Entry requirements

Eligible is the person who fulfils the requirements for a Bachelor's degree in the humanities or has a corresponding

foreign degree.

Learning outcomes

The purpose of the course is to introduce students to philosophical problems about conversation, and especially

challenges for conversations with philosophical goals. The main emphasis will be on Socratic-Platonic method, but the

course will also introduce the student to some contemporary variants.

Upon completion of the course the student is expected to be able to:

• discuss in a knowledgeable way conversation as a co-operative and norm-governed activity.
• be familiar with the main dialogues in which Plato studies and criticises the views on speaking and argumentation
• of his contemporary experts.
• analyse dialogical aspects of Plato's works with a view to their relevance to conversation as a means of
• knowledge-seeking.
• describe some variants of social conceptions of knowledge-seeking and rationality .
• know and apply such distinctions as those between global and local norms, context-dependent and contextindependent norms, and strategic and definitory rules.

Content

Conversation presupposes some agreement regarding the goals and strategies of the co-operative activity one engages in.

Yet at the same time it is rarely governed by strict or explicit rules: participants have considerable liberty in choosing

among a wealth of possible ways of approaching and contributing to a discussion. But while we may think of nearly

everything as permissible in theory, in practice some ways of entering a discussion will endanger its continuation, or

effectively mean the end of the co-operative activity. Moreover, if our aim of engaging in a conversation is not merely

entertainment or some practical end, but if we, rather, seek cognitive-epistemic advancement - increased knowledge or

understanding - through conversation, then it might be natural to suggest that some norms will have to be followed.

Classical ancient thinkers thought of knowledge-seeking often in terms of a shared inquiry, an inquiry with someone else

or based in someone's beliefs (pros heteron). Inquiry, and perhaps even rationality itself, is either essentially, or at least

for the most part, understood as a social activity. Plato's choice of philosophical method and exposition enforces this

approach: arguments are embedded in conversations, views developed and tested in discussion. Writing dialogues

enables Plato to introduce norms that guide conversation, as well as to test, develop, and abandon suggested norms. He

introduces, further, meta-level questions about the rules of conversation: do the discussants have to obey the same rules?

If so, who or what determines those rules? What kind of activity is philosophical conversation?

Instruction

Teaching consists of lectures and seminars.

Assessment

The examination consists of a written take-home exam.

Master's students are expected to write somewhat longer and more comprehensive essays than C-level students, and the requirements concerning scholarly quality are higher.