95699 - Philosophy of Communication (1) (Lm)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student has acquired the ability to read texts and analyse issues concerningthe main authors, works, and problems of the philosophy of communication, with specific reference to the semiotic and philosophico-linguistictraditions, and with special attention tobibliographic recognition,historical and textual reconstruction, and critical interpretation

Course contents

Peirce's semiotics

This year’s course is devoted to one of the classical authors of modern semiotics, Charles S. Peirce (1839-1914). The course will offer a textual and historico-theoretical reconstruction of Peirce’s writings on speculative grammar. “Speculative grammar” is the name given by Peirce to the first part of his logic, and this is the part of his work that we typically identify with his semiotics. By means of the use and combination of the fundamental semiotic categories (sign, object, interpretant, icon, index, symbol, legisign, dicisign, etc.), speculative grammar classifies signs and provides semiotic definitions of some crucial logical notions (proposition, argument). At the same time, speculative grammar expands logic and brings into logic’s jurisdiction things that are not usually taken to belong to it (e.g. speech acts). In the internal development of Peirce’s speculative grammar it is thus possible to see the evolution from a truth-conditional theory of the proposition (Frege, Russell) to a pragmatic theory of language and communication (Austin, Searle).

Readings/Bibliography

Charles S. Peirce, Semiotica, a cura di M. Bonfantini et al. Torino: Einaudi, 1980, pp. 87–106, 119–209 [only the following chapters: “Dalle categorie alla semiotica”, pp. 87–106; “Grammatica speculativa”, pp. 119–171; “I problemi della classificazione dei segni”, 173–209; reprinted in Opere, a cura di M. Bonfantini, Milano: Bompiani, 2003, pp. 111–126, 137–175, 177–204]

Charles S. Peirce, “Logic Notebook”, in Selected Writings on Semiotics, a cura di F. Bellucci, Berlin: De Gruyter, 2020, pp. 152–183.

Additional bibliography for non-attending students:

F. Bellucci, Peirce’s Speculative Grammar, New York: Routledge, 2017, capitoli 5–8.

Teaching methods

Class lectures and seminar discussions, with reading and commentary of primary sources and discussion of critical interpretations. Active participation is tringly encouraged.

Assessment methods

Examination is oral. The aim of the exam is to ascertain knowledge of the texts under consideration and the ability to discuss about them critically.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations. Copy of course materials and of additional materials (manuscripts, archive documents, and transcriptions) will be made available in digital version on virtuale.unibo.it.

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Bellucci