Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Students outside Université de Liège who would like to attend to this seminar are requested to contact Bruno Leclercq in September.
The course will focus on two interconnected topics :
1) Proper names
The theory of proper names is a central theme in the philosophy of language and an essential part of a more general theory of reference, which consists in explaining how so-called "referential expressions" of ordinary language (proper names, demonstratives, pronouns, indexicals, definite descriptions, etc.) manages to refer to the world. One of the main questions that will occupy us during this module is to clarify the relationship between a name and what is named.
One intuitive theory (millianism, after John Stuart Mill) holds that proper names refer directly: they work like a label one puts on a thing. A contrary theory (descriptivism) holds that names function more like (more or less) definite descriptions, i.e. they manage to identify their referent using a certain amount of information. In the 1970s, thanks to Geach, Donnellan, Kripke, Kaplan and the rise of modal logic, powerful anti-descriptivist arguments emerged in favour of theories of so-called 'direct' reference (a return to millianism), of which there are several species. This is an important date in the history of the theory of proper names and for understanding current philosophical debates on proper names in the analytic philosophy of language.
During this first module of the course, we will explore the various theoretically puzzling uses of proper names that fuel contemporary controversies. For example, and without being exhaustive, the case of empty names (those based on an error such as Leverrier's "Vulcain"), fictional names (those explicitly introduced in a fiction), the contribution of names in identity statements (for example, "Emile Ajar is Romain Gary"), the question of the homonymy of names and the possibility of renaming (During the 20th century, the second largest city of Russia has benn called successively Petrograd, Leningrad then Saint-Petersburg), the question of definite descriptions turned into names (example "The Netherlands" or "The Holy Roman Empire").
Some bibliographical suggestions:
- Evans, Gareth, 1982, The Varieties of Reference, John Henry McDowell (ed.), Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Kripke, Saul, 1980, Naming and Necessity, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Predelli, Stefano, 2017, Proper Names: A Millian Account, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Rami, Dolf, 2022, Names and Context: A Use-Sensitive Philosophical Account, Bloomsbury.
- Recanati, Francois, 1997, Direct Reference: From Language to Thought, Oxford: Blackwell.
2) Semantic externalism
Semantic externalism claims that speakers do not have "in their head" the meaning of the words they use; according to this thesis, it is a mistake to believe that speakers can identify the objects or situations to which words used within their community apply because they master the definition of these words used.
Semantic externalism is a consequence of the theory of direct reference which Kripke transferred from proper names to such general terms as natural kind terms. But there are also other varieties of semantic externalism, based on semantic deference, i.e. on the willingness of lay speakers to trust other speakers, especially experts, for fixing the meaning of the words they use.
We will first distinguish those different varieties of semantic externalism - based on different types of semantic deference - and then suggest some innovative experimental device allowing for a typology of semantic externalisms. This will lead to question some of the intuitive classifications available in the scientific literature.
If possible, we will also look at the consequences of such a typology for "conceptual engineering", i.e. for the philosophical work on concepts and meanings in order to clarify and solve some debatted problems.
References :
- Kripke, Saul, 1980, Naming and Necessity, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Burge, Tyler, 1979, Individualism and the mental. Midwest Studies in Philosophy, 4, 73-121, reprinted in Foundations of Mind. Philosophical Essays, Volume 2, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2007, pp. 100-150.
- Horwich, Paul, 2004, Use Theory of Meaning. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 68 (2) , 351-372.
- Jackman, Henri, 2005, Temporal externalism, deference, and our ordinary linguistic practice. Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 86, 365-380.
- Liu, Jee Loo, 2002, Physical externalism and social externalism: are they really compatible?. Journal of Philosophical Research, 27, 381-404.
- Putnam, Hilary, 1975, The meaning of 'meaning'. In Mind, Language and Reality. Philosophical Papers, volume 2. CUP, 215-271.
- Schroeter, Laura & Schroeter, François, 2014, Normative concepts: a connectedness model. Philosophers' Imprint, 14, 1-26.
- Wittgenstein, Ludwig, 1953, Philosophical Investigations, G.E.M. Anscombe and R. Rhees (eds.), G.E.M. Anscombe (trans.), Oxford: Blackwell.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Knowledge of some of the issues in contemporary philosophy of language
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Preferably introduction to analytic philosophy or to philosophy of language
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Teaching will be given in Room Commu II (A1/2/24b) on Fridays (from 11 am to 1 pm) in the second term (from February till May) starting from February 7 2025.
Teaching will be organized as a seminar with students taking active part of it. Their presence at each session is thus required.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Texts will be provided.
References :
1) The theory of proper nouns
- Evans, Gareth, 1982, The Varieties of Reference, John Henry McDowell (ed.), Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Kripke, Saul, 1980, Naming and Necessity, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Predelli, Stefano, 2017, Proper Names: A Millian Account, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Rami, Dolf, 2022, Names and Context: A Use-Sensitive Philosophical Account, Bloomsbury.
- Recanati, Francois, 1997, Direct Reference: From Language to Thought, Oxford: Blackwell.
2) Semantic externalism
- Kripke, Saul, 1980, Naming and Necessity, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Burge, Tyler, 1979, Individualism and the mental. Midwest Studies in Philosophy, 4, 73-121, reprinted in Foundations of Mind. Philosophical Essays, Volume 2, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2007, pp. 100-150.
- Horwich, Paul, 2004, Use Theory of Meaning. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 68 (2) , 351-372.
- Jackman, Henri, 2005, Temporal externalism, deference, and our ordinary linguistic practice. Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 86, 365-380.
- Liu, Jee Loo, 2002, Physical externalism and social externalism: are they really compatible?. Journal of Philosophical Research, 27, 381-404.
- Putnam, Hilary, 1975, The meaning of 'meaning'. In Mind, Language and Reality. Philosophical Papers, volume 2. CUP, 215-271.
- Schroeter, Laura & Schroeter, François, 2014, Normative concepts: a connectedness model. Philosophers' Imprint, 14, 1-26.
- Wittgenstein, Ludwig, 1953, Philosophical Investigations, G.E.M. Anscombe and R. Rhees (eds.), G.E.M. Anscombe (trans.), Oxford: Blackwell.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Additional information:
Oral exam based on the study of some of the texts
25% of the final evaluation depends on the participation to the seminar
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
B. LECLERCQ
Département de Philosophie
7, place du 20 août - 4000 Liège
B.Leclercq@uliege.be