 | |
| PHIL0019-1 | Contemporary philosophy
 |
|
| Duration : | 30h Th |
|
| Credits/ECTS : |
|
|
| Holder(s) : | Arnaud Dewalque |
|
| Language : | French language |
|
| Course contents : | This course requires no prior knowledge of philosophy. It is designed as an introduction to some of the major debates in contemporary philosophical theory (from 1900 to the present day). Our leading hypothesis is that contemporary philosophy offers new tools to address certain classical philosophical problems. We will deliberately choose to focus our attention upon a simple problem, which is particularly relevant and remains a burning issue to this day: the problem of perception, usually associated with the classic alternatives of idealism and realism. It is reasonable to think that the function of perception (sight, hearing, touch, etc.) is to give us access to the world or give us a grasp of it. For example, if I think there is a table in front of me, and if I attribute certain characteristics to it (such as the fact that it is grey), this is because of what I perceive. However, some events (disagreement between different accounts of perception, cases of hallucination, illusion, or dreams) seem to question the idea that perception gives us real access to the world. This problem has given rise to numerous questions: what are our grounds for saying that the table continues to exist when we stop perceiving it? Is it anything other than simply a combination of "private" sensory data? Is perceiving the table the same as knowing it exists? Etc. We will address a few of these questions and take a look at the main solutions which have been proposed. |
|
| Course objective : | General objectives:
- to provide an introductory overview of contemporary theoretical philosophy.
- to clarify a certain number of key concepts prior to a more in-depth study of contemporary philosophy (cf. course given during the 2nd and 3rd Bachelors in Philosophy: "History of contemporary philosophy" and "Contemporary philosophical texts").
- to raise students' awareness of the classic philosophical problems concerning our perceptual relationship to the world and the alternatives of idealism and realism.
Specific objectives - By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- place authors studied during class into their contemporary philosophical setting.
- explain the meaning of concepts used.
- clearly explain, using examples, the arguments in favour of a particular philosophical position covered in class.
Particular attention will be given to the correct use of terminology. |
|
| Prerequisites : | None. |
|
| Workshops : | The set text for the course is:
- J. L. Austin, Le langage de la perception, French translation. P. Gochet, revised by B. Ambroise, Paris, Vrin, 2007.
This is compulsory reading for Philosophy students. It is optional for students from other disciplines. |
|
| Organization : | The course takes place in the second term, on Wednesdays from 2pm - 4 pm. Start date: to be specified. See http://cipl82.philo.ulg.ac.be/horaires |
|
| Written notes : | The course comprises lectures with Powerpoint slides. There is no syllabus. However, each presentation is based upon a small number of classic philosophical texts which will be presented in each session and can be consulted in the Philosophy library. Extracts from the texts cited during class will be available for students in the form of a PDF which can be downloaded from the students' website before each class. Among the reference works giving a more in-depth insight into material covered in class are:
- On the theory of sense data (primary literature):
- B. Russell, Problèmes de philosophie, French translation. F. Rivenc, Paris, Payot, 1989, re-edition. 2005.
- B. Russell, La Méthode scientifique en philosophie. Notre connaissance du monde extérieur, Paris, Payot, 2002.
- On the criticism of empiricism (primary literature):
- M. Schlick, Forme et contenu. Une introduction à la pensée philosophique (1932), French translation. D. Chapuis-Schmitz, Marseille, Agone, 2003.
- W. Quine, Le Mot et la chose (1960), French translation. J. Dopp and P. Gochet, Paris, Flammarion, 1999.
- J. L. Austin, Le langage de la perception (1962), French translation. P. Gochet, revised by B. Ambroise, Paris, Vrin, 2007 (set text).
- On phenomenology (secondary literature):
- H. Spiegelberg, The Phenomenological Movement. A Historical Introduction, The Hague-Boston-London, Nijhoff, 1982 (3rd revised and improved edition) [this can be consulted in the Faculty's general library (CICB): P8417B(5/6,1982)].
|
|
| Assessment : |
- Oral exam during the June session.
The exam will take the form of a short oral interview during which students should demonstrate their knowledge of the subject matter covered in class and their understanding of the set text. Students will also be expected to clearly explain, using examples, an author's position or the significance of a concept studied during the year, but also to be able to place this author or concept in the wider context of the course (for example, by indicating to which school of thought the author belongs, etc.). |
|
| Contacts : | Teacher
Arnaud Dewalque
Département de Philosophie
7, place du 20-août, Building A1/2nd floor
B-4000 Liège
Phone 0032 (4) 366 55 92
E-mail a.dewalque@ulg.ac.be |
|
|
| |
