PHIL 340-00- Wittgenstein
Fall-12, 2002
“All philosophy is a ‘critique of language’” (T 4.0031).
Time: TR 9:20-11:20 Professor: Dr. Lee Braver
Room: H121 Office: 123 Hinsdale
Office Hours: M 9-11, 12-2, W 9-11, TH 11:20-12 Phone: X5146, 330-995-5670 (home- no
e-mail: braverlj@hiram.edu; I read my email most days calls after 8:30, please)
Texts
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (T) Wittgenstein
Philosophical Investigations (PI) Wittgenstein
On Certainty (OC) Wittgenstein
Language, Truth and Logic Ayer
Dilemmas Ryle
Notes
Any missed deadline or make-up work will require an excellent excuse such as serious illness or death in the family along with appropriate documentation. Any unexcused late assignments will be penalized one letter grade per day. Work not turned in during class must be signed and dated by Missie Mallinak in H138 in order to count as being turned in on that day.
I strongly encouraged you to talk to or email me outside of class. If you cannot come to my office hours, we can set up an alternate time. If you are having difficulties understanding the material or want to pursue a topic in greater depth, I would be happy to do so. Feel free to call me at home, but not after 8:30 P.M.
Grade
Your grade for the class breaks down as follows:
Class participation- 10%. Discussing ideas is an essential part of understanding them. I expect you to participate in civil debate with your classmates on a regular basis. Attendance will not be taken, though it will affect your grade. Egregious absence or lack of participation can reduce your grade by more than 10%.
Short paper- 30%. One short (5-8 pages) essay on a topic you can choose from a set I will hand out will be due in class on 10-1. You must rewrite the paper and turn it in one week after I return it to you, probably due on 10-15.
Presentation- 10%. You will present a reading to the class. Details to follow.
Final paper- 50%. A longer paper (12-18 pages) on a topic you will choose in collaboration with me will be due on 11-19. You must have your topic approved by me by 10-29. Details to follow.
This class will be an extended, deep analysis of one of the 20th century’s greatest philosophers: Ludwig Wittgenstein. The single most important figure in Analytic Philosophy, Wittgenstein is unusual in the history of philosophy in being central to the formation and direction of two very different movements: Logical Positivism and Ordinary Language Philosophy. Our study of his work will follow two organizational principles: 1) we will study both early and later Wittgenstein to trace out the continuities as well as the breaks between the periods (at one point, he wanted his two great works, Tractatus and Philosophical Investigations, to be published together in one tome), and 2) we will examine his impact on philosophy by examining a representative from each of the movements he had such influence on. Thus, this course will familiarize you with a central thread of Analytic Philosophy.
Goals and Objectives
This course will be one of the most challenging classes you will take at Hiram. Wittgenstein’s writing style is difficult and obscure, and interpreting it will improve your ability to read and understand difficult texts. Presenting his ideas in class will force you to become intimately familiar with a section of one of the texts, which also improves your critical reading skill; explaining it as well as fielding questions during your class presentation works on your verbal skills and ability to think on your feet. Finally, writing about Wittgenstein demands great clarity of expression on your part to make up for his lack thereof.
Reading Schedule
I am assigning the readings by week rather than by day to allow for greater flexibility. You should have done all of the reading at least twice for each Tuesday and then completely reread the material throughout the week. These texts require and repay repeated readings. I reserve the right to make any changes to this schedule, including adding or subtracting sections and changing due dates of assignments, to accommodate the flow of the class. Any such changes will be announced in class ahead of time.
Week I T pp.5-43
8-27 & 29
Week II T pp. 44-89
9-3 & 5
Week III Reread all of T
9-10 & 12
Week IV Ayer pp. 31-59, 71-112, 120-38
9-17 & 19
Week V PI #1-88
9-24 & 26
Week VI PI #89-133: philosophy; 134-7: general form of proposition; 138-184:
10-1 & 3 understanding; 185-242-: following a rule/ Short Paper due 10-1
Week VII PI #243-317: private language; 337-74: thinking; 400-11: pain
10-8 (Fall Weekend 10-10)
Week VIII PI #412-36: mind-brain; 464; 489-99: language; 562-70: games; 571-619: mental states
10-15 & 17 Revision of Short Paper due 10-15
Week IX PI p.152-61: inner states, meaning; 165-81: noticing an aspect; p.186-95
10-22 & 24
Week X OC #1-299
10-29 & 31 Topic Approval due by 10-29
Week XI OC #300-559, 607-23, 655-7
11-5 & 7
Week XII Ryle pp. 1-35, 54-67, 77-129, pay special attention to pp. 28-35 & 124-9
11-12 & 14
Week XIII
11-19 Final Paper due