PHIL 440 Philosophy of Language

3 Credit(s)

This course examines 20th century analytic approaches to understanding the role of language in understanding mind, self, and world. Questions about the interplay between semantics and pragmatics will be addressed throughout the course, while focusing on questions about meaning, reference, truth, and the varieties of actions we accomplish through what we say. Topics include Russell’s theory of descriptions and its critics, speech acts, and inferentialism.