80-254 Analytic Philosophy

Units: 9.0 Department: Philosophy Cross-listed: 80-654 Related URLs: http://www.hss.cmu.edu/philosophy This course examines the revolutionary impact on philosophy and contemporary thought of several scientific breakthroughs that occurred at the turn of the century. By the 1920s, a number of scientists and philosophers were sufficiently impressed by the recent rush of scientific progress to become hopeful that the end of the long tradition of philosophical deadlock was finally within reach. Buoyed in particular by Einstein's theory of relativity and the invention of modern logic, they created a new kind of scientific philosophy with the goal of applying logical and empirical methods to philosophical problems. With the endorsements and contributions of such leading thinkers as Einstein and Russell, the new movement quickly gathered momentum and was a major intellectual force until its disruption by the Second World War. From Wittgenstein's language-oriented philosophy to the scientific study of such notions as meaning, information,computation, and inference, the modern fields of linguistics, cognitive science, and information and computer sciences all owe a debt to these sources, as does of course contemporary philosophy. This course will be centered around selected readings of Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, and the Vienna Circle, as well as the post-war reception by Quine and others.

Popularity index Rank for this semester: #375 Rank in this department: #13   Students also scheduled 80-180 The Nature of Language 15-399 Special Topic: Constructive Logic 21-256 Multivariate Analysis and Approxima... 15-462 Computer Graphics 21-700 Mathematical Logic II 21-356 Principles of Real Analysis II 21-341 Linear Algebra 15-213 Introduction to Computer Systems 21-484 Graph Theory 80-253 Continental Philosophy

Spring 2005 times

Sec	Time	Day	Instructor	Location
A	3:00 - 4:20 pm	M	Awodey	BH 150
		W	Awodey	BH 150