Philosophy 500, Introduction to Contemporary Philosophical Literature, Fall 2018 Thurs: 2:00 – 4:20 Scott Soames, STO 223, and MHP 107, (213)-740-0798,
[email protected], website: http://dornsife.usc.edu/scottsoames, Office hours: M 9-11 in MHP 107, F 10-11 and by appointment. Description An advanced introduction to leading philosophers in the analytic tradition from Frege (1879) to the present. Topics center on philosophical logic, the philosophy of language, metaphysics and the philosophy of mind. Texts Weekly readings available from Hoose, the net, online, and, on occasion, the MHP office Books on Reserve in the Hoose Library Almog, et al Themes From Kaplan Peter Geach, Max Black, eds. Translations from the Philosophical Writings of Gottlob Frege Gottlob Frege Foundations of Arithmetic (translated by Austin) David Lewis Philosophical Papers Volume 1 _____ Counterfactuals Saul Kripke Naming and Necessity (NN) _____ Philosophical Troubles (PT) Hilary Putnam Mind, Language, and Reality: Philosophical Papers, Vol. 2 Scott Soames The Analytic Tradition, Vol. 1 (ATP1) ____ The Analytic Tradition, Vol. 2 (ATP2) ____ Philosophical Essays, Vol. 2 (PE2) ____ Philosophy of Language (PL) ____ Analytic Philosophy in America (APA) ____ Rethinking Language, Mind, and Meaning (RLMM) Peter Ludlow, ed. Readings in the Philosophy of Language Course Requirements In addition to reading assignments, there will be weekly written assignments, 1000–1500 words in length, on specified topics, due electronically 48 hours before the class. The assignments will be returned with comments 24 hours prior to the meeting, and will be discussed, with new material, during the seminar. In addition to the Thursday seminar, the instructor will hold a weekly meeting from 9 to 10:30 each Monday in the Chair’s office in MHP.