Contemporary Western Philosophy (GATE XH) — Study Resources & PYQs
Frege’s Sense and Reference. Logical Positivism’s Verification theory of meaning, Elimination of Metaphysics. Moore’s Distinction between Sense and Reference, Defense of common-sense, Proof of an External World. Russell’s Logical Atomism, Definite Descriptions, Refutation of Idealism. Wittgenstein on Language and Reality, the Picture Theory, critique of private language, Meaning and Use, Forms of life. Gilbert Ryle on Systematically Misleading Expressions, critique of Cartesian dualism. W.V.O. Quine’s Two Dogmas of Empiricism. P.F. Strawson’s concept of Person. Husserl’s Phenomenological Method, Philosophy as a rigorous science, Intentionality, Phenomenological Reduction, Inter-subjectivity. Heidegger’s concept of Being (Dasein), Being in the world. Sartre’s Types of Being, Concept of Freedom, Bad-faith. Merleau-Ponty on Perception, Embodied Consciousness. William James’s Pragmatic Theories of Meaning and Truth, Varieties of Religious experience. John Dewey on Pragmatist Epistemology with focus on Inquiry, Fallibilism and Experience, Education. Nietzsche on the Critique of Enlightenment, Will to Power, Genealogy of Morals, Idea of Overman. Richard Rorty’s Critique of Representationalism. Habermas: Communicative Rationality.