Bachelor of Arts (BA) - The University of Hong Kong

281PHIL2610.Philosophy of language (6 credits)(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadeningpurposes.)What is a language, and what is involved in knowing or understanding a language? In this course wewill see how philosophers and linguists answer such questions as the following: What can logic tell usabout the grammar of natural languages? Are human beings born with a universal grammar? Whatmakes a word meaningful? What is the difference between what we mean and what we convey whenwe say something? How does a metaphor work? Can we learn something from slips of the tongueabout the nature of language?Assessment: 100% coursework (may include in-class test).PHIL2230.Philosophy and cognitive science (6 credits)(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadeningpurposes.)We shall look at some of the philosophical issues involved in studying minds and behaviourscientifically. We might discuss questions such as: Can we explain all mental phenomena incomputational terms? What is consciousness? What is the role of language in thinking? How usefulare neural networks in understanding the mind?Assessment: 100% coursework (may include in-class test).There is no prerequisite for this course.This is a second or third level course, which also forms part of the BCogSc programme. It isnormally offered every year.PHIL2460.Philosophical Chinese (6 credits)(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadeningpurposes.)In this course, we shall learn to analyse grammatically and semantically the language used in theclassical texts of Chinese philosophy. The analysis will help us construct arguments in favour of oragainst various interpretations and translations. We briefly discuss texts from the Analects of Confucius,the Mozi, the Zhuangzi and then do a detailed analysis of the Daode Jing.Assessment: 100% coursework (may include in-class test).PHIL2070.Pragmatism (6 credits)(This course is also offered to second and third year non-BA students for inter-Faculty broadeningpurposes.)This course is in two unequal parts. In the first and longer part, we shall study the writings of theclassical pragmatists: Peirce, Dewey and James; in the second, we shall look more briefly at some of theso-called 'neo-pragmatists' such as Quine, Davidson and Putnam. We shall then consider the questionof the relationship between these two schools, and think seriously about the recent suggestion that theearlier is in fact the better.Topics to be discussed include: truth and knowledge; religion and science; and rationality, personalityand aesthetics.Assessment: 100% coursework (may include in-class test).