PHIL 4150: Analytic Philosophy

University of West Georgia

Spring 2009

Date: Wednesday February 18 [this is a different date than what was given on the original syllabus!]

This test will be worth 20% of your total course grade. This is a timed test; you will have 50 minutes to complete the test.

You are required to provide your own blue book for the test. Blue books are mini notebooks designed especially for writing tests. They are available from the UWG Bookstore and come in two sizes: small and large. Small should be large enough, unless you have really large handwriting, in which case you may want to use a large bluebook. They are very inexpensive (less than $.50 each).

Section I will consist of definitions [10-20% of total test grade]. I will give you a short list of terms and phrases to define. Typically, only a sentence or two is necessary for a satisfactory answer. The terms and phrases will come from the following list:

· logical atomism

· logical positivism

· “Über Sinn und Bedeutung” [state English translation of title, author, year, and something about contents]

· logicism

· a posteriori

· a priori

· relation

· definite description

· proposition

· Principle of Substitutivity

· propositional attitude

· correspondence theory of truth

· redundancy theory of truth

· idealism

· realism

· “On Denoting” [state author, year, and something about contents]

· Law of Excluded Middle

· Principle of Bivalence

· Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus [state author, year, and something about contents]

· Philosophical Investigations [state author, year, and something about contents]

· ostensive definition

Your definitions should as be as detailed, clear and precise as possible. For example, the following is not an adequate definition of the term "a priori": "independent of experience." This would get you partial credit, but not full credit. A much better definition is this: "An a priori statement is one that can be known to be true or false independent of sense experience, for example, ‘All bachelors are unmarried’ and ‘Triangles have three sides.’"

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Section II will consist of short answer questions [30-40% of total test grade]. Your answers to these questions should be as detailed, clear and precise as possible. Typically, a paragraph of about five to seven sentences is sufficient for a satisfactory answer. The questions will be drawn from the following list:

· Explain the use/mention distinction, giving examples to illustrate it.

· Define both qualitative identity and numerical identity, and give examples to illustrate the difference between them.

· Explain and give examples to illustrate the difference between extensional contexts and intensional contexts, as that difference is understood by contemporary philosophers.

· Explain Frege’s application of his sense/reference distinction to indicative sentences.

· Explain Frege’s distinction among thought, force and connotation.

· Explain the three “realms” described by Frege.

· Explain the later Wittgenstein’s quietist idea of philosophy as therapy.

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Section III will consist of one discussion question [50% of total test grade].

You will be given two questions and allowed to choose one to answer. Your answers should be as detailed, clear and precise as time allows. In other words, tell me everything you know about the question asked. If you omit something that is relevant to the question, I will assume that you do not know the material you are omitting.

· Explain Frege’s Puzzle About Identity, his original (1879) solution, and his later (1892) solution.

· Explain Frege’s attitude towards truth. In your answer you should at minimum address the theory of truth that he criticizes, how he criticizes it, and what positive things he has to say about truth.

· Discuss Russell’s theory of descriptions and at least two of the puzzles Russell intended it to solve (including how it is supposed to solve those two puzzles).

· Discuss the early Wittgenstein’s metaphysics and his picture theory of meaning.

· Discuss the later Wittgenstein’s rejection of the picture theory of meaning and the ideas about meaning with which he replaced that theory.

In studying for this portion of the test, I recommend that you practice composing essays that explain the arguments and other moral considerations relevant to each issue and that incorporate relevant facts (from the lecture notes and/or the textbook) where appropriate.

I expect that you will spend between 20 and 25 minutes on this essay during the 50 minutes you will have to take the test. I realize that, for some essay questions on this study guide, we may have covered more material than you can address in that length of time. So in preparing for the test, you should select which arguments, moral issues, and relevant facts you plan to discuss while writing your answers. It is unwise to study by simply reading through the lecture notes and textbook again and again and then to attempt to compose an essay “on the fly,” while taking the test. In preparing to take the test, you should, at the very least, construct an outline of each of the essays you may be asked to write. I recommend that you go beyond simply constructing outlines and actually practice writing your essays as much as possible while preparing for the test.