PHIL465 STUDIES IN PRAGMATISM
| Course Code: | 2410465 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (3.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 5.0 |
| Department: | Philosophy |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Undergraduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Prof.Dr. MUTLU MURAT BAÇ |
| Offered Semester: | Fall and Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
Important note: If you are not a philosophy major, you may be allowed to take this course but only if you have taken at least several philosophy (or humanties / social sciences) courses before. Consult with me if you intend to take the course so that I can assess if your background is adequate.
This course is about pragmatism which emerged as a philosophical school in the USA about a century ago and is currently regarded as one of the most influential philosophical perspectives or approaches now. We will take a look at the original defenders of this movement and then consider some of its more recent proponents. Our aim is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of pragmatism vis-a-vis its ontological and epistemological aspects and also with regard to its social-political implications. We will also try to evaluate pragmatism from a broader philosophical perspective, asking the question of how pragmatism views philosophy as an intellectual discipline. To that end we will focus on Richard Rorty's ideas on truth and the identity of philosophy. We will discuss Rorty's reading of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and evaluate his controversial construal of Orwell and related ideas.
Course Content
A study of American Pragmatism and its influence on contemporary cultural/intellectual life. Study of the founders of the pragmatist movement such as Charles S. Peirce, William James and John Dewey, the pragmatist critigue of the epistemological and ontological traditions, pragmatism s reaction to intellectual tendencies in philosophy, possible precursors of pragmatists in the 19th century (such as F. Nietzsche), pragmatists views on knowledge, scientific endeavor, morality, social progress, education, and democracy, more recent representatives of pragmatism such as Richard Rorty, the connection between pragmatism and liberalism and totalitarianism, traditional and contemporary reactions to pragmatism, the controversy about pragmatism s position in the philosophical debate between realism and anti-realism.
Course Learning Outcomes
not defined