PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
(PHIL 425, Sec. 001)
    Reading Assignments

    (Readings from the Martinich anthology, The Philosophy of Language, are listed by author, title, followed by "M" and either chapter number or "pp." followed by page numbers, inside parentheses. Readings from other books are listed by author and page numbers. Online readings are listed by author and title and labled "online".)

  • For Aug. 27: Read Martinich, "Introduction" (M pp. 1-7, 18-28).
  • For Sep. 1: Labor Day! No class, but anyone needing an introduction to or refresher on the notation of symbolic logic should read Alex Miller's "Frege: Semantic Value and Reference" (online). Then read Martinich, "Introduction" (M pp. 8-17).
  • For Sep. 3: Read Frege, "On Sense and Nominatum" (M 14). It is also available on-line as "Sense and Reference".
  • For Sep. 8: Read Russell, "On Denoting" (M 15)
  • For Sep. 10: Read Russell, "Descriptions" (M 16)
  • For Sep. 22: Read Strawson, "On Referring" (M 17). (Optional related reading: Russell, "Mr. Strawson on Referring" (M 18).)
  • For Sep. 29: Read Donnellan, "Reference and Definite Descriptions" (M 19). You might also get started on Kripke, "Naming and Necessity" (M 21).
  • For Oct. 6: Re-read the articles by Strawson and Donnellan. Also, get started on the First Paper, which will be due Friday 10/17 (note the new due date).
  • For Oct. 20: Finish Kripke, "Naming and Necessity" (M 21).
  • For Oct. 29: Read Putnam, "Meaning and Reference" (M 22).
  • For Nov. 3: Read Chapters I-III of Ayer's Language, Truth, and Logic. (Optional related reading on Verificationism: C. S. Peirce's "How to Make Our Ideas Clear".)
  • For Nov. 12: Read pp. 5-16 and 22-26 of the Introduction to Language, Truth, and Logic. Then read Chapters IV-VI, followed by pp. 16-22 of the Introduction.
  • For Nov. 17: Read Quine, "Two Dogmas of Empiricism" (M 3). The following Reading Questions might help you focus on important issues.
  • For Nov. 24: Be working on the Second Paper, which is "officially" due on 11/26 (but remember what I said about when to hand it in). Also, get started on reading Quine, "Translation and Meaning" (M 38).
  • For Dec. 1: Read Chapters 1 and 2, and start Chapter 3, of Kripke, Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language.
  • For Dec. 3: Finish reading Chapter 3 of Kripke, Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language.
Last updated November 19, 2008

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This document was created on August 10, 2008.