Wittgenstein’s Philosophy of Language, London, Sussex University Press, 1976, pp. 18-44.