[SydPhil] The History and Philosophy of Linguistics reading group is back!

[Nick Riemer]

History and Philosophy of Linguistics Reading group

After a year’s recess, the History and Philosophy of Linguistics reading group will be resuming next week for a preliminary session at which we’ll discuss the time and programme for the rest of the year.

Tuesday, April 15, 5-6.30pm, Woolley S361.

We’ll get ourselves in the mood by discussing the following short article:

Dan Sperber. 2010. The Guru Effect. Review of Philosophy and Psychology 1 (4):583-592.

Abstract
Obscurity of expression is considered a flaw. Not so, however, in the speech or writing of intellectual gurus. All too often, what readers do is judge profound what
they have failed to grasp. Here I try to explain this “guru effect” by looking at the psychology of trust and interpretation, at the role of authority and argumentation, and
at the effects of these dispositions and processes when they operate at a population level where, I argue, a runaway phenomenon of overappreciation may take place.

Reading downloadable from: http://www.dan.sperber.fr/wp-content/uploads/guru-effect.pdf

Enquiries: nick.riemer at sydney.edu.au <http://nick.riemer@sydney.edu.au>

All welcome!
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