Guest lectures on Semantic Naturalism

Mindaugas Gilaitis (Vilnius University) will deliver four lectures on semantic naturalism from 15.-18. October. His visit is funded by the Erasmus+ Teaching Mobility programme.

Mindaugas Gilaitis, PhD, is an assistant professor of philosophy at Vilnius University. His main research interests are in philosophy of language, philosophy of mind and action, epistemology and philosophical methodology. He has published on semantic naturalism and linguistic meaning, and is currently working on the project on semantic normativity.

Abstract of the lectures
Semantic naturalism – the philosophical doctrine that semantic concepts are concepts of the phenomena described by natural sciences – is the predominant idea in contemporary philosophy of language, philosophy of mind and philosophy of action. The lectures are dedicated to a conceptual investigation of some of its problems and presuppositions: the methodological background, the representational theory of mind, the idea of normativity of meaning and its consequences for semantic naturalism, and the question whether reason explanations are a type of causal explanations.

The schedule
1. 15.10 Tuesday 14.15-15.45 / room 114: Methodological Prolegomena
2. 16.10 Wednesday 12.15-13.45 / room 327: Meaning and Representation
3. 17.10 Thursday 18.15-19.45 / room 337: Meaning and Normativity
4. 18.10 Friday 12.15-13.45 / room 327: Reasons and Causes

It is possible to receive 1 ECTS for attending the lectures and writing a small essay. For this, register either for FLFI.00.110 Philosophy Conference I or FLFI.00.112 Philosophy Conference II.