Topics in Analytic Philosophy

In 2026, PHIL2014 will focus on Philosophy of Language. This is a course in the philosophy of language for students with no prior experience with the subject. We will study a series of classic articles by philosophers like Frege, Russell, Strawson, Grice, Quine, Putnam and Kripke on the foundations of meaning and reference. This material has been central to analytic philosophy of language and this course will provide a solid foundation in it, which - given the historical role of language in the discipline - will be also useful to students with more general interests in e.g. philosophy of mind, metaphysics, metaethics, and even AI. The course begins with Frege’s classic papers The Thought and On Sense and Reference and will move on through Russell’s work on descriptions and existence in On Denoting, Wittgenstein’s logical atomism in his Tractatus and the verification theory of meaning of the Vienna Circle, the Ordinary Language movement at Oxford with Strawson and Austin, and then the major revisions prompted by Grice’s work on implicature, Putnam on semantic externalism, and Kripke on names and rigidity. Students can expect to develop expertise with the standard tools and distinctions of philosophy of language, and familiarity with original writing in the history of analytic philosophy. They will also practice analysing and critiquing philosophical views and arguments, as well as formulating and arguing for views of their own, both in discussion and in written work. General Course Description: Analytic philosophy is the dominant style of philosophy in the English-speaking world, characterised by its emphasis on clarity and rigor in the analysis of concepts and arguments. The traditional core areas of analytic philosophy include metaphysics (focused on issues about the fundamental nature of reality), epistemology (focused on issues about knowledge), philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind. This course will introduce you to the central issues in one or more of these traditional core areas of analytic philosophy. The precise topics will change from year to year. By the end of this course, you will both understand the key philosophical concepts, theories, and arguments covered in the course, and also learn how to apply the analytic rigor characteristic of this work to your own writing and argumentation. Please note that the course content, assessment structure, and reading list will change depending on the topic and the expertise of the lecturer convening the course. Please refer to the class summary for the specific term in which you wish to enrol for a detailed description. Topics may include, but are not limited to: - Metaphysics - Epistemology - Philosophy of Language - Philosophy of Mind