Ever since Kant asked his fundamental question: How are synthetic judgements apriori possible? the notions of analyticity and apriority have been of central importance to philosophy, e.g. as witnessed by Quine’s famous criticism of the analytic/synthetic dichotomy. They delineate a borderline area between epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, and logic. Both notions are considerably older than Kant, though, and do in fact derive from the Aristotelian account of demonstrative knowledge. The seminar examines in detail the development of the two notions a priori and analytic, and the transformations they have undergone.
Method of instruction
Core seminar
Examination
Active student participation – preparation, presentation, term paper
Required reading
Selected passages from: Aristotle,_ Analytica posteriora_; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica; G. W. Leibniz on truth; I. Kant, from Kritik der reinen Vernunft; B. Bolzano, Wissenschaftslehre; G. Frege, Begriffschrift and Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik; L. Wittgenstein, Tractatus; W.V.O. Quine, ‘Two dogmas of empiricism’
Timetable
see Timetable Mphil in Philosophy: Rationality 2008-2009
Registration
Please register for this course with the student administration: y.van.eijk@phil.leidenuniv.nl
Information
prof.dr. B.G. Sundholm ( b.g.sundholm@phil.leidenuniv.nl)
Remarks
Compulsory for all first-year research master students.