puzzles and paradoxes
Lecturer: Brian Rabern
Office hours: Online by appointment
Email: brian.rabern[at]ed.ac.uk
All detailed infomation for this course is on the LEARN site.
Course description. Paradoxes have formed a central topic of philosophical investigation, stretching back from Zeno of Elea up to David Lewis. Paradoxes figure both in influential arguments for philosophical theses and in famous (alleged) refutations of philosophical theses. This course provides an overview of a number of famous philosophical puzzles and paradoxes and important attempts to solve them. In so doing students will be introduced to some important issues in philosophy of language, philosophical logic, decision theory, and formal epistemology. The course will put emphasis on both methodology and philosophical content.
Course Texts:
week | date | topic | read | group |
1 | Sainsbury: 1-3; Sorensen: 1-18 | |||
2 | The liar paradox | |||
3 | Russell's paradox | Sainsbury: 123-127; Sorensen: 316-332; Clark: 211-216; SEP: Russell's paradox | ||
4 | Paradox of the question | |||
5 | The sorites paradox | |||
Flexible Learning Week | ||||
6 | Cartwright's paradox | |||
7 | Surprise exam | Sainsbury: 107-120 Clark: 256-258; SEP: Epistemic paradoxes | ||
8 | Muddy children | |||
9 | Newcomb's paradox | |||
10 | St. Petersburg paradox | Sorensen: 232-234; Clark: 217-220; | ||
11 | The truth machines |
Assessment:
Online Presentations: 20% of final grade
Final essay: 80% of final grade
2500 words
due: April 2020
Course related links:
Further resources: