Universität Wien

180155 SE Analytic Philosophy and Social Criticism (2016S)

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

We, contrary to what may be stated below, will have a second session on the 4th of March, from 2.00 to 3.30pm (i.e., in addition to the first one from 12.00 noon to 1.30 pm). Please prepare Max Horkheimer’s „Der neueste Angriff auf die Metaphysik“ und Dahms’ „Der Positivismusstreit. Ein kritischer Rückblick“ for that session. You can find both of them on the e-learning platform. You need not prepare a comment or abstracts for this session.
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. 30 participants
Language: German, English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Friday 04.03. 12:00 - 15:30 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Friday 18.03. 12:00 - 13:30 Hörsaal 3D, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. III/3. Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Friday 08.04. 12:00 - 13:30 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Friday 08.04. 14:00 - 15:30 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Friday 15.04. 12:00 - 13:30 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Friday 15.04. 14:00 - 15:30 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Friday 29.04. 12:00 - 13:30 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Friday 29.04. 14:00 - 15:30 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Friday 06.05. 12:00 - 13:30 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Friday 06.05. 14:00 - 15:30 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Friday 20.05. 12:00 - 13:30 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Friday 20.05. 14:00 - 15:30 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Analytic Philosophy is often accused of having narrowed its focus so much that it lost sight of the larger questions we face, above all, the questions of what goes wrong in modern society and how we should imagine a different one. We will respond to these accusations by first looking at the history of Analytic Philosophy, in particular at a debate between Neurath, a member of the Vienna Circle, and Horkheimer, a member of the Frankfurt School, and then reading and discussing recent work that supports social criticism in Analytic Metaphysics, Analytic Epistemology, and Analytic Philosophy of Language.

The course will acquaint you with recent research in support of social criticism in Analytic Philosophy and enable you to differentiate this line of inquiry from other traditions of critical theory. We will read and discuss some of this research in the course. Moreover, two eminent researchers in that area will give lectures on their work. Mari Mikkola (HU Berlin) will speak about her work in Analytic Metaphysics, Esa Diaz-Leon (Universitat de Barcelona/University of Manitoba) about her work in Analytic Philosophy of Language. We will also discuss the lectures and their topics in general with Mikkola and Diaz-Leon in the course. Please note that while most of the literature, the two lectures and the sessions with Mikkola and Diaz-Leon will be in English, some literature and the rest of the course will be in German.

Assessment and permitted materials

You will need to attend all sessions of the course, participate in the discussion of the literature, do a short presentation, write comments on selected texts (about 1–2 pages each), abstracts on all other texts (about 250 words each), and a paper (about 10 pages). You may choose the topic of your paper yourself, but will need our approval. Discussion will be in English and German. Written assignments may be submitted in English or German.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Attendance throughout the semester, participation in the discussion, and a passing grade on the presentation as well as all written assignments (abstracts, comments, paper).

Examination topics

The assigned reading as well as the lectures mentioned above.

Reading list

Dahms, Hans-Joachim. “Der Positivismusstreit. Ein kritischer Rückblick.” In Bausteine wissenschaftlicher Weltauffassung: Lecture Series/Vorträge des Instituts Wiener Kreis, 1992–1995, edited by Friedrich Stadler, 75–89. Veröffentlichungen des Instituts Wiener Kreis 5. Wien: Springer, 1997.

Diaz-Leon, Esa. “In Defence of Historical Constructivism about Races.” Ergo 2 (2015). doi:10.3998/ergo.12405314.0002.021.

———. “Woman as a Politically Significant Term: A Solution to the Puzzle.” Hypatia, 2016. doi:10.1111/hypa.12234.

Fricker, Miranda. Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. [We will be reading chapter 1 and 7.]

Glasgow, Joshua. “The End of Historical Constructivism: Circularity, Redundancy, Indeterminacy.” Monist 93, no. 2 (2010): 321–35. doi:10.5840/monist201093218.

Haslanger, Sally. “On Being Objective and Being Objectified.” In Resisting Reality: Social Construction and Social Critique, 35–82. 1993. Reprint, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Horkheimer, Max. “Der neueste Angriff auf die Metaphysik.” In Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung, edited by Max Horkheimer, 6:4–53. 1937. Reprint, München: Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag, 1980.

Neurath, Otto. “Unity of Science and Logical Empiricism: A Reply.” In Otto Neurath and the Unity of Science, edited by John Symons, Olga Pombo, and Juan Manuel Torres, 15–30. Dordrecht: Springer, 2011. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-0143-4.

Mikkola, Mari. “Is Everything Relative? Anti-Realism, Truth, and Feminism.” In New Waves in Metaphysics, edited by Allan Hazlett, 179–98. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.

Mills, Charles W. “White Ignorance.” In Race and Epistemologies of Ignorance, edited by Shannon Sullivan and Nancy Tuana, 11–38. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2007.

———. “White Ignorance and Hermeneutical Injustice: A Comment on Medina and Fricker.” Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective, December 17, 2013. http://wp.me/p1Bfg0-1ce.

Saul, Jennifer. “Politically Significant Terms and Philosophy of Language: Methodological Issues.” In Out from the Shadows: Analytical Feminist Contributions to Traditional Philosophy, edited by Sharon L. Crasnow, 195–216. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Further material will be announced during the course.

Association in the course directory

M3 D. Ethik/ Angewandte Ethik, Politische Philosophie, MA M5, M2

Last modified: Sa 10.09.2022 00:19