The movement called the Vienna Circle (roughly between 1922-1936), including eminent scientist and philosophers like Moritz Schlick, Rudolf Carnap, or Otto Neurath, had a very significant impact on the intellectual history of both Europe and the United States. The course proposes to concentrate on the following problems: the status of language (why and how language became a problem for philosophy at all); the logical analysis of language (its method and significance); the critique of metaphysics; the verification principle (establishing the truth of sentences containing experienced- based (empirical) statements about the world); the relationship between language and world (with special reference to Wittgenstein’s picture-theory in the Tractatus and to his later work, Philosophical Investigations, building on the Tractatus but rejecting some of its most significant tenets); and the ‘sense’ of non-empirical sentences, i.e. the sentences of ethics, aesthetics and theology). Thus, the logic of the course, somewhat also figuring the order in which the Circle encountered its problems, is the following: it proceeds from language to world (reality), and then goes back to the user of language, the human being.
Prerequisites:
Since the course serves as an introduction to the ideas of the Vienna Circle, and each technical term will be carefully explained and clarified, previous training in philosophy is an advantage but by no means a prerequisite. Some genuine interest in philosophical problems is, however, presupposed.
Additional student cost:
The field-trip to Budapest is optional and although IES contributes to the expenses with 30 EUROs, about 60 EUROs for lodging, food etc. can be expected if one travels to Budapest for a week-end.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students are expected to be familiar with the basic concepts of the philosophy of the Vienna Circle, and they should have growing expertise in the ability to reproduce arguments and in critical thinking, i.e. they should be able to take a stand, both in writing and orally, in philosophical debates, evaluating the feasibility of a certain position, including their own.
Method of presentation:
There will be 20 ninety minute-long sessions. We will be discussing the material under the sub-title Compulsory reading, assigned for each meeting. The reading mostly contains classic pieces by members of, and philosophers associated with, the Vienna Circle, together with some important, later interpretations; less technical and relatively easily available articles have been selected. The compulsory readings will be in the Library in a course-packet; please buy it. The course will pay careful attention to the intercultural aspects of the ideas of the Vienna Circle: the intellectual climate under which these ideas were formed, how the thoughts of its members found an echo outside of Austria, and how they made a lasting influence on philosophical thinking in England and in the United States. The course will use the lecture-format, especially at the beginning of the term but will also welcome discussions and debates throughout the term. There will be an optional field-trip to Budapest, too, led by the instructor.
Required work and form of assessment:
# Take-home Midterm exam: three short essays, answering three questions out of the choice of six, testing (1) familiarity with the basic concepts covered, (2) the ability to reproduce arguments (3) critical thinking: taking a stand, evaluating the feasibility of a certain position
– 40 %
# Take-home Final exam: there will be some excerpts from the compulsory readings and you will have to comment on these – 50 %
# Class participation: – 10 %: activity in class, taking part in the discussion. Absences should be excused. If you cannot attend for some serious reasons (such as illness or emergency), please contact, if possible, the Registrar in the Registrar’s Office (personally, or by phone) before the class you are going to miss. If you feel you have problems, come to see me, or send me an e-mail: kallay@ucsc.edu
content:
1st week:
1st meeting: Getting acquainted and introduction: rationalism, empiricism, phenomenology and positivism: ways of doing philosophy
2nd meeting: the Vienna Circle and the intellectual climate of Vienna
Compulsory reading:
Rudolf Carnap, Hans Hahn and Otto Neurath, “The Scientific Conception of the World” (the “manifesto” of the Vienna Circle, 1929) In: Neurath, Otto, Empiricism and Sociology, Volume I of The Vienna Circle Collection, eds. Neurath, M. and R. Cohen, Boston and Dortrecht: Riedel, 1971, pp. 299-300;
Kraft, Victor, “The History of the Vienna Circle”, In: Kraft, Viktor, The Vienna Circle. The Origin of Neo- Positivism. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press Publishers, (1953), 1969, pp. 3-15; Hugo von Hoffmannsthal, The Lord Chandos Letter, trans. from the German by Russell Stockman, Marlboro, Vermont: The Marlboro Press, 1986, pp. 11-33
2nd week:
3rd meeting: Background to the philosophical method of the Vienna Circle: the function of philosophy
Compulsory reading:
Bertrand Russell, “Appearance and Reality”, “The Existence of Matter” and “The Nature of Matter” In: Russell, Bertrand, The Problems of Philosophy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 1-18)
Moritz Schlick, “The Turning Point in Philosophy” (1930/31), In: Logical Positivism, ed. by A. J. Ayer; Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press, 1959, pp. 53-59.
4th meeting: The nature of philosophy: the pursuit of truth and the problem of language
Compulsory Reading:
A. J. Ayer, “The Function of Philosophy” Chapter Two In: Ayer, A. J., Language, Truth and Logic, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin (1936, 1946), 1972, pp. 62-79.
A. J. Ayer, “The Nature of Philosophical Analysis”, Chapter Three In: Ayer, A. J., Language, Truth and
Logic, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin (1936, 1946), 1972, pp. 80-115.
3rd week:
5th meeting: Positivism versus metaphysics I. Compulsory reading:
Moritz Schlick, “Positivism and Realism” (trans. by David Rynin, 1932/33) In: Logical Positivism, ed. by
A. J. Ayer, Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press, 1959, pp. 82-107.
6th meeting: Positivism versus metaphysics II. Compulsory reading:
A. J. Ayer, “The Elimination of Metaphysics” In: Ayer, A. J., Language, Truth and Logic, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin (1936, 1946), 1972, pp. 45-61.
4th week:
7th meeting: Phenomenology versus Positivism I. Compulsory reading:
Martin Heidegger, “What is Metaphysics?” (1929) In: Heidegger, Martin: Pathmarks. William McNeill, ed.,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998, pp. 82-96.
8th meeting: Phenomenology versus Positivism II. Compulsory reading:
Rudolf Carnap, “The Elimination of Metaphysics through Logical Analysis of Language” (trans. by Arthur
Pap, 1932), In: Logical Positivism, A J. Ayer, ed., Glencoe: Free Press, 1960, pp. 60-81.
5th week:
9th meeting: Verification and Epistemology I (TAKE-HOME MIDTERMS are DUE!) Compulsory reading:
Moritz Schlick, “The Foundation of Knowledge” (trans. by David Rynin, 1934) In: Logical Positivism, A J.
Ayer, ed., Glencoe: Free Press, 1960, pp. 209-227.
A. J. Ayer, “Verification and Experience” (1936-37) In: Logical Positivism, A J. Ayer, ed., Glencoe: Free
Press, 1960, pp. 228-243.
10th meeting: Verification and Epistemology II. Compulsory reading:
A. J. Ayer, “The A Priori” Chapter four In: Ayer, A. J., Language, Truth and Logic, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin (1936, 1946), 1972, pp. 96-115.
Moritz Schlick: “Meaning and Verification” (1938) In: Philosophy in the Twentieth Century. An Anthology.
Vol. Three, eds. by William Barett and Henry D. Aiken. New York: Random House, 1962, pp. 28-51. MIDTERM WEEK
6th week
11th meting: Ethics I. Compulsory reading:
Moritz Schlick, “What is the Aim of Ethics?” (trans. by David Rynin, 1930) In: Logical Positivism, A J. Ayer, ed., Glencoe: Free Press, 1960, pp. 247-263.
12th meeting: Ethics II. Compulsory reading:
C. L. Stevenson, “The Emotive Meaning of Ethical Terms” (1937) In: Logical Positivism, A J. Ayer, ed., Glencoe: Free Press, 1960, pp. 264-281.
7th week:
13th meeting: The Social Sciences in the Vienna Circle
Compulsory reading:
Otto Neurath: “Sociology and Physicalism” In: Logical Positivism, ed. by A J. Ayer, Glencoe: Free press,
1960, pp. 282-317
14th meeting: Willard van Orman Quine
Compulsory reading:
W. O. Quine, “Two Dogmas of Empiricism” In: American Philosophy. A Historical Anthology, ed. Barbara
MacKinnon, Albany: State University of New York Press, 1985, pp. 557-569
8th week:
15th meeting: The Vienna Circle and Wittgenstein’s Tractatus
Compulsory reading:
David G. Stern: “The Methods of the Tractatus Beyond Positivism and Metaphysics” In: Logical Empiricism. Historical and Contemporary Perspective, eds. by Paolo Parrini, Wesley C. Salmon and Merrilee H. Salmon, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2003, pp, 125-156.
16th meeting: The Tractatus
Compulsory reading:
Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, trans. by D. F. Pears and B. F. McGuiness, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, (1921, 1961), 1989, paragraphs 1-3; 4-4.25; 4.46-4.5; 5.552-5.641; 6.124-7.
9th week:
17th meeting: Towards a new understanding of the Tractatus
Compulsory reading:
Cora Diamond, “Ethics, Imagination and the Method of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus” In: The New
Wittgenstein, eds. by Alice Crary and Rupert Read, London and New York: Routledge, 2000, pp. 149-173.
18th meeting: Ethics and metaphysics in the Tractatus
Compulsory reading:
Ludwig Wittgenstein, “A Lecture on Ethics” (1929) In: Wittgenstein, Ludwig: Philosophical Occasions,
1912-1951, Klagge, James and Alfred Nordmann eds., Indianapolis and Cambridge: Hackett Publishing
Company, 1993, pp. 36-44.
10th week
19th meeting: The Tractatus from Philosophical Investigations I. (TAKE-HOME FINALS ARE DUE!) Compulsory reading:
Marie McGinn, “Wittgenstein’s Critique of Augustine” In: Marie McGinn: Wittgenstein and the
Philosophical Investigations, London and New York: Routledge, 1997, pp. 33-72.
20th meeting: The Tractatus from Philosophical Investigations II Compulsory reading:
Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, Oxford: Basil Blackwell, (1954, 1958), 1984, §§ 1-38
11th week:
21st meeting:
FINALS-BACK session
Required readings:
the pieces above
Recommended readings:
There are two important series in English published by the Institute Vienna Circle; one is the Yearbook of the Institute Vienna Circle (since 1993, marked by YIVC below), the other is the Vienna Circle Collection (since 1973, marked by VICC below). Only the most relevant volumes for the course will be listed.
Anscombe, G. E. M., An Introduction to Wittgenstein’s Tractatus. London: Hutchinson University Library, 1959. [A commentary from someone who knew Wittgenstein personally; difficult but interesting].
Black, Max, A Companion to Wittgenstein’s Tractatus. Cambridge: At the University Press, 1971. [Still the best introduction to the Tractatus, with lots of references to members of the Vienna Circle].
Block, Irving (ed.), Perspectives on the Philosophy of Wittgenstein. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1983. [A collection of essays, the fruit of a conference in 1976, most of them on the “early” Wittgenstein, i.e., on the Tractatus and around; now a classic].
Cirerea, Ramon, Carnap and the Vienna Circle. Empiricism and Logical Syntax. Amsterdam and Atlanta: Rodopi, 1994. [An excellent, though sometimes technical study in the philosophy of perhaps the most outstanding member of the Circle].
Copi, Irving M. and Robert W. Beard (eds.), Essays on Wittgenstein’s Tractatus. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1966. [Everything important said about the Tractatus till the mid-sixties, wonderfully edited, still a very valuable collection].
Danto, Arthur and Sidney Morgenbesser (eds.), Philosophy of Science. New York: Meridian Books, Inc., 1960. [Contains some classic pieces from the “American link” of the Vienna Circle; excellent on the concept of measurement in the vein of the Vienna Circle].
Fogelin, Robert, Wittgenstein. Second edition. London and New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1987. [A standard survey of Wittgenstein’s thinking in “The Argument of Philosophers” series. Reflects on other standard interpretations of Wittgenstein, too].
French, Peter (et. al.), Midwest Studies in Philosophy, Volume XVIII. The Wittgenstein Legacy. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame, 1992. [A wonderful anthology, concentrating on the “later” Wittgenstein though, by the most eminent Wittgensteinians of today].
McGuiness, Brian, Joachim Schulte and Hans Kaal (eds.), Ethics and the Will. Essays. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1994 [VICC 21; contains essays by Friedrich Waismann and Moritz Schlick on one of the most difficult problems for the Circle: the language and the status of ethics].
Nemeth, Elisabeth and Friedrich Stadler (eds.), Otto Neurath (1882-1945) – Encyclopedia and Utopia. Dordrecht, Boston and London: Kluwer, 1996. [YIVC 4; A fascinating volume dedicated to the work of the sociologist, Otto Neurath, one of the most active members of the Circle].
Neurath, Otto, Philosophical Papers 1913-1946. Cohen, Robert and M. Neurath eds., Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1983 [VICC 16; The collection of the philosophical papers of the sociologist, Otto Neurath, also dealing with social sciences, especially the problem of history].
Passmore, John, A Hundred Years of Philosophy. Harmondsworth: Pelican, (1957), 1970. [An excellent survey, mostly on British and American philosophy, with some continental background].
Schlick, Moritz, Philosophical Papers, Volume I (1909-1922). Mulder, Henk L. and B. F. B. van de Velde Schlick eds., Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1978 [VICC 11a; The collected philosophical writings of the founder of the Circle].
Schlick, Moritz, Philosophical Papers, Volume II (1925-1936), Mulder, Henk L. and B. F. B. van de Velde Schlick eds., Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1980 [VICC 11b; The collected philosophical writings of the founder of the Circle].
Stadler, Friedrich (ed.), Scientific Philosophy. Origins and Development. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1993. [YIVC 1, contains expert contemporary appraisals of the work of the Circle – highly recommended].
Stadler, Friedrich: The Vienna Circle – Studies in the Origins, Development, and Influence of Logical Empiricism, New York and Wien: Springer, 2000.
Waismann, Friedrich, Ludwig Wittgenstein and the Vienna Circle. McGuiness, B. F. ed., Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1979 [The most important document of the relationship between the Circle and Wittgenstein, contains conversations recorded by Waismann. Authenticity is sometimes debated.]
Wittgenstein, Ludwig, Notebooks 1914-1916. Second edition. Von Wright, G. H. and G. E. M. Anscombe, eds., Trans. by G. E. M. Anscombe, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1979. [A collection of Wittgenstein’s notes taken as preliminary studies in the problems later dealt with in the Tractatus. Many of these remarks found their way to the Tractatus. Interesting background reading].
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Géza Kállay earned MA degrees in Hungarian Literature and Linguistics, English Literature and Linguistics, with teaching degrees, and MA in General and Applied Linguistics at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary in 1984. He got his Ph.D. in Literature and Philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium in 1996. He is currently full professor at the School of English and American Studies at Eötvös Loránd University, giving lectures and seminars on Renaissance English drama and cultural history, literary theory and the relationship between literature and philosophy. He is the program director of the MA program in English Studies at Eötvös University and founding member of the Doctoral School in Literature at the same institution. He is also visiting professor at Corvinus University, Budapest, teaching East- and Central European Culture. He pursued post-doctoral studies at the Department of Philosophy at Harvard University. Current research areas include the relationship between literature and philosophy, Shakespearean tragedy and Hungarian literature. His recent publications include "Személyes jelentés" ([Personal Meaning], a book of essays on philosophy and literature, Budapest: Liget Publishers, 2007) and "Semmi vérjel" [No Stain of Blood], a book of essays mainly on Hungarian literature, Budapest: Liget Publishers, 2008).
The movement called the Vienna Circle (roughly between 1922-1936), including eminent scientist and philosophers like Moritz Schlick, Rudolf Carnap, or Otto Neurath, had a very significant impact on the intellectual history of both Europe and the United States. The course proposes to concentrate on the following problems: the status of language (why and how language became a problem for philosophy at all); the logical analysis of language (its method and significance); the critique of metaphysics; the verification principle (establishing the truth of sentences containing experienced- based (empirical) statements about the world); the relationship between language and world (with special reference to Wittgenstein’s picture-theory in the Tractatus and to his later work, Philosophical Investigations, building on the Tractatus but rejecting some of its most significant tenets); and the ‘sense’ of non-empirical sentences, i.e. the sentences of ethics, aesthetics and theology). Thus, the logic of the course, somewhat also figuring the order in which the Circle encountered its problems, is the following: it proceeds from language to world (reality), and then goes back to the user of language, the human being.
Since the course serves as an introduction to the ideas of the Vienna Circle, and each technical term will be carefully explained and clarified, previous training in philosophy is an advantage but by no means a prerequisite. Some genuine interest in philosophical problems is, however, presupposed.
The field-trip to Budapest is optional and although IES contributes to the expenses with 30 EUROs, about 60 EUROs for lodging, food etc. can be expected if one travels to Budapest for a week-end.
By the end of the course, students are expected to be familiar with the basic concepts of the philosophy of the Vienna Circle, and they should have growing expertise in the ability to reproduce arguments and in critical thinking, i.e. they should be able to take a stand, both in writing and orally, in philosophical debates, evaluating the feasibility of a certain position, including their own.
There will be 20 ninety minute-long sessions. We will be discussing the material under the sub-title Compulsory reading, assigned for each meeting. The reading mostly contains classic pieces by members of, and philosophers associated with, the Vienna Circle, together with some important, later interpretations; less technical and relatively easily available articles have been selected. The compulsory readings will be in the Library in a course-packet; please buy it. The course will pay careful attention to the intercultural aspects of the ideas of the Vienna Circle: the intellectual climate under which these ideas were formed, how the thoughts of its members found an echo outside of Austria, and how they made a lasting influence on philosophical thinking in England and in the United States. The course will use the lecture-format, especially at the beginning of the term but will also welcome discussions and debates throughout the term. There will be an optional field-trip to Budapest, too, led by the instructor.
# Take-home Midterm exam: three short essays, answering three questions out of the choice of six, testing (1) familiarity with the basic concepts covered, (2) the ability to reproduce arguments (3) critical thinking: taking a stand, evaluating the feasibility of a certain position
– 40 %
# Take-home Final exam: there will be some excerpts from the compulsory readings and you will have to comment on these – 50 %
# Class participation: – 10 %: activity in class, taking part in the discussion. Absences should be excused. If you cannot attend for some serious reasons (such as illness or emergency), please contact, if possible, the Registrar in the Registrar’s Office (personally, or by phone) before the class you are going to miss. If you feel you have problems, come to see me, or send me an e-mail: kallay@ucsc.edu
1st week:
1st meeting: Getting acquainted and introduction: rationalism, empiricism, phenomenology and positivism: ways of doing philosophy
2nd meeting: the Vienna Circle and the intellectual climate of Vienna
Compulsory reading:
Rudolf Carnap, Hans Hahn and Otto Neurath, “The Scientific Conception of the World” (the “manifesto” of the Vienna Circle, 1929) In: Neurath, Otto, Empiricism and Sociology, Volume I of The Vienna Circle Collection, eds. Neurath, M. and R. Cohen, Boston and Dortrecht: Riedel, 1971, pp. 299-300;
Kraft, Victor, “The History of the Vienna Circle”, In: Kraft, Viktor, The Vienna Circle. The Origin of Neo- Positivism. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press Publishers, (1953), 1969, pp. 3-15; Hugo von Hoffmannsthal, The Lord Chandos Letter, trans. from the German by Russell Stockman, Marlboro, Vermont: The Marlboro Press, 1986, pp. 11-33
2nd week:
3rd meeting: Background to the philosophical method of the Vienna Circle: the function of philosophy
Compulsory reading:
Bertrand Russell, “Appearance and Reality”, “The Existence of Matter” and “The Nature of Matter” In: Russell, Bertrand, The Problems of Philosophy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 1-18)
Moritz Schlick, “The Turning Point in Philosophy” (1930/31), In: Logical Positivism, ed. by A. J. Ayer; Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press, 1959, pp. 53-59.
4th meeting: The nature of philosophy: the pursuit of truth and the problem of language
Compulsory Reading:
A. J. Ayer, “The Function of Philosophy” Chapter Two In: Ayer, A. J., Language, Truth and Logic, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin (1936, 1946), 1972, pp. 62-79.
A. J. Ayer, “The Nature of Philosophical Analysis”, Chapter Three In: Ayer, A. J., Language, Truth and
Logic, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin (1936, 1946), 1972, pp. 80-115.
3rd week:
5th meeting: Positivism versus metaphysics I. Compulsory reading:
Moritz Schlick, “Positivism and Realism” (trans. by David Rynin, 1932/33) In: Logical Positivism, ed. by
A. J. Ayer, Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press, 1959, pp. 82-107.
6th meeting: Positivism versus metaphysics II. Compulsory reading:
A. J. Ayer, “The Elimination of Metaphysics” In: Ayer, A. J., Language, Truth and Logic, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin (1936, 1946), 1972, pp. 45-61.
4th week:
7th meeting: Phenomenology versus Positivism I. Compulsory reading:
Martin Heidegger, “What is Metaphysics?” (1929) In: Heidegger, Martin: Pathmarks. William McNeill, ed.,
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998, pp. 82-96.
8th meeting: Phenomenology versus Positivism II. Compulsory reading:
Rudolf Carnap, “The Elimination of Metaphysics through Logical Analysis of Language” (trans. by Arthur
Pap, 1932), In: Logical Positivism, A J. Ayer, ed., Glencoe: Free Press, 1960, pp. 60-81.
5th week:
9th meeting: Verification and Epistemology I (TAKE-HOME MIDTERMS are DUE!) Compulsory reading:
Moritz Schlick, “The Foundation of Knowledge” (trans. by David Rynin, 1934) In: Logical Positivism, A J.
Ayer, ed., Glencoe: Free Press, 1960, pp. 209-227.
A. J. Ayer, “Verification and Experience” (1936-37) In: Logical Positivism, A J. Ayer, ed., Glencoe: Free
Press, 1960, pp. 228-243.
10th meeting: Verification and Epistemology II. Compulsory reading:
A. J. Ayer, “The A Priori” Chapter four In: Ayer, A. J., Language, Truth and Logic, Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin (1936, 1946), 1972, pp. 96-115.
Moritz Schlick: “Meaning and Verification” (1938) In: Philosophy in the Twentieth Century. An Anthology.
Vol. Three, eds. by William Barett and Henry D. Aiken. New York: Random House, 1962, pp. 28-51. MIDTERM WEEK
6th week
11th meting: Ethics I. Compulsory reading:
Moritz Schlick, “What is the Aim of Ethics?” (trans. by David Rynin, 1930) In: Logical Positivism, A J. Ayer, ed., Glencoe: Free Press, 1960, pp. 247-263.
12th meeting: Ethics II. Compulsory reading:
C. L. Stevenson, “The Emotive Meaning of Ethical Terms” (1937) In: Logical Positivism, A J. Ayer, ed., Glencoe: Free Press, 1960, pp. 264-281.
7th week:
13th meeting: The Social Sciences in the Vienna Circle
Compulsory reading:
Otto Neurath: “Sociology and Physicalism” In: Logical Positivism, ed. by A J. Ayer, Glencoe: Free press,
1960, pp. 282-317
14th meeting: Willard van Orman Quine
Compulsory reading:
W. O. Quine, “Two Dogmas of Empiricism” In: American Philosophy. A Historical Anthology, ed. Barbara
MacKinnon, Albany: State University of New York Press, 1985, pp. 557-569
8th week:
15th meeting: The Vienna Circle and Wittgenstein’s Tractatus
Compulsory reading:
David G. Stern: “The Methods of the Tractatus Beyond Positivism and Metaphysics” In: Logical Empiricism. Historical and Contemporary Perspective, eds. by Paolo Parrini, Wesley C. Salmon and Merrilee H. Salmon, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2003, pp, 125-156.
16th meeting: The Tractatus
Compulsory reading:
Ludwig Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, trans. by D. F. Pears and B. F. McGuiness, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, (1921, 1961), 1989, paragraphs 1-3; 4-4.25; 4.46-4.5; 5.552-5.641; 6.124-7.
9th week:
17th meeting: Towards a new understanding of the Tractatus
Compulsory reading:
Cora Diamond, “Ethics, Imagination and the Method of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus” In: The New
Wittgenstein, eds. by Alice Crary and Rupert Read, London and New York: Routledge, 2000, pp. 149-173.
18th meeting: Ethics and metaphysics in the Tractatus
Compulsory reading:
Ludwig Wittgenstein, “A Lecture on Ethics” (1929) In: Wittgenstein, Ludwig: Philosophical Occasions,
1912-1951, Klagge, James and Alfred Nordmann eds., Indianapolis and Cambridge: Hackett Publishing
Company, 1993, pp. 36-44.
10th week
19th meeting: The Tractatus from Philosophical Investigations I. (TAKE-HOME FINALS ARE DUE!) Compulsory reading:
Marie McGinn, “Wittgenstein’s Critique of Augustine” In: Marie McGinn: Wittgenstein and the
Philosophical Investigations, London and New York: Routledge, 1997, pp. 33-72.
20th meeting: The Tractatus from Philosophical Investigations II Compulsory reading:
Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, Oxford: Basil Blackwell, (1954, 1958), 1984, §§ 1-38
11th week:
21st meeting:
FINALS-BACK session
the pieces above
There are two important series in English published by the Institute Vienna Circle; one is the Yearbook of the Institute Vienna Circle (since 1993, marked by YIVC below), the other is the Vienna Circle Collection (since 1973, marked by VICC below). Only the most relevant volumes for the course will be listed.
Anscombe, G. E. M., An Introduction to Wittgenstein’s Tractatus. London: Hutchinson University Library, 1959. [A commentary from someone who knew Wittgenstein personally; difficult but interesting].
Black, Max, A Companion to Wittgenstein’s Tractatus. Cambridge: At the University Press, 1971. [Still the best introduction to the Tractatus, with lots of references to members of the Vienna Circle].
Block, Irving (ed.), Perspectives on the Philosophy of Wittgenstein. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1983. [A collection of essays, the fruit of a conference in 1976, most of them on the “early” Wittgenstein, i.e., on the Tractatus and around; now a classic].
Cirerea, Ramon, Carnap and the Vienna Circle. Empiricism and Logical Syntax. Amsterdam and Atlanta: Rodopi, 1994. [An excellent, though sometimes technical study in the philosophy of perhaps the most outstanding member of the Circle].
Copi, Irving M. and Robert W. Beard (eds.), Essays on Wittgenstein’s Tractatus. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1966. [Everything important said about the Tractatus till the mid-sixties, wonderfully edited, still a very valuable collection].
Danto, Arthur and Sidney Morgenbesser (eds.), Philosophy of Science. New York: Meridian Books, Inc., 1960. [Contains some classic pieces from the “American link” of the Vienna Circle; excellent on the concept of measurement in the vein of the Vienna Circle].
Fogelin, Robert, Wittgenstein. Second edition. London and New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1987. [A standard survey of Wittgenstein’s thinking in “The Argument of Philosophers” series. Reflects on other standard interpretations of Wittgenstein, too].
French, Peter (et. al.), Midwest Studies in Philosophy, Volume XVIII. The Wittgenstein Legacy. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame, 1992. [A wonderful anthology, concentrating on the “later” Wittgenstein though, by the most eminent Wittgensteinians of today].
McGuiness, Brian, Joachim Schulte and Hans Kaal (eds.), Ethics and the Will. Essays. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1994 [VICC 21; contains essays by Friedrich Waismann and Moritz Schlick on one of the most difficult problems for the Circle: the language and the status of ethics].
Nemeth, Elisabeth and Friedrich Stadler (eds.), Otto Neurath (1882-1945) – Encyclopedia and Utopia. Dordrecht, Boston and London: Kluwer, 1996. [YIVC 4; A fascinating volume dedicated to the work of the sociologist, Otto Neurath, one of the most active members of the Circle].
Neurath, Otto, Philosophical Papers 1913-1946. Cohen, Robert and M. Neurath eds., Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1983 [VICC 16; The collection of the philosophical papers of the sociologist, Otto Neurath, also dealing with social sciences, especially the problem of history].
Passmore, John, A Hundred Years of Philosophy. Harmondsworth: Pelican, (1957), 1970. [An excellent survey, mostly on British and American philosophy, with some continental background].
Schlick, Moritz, Philosophical Papers, Volume I (1909-1922). Mulder, Henk L. and B. F. B. van de Velde Schlick eds., Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1978 [VICC 11a; The collected philosophical writings of the founder of the Circle].
Schlick, Moritz, Philosophical Papers, Volume II (1925-1936), Mulder, Henk L. and B. F. B. van de Velde Schlick eds., Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1980 [VICC 11b; The collected philosophical writings of the founder of the Circle].
Stadler, Friedrich (ed.), Scientific Philosophy. Origins and Development. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1993. [YIVC 1, contains expert contemporary appraisals of the work of the Circle – highly recommended].
Stadler, Friedrich: The Vienna Circle – Studies in the Origins, Development, and Influence of Logical Empiricism, New York and Wien: Springer, 2000.
Waismann, Friedrich, Ludwig Wittgenstein and the Vienna Circle. McGuiness, B. F. ed., Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1979 [The most important document of the relationship between the Circle and Wittgenstein, contains conversations recorded by Waismann. Authenticity is sometimes debated.]
Wittgenstein, Ludwig, Notebooks 1914-1916. Second edition. Von Wright, G. H. and G. E. M. Anscombe, eds., Trans. by G. E. M. Anscombe, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1979. [A collection of Wittgenstein’s notes taken as preliminary studies in the problems later dealt with in the Tractatus. Many of these remarks found their way to the Tractatus. Interesting background reading].
Géza Kállay earned MA degrees in Hungarian Literature and Linguistics, English Literature and Linguistics, with teaching degrees, and MA in General and Applied Linguistics at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary in 1984. He got his Ph.D. in Literature and Philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium in 1996. He is currently full professor at the School of English and American Studies at Eötvös Loránd University, giving lectures and seminars on Renaissance English drama and cultural history, literary theory and the relationship between literature and philosophy. He is the program director of the MA program in English Studies at Eötvös University and founding member of the Doctoral School in Literature at the same institution. He is also visiting professor at Corvinus University, Budapest, teaching East- and Central European Culture. He pursued post-doctoral studies at the Department of Philosophy at Harvard University. Current research areas include the relationship between literature and philosophy, Shakespearean tragedy and Hungarian literature. His recent publications include "Személyes jelentés" ([Personal Meaning], a book of essays on philosophy and literature, Budapest: Liget Publishers, 2007) and "Semmi vérjel" [No Stain of Blood], a book of essays mainly on Hungarian literature, Budapest: Liget Publishers, 2008).