Universität Wien

180040 PS Philosophical Puzzles and Paradoxes (2022S)

4.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 45 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 09.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 16.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 23.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 30.03. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 06.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 27.04. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 04.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 11.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 18.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 25.05. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 01.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 08.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 15.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 22.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Wednesday 29.06. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Content

In The Ways of Paradox, Quine wrote: ‘More than once in history the discovery of paradox has been the occasion for major reconstruction at the foundation of thought.’ (The Ways of Paradox and other essays, 1976.) In a similar vein, Alfred Tarski wrote: ‘The appearance of an antinomy is for me a symptom of disease. Starting with premises that seem intuitively obvious, using forms of reasoning that seem intuitively certain, an antinomy leads us to nonsense, a contradiction. Whenever this happens, we have to submit our ways of thinking to a thorough revision, to reject some premises in which we believed or to improve some forms of argument which we used. (Truth and Proof, Scientific American, 1969.) The importance of paradoxes to philosophy can hardly be overstated: they invite us to revise previously accepted premises or inference rules and lead us to surprisingly novel ways of thinking.
In this seminar we will examine some of the most famous puzzles and paradoxes that were considered by philosophers since ntiquity, with special focus on metaphysics and ontology. These include: the set theoretical paradoxes; puzzles concerning persistence and change of objects in time (Ship of Theseus; Dion and Theon); the problem of the many; Sorites paradox and the problem of vagueness; the Liar; the problem of contingent propositions about the future; among others. We will consider and weigh the costs of several ways out of them.

Goals

The student will become acquainted with formal reconstructions of the puzzles and paradoxes. The seminar will also introduce the student to the debates and main positions the discussion of these puzzles generated in recent analytic philosophy.

Methods

Reading, interpretation and critical discussion of texts; reconstruction of arguments. Some familiarity and comfort with formal methods is a requisite.

Assessment and permitted materials

• Active participation (15%)
• Test (85%)

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Final grade = Active participation x 0.15 + Test grade x 0.85

The conversion from percentage of points to the Austrian system adopted is the following:
88 -- 100 = 1
76 -- 87 = 2
63 -- 75 = 3
50 -- 62 = 4
0 -- 49 = 5
Minimal final grade (converted) for approval in the course is 4 (50% of overall points)

Examination topics

Presentations, slides and texts.

Reading list

Clark, Michael (2012). Paradoxes from A to Z, 3rd Ed.. Routledge.

Conee, Earl & Sider, Theodore (2005). Riddles of Existence: A Guided Tour of Metaphysics: New Edition. Oxford University Press.

Sainsbury, M. (2009) Paradoxes. Cambridge University Press.

Unger, Peter (1980). The Problem of the Many. Midwest Studies in Philosophy 5 (1):411-468.

Wiggins, David (1968). On being in the same place at the same time. Philosophical Review 77 (1):90-95.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Th 03.03.2022 16:28