Philosophy 2105-EPE-L-D1PHIL

The course is devoted to discussing selected topics in the field of western analytic philosophy in a problem-oriented way with reference to their historical sources. It embraces the problems central to four branches of philosophy: logic, epistemology, metaphysics, and axiology, as well as an introduction to philosophy of politics. In part one, the following topics are discussed (among others): deduction and induction, types of deductive reasoning, formal and informal fallacies, the problem of induction. Part two, connected with epistemology, embraces: kinds of knowledge, history of the concept of knowledge (knowledge as justified true belief), Gettier problem, theories of justification (fundationalism, coherentism, infinitism), theories of truth (correspondence theory, coherence theory, pragmatic theory, and deflationism), necessary and contingent truths (elements of possible world semantics) and the problem of skepticism. Part three (metaphysics) discusses the identity problem, change in time, causality and determinism. In the part connected with axiology, some problems connected with moral philosophy will be discussed (disagreement between deontology and consequentialism) as well as practical ethics. In the part devoted to philosophy of politics, philosophical sources of democracy and democratic institutions will be discussed.