Professor JeeLoo Liu
(The following handouts are intended for pedagogical use only.)
Date Content
of discussion Assignments for this class
Week 1 Introductory Remarks: What is Philosophy of None
1/23 Language?
Week 2 What is a language?
1/30 (1) David Lewis: Languages and Language PL pp. 562-580
(2) John Lock: Of Words PL pp. 509-513
Essay #1 due in class [mandatory]
Week 3 Could there be a private language?
2/6 (1) John Cook: Wittgenstein on Privacy PL pp. 514-530
(2) Saul Kripke: On Rules and Private Language PL pp. 531-541
Essay
#2 due in class [mandatory]
Week 4 What is a speech act?
2/13 (1) J. L. Austin: Performative Utterances PL pp. 130-139
(2) John Searle: The Structure of Illocutionary Acts PL pp. 140-150
Essay
#3 due in class [mandatory]
III. Interpretation and Translation
Week 5 How do I interpret what you mean if you use the wrong words?
2/20 (1) Donald Davidson: Belief and the Basis of Meaning PL pp. 464-472
(2) Donald Davidson: A Nice Derangement of Epitaphs PL pp. 473-483
(2) Essay #4 due in class
Week 6 Are meanings and beliefs “in the head”? -- Twin-Earth Visited
2/27 (1) Hilary Putnam: Meaning and Reference PL pp. 288-294
(2) Tyler Burge: Individualism and the Mental [handouts]
Essay #5 due in class
Week 7 How
do I report your belief if your belief is in your head?
3/6 (1) W. V. Quine: Quantifiers and Propositional Attitudes PL pp. 355-360
(2) Saul Kripke: A Puzzle about Belief PL pp. 405-424
Essay #6 due in class
Week 8 (1)
Mid-term Exam (Bring a large blue book)
3/13 (2) Introduction to the New Topic: Frege’s Puzzle
IV. Reference and Descriptions
Week 9 What does a name mean?
3/20 (1) John Stuart Mill: Of Names PL pp. 266-271
(2) Gottlob Frege: On Sense and Nominatum (Reference) PL pp. 199-210
Essay #7 due in class
Week 10 Spring
Recess
3/27
Week 11 How
do we denote something or someone?
4/3 (1) Bertrand Russell: On Denoting PL pp. 212-219
(2) Bertrand Russell: Descriptions PL pp. 221-227
Essay #8 due in class
Week 12 How
do we refer to something or someone?
4/10 (1) P. F. Strawson: On Referring PL pp. 228-242
(2) Keith Donnellan: Reference and Definite Descriptions PL pp. 247-258
Term Paper (minimum 8 pages) due in class
Week 13 What
is the direct reference theory?
4/17 Saul
Kripke: Naming and Necessity, Lecture I NN pp. 22-70
Essay
#9 due in class
Week 14 What
is the direct reference theory?
4/24 Saul Kripke: Naming and Necessity, Lecture II NN pp. 71-105
Saul Kripke: Naming and Necessity, Lecture III
Week 15 What other things do I refer directly?
5/1 (1) John Perry: The Problem of the Essential Indexical PL pp. 339-348
(2) David Kaplan: Dthat PL pp. 325-337
Essay #11 due in class