ID:
503368
Duration (hours):
72
CFU:
12
SSD:
FILOSOFIA E TEORIA DEI LINGUAGGI
Year:
2025
Overview
Date/time interval
Primo Semestre (22/09/2025 - 19/12/2025)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
This course aims at providing the students with:
- Specialist knowledge of the main notions in the philosophy of language (meaning, sense, reference, implicature, presupposition, truth) and in epistemology (justification, evidence, knowledge);
- Knowledge of the most important positions upheld by the main philosophers who have contributed to the historical development of the philosophy of language (G. Frege, B. Russell, J. Searle, J. Austin, P. Grice, S. Kripke, D. Kaplan, W.V.O. Quine, M. Dummett) and epistemology (E. Gettier, A. Goldman, J. Pollock, L. BonJour, R. Nozick, E. Sosa, C. Wright);
- The ability to assess and criticize complex philosophical arguments;
- The ability to elaborate and lay down philosophical arguments in defense of one’s philosophical views;
- Familiarity with the technical jargon of the philosophy of language and epistemology and the ability to expound in an appropriate way the contents of these disciplines.
- Specialist knowledge of the main notions in the philosophy of language (meaning, sense, reference, implicature, presupposition, truth) and in epistemology (justification, evidence, knowledge);
- Knowledge of the most important positions upheld by the main philosophers who have contributed to the historical development of the philosophy of language (G. Frege, B. Russell, J. Searle, J. Austin, P. Grice, S. Kripke, D. Kaplan, W.V.O. Quine, M. Dummett) and epistemology (E. Gettier, A. Goldman, J. Pollock, L. BonJour, R. Nozick, E. Sosa, C. Wright);
- The ability to assess and criticize complex philosophical arguments;
- The ability to elaborate and lay down philosophical arguments in defense of one’s philosophical views;
- Familiarity with the technical jargon of the philosophy of language and epistemology and the ability to expound in an appropriate way the contents of these disciplines.
Course Prerequisites
This course is an introduction to the analytic philosophy of language and epistemology, and presupposes no notions from either disciplines. Knowledge of history of philosophy and logic may prove useful but do not constitute a necessary prerequisite.
Linguistics students, aiming to attend the first part of the course, may be willing to read this very short introduction to the philosophy of language: P. Casalegno, Brevissima Introduzione alla filosofia del linguaggio, Carocci, 2011. They are also reminded, should they encounter any difficulties in approaching the discipline, that they can always seek the assistance and advise of the course's tutor
Linguistics students, aiming to attend the first part of the course, may be willing to read this very short introduction to the philosophy of language: P. Casalegno, Brevissima Introduzione alla filosofia del linguaggio, Carocci, 2011. They are also reminded, should they encounter any difficulties in approaching the discipline, that they can always seek the assistance and advise of the course's tutor
Teaching Methods
Frontal lectures and seminars
Assessment Methods
The students will sit an oral examination, through which their knowledge and competencies in assessing and producing sound philosophical arguments will be evaluated
Texts
First part Paolo Casalegno, Filosofia del Linguaggio, Carocci, chap. 1 e 2. Claudia Bianchi, La pragmatica del linguaggio, Laterza, chap. 1 e 2. Gottlob Frege, Senso e significato, in Id. Senso, Funzione e concetto, Laterza. Bertrand Russell, Sulla denotazione, in Bonomi (a cura di), La struttura logica del linguaggio, Bompiani. John Searle, Nomi propri, in Bonomi (a cura di), La struttura logica del linguaggio, Bompiani. Paul Grice, Logica e conversazione, in Id. Logica e conversazione : saggi su intenzione, significato e comunicazione, Il Mulino. S. Kripke, Nome e necessità, Bollati Boringhieri (Lectures 1 and 2). W.v.O. Quine, Two Dogmas of Empiricism. 4 Reading notes (published on Kiro). Second part P. Casalegno, Filosofia del linguaggio, Carocci (ch. 10) T. Piazza, Che cos'è la conoscenza, Carocci. G. Volpe, La verità, Carocci (Ch. 1-3). D. Marconi, Per la verità, Einaudi (Ch. 1) Sereni et al. (a cura di), Teorie della conoscenza, Cortina (selected parts) T. Piazza, Epistemic Defeaters, Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Contents
This course is an introduction to the analytic philosophy of language and epistemology The first part of this course (first six weeks) aims to make the students familiar with the main questions in the philosophy of language addressed within the contemporary analytic tradition. In particular, we shall address the question pertaining to the nature of linguistic meaning (G. Frege’s distinction between sense and reference, B. Russell’s denoting phrases, S. Kripke’s rigid designator), the speech act theory (with special attention to the work of J. Austin and J. Searle), and pragmatics (P. Grice). We’ll end the first six weeks by approaching Quine's essay Two Dogmas of Empiricism. The second part of this course (last six weeks) is devoted to the notion of truth, with special emphasis on twentieth century correspondentism, deflationism, and the realism/antirealism dispute. The remains part is devoted to the most important notions in epistemology, such as epistemic justification and knowledge. We’ll end the second six weeks by focussing on the notion of defeasible reasoning.
Course Language
Italian
Degrees
Degrees (2)
PHILOSOPHY
Bachelor’s Degree
3 years
PHILOSOPHY
Master’s Degree
2 years
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