Event Timeslots (1)
Thursday
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In this introductory seminar, we will discuss both general questions about methods, such as “What are methods in the first place?” and “How should methods be evaluated?”, and specific questions about philosophical methods, like “Are there any philosophical methods at all?”, “Are there uniquely or distinctively philosophical methods?”, “What are the main philosophical methods?”. In this context, we will also consider some philosophical methods in more detail, for example, argumentation, conceptual analysis, experimental philosophy, formal methods, and thought experiments. The course will be based on a manuscript version of the introductory volume Methods in Analytic Philosophy: A Primer and Guide (edited by Joachim Horvath, Steffen Koch, and Michael G. Titelbaum), which is forthcoming as an open access book with the PhilPapers Foundation. There will be some flexibility for the participants of the seminar to decide which philosophical methods they want to focus on, and for these selected methods we will also discuss a few further readings. Apart from the ability to read philosophical texts in English, some prior experience with actually doing philosophy would be very helpful for a seminar that aims to reflect on methods as a key aspect of philosophical practice.