Phil.

704, Spring 2004 Epistemology

Prof. K. DeRose Tuesdays, 1:30-3:20, LC 204

Contextualism vs. Invariantism in Epistemology

Course Description: Our topic this semester will be: Contextualism vs. Invariantism (old and, especially, new) in Epis-
temology. We will read selections from Peter Unger's Philosophical Relativity and two papers by the instructor to get
up to speed on the old contextualism vs. invariantism debate. Then, for most of the semester, we will focus on very
recent (so recent that at the time I'm writing this, it's still forthcoming) work by Jason Stanley and John Hawthorne
that presents new arguments against contextualism, together with a new form of invariantism to compete against
contextualism.
The reading for this course will be extremely light. Assigned readings will consist of a short book, 30 pages of se-
lections from another short book, and four (or possibly five) journal articles, though most students will also read mate-
rial besides the assigned readings in the course of researching their paper. It's easy for seminars to assign many
times that much reading for a semester. This light reading load compensate for the writing, which will be relatively
heavy. See "Written Work," below. The idea is to read a small amount of literature, but to study in-depth, and to think
hard about it. The purpose of the regular writing assignments is to get you thinking about the assigned material for
each seminar meeting before that meeting takes place.

Enrollment: Due to the nature of the seminar, enrollment will have to be limited. If too many students want to take the
course (despite the frequent writing assignments -- see "written work," below), I will take information from each stu-
dent at the first meeting on Jan. 13, and post the names of those who are admitted on the evening of Jan. 13.

Instructor's Office hours: Tu, 9:30-11:00; CT 410

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Books: The following books will be available at Book Haven (290 York Street):

# PR: Peter Unger, Philosophical Relativity (Oxford UP).

# KL: John Hawthorne, Knowledge and Lotteries (Oxford UP).

KL will be a required text, but may not be available until later in the semester.
PR should be available by the start of the semester at Book Haven. It is recommended that you buy PR, but the
assigned portions of the book are also available in DeRose and Warfield, ed., Skepticism: A Contemporary Reader
(Oxford UP), which you may buy instead. The Skepticism anthology has the advantage that it also contains the es-
say "Solving the Skeptical Problem," which will be assigned for this course, together with many of the most important
papers on the topic of skepticism, which, though they are not assigned reading for this course, may be helpful for
those who write their papers on skepticism. But buying PR has the advantage of containing the unassigned portions
of PR, which will be important for those who decide to write their paper on Unger. That's why I recommend buying
PR at Bookhaven, and getting "Solving the Skeptical Problem" through JSTOR, to which you, as Yale students,
should have free access. Those who instead (or in addition) decide to buy Skepticism can buy it on-line by following
this link.

......

Written Work. Written requirements will consist of a 2-3 page paper proposal, due on Friday, Feb. 27, by 4:00; a pe-
nultimate draft of a 10-15 page course paper, due on Thursday, April 8, by 4:00; the course paper itself, due Tuesday,
April 20, at the start of our seminar meeting (if you don't wish to make any changes to the draft of the paper, then you
needn't turn anything in on April 20; if nothing is turned in then, the draft automatically becomes the final version of
the paper); and regular weekly writing assignments, described below.
Beggining the second week of classes, except where noted in the Schedule below, there will be a be a regular
short writing assignment for each meeting of our seminar, due on the day before the seminar meets (Monday), by
4:00. These regular writing assignments will consist of two parts: an approximately one-page summary of the reading
assigned for that week, and approximately two pages of critical commentary. The commentary should substantially
concern the new reading material for the week, and can, if you wish, be wholly about that new material, but it can
also, if you wish, relate the new material to previously assigned readings, or to related material that you have read
that is not assigned for the course.
All writing assignments must be completed to pass the course.

Other course requirements:Regular attendance of seminar meetings.

Phil. 704, Spring 2004 Epistemology
Prof. K. DeRose Tuesdays, 1:30-3:20, LC 204

Topics, Readings and Schedule:

Jan. 13: Course Introduction

Jan. 20: Unger

Read: Peter Unger, Philosophical Relativity, pp. 3-13.1, 21-25.2, 35.6-40.7, 46-54.9, 28.6-30.3. Also in
Skepticism (read all the material from PR that's in Skepticism).

Jan. 27: DeRose

Read: Keith DeRose, "Solving the Skeptical Problem." On-line at JSTOR here. Also in Skepticism.

Feb. 3: DeRose
Read: Keith DeRose, "Assertion, Knowledge, and Context"

Feb. 10: Stanley

Read: Jason Stanley, "On the Linguistic Basis for Contextualism," sections 1-3. Right now, available in
pre-print form at the Philosophical Studies web site here: Click on "forthcoming papers," then on Stanley's
paper.

Feb. 17: Stanley

Read: sections 4-6 of "On the Linguistic Basis for Contextualism"

Feb. 24: Stanley

Read: Jason Stanley, "Context, Interest-Relativity, and Knowledge," a draft of a paper still in preparation.
Copies will be made available. [If Stanley's paper isn't ready on time, the reading will instead be Chapter
1 of Hawthorne's Knowledge and Lotteries.]
Writing: In addition to the regular writing assignment, turn in a 2-3 page paper proposal, due Friday, Feb.
27, by 4:00.

March 2: Hawthorne
Read: John Hawthorne, Knowledge and Lotteries, Chapters 1 and 2.
Optional: Keith DeRose, "Assertion, Knowledge, and Lotteries"
Writing: Only about Hawthorne; no writing assigned on the optional reading

March 23: Hawthorne

Read: Knowledge and Lotteries, Chapter 3.

March 30: Hawthorne

Read: Knowledge and Lotteries, Chapter 4.

April 6: Ludlow
Read: "Contextualism and the New Linguistic Turn in Epistemology"
Writing: Draft of paper due on Thursday, April 8, by 4:00. No regular writing assignment.

April 13: No Regular Meeting. Appointments to discuss paper drafts.

Writing: No writing assignment.

April 20: Ludlow, continued; wrap-up

Writing: Paper due at beginning of seminar meeting if changes have been made to the draft. If nothing is
handed in at this time, the draft automatically becomes the final version of the paper. No regular writing
assignment.