Contemporary philosophical texts

Duration

30h Th

Number of credits

Lecturer

Arnaud Dewalque

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

2017-18 Topic: The Powers of the Mind. Problems of Analytic Phenomenology.
What is it like to perceive, think, imagine, feel an emotion, and performing an action? In this course we will explore these questions from a both analytic and phenomenological perspective.
On a classical picture, one of the most important events in contemporary philosophy is the great divide between analytic philosophy and phenomenological philosophy. For a decade, this classical picture has nevertheless been strongly challenged in litterature. On the one hand, it appeared that analytic philosophy and phenomenology can hardly be regarded as two monolithic traditions. On the other, it also appeared that they have unexpected points of contact. Relying on this double constatation, some authors suggested that the so-called divide only had - in the best case - a sociological meaning, and that XXIth-century philosophy would better run philosophical investigations  in using both analytic and phenomenologycal tools.
Drawing on the most recent researches, this course explores the ressources offered by phenomenological analysis - viz. the analysis of first-person experience - to deal with issues addressed in the field of the analytic philosophy of mind. We'll discuss in turn five basic capacities or "powers" of the human mind: (i) perceiving, (ii) thinking, (iii) imagining, (iv) feeling an emotion, (v) doing. Each point will be based on set readings. A special focus will be given to the putative complementarity of the naturalist approach and the phenomenological approach to the mind.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

Main purpose: to clarify some important issues of contemporary philosophy. By the end of the course, students are supposed:

• to understand what are the main philosophical options regarding the considered topics
• to see what is at stake in each of those options
• to master some conceptual technicalities

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

This course is aimed at students in Philosophy only. It is recommended to have followed the course: History of contemporary philosophy (PHIL0010-1, A. Dewalque).

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Lectures based on a series of readings. Participants are required to have and read the related text(s) for the relevant sections of the course (see schedule in the "course plan", which may be downloaded in the "course material" tab).

Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)

First lesson: September 21, 2017. See http://cipl82.philo.ulg.ac.be/horaires

Recommended or required readings

Core readings and secondary readings: see "course plan/schedule" in the "course material" tab.
The reading of the core texts (see "course plan/schedule" in the "course material" tab) is required for students in philosophy. It is optional for listeners who follow the course without being officially registered as students. Additional bibliographical information will be made available for listeners.
Secondary readings are not mandatory. NB. One of the secondary texts has to be discussed during the exam (see assessment).
References. On bridging the analytic-phenomenological divide:

• Beaney, M. (éd.) 2007. The Analytic Turn. Analysis in early Analytic Philosophy and Phenomenology. London, Routledge.
• Dahlstrom, D., Elpidorou, A. & Hopp, W. (eds.) 2015. Philosophy of Mind and Phenomenology. Conceptual and Empirical Approaches. London: Routledge.
• Gallagher, S. & Zahavi, D. 2007. The Phenomenological Mind. An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science. London: Routledge.
• Gallagher, S. & Schmicking, D. (eds.) 2010. Handbook of Phenomenology and Cognitive Science. Dordrecht : Springer.
• Gusman, S. 2016. « The Phenomenological Fallacy and Sartre's Illusion of Immanence : Analytic Philosophy of Mind and Phenomenology Against Mental Reification », Diametros 48, p. 18-37.
• Huemer, W. 2005. The Constitution of Consciousness. A Study in Analytic Phenomenology. London: Routledge.
• Kelly, S. 2001. The Relevance of Phenomenology to the Philosophy of Language and Mind. London: Routledge.
• MacDonald, P. S. 2012. Languages of Intentionality. A Dialogue Between Two Traditions on Consciousness. London: Continuum.
• Nagel, Th. 1986. The View From Nowhere. Oxford : OUP. Trad. fr. par S. Kronlund, Le Point de vue de nulle part, Paris, L'Éclat, 1993.
• Roy, J.-M. 2010. Rhin et Danube. Essai sur le schisme analytico-phénoménologique, Paris, Vrin.
• Siewert, Ch. 2007. "In favor of (plain) Phenomenology", Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 6, 201-220.
• Siewert, Ch. à paraître. "For Analytic Phenomenology". Conference paper, 37th Wittgenstein Symposium, Kirchberg, Austria, 16.08.2014. Unpublished draft, April 2015 (https://www.academia.edu/11925820/For_Analytic_Phenomenology)
• Thomasson, A. & Woodruff-Smith, D. (eds.) 2005. Phenomenology and Philosophy of Mind. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
• Zahavi, D. à paraître, "Analytic and Continental philosophy: From duality through plurality to (some kind of) unity", in Rinofner-Kreidl, S. & Wiltsche, H. A. (eds.), Analytic and Continental Philosophy: Methods and Perspectives. Proceedings of the 37th International Wittgenstein Symposium. De Gruyter (draft available on Academia).

Assessment methods and criteria

Oral examination. Students are asked to:
1. give an oral presentation of one of the secondary readings. Students may freely decide which text they wish to address. The presentation should include an overview of the main issue(s) at stake and a critical discussion. It may establish connections with the course content (e.g., in order to provide a contextualization of the issue(s) at stake), but is expected to rely first and foremost on the student's own reading. Assessment criteria will be: the relevance of the presentation (the issue(s) at stake is well rendered/understood, its quality (formulations are clear/unequivocal), and its critical dimension (shortcomings/strenghts of the addressed position are critically discussed).
2. demonstrate their mastering of another topic studied during the classes (the addressed topic is randomly drawn). Special attention will be devoted to the similarities or dissimilarities between the phenomenological and analytic approaches to the discussed topic.

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

Core readings are due to the related classes (see schedule, "Course Plan", in the "Course Material" tab).

Contacts

Arnaud Dewalque (Senior Lecturer) - a.dewalque@ulg.ac.be(-a.dewalque@ulg.ac.be Dpt of Philosophy 7, Place du 20-août, Building A1/2d floor B-4000 Liège Phone: 0032(4)366.55.93)

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