Universität Wien
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180184 VU M-03 Reasoning in Philosophy (2017W)

7.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie
Continuous assessment of course work

Summary

1 Belleri , Moodle
2 Gersel , Moodle
3 Wagner , Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
Registration information is available for each group.

Groups

Group 1

max. 45 participants
Language: English
LMS: Moodle

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Monday 09.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 16.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 23.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 30.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 06.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 13.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 20.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 27.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 04.12. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 11.12. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 08.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 15.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 22.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Monday 29.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien

Aims, contents and method of the course

The following questions will be addressed: (i) What is an argument, what what are the different typologies of arguments? (ii) How do we tell a bad argument from a good one? (iii) What are the main fallacies in ordinary and philosophical reasoning? (iv) What are the main conceptual and argumentative tools of philosophical reflection?

The student should: (i) learn the distinctions between different typologies of inferences or arguments. (ii) learn what fallacies are and the variety of fallacies that can be encountered in philosophical and non-philosophical texts. (iii) acquire the skills to spot argumentantive schemes. (iv) acquire the skills to spot argumentantive flaws. (v) become capable independently to formulate examples of specific argumentative schemes.

Assessment and permitted materials

LECTURE STRUCTURE

(1) Every session will consist of a 60-minutes lecture followed by a 30-minutes, in-class exercise session.

(2) Most exercise sessions will involve correction of the exercise in class, or an open discussion. Their goal will be that of training the students by applying the concepts/techniques just covered in the lecture.

TESTS AND ASSESSMENT

(3) Some exercise sessions will, however, count as tests that every student has to complete on their own. There will be 5 test-sessions in total. The results of each session will count for the final mark. The dates of test-sessions will be announced at the beginning of the course. Tests will cover the topics dealt with in the preceding sessions, not just the topic covered during the day on which the test takes place.

(4) Assessment will also take into consideration the quality of the student's participation in class (especially during group exercises). This includes: punctuality, respectful behaviour towards the teacher and fellow students, engagement with the issues discussed during the lecture (including asking questions when a need for clarification is felt; suggesting examples; answering to a question posed to the class or individually, cooperation with fellow students in group-work, etc.).

Reading list

Textbooks will not be strictly necessary for following the course; what is important is that the students carefully follow the lecture and participate to the collective exercises. In any event, the course will be based on the following material:

Selected chapters from Bowell, T. and Kamp, G. Critical Thinking: A Concise Guide. New York: Routledge, 2002. The book contains exercises which the student can use to train at home.

Selected chapters from Tindale, C.W., Fallacies and Argument Appraisal. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. The book contains exercises which the student can use to train at home.

Selected chapters from Baggini, J. and Fosl. P.S., The Philosopher's Toolkit. Blackwell Publishing, 2010.

The course slides will be made available on Moodle the day before each lecture.

Group 2

max. 45 participants
Language: English
LMS: Moodle

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 11.10. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Wednesday 18.10. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Wednesday 25.10. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Wednesday 08.11. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Wednesday 15.11. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Wednesday 22.11. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Wednesday 29.11. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Wednesday 06.12. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Wednesday 13.12. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Wednesday 10.01. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Wednesday 17.01. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Wednesday 24.01. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228
  • Wednesday 31.01. 11:30 - 13:00 Hörsaal 2i NIG 2.Stock C0228

Aims, contents and method of the course

The aim of the course is to teach students the basics of good argumentation. The course will especially focus on the subtleties of argumentative strategy that goes beyond mere logical validity. We will look at the characteristics of a good philosophical argument by investigating the relative importance and strength of adopted premises compared to the strength of derived conclusions. We will look at central issues such as the burden of proof, and how shifting it changes the dialectical structure of debates. Moreover, we will look in detail at a series of argumentative strategies and investigate their strength and weaknesses. Among these are: exhaustive arguments, arguments from intuition, the use of analogy and metaphor, arguments from simplicity, and transcendental arguments. The course will take outset in a series of central philosophical texts that are good or bad exemplars of the issue under discussion. These texts will be taken from various philosophical traditions, topics, and time periods, to teach students that good philosophical methodology is central to every branch of philosophy and share an underlying structure.

Every class with deal with at least one aspect of philosophical argumentation exemplified in the text under discussion. Every text will be analyzed considering the two questions: ‘What is the text trying to convince us of?’, and ‘What argumentative mechanism does it use to do so?’. Classes begin with a student presentation concerning these questions. Subsequently, the class will jointly debate the issue. Thereafter, the seminar will proceed with a thorough text reading, where we identify the key phrases and passages that constitute the argumentation in the text. Finally, each lecture will end with a broader discussion of the present issues, as well as with a brief presentation of the issues central to the next reading.

Reading list

Reading for first class (11/10): Plato’s Gorgias.

Descartes: Meditations - Meditation 1, Pryor: The Skeptic and the Dogmatist; McDowell: Knowledge and the internal, Plato: Republic Book 4; Mill: Utilitarianism Chapter 4; Thomson: The trolley problem; Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Sections 3 4.

Group 3

max. 45 participants
Language: German
LMS: Moodle

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Saturday 14.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Saturday 21.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Saturday 28.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Saturday 04.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Saturday 11.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Saturday 18.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Saturday 25.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Saturday 02.12. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Saturday 09.12. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Saturday 16.12. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Saturday 13.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Saturday 20.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien
  • Saturday 27.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Hörsaal 2G, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/2.Stock, 1010 Wien

Aims, contents and method of the course

The purpose of this course is the training in philosophical reasoning and argumentation techniques.

Assessment and permitted materials

This is an in-class course, so you will be expected to be present and to participate in group discussions. There are several short exercises to hand in during the term and you are encouraged to either give a short talk or participate in a discussion panel.

Reading list

Tugendhat, Ernst/Wolf, Ursula: Logisch-semantische Propädeutik. Stuttgart: Reclam, 1993.
Pfister, Jonas: Werkzeuge des Philosophierens. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2013.

Information

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Attendance is mandatory, you may miss two course units. You will be graded on each part of your contributions to class, the written papers amount to 70 per cent of your final grade, 30 per cent are based on your participation in in-class discussions.

Examination topics

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Sa 10.09.2022 00:19