Professor Jan Derry, Professor John Vorhaus | Four two-hour sessions | Autumn: 18:30 - 20:30 (UK time) Tuesdays 11, 18, 25 November + 2 December (Room 828)
 

NB: This course accrues 3 training points.

A powerful strand of modern thought and culture, which is also pervasive in educational theory, is a deep scepticism about the idea and possibility of ‘truth; whether there is any such thing and whether we should bother about it. Scepticism arises partly because much of what we previously assumed to be true, and what was unquestioningly taught as true, turns out to be biased, self- serving or ideological. Hence, those who speak of truth at all often prefer to speak of ‘truth’, using scare quotes. But if that implies there is no objective truth, no truth that is free of self interest or bias, what does that imply for much of what is taught in education, including much of what is taught about what is taught in education? (Is none of what is taught true?) We will explore the concept of truth, what it is, the reasons for scepticism and how these might be resisted.

Related to scepticism about truth is unease about ‘knowledge’.  Knowledge is typically taken to include beliefs and statements that are not only true, but which we and others are justified in believing to be true. If knowledge implies justified true belief, how much knowledge is taught and learned under the name of history, sociology, economics, psychology and even many of the natural sciences? Doubts about knowledge incline many people towards views that emphasise the role of interpretation, the subjective perspective and our disposition to ‘construct’ how things are from the world we live in. These views are associated with such theories as constructivism and phenomenology, and these will be examined alongside theories that insist that we can acquire knowledge of a world that is independent of our biases, our constructions and our subjective viewpoints.

This course is suitable for students at any stage of their MPhil/PhD who would like a space to think about philosophical questions about mind and epistemology, and what these imply for your research.

A preparatory reading list can be found on the Course description page.