ENGL 36300 Philosophy of Language: Secrets, Symbols, and the Literary Mind

Did you know it's not possible to invent a private language only you can understand? Take this course, and I’ll prove it to you. Have you ever wondered whether names have secret, hidden powers? Could a robot ever mean what it says? Could it make a promise or tell a lie? Take this course, and you’ll learn how great philosophers like Ludwig Wittgenstein and Saul Kripke have grappled with these questions. You will also study literary experimenters such as Jorge Luis Borges and Fyodor Doestoevsky as they work to fashion made-up worlds from these philosophical puzzles. A perfect class for students of creative writing, literature, philosophy, psychology, computer science, and many others.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

ENGL 17000 with a C or better.