LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course of Language and Mind addresses, from a philosophical and linguistic point of view, the relationship between verbal language and the human mind. The aim of the course is to introduce students to some of the central problems and topics of the philosophy of language such as, for example, the nature of linguistic contents and mental states, the relationship between thought and linguistic comprehension, the problem of reference and meaning of linguistic expressions and the relationship between our inferential abilities and verbal communication. These problems will be addressed by showing the connections with linguistics, logic, psychology and the neurosciences of language.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course the student will know the main theoretical models on the relationship between the human mind and verbal language. Furthermore, students will be able to critically discuss philosophy of language problems, using both the tools of traditional philosophical research and those of experimental psychology and neuroscience.

The student will acquire the competence to start the independent study of essays on philosophy of language, linguistics and experimental psychology.

Further educational objectives: (i) Acquire a greater ability to manage one's social interactions with a collaborative attitude, constructive communication and dialogical skills. (ii) Demonstrate work autonomy, ability to manage primary literature, argumentative ability and collaborative, coordination and negotiation attitude.

PREREQUISITES

Teaching presupposes knowledge of the philosophy of language. The course is recommended for students who have taken the philosophy of language or language theory exam. Attendance is strongly recommended.

TEACHING METHODS

The course will alternate lectures held by the teacher with presentations in class held by the attending students.

Students are required to register on Aulaweb, where useful materials for the course will be uploaded.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course this year is dedicated to experimental philosophy. Experimental Philosophy (or X-Phi) is a recent current of thought that tries to answer classical philosophical questions, combining the traditional method of "armchair philosophy", based on intuitions and arguments, with the empirical methods of the cognitive sciences and of neuroscience.

In the initial part of the course the role of intuitions in philosophical research will be discussed and an introduction to experimental methodology will be provided. Afterwards, during the lessons, some classical problems of the philosophy of language will be addressed in the light of their most recent theoretical developments and experimental data on the relationship between language and mind.

In particular, the course will focus on the following topics: theories of the reference of proper names, contextual dependence, lying, speech acts, metaphor and figurative language.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Joshua Alexander (2012), Experimental Philosophy: An Introduction, Polity Press.

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Three articles to be chosen from the list provided on Aulaweb.