Graduate school - course 21.-22.10. 2013

(open for advanced students).

Groups, organizations, conventions, social roles, conflicts and cooperation are no less real than physical particles and mental attitudes. Social ontology examines what kind of objects, relations, properties and events they are, and how they relate to mind and matter. It also covers issues of collective action, intentionality, emotions, and reasoning, as well as the fundamental nature of sociality. Social ontology is a relatively new, but rapidly evolving field of research devoted to the analysis of the basic structures of the social world. The phenomena it covers range from small-scale everyday interactions to encompassing societal institutions, from unintended consequences to institutional design. The unifying element is its focus on the basic constitution of these phenomena. The field of social ontology blends a well-defined approach to social phenomena with a wide scope that extends well beyond the boundaries of philosophy into the other humanities and the various social sciences.

The course will consist of lectures (12 hours in total) addressing the central contemporary debates in the field.

DAY ONE 21.10.2013 10 - 18 PINNI A LS A3111

1. Introduction: social ontology as a subfield of philosophy

2. Collective intentionality - approach Incl. John Searle's approach to social ontology - critical assessments

3. Game theory: institutions as equilibria

DAY TWO 22.10.2013 10 - 18 PÄÄTALO LS A2A

4. Phenomenological approach to social ontology

5. The approach from contemporary metaphysics: the notion of 'constitution'

6. Issues in practical philosophy: e.g. social freedom, political obligation, collective evil, terrorism

[Preceding the conference European Network for Social Ontology, ENSO III, Helsinki 23.-25.10.2013]

further info: arto.laitinen@uta.fi

Graduate school -course

Although a philosophy of action has been central to numerous philosophical systems from Plato to Kant, it is only in recent years that it has come to be seen as a subject in its own right. Topics in the philosophy of action range from questions about ontology and individuation to issues of agency and responsibility. Are actions events or processes? Are they caused by our reasons for performing them and if so where is agency to be located? If we always do what we think is best in what sense can we be held responsible for our mistakes? The course will consist of lectures and seminars (12 hours in total) addressing some of the central contemporary debates in the field via close readings of certain texts. The first day is dedicated to the nature of action and its relation to agents. The second day explores questions about motivation and explanation. The third day focuses on the age-old assumption that we always act in the light of some perceived good.

The participants are encouraged to read the following six papers in advance, the course will partly be in seminar format. There’s a separate list of background & further readings.