PHI 566 - BAD LANGUAGE: PROPAGANDA, LIES, AND BULLSHIT

College of Arts and Sciences

Credit(s): 3

This course concerns the use of language as a tool for political expression, activism, and oppression. Recent work in the Philosophy of Language has addressed the nature of propaganda, the nature and function of lies and bullshit, and the many other subtle ways language can be used to mislead and manipulate. This work bears obviously on timely questions of politics and justice. But it also exhibits and benefits from the precision and empirical rigor characteristic of the best kind of work in Philosophy of Language. This course will survey and critically engage with contemporary work on propaganda, slurs, lies, bullshit, ‘dog-whistling’, insinuation, and more generally on the language we use to debate, critique, and shape our political life and social institutions. This course may not be used to satisfy any requirement in the Philosophy BA, MA, or PhD.

Approved for Distance Learning.