95699 - Philosophy of Communication (1) (Lm)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student has acquired the ability to read texts and analyse issues concerningthe main authors, works, and problems of the philosophy of communication, with specific reference to the semiotic and philosophico-linguistictraditions, and with special attention tobibliographic recognition,historical and textual reconstruction, and critical interpretation

Course contents

Language, Communication, Intelligence

This year’s course is devoted to current debates on the origin, nature, biological and social function of communication and language. Two recent and very influential theoretical models will be presented and discussed in detail. (i) In the first part of the course, Michael Tomasello’s theory of the cooperative structure of human communication, which has both ontogenetic and phylogenetic components, is exposed. Tomasello argues that cooperative communication in humans emerged first in the natural gestures of pointing (indices) and pantomiming (icons) and then developed into conventional (symbolic) communication, itself first gestural and then vocal, on the basis of a “shared intentionality infrastructure”. In this perspective, human communication is a biological adaptation to cooperative social interaction in general (ii). All of this challenges the view that linguistic knowledge is innate. The second part of the course is devoted to a recent but influential book by Robert C. Berwick and Noam Chomsky on the nature and the evolution of language. The perspective of the book is biolinguistic and evolutionary. They argue that language – “the language faculty”, in brief, syntax and its computational properties – evolved primarily as an instrument of thought and only secondarily as an instrument for communication. In this perspective, human communication is not the driver in language appearance and evolution (phylogenetically speaking). (iii) The analysis of the debate on the evolution of language and communication provides a context for addressing the much-debated problem of the nature of communication and language in AI (artificial intelligence) programs and LLMs (large language models). The third part of the course will be devoted to this topic. What can the science of linguistics and the philosophy of language tell about the difference between the use of language and communication in humans and in machines? We will address this problem by taking advantage of some recent neurolinguistic experiments devised by Andrea Moro and his team.

Readings/Bibliography

M. Tomasello, Le origini della comunicazione umana, Milano, Cortina, 2009 (ed. or. Origins of Human Communication, Cambridge MA, The MIT Press, 2008)

R.C. Berwick, N. Chomsky, Perché solo noi. Linguaggio ed evoluzione, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2016 (ed. or. Why Only Us. Language and Evolution. Cambridge MA, The MIT Press, 2016)

N. Chomsky, “The False Promise of ChatGPT”, New York Times, March 8, 2023; trad. in Gli Asini maggio-giugno 108, nuova serie/2023.

A. Moro, “Embodied syntax: Impossible languages and the irreducible difference between humans and machines”, Sistemi intelligenti 2/2023, pp. 321–328

Teaching methods

Class lectures and seminar discussions. Active participation is encouraged.

Assessment methods

Examination is either oral or by submission of a short paper (tesina). The aim of the exam is to ascertain knowledgeand ability to discuss critically the theories and works under discussion in class. Vote is assigned according to the following evaluation levels:

30 cum laude: excellent performance showing soundness of knowledge, rich discursive articulation, appropriate expression, interest of critical contribution;

30: Excellent performance, complete, and appropriate knowledge, well-articulated and appropriately expressed, with interesting critical contributions;

29-27: Good performance, more than satisfactory knowledge, correct expression.

26-24: Standard performance, essential knowledge, but not comprehensive and/or not always correctly expressed;

23-21: Sufficient performance, general but superficial knowledge; often inappropriate expression and/or confused articulation of speech;

20-18: Poor performance, sufficient expression and articulation of speech with significant gaps;

<18: Insufficient performance, knowledge absent or very incomplete, lack of orientation in the discipline, poor and seriously flawed expression.

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders are entitled to special adjustments according to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact teachers or Department staff, but make an appointment with the Service. The Service will then determine what adjustments are specifically appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit the page:
https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations, audiovisual contents.. Copy of course materials will be made available in digital version on virtuale.unibo.it.

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Bellucci