PHIL 325 Philosophical Issues in Language
This course investigates the nature of language and various philosophical questions that can be posed about language. What is language? What is meaning? Are the truth and falsehood of our utterances determined by the world or by social conventions? What is the connection between names and the objects to which they refer? How is meaning conveyed or lost between speaker and audience? Are there insuperable difficulties in translation? How can meaning be communicated through complex cultural forms such as poetry, humor, and performance?