Analytic Philosophy: Logical Tools and Analysis of Language
The course is intended for those interested in contemporary concepts and methods of analytical and/or critical thinking. It is based on the study of research concepts and theories within the framework of contemporary analytic philosophy. The theoretical foundation and, at the same time, the practical goal of the academic course is working with formal argumentation. Consequently, the first quarter of the course is devoted to students mastering logical apparatus and the skills of constructing logically valid arguments. Subsequently, the course will cover areas relevant to contemporary philosophy such as analytic metaphysics and moral philosophy.
The “moral philosophy” block contains several important thematic areas: metaethics, deontology (ethics of individuals), and consequentialism (ethics of institutions or political philosophy). Using the concept of “moral agency” and a number of related notions, the course will study normative moral theory (i.e., a theory that does not describe some state of affairs existing in the actual world, but prescribes a certain matrix of actions that can be rationally justified). Studying this material will allow students to better understand the meaning of moral statements (“doing that is wrong,” “one should help people,” etc.).
The “analytic metaphysics” block includes questions of an ontological nature (i.e., the fundamental structure of the world and the principles of its existence); among the most important in the context of this course are questions of free will, personal identity, and the philosophy of mind. Theories belonging to metaphysics are among the most difficult branches of philosophy. At the same time, thanks to the coherence of the research approaches themselves and the arguments used within them, this makes it possible to best analyse most of the everyday examples and their justifications that arise in various discussions.
The final block represents an attempt at an analytical understanding of the most familiar and personal concepts – love, death, etc. The task of the final block is to demonstrate the comprehensive applicability of logical arguments from adjacent philosophical fields."
