VB010 Philosophy of Language and Its Problems I

Faculty of Informatics
Autumn 2007
Extent and Intensity
2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Recommended Type of Completion: z (credit). Other types of completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Ing. Miloslav Dokulil, DrSc. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. Ing. Václav Přenosil, CSc.
Department of Machine Learning and Data Processing – Faculty of Informatics
Contact Person: prof. PhDr. Ing. Miloslav Dokulil, DrSc.
Timetable
Wed 14:00–15:50 B011
Prerequisites
The course presupposes an interest in questions connected with language/speech preceding logic or following from its analysis and being often interdisciplinary.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
A logical and linguistic analysis of language, both are a partial presupposition of a general ("philosophical") interest in language as a special human phenomenon. Paths towards a linguistic theory will be considered, especially the relationships of language to the world, thinking to language, and the problem of autonomy of linguistic expressions or their possible function.
Syllabus
  • An introduction to the "philosophy of language", especially in its relation to logic and analytical philosophy.
  • Is language only a misleading instrument? Is its postmodern interpretion directed?
  • An aside: The expression "knowledge" and its connotations of meaning. To know What, That, How, Why. The knowledge of things and truths.
  • Towards a theory of the world and language, as well as the mind, though in a preliminary way.
  • A way towards a linguistic theory.
  • Semiotics and semantics.
  • Languages and a language.
  • A sentence, a proposition, and "linguistic acts".
  • The relationship of thinking towards the world, language, logic and consciousness. The "Twin Earth" thought experiment.
  • Intention and convention.
  • Things and properties, or also, truth and reality.
  • Language and artificial intelligence. The so-called "Chinese Room Argument".
Literature
  • zadává se během přednášek
Assessment methods (in Czech)
K získání zápočtu se počítá s inspirujícím náslechem, příp. diskusí během přednášek a závěrečným zpracováním eseje na zadané téma.
Language of instruction
Czech
Follow-Up Courses
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2003, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2017, Spring 2020, Autumn 2020, Spring 2022, Autumn 2022.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2007, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fi/autumn2007/VB010