PHL3590

Mind and meaning

John Bigelow and Graham Oppy

8 points
* 2 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton
* Prerequisites: Two second-year philosophy subjects - PHL2090, PHL2170 and PHL2650 are strongly recommended

Objectives Students successfully completing this subject should have a good understanding of recent work in the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of language, and of the relations between them. In particular, they should have a good understanding of the nature of meaning and representation, and of how both words and mental states can have content.

Synopsis The subject will provide an introduction to some major themes in the recent philosophy of language and mind. Among the topics to be covered will be theories of reference and truth, the theory of meaning and the theory of performative utterances. These topics have come to be of central concern in contemporary analytical philosophy and are often crucial in modern debates in fields as diverse as ethics, philosophy of mind and metaphysics. The aim of this subject is to provide essential background for students intending to go on in philosophy.

Assessment Two essays (3000 words each): 50% each
* One essay may optionally be replaced by a 3-hour examination