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Philosophy
Winter semester 2016/2017
List of courses (descriptions are below the list):
A Comparative Analysis of Leibniz’s Monadology and Ontology of Wittgenstein’s
Tractatus logico-philosophicus (Prof. Marek Rosiak - [email protected])
“All politics must bend its knee before right” - Kant on Morality, Law, and Politics
(Ewa Wyrębska – Dermanović, PhD - [email protected])
Art, Philosophy, Criticism. Aesthetic Dilemmas of Modernity (Agnieszka Rejniak-
Majewska, PhD - [email protected])
Basic Notions of Contemporary Ontology (Prof. Marek Rosiak - [email protected])
Cognitive Science. Selected Topics (Prof. Janusz Maciaszek – [email protected])
Computational Theories of Mind (Paweł Grabarczyk, PhD - [email protected]
Elements of Modern Philosophy of Action (Prof. Janusz Maciaszek -
Hauptströmungen der europäischen Ethik (Prof. Andrzej Maciej Kaniowski –
Introduction to Classical Philosophy (Prof. Marek Gensler - [email protected])
Introduction to Contemporary Epistemology (Prof. Marek Nowak -
Introduction to Phenomenological Ontology (Prof. Marek Rosiak - [email protected] )
Introduction to Political Philosophy (Michał Zawidzki, PhD - [email protected])
Introduction to Process Philosophy (Prof. Marek Rosiak - [email protected])
Issues in Philosophy of Religion (Tomasz Sieczkowski, PhD -
Metaphysics and Ontology (Prof. Janusz Kaczmarek - [email protected])
Methodology of Social Research (Janusz Ciuciura, PhD - [email protected])
Mythology and Philosophy in Richard Wagner’s Musical Works Part I (Prof. Marek
Rosiak - [email protected])
Mythology and Philosophy in Richard Wagner’s Musical Works Part II (Prof. Marek
Rosiak - [email protected])
Nietzsche und Zeitgenössische Philosophie (Prof. Paweł Pieniążek -
Philosophical Antropology (Prof. Janusz Kaczmarek - [email protected])
Philosophical Perspective on New Atheism (Tomasz Sieczkowski, PhD -
Philosophical Theories of Part and Whole (Prof. Marek Rosiak - [email protected])
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Philosophy of Language (Prof. Janusz Maciaszek - [email protected]))
Polish Analytical Philosophy (Paweł Grabarczyk, PhD - [email protected])
Posthumanism and Human Nature (Dawid Misztal, PhD - [email protected])
Rhetoric and Argumentation (Michał Zawidzki, PhD - [email protected])
Science Fiction and Philosophy (Paweł Grabarczyk, PhD - [email protected])
Speech Act Theory (Prof. Marek Nowak - [email protected])
Theories of Metaphor (Prof. Janusz Maciaszek - [email protected]))
Vegetarianism. Social and Cultural Aspects (Janusz Ciuciura, PhD -
In order to fix the schedule of your course please contact your teacher. In case of any
doubts or problems do not hesitate to contact the Erasmus Coordinator at the Institute
of Philosophy prof. Janusz Maciaszek ([email protected])
Course title 1. A Comparative Analysis of Leibniz’s
Monadology and Ontology of Wittgenstein’s
Tractatus logico-philosophicus
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content Analysis of spiritualistic atomism of Monadology.and logical atomism
of Tractatus logico-philosophicus showing their systematic
correspondencies and basic differences.
Assessment scheme Regular attendance, activity and/or written work
Lecturer Marek Rosiak
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Leibniz, Monadology
Wittgenstein, Tractatus logico-philosophicus
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Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 2. “All politics must bend its knee before right” —
Kant on Morality, Law and Politics.
Form Tutorial/Discussion class
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content The aim of the course is to introduce the student to Kant’s political
philosophy with reference to the philosopher’s moral and legal theory.
The student will read and discuss selected excerpts from Kant’s text as
well as modern commentaries to his work. The course shall also
encourage confronting the ideas of Kant’s philosophy with
contemporary political issues.
Assessment scheme Participation in meetings, presentation of an excerpt from Kant’s
original text
Lecturer Ewa Wyrębska-Dermanović
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Immanuel Kant, The Metaphysics of Morals (various editions)
Immanuel Kant, Perpetual Peace (various editions)
Paul Guyer (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Kant and Modern
Philosophy, Cambridge University Press 2006
Paul Guyer (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Kant, Cambridge
University Press 1992
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
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Course title 3. Art, Philosophy, Criticism.
Aesthetic Dilemmas of Modernity
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content The course offers an overview of main philosophical problems of
modern and contemporary aesthetics, such as changing conceptions of
art, the meaning of aesthetic experience, aesthetic judgment, creativity,
originality, and social function of art.
The choice of readings comprises selected fragments from classical
texts as well as more recent critical essays and artists’ statements, so as
to point to broader connections between modern aesthetic theory and
artistic and cultural developments.
Assessment scheme Evaluation is based on: (1) students preparation for the class (reading
appointments), 2) active participation, 3) final essay on a chosen topic
Lecturer Agnieszka Rejniak-Majewska
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature - Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgment, trans. James Creed Meredith,
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007 (fragments).
- Friedrich Schiller, Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Man (fragm.)
- Roger Fry, An Essay on Aesthetics; Art and Live, in: idem, Vision
and Design, London 1937
- Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, On Pure Form, in: Aesthetics in XXth
Century Poland, eds. J. Harrell, A. Wierzbiańska, New Jersey 1973;
- Matei Calinescu, The Idea of the Avant-Garde, in: idem, Five Faces
of Modernity: Modernism, Avant-garde, Decadence, Kitsch,
Postmodernism, Durham 1987
- Between Words: A Sourcebook of Central European Avant-gardes,
1910-1930, eds. Eva Forgacs, Th. Benson, Cambridge - London 2002
(fragm.)
- Benjamin Walter, The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological
Reproducibility, in: idem, The Work of Art in the Age of Its
Technological Reproducibility and Other Writings on Media, ed.
Michael W. Jennings, Harvard University Press, 2008
- Theodor W. Adorno, On the Fetisch-Character of Music and the
Regression of Listening, in: idem, Essays on Music, ed. R. Leppert,
Berkeley, Los Angeles - London 2002
- Theodor W. Adorno, Commitment, in: Aesthetics and Politics, ed. F.
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Jameson, London 1980
- Richard Shusterman, Aesthetic Experience and Popular Art, in: idem,
Performing Live: Aesthetic Alternatives for the Ends of Art, Cornell
University Press 2000.
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 4. Basic Notions of Contemporary Ontology
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) /doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content An introductory course in systematic ontology. The course can
introduce more advanced notions and theories depending on the level
of competence of participants.
Assessment scheme Regular attendance, activity and/or written work
Lecturer Marek Rosiak
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Handbook of Metaphysics and Ontology, ed. H. Burkhardt
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 5. Cognitive Science. Selected Topics
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
6
Course content 1. What is cognitive science
2. Developement of cognitive science
3. Main topics in cognitive science: artificial intelligence, neural
networks, neurophysiology, brain mapping, perception,
memory, sproblem solving, deficit studies, models of mind, etc.
4. Philosophy of cognitive science: identity theories,
functionalism, mind-body problem, problem of intencionality
5. Cognitive linguistics: conceptual metaphor theory and
metaphorical thinking.
Assessment scheme Regular attendance, activity, and presentation
Lecturer Janusz Maciaszek
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Bechtel, W. and G. Graham (eds.) 1999 A Companion to
Cognitive Science.
Blackwell Publishers.
Clark, A. 2001 Mindware. An Introduction to the philosophy of
Cognitive Science. Oxford University Press.
Evans, V. and M. Green 2006 Cognitive Lingusitics. An
Introduction. Edinburgh University Press.
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 6. Computational Theories of Mind
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergarduade (bachelor) / graduate (master) degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content The easiest way to introduce computational theories of mind is to invoke a
famous metaphor – the mind is the software and the brain is the hardware.
From the outset of theories of computation (it was evident in the seminal
Turing paper) the idea that the mind might be a set of algorithms
implemented in the brain seemed very attractive. It looked like we could eat
our cake and have it too: the intuition that the mind is somehow immaterial
was preserved but we didn't have to adhere to any metaphysical claims.
Everything was coached in standard naturalistic terms.
Unfortunately the idea has been severely challenged in the following years.
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Most notably by John R. Searle famous counterexamples (the Chinese room
thought experiment) and by the advance of connectivists' models of mind
(the neural networks approach).
The course gives the students a thorough understandig of classic and current
approaches to computational theories of mind.
Assessment scheme Active participation, marked paper
Lecturer Paweł Grabarczyk
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Alan Turing, Computing machinery and intelligence
Tim Crane "The Mechanical Mind"
Gualtiero Piccinini, "Computations and Computers in the Sciences of
Mind and Brain"
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 7. Elements of Modern Philosophy of Action
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content Philosophy of human action was conceived by Plato and Aristotle, and
developed by Aquinas. The aim of the couse is to present main
problem of modern philosophy of action:
What is action?
Action and event
The problem of responsibility
Intentionality
The notion of agency
Reasons of actions
Causal approach to action
The problem of free will
Language and action
Are we free to act?
Assessment scheme Regular attendance, activity, and presentation or short essay
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Lecturer Janusz Maciaszek
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature 1. Davidson, D. 2001 Essays on Actions and Events. Oxford:
Clerendon Press. Second edition.
2. Moya, C. 1990 Philosophy of Action. An Introduction. Polity
Press.
3. O'Connor, T and C. Sandis (eds.) 2010. A Companion to the
Philosophy of Action. Blackwell.
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 8. Hauptströmungen der europäischen Ethik
(Main Currents of the European Ethics)
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
German
No. of hours 30
Course content Im Rahmen des Tutorials werden Grundtypen ethischer Theorien
sowie Grundformen moralischer Argumentation besprochen. Für das
europäische Denken sind zwei Modelle normativer Ethik von
grundlegender Bedeutung: ein teleologische und ein deontologischer
Ansatz. Die Lektüre von Auszügen aus klassischen Texten von
Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Kant und Mill wird einen Einblick in
Paradigmen des ethischen Denkens und ein besseres Verständnis in
den Sinn und die Ursachen vieler zeitgenössischen
Auseinandersetzungen ethischer Art.
Assessment scheme Aktive Teilnahme (erbtacht durch Referat etc.)
Lecturer Andrzej Maciej Kaniowski
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Ausgewählte Passagen und Auszüge aus den Schriften von Aristotle,
Thomas Aquinas, Kant und Mill.
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
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Course title 9. Introduction to Classical Philosophy
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content The course presents main lines of development in Ancient ad Medieval
philosophy (from Plato to Ockham), showing the specificity of pre-
Modern thought
Assessment scheme Active participation, term paper
Lecturer Marek Gensler
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Fragments of texts by Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Augustine,
Anselm of Canterbury, Thomas Aquinas, William Ockham
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 10. Introduction to Contemporary Epistemology
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content The JTB account of knowledge.
A priori and a posteriori knowledge.
The analytic-synthetic distinction (with application to mathematics).
Epistemic versus traditional deontological justification.
Internalism: foundationalism and coherentism.
Externalism: reliabilism
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Assessment scheme Active participation
Lecturer Marek Nowak
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature R. Chisholm, The Foundations of Knowing, University of
Minnesota Press 1982
R. Chisholm, Theory of Knowledge (3rd ed.), Prentice-Hall
1989
Steup M., An introduction to contemporary epistemology,
Prentice-Hall 1998
R. Audi, Epistemology. A contemporary introduction to the
theory of knowledge (2nd ed.), Routledge 2003
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 11. Introduction to Phenomenological Ontology
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor’s) / graduate (master’s)
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content Basic course in phenomenological ontology:
General notion of an object
Basic aspects of an object: matter, form, mode of existence
Basic notions of existential ontology
Basic notions of formal ontology
Some applications:
1. Purely intentional object
2. Idea
3. Types of temporal objects:
A. Object persisting in time
B. Process
C. Event
Assessment scheme Regular attendance, activity and/or written work
Lecturer Marek Rosiak
Contact [email protected]
11
USOS code
Literature Ingarden R., The Controversy over the existence of the world, transl.
H. Michejda
Mitscherling J., Roman Ingarden’s Ontology and Aesthetics, Univ. of
Ottawa Press, 1997
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 12. Introduction to Political Philosophy
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master)
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content The course is devoted to major problems of political philosophy (such
as: the nature of justice, source of the law, obligations of a state, the
extent of personal freedom etc.) answered from the viewpoint of
different philosophers (like, inter alia, Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli,
Smith, Bentham, Marx, Rawls, Nozick) and major political ideologies
(such as, inter alia, liberalism, conservatism, socialism, communism).
As an important part of the course students, together with the lecturer,
will attempt to answer the question of how adequately concrete
elements of these philosophies fit in the contemporary political reality.
Assessment scheme 1 end of course reflective essay
Lecturer Michał Zawidzki
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Textbook: J. Wolff, An Introduction Political Philosophy, Oxford University
Press 2006.
Anthology of original texts: S. Cahn, Political Philosophy: The Essential Texts, Oxford University
Press 2010.
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
12
Course title 13. Introduction to Process Philosophy
Form T
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content Elements of A. N. Whitehead’s process metaphysics
Modern science and philosophy
Critique of substantialism
Critique of idealism
Categorial scheme of process philosophy
Creativity vs. prime matter
Eternal objects vs. universals
Actual occasion vs. substance
Revindication of teleology
God
Assessment scheme Regular attendance, activity and/or written work
Lecturer Marek Rosiak
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Whitehead A. N.,.Process and Reality. An Essay in Cosmology,
Corrected Edition, The Free Press, N. Y. 1978
Christian W. A., An Interpretation of Whitehead’s Metaphysics, Yale
Univ. Press, New Haven 1959
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 14. Issues in Philosophy of Religion
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor’s) / graduate (master’s)
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
13
No. of hours 30
Course content The program of the class will cover the following topics:
- General idea of philosophy of religion
- The question of the existence of deity
- Contemporary atheistic ideologies
Assessment scheme Active participation
Lecturer Tomasz Sieczkowski
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Chad Meister, Introduction Philosophy of Religion
Nicholas Everitt, The Non-existence of God
Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 15. Metaphysics and Ontology
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content 1) metaphysics, ontology and prote philosophia,
2) categories,
3) objects, state of affairs, events
4) whole and parts
5) analytical metaphysics and formal ontology
Assessment scheme active participation, term paper
Lecturer Janusz Kaczmarek
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Aristotle, Metaphysics (fragments),
Copleston F., A History of Philosophy (fragments),
Kim J., Sosa E., A companion to Metaphysics (different
entries),
Wittgenstein L., Tractatus Logico – Philosophicus,
Wolniewicz B., Logic and Metaphysics,
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and other fragments from ontological papers
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 16. Methodology of Social Research
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content The outline programme of the class will cover following topics: This
course is designed for students who are interested in the methodology
of social research. The course extends the general methodology
(methods) of science being presented during the Logic I course. It
provides an overview of the key elements of social research methods
and emphasizes their practical applications.
Assessment scheme Marked paper
Lecturer Janusz Ciuciura
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Leonard Bickman, Debra J. Rog, Handbook of Applied Social
Research Methods, SAGE, 1998.
Earl R. Babbie, The Practice of Social Research, Wadsworth,
2010
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 17. Mythology and Philosophy in Richard
Wagner’s Musical Works. Part I
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) /doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
15
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content Analysis of ideological and philosophical contents of Richard
Wagner’s operas and musical dramas:
The Flying Dutchman, Tannhauser, Lohengrin, Ring of Niblung.
The course contains musical illustrations aimed at showing how
abstract ideas have been expressed in music.
Assessment scheme Regular attendance, activity and/or written work
Lecturer Marek Rosiak
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Dahlhaus C., Deathridge J., Wagner
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
Newman E, The Life of Richard Wagner
Schopenhauer A., The World as Will and Representation
Shaw G. B., The Perfect Wagnerite
Wagner R., Music and Revolution, Opera and Drama
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 18. Mythology and Philosophy in Richard
Wagner’s Musical Works. Part II
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content Analysis of ideological and philosophical contents of Richard
Wagner’s musical dramas:
Tristan and Isolde, The Meistersingers, Parsifal.
The course contains musical illustrations aimed at showing how
abstract ideas have been expressed in music.
Assessment scheme Regular attendance, activity and/or written work
Lecturer Marek Rosiak
Contact [email protected]
16
USOS code
Literature Dahlhaus C., Deathridge J., Wagner
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
Newman E, The Life of Richard Wagner
Schopenhauer A., The World as Will and Representation
Shaw G. B., The Perfect Wagnerite
Wagner R., Music and Revolution, Opera and Drama
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 19. Nietzsche und Zeitgenössische Philosophie
(Nietzsche and Contemporary Philosophy)
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
German
No. of hours 30
Course content Im Rahmen des Tutorials wird Nietzsches Kritik der Modernität sowie
ihr Einfluß auf Denken von M. Weber und Autoren der Dialektik der
Aufklärung. Der Wert wird besonders auf Rationalisierungsprozesse
und Kulturindustrie gelegt.
Assessment scheme Written work
Lecturer Paweł Pieniążek
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Ausgewälte Fragmenten aus den Werken von Nietzsche (Vom Nutzen
und Nachteil der Historie für das Leben),Weber (Die protestantische
Ethik und der Geist des Kapitalismus) und Horkheimer/Adorno
(Dialektik der Aufklärung).
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 20. Philosophical Anthropology
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
17
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content 1. The ideas of anthropology and human being given by Aristotle,
Thomas, Kant, Scheler, Hartmann and other will be presented and
discussed, (and also):
2. Anthropology and ontology
3. Anthropology and ethics
Assessment scheme Active participation, term paper or oral presentation
Lecturer Janusz Kaczmarek
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Eike Hinz, Outline of a Philosophical Anthropology, 2006
Gilson E., History of Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages,
1985
Aristotle, Thomas, Kant, Scheler and others – fragments of
writtings
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 21. Philosophical Perspective on New Atheism
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content Philosophical overview of the so called neoatheistic worldview,
concentrating on figures such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel
Dennett and A.C. Grayling.
Analysis of the three main dimensions of neoatheistic thinking: the
supremacy of science, the political agenda, and the ethical project of
humanism.
Assessment scheme Active participation
Lecturer Tomasz Sieczkowski
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Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion
A.C. Grayling The God Argument
Daniel Dennett, Breaking the Spell. Religion as Natural Phenomena
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 22. Philosophical Theories of Part and Whole
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content Presentation and analysis of most important contemporary
philosophical part-whole theories. Contains theories of Franz
Brentano, Casimir Twardowski, Edmund Husserl and Roman Ingarden
Assessment scheme Regular attendance, activity and/or written work
Lecturer Marek Rosiak
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature The Handbook of Mereology, ed. Hans Burkhardt and oths
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 23. Philosophy of Language
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
19
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content The aim of the couse is to present brief history and main problems of
the philosophy of language:
Plato and Aristotle on language
J. Locke and psychological theory of meaning
J. S. Mill on denotation and connotation
G. Frege on sense and denotation
B. Russell and definite descriptions
The problem of proper names: descriptionism versus
millianism
Causal theory of naming (S. Kripke and H. Putnam)
Pragmatisc of natural language – L. Wittgenstein on linguistic
games
J. Austin and speech acts theory
P. Grice and rules of conversation
Literal versus non-literal use of language
Assessment scheme Regular attendance, activity, and presentation or short essay
Lecturer Janusz Maciaszek
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Austin, J. L. 1962 How to Do Things with Words. Oxford:
Clerendon Press.
Grice, H. P. 1975 Logic and Conversation. W: P. Cole i J.
Morgan (red.) Syntax and Semantics, vol. 3, Academic Press:
London.
Hale, B. and C. Wright (eds.) 1997 A Companion to the
Philosophy of Language. Blackwell Publishing.
Kripke, S. 1980 Naming and Necessity. Oxford. Blackwell
Lycan, W. G 2000 Philosophy of Language. A Contemporary
Introduction. London and New York: Routledge.
Martinich, A. P. (ed.) 2001 The Philosophy of Language. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 24. Polish Analytical Philosophy
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
20
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content The course introduces the students to the works of the most prolific
polish analytic philosophers – Jan Lukasiewicz, Alfred Tarski,
Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz, Andrzej Zabludowski and Marian Przelecki.
Apart from the works which has been translated into English it gives
the student the opportunity to discuss the problems and ideas contained
in works which are currently available only in Polish.
Assessment scheme Active participation, marked paper
Lecturer Paweł Grabarczyk
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Jadacki, J. J., Paśniczek, J. (eds.), 2006, The Lvov-Warsaw School —
the New Generation, Rodopi: Amsterdam
Lapointe, S., Woleński, J., Mathieu, M., Miśkiewicz, W., 2009, The
Golden Age of Polish Philosophy. Kazimierz Twardowski's
Philosophical
Legacy, Dordrecht: Springer.
Jadacki, J. J., 2009, Polish Analytical Philosophy, Semper: Warszawa.
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 25. Posthumanism and Human Nature
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content 1. Dystopic posthumanism
2. Liberal posthumanism and transhumanism
3. Radical posthumanism
Assessment scheme Oral assessment
Lecturer Dawid Misztal
Contact [email protected]
21
USOS code
Literature Sharon, T [2014], Human Nature in an Age of Biotechnology.
The Case for Mediated Posthumanism, Springer: Dodrecht.
Wolfe, C. [2010], What is Posthumanism?, University of
Minnesota Press: Minneapolis.
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 26. Rhetoric and Argumentation
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content In everyday life we often find ourselves in a situation in which we
discuss certain issues with our interlocutor and even though we feel
that (s)he is wrong with her statements, we cannot tell why. Frequently
it is the case that the interlocutor is only rhetorically more skillful than
us and despite the fact that we are substantially right in our opinions, it
suffices for him (her) to win a discussion.
During the course we are going to learn how to identify unfair
arguments in a discussion. We will also investigate the structure of
arguments and distinguish these constituents of an argument, whose
violation results in a fallacy (or an unfair trick). In the end, we will get
to know different classifications of (both correct and incorrect)
arguments and we will name and discuss the most important types of
them.
A substantial part of the course will be devoted to thought errors we
tend to commit in everyday reasoning (which is one of the causes of
our vulnerability to unfair arguments exploited in discussions). One of
them is known under the name of conjunction fallacy and was
primarily described by Daniel Kahneman in his book “Thinking fast
and slow”, in which he presented the following experiment: a fictional
figure, Linda, was pictured to a group of students as follows: “Linda is
31 years old, single, outspoken, and very bright. She majored in
philosophy. As a student, she was deeply concerned with issues of
discrimination and social justice, and also participated in anti-nuclear
demonstrations.” Afterwards, the students were asked which is more
probable:
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Linda is a bank teller
Linda is a bank teller and is active in the feminist movement.
Even though a) is correct by the sole structure of both answers, and we
do not need to refer to our knowledge about the external world to find
it out, 90% of respondents picked the second option!
It turns out that in everyday reasoning we tend to make a lot of such
thinking errors. Some of them are of logical nature – we draw
conclusions from premises improperly, other consist in, e.g., not
paying enough attention to premises one accepts.
During the course we will systematically track and classify different
kinds of fallacies committed in everyday reasoning, and will learn how
to avoid them.
Assessment scheme 2 courseworks, each one consisting of a set of logical problems to
solve
Lecturer Michał Zawidzki
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature K. Ajdukiewicz, Pragmatic Logic, Reidel 1974.
D. Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
2012.
A. Schopenhauer, The Art of Always Being Right, Gibson Square
Books 2009.
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 27. Science Fiction and Philosophy
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content One of the distinctive features of XX and XXI century philosophy is
its extensive use of thought experiments. Some of these experiments
take form of short stories similar to those found in science fiction
literature. But what about existing stories – couldn’t we use science
fiction literature and film as a source and inspiration for philosophical
arguments? This is exactly the question we are going to ask during the
23
course.
Assessment scheme Short summaries of main arguments from the literature
Lecturer Paweł Grabarczyk
Contact [email protected]
www.pawelgrabarczyk.net
USOS code
Literature Stanislaw Lem, Solaris
Stanislaw Lem, His Master Voice
Philip K. Dick, Ubik
Susan Schneider, Science Fiction and Philosophy: From Time Travel
to Superintelligence
Julian Baggini, The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten: 100 Experiments for
the Armchair Philosopher
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 28. Speech Act Theory
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content Performative sentences. Locutionary, perlocutionary and illocutionary
acts due to Austin.
Illocutionary force according to Searle. A taxonomy of illocutionary
acts.
Illocutionary logic of Vanderveken.
Assessment scheme Active participation
Lecturer Marek Nowak
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature J. L. Austin, How to Do Things with Words, Clarendon Press
1962
J. R. Searle, Speech acts, Cambridge 1969
J. R. Searle, D. Vanderveken, Foundations of illocutionary
logic, Cambridge 1985
D. Vanderveken, Meaning and Speech Acts, Cambridge 1990-
91
24
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 29. Theories of Metaphor
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) / doctoral degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content 1. What is metaphor?
2. Metaphor as a problem of philosophy of language, philology
and rhetorics
3. Metaphor versus other figures of speech (metonymy, irony,
allusion)
4. Traditional approches to metaphor
5. Theory of metaphorical communication (P. Grice, J. Searle, and
A. P. Martinich)
6. M. Black and theory of metaphorical meaning (nteraction
theory of metaphor)
7. Causal theory of metaphor (D. Davidson and R. Rorty)
8. Conceptual metaphor theory and its applications
9. Extralinguistic metaphors
Assessment scheme Class attendance, active participation, presentation or essay.
Lecturer Janusz Maciaszek
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature 1. Davidson, D. 1978 What Metaphors Mean. „Critical Inquiry”
5, 31 - 47. Przedruk w: Inquiries into Truth and Interpretation.
Oxford: Clerendon Press., 2001: 245 – 64.
2. Kövecses, Z. 2010 Metaphor. A Practical Introduction. Oxford
University Press.
3. Lakoff, G. i M. Johnson 1980 Metaphors We Live By. Chicago:
Chicago University Press.
4. Martinich, A. P. 1984 A Theory of Metaphor. „Journal of
Literary Semantics”, 13, 35 – 56. Przedruk w: Martinich The
Philosophy of Language. New York: Oxford University Press,
2001: 447 – 58
5. Searle, J. R. 1979 Metaphor. W: Expression and Meaning:
Studies in the Theory of Speech Acts. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 76 – 116.
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Field of study/
programme
Philosophy
Course title 30. Vegetarianism. Social and Cultural Aspects
Form Tutorial
Level of course Undergraduate (bachelor) / graduate (master) degree
Year/semester 2016/2017 winter semester
ECTS 6
Language of
instruction
English
No. of hours 30
Course content The outline programme of the class will cover following topics:
1. Vegetarianism. A General Overview (Philosophy and Diet)
2. History of Vegetarianism
3. Philosophy of Vegetarianism
4. Vegetarianism and Ecology
Assessment scheme Marked paper
Lecturer Janusz Ciuciura
Contact [email protected]
USOS code
Literature Tristram Stuart, The Bloodless Revolution: A Cultural History of
Vegetarianism from 1600 to Modern Times, W. W. Norton & Co.,
2007
Colin Spencer, Vegetarianism: A History, Da Capo Press, 2004
Andrew Linzey, Animal Theology, University of Illinois Press,
1995
Peter Singer, Animal Liberation, Pimlico, 1975
Field of study/
programme
Philosophy