Methodology of the Philosophical Research
Code
711031047
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas
Department
Filosofia
Credits
6
Teacher in charge
António de Castro Caeiro
Weekly hours
4
Teaching language
Portuguese
Objectives
a) to examine the specificity of philosophical thinking.
b) to identify different models of philosophical work.
c) to exercise hermeneutics, heuristics and expressive skills.
Prerequisites
Not applicable
Subject matter
Thinking, grasping, understanding, interpreting, explaining, proving and arguing are different aspects of philosophy. Different methodological approaches are needed for tackling different subject-matters. Is there any specificity belonging to philosophical thinking? Does philosophy have a scientific method? Do different philosophies have different methods or one and the same method? Aristotle’s peri hermeneias and categories portray the fundamental operators of our human point of view as being interpretive ones. From here we can distinguish between a cognitive, theoretical proposition and a hermeneutical one. Are Plato’s dialectics, Aristotle’s philosophy of language, Wittgenstein’s language games and Heidegger’s existential hermeneutics methodological concepts of philosophy or different interpretations of the same problems? Are these philosophical approaches compatible or incompatible with each other? How can problems concerning meaning and understanding find their solutions? Through accessing, contributing to or construing truth?
Bibliography
Aristóteles: Cooke, H. P. e Tredennick, Hugh (1938). Aristotle: Categories. On Interpretation. Prior Analytics. London.
Platão: Fowler, Harold North (1911): Plato: Sophist. London.
Dilthey, W. (2006) Einleitung in die Geisteswissenschaften. Versuch einer Grundlegung für das Studium der Gesellschaft und Geschichte. Gesammelte Schriften. Vol. 1. Göttingen: Teubner Verlagsgesellschaft / Vandenhoek & Ruprecht.
Gadamer, Hans-Georg (1960): Wahrheit und Methode. Tübingen: Mohr.
Heidegger, M. (1986). Sein und Zeit, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer.
Wittgenstein, L. (1984). “Philosophische Untersuchungen” in Werkausgabe, Band1 (pp. 225-580). Frankfurt am Main: Surkamp Verlag.
Teaching method
The syllabus resorts two main activities. In the first hour we will read, expose and explain the fundamental key concepts and the theoretical frameworks of the texts at stake. In the second hour we will be interpreting and analysing the texts with the students in order to promote a debate about alternative views, possible objections, argumentation and expression.
Evaluation method
The evaluation is individual, through one written test (70%) in the end of the semester and one written paper (30%) discussed and supervised in tutorial monitoring.