The seminar is free for PhD student members of the OZSW, but please register before May 16th.

Seminar: Understanding the analytic-continental division from a historical perspective

organized by the PhD council of the OZSW (Dutch Research School of Philosophy)

Many think that there is a genuine distinction between analytic and continental philosophy. The notion of being an analytic philosopher or of being a continental philosopher is successfully used to refer to different philosophers. For example, David Chalmers and Williard Van Orman Quine are analytic philosophers without any doubt. Likewise, Jaques Derrida and Martin Heidegger are continental philosophers. Others regard the analytic-continental divide as obsolete and think of these terms as mere labels without much content.

This seminar brings together different perspectives on the analytic-continental division. Whereas there is no single continental tradition, analytic philosophy seems to be based on a manageable number of origins. It is a commonly held view that Russell, Moore, Carnap, Wittgenstein and Frege are the fathers of analytic philosophy. The seminar will discuss topics that evolve out of the work of these philosophers. From a historical perspective questions arise about the influence of other philosophers such as Bolzano, Husserl or Meinong on the analytic tradition. To which extent is the analytic tradition rooted in earlier philosophies, e.g., in the work of Kant or in ancient philosophy? What are the topics in early analytic philosophy that are important for young researchers of our generation that regard themselves as continental or historical philosophers?

The aim of the seminar is to present different perspectives on the analytic-continental division. We will discuss the relevance of the ideas in the philosophy of the founding figures of analytic philosophy for current philosophy students working in any tradition.

The invited speakers are:

• Franca D’Agostini (Polytechnic University of Turin), who works on the comparison between analytic and continental traditions and the history of the distinction between analytic and continental philosophy.
• Maria van den Schaar (Leiden University), who is specialized in the history of analytic philosophy and early phenomenology.
• Paul Ziche (Utrecht University), who argues that the gap between continental and analytical philosophy is overestimated from a historical perspective.

Time schedule:
11:00   Welcome
11:30   1st speaker
12:30   Lunch
13:30   2nd speaker
14:30   3rd speaker
15:30   Closing discussion
16:30   End