Philosophy possesses an inherent fascination.Yesterday, August 5th, 2024, the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, inaugurated the course "Fundamentals of Analytical Philosophy: Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein," taught by Dr. Trinh Huu Tue. The course features a guest presentation by Professor Ngo Bao Chau in the final segment on Frege. The course consists of 12 sessions and runs until August 28th, 2024. This is a free course for those studying or working in Philosophy, or who have a passion for Philosophy. The lecturer and speaker receive no remuneration.
Dr. Trinh Huu Tue in the Fundamentals of Analytical Philosophy class.
Dr. Trinh Huu Tue stated that his decision to teach the Fundamentals of Analytical Philosophy course at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, was "simply because I enjoy it." "I have a group of friends, and currently three of them are in this class. We've been discussing Gottlob Frege's *The Foundations of Arithmetic* (Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik), considered a masterpiece, for over a year. I want to continue that discussion on a broader scale," Dr. Trinh Huu Tue said.
According to Dr. Trinh Huu Tue, analytical philosophy is an indispensable part of any philosophy department. However, it seems that analytical philosophy has not received enough attention in the philosophy departments of universities in Vietnam. Meanwhile, many philosophy students in Vietnam are very enthusiastic when given the opportunity to discuss analytical philosophy.
Accepting the teaching role for the course with the mindset of "having fun is the main thing," Dr. Trinh Huu Tue did not set any goals or expectations for the course: "This class is already quite large. Initially, I thought perhaps only five or seven people would participate. But I suspect that very few will stay until the end; only those who really enjoy it will remain. This subject, if not thoroughly explained, will not be fun. Just briefly mentioning the main points is pointless."
When asked about how to attract more young people's interest in philosophy, Dr. Trinh Huu Tue said that this is not a major concern. Philosophy itself possesses a natural appeal, as it satisfies the thirst for knowledge – an inherent need of every individual.
Dr. Trinh Huu Tue observed: "Everywhere, philosophy is not for the masses. But there will always be a group of people who find philosophy fascinating, who find it interesting enough to give it adequate attention. There are things that are too vague, too difficult to understand, too abstract… making them very hard to grasp. But analytical philosophy is very concrete and clear; even if people don't understand it, they will still find something to understand."
We hope the community will have a more open-minded view of philosophy.According to Dr. Tran Thi Dieu, Deputy Head of the Philosophy Department, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, the Philosophy Department has long organized lectures and talks with the enthusiastic support of experts from both within and outside the country. For example, the department regularly holds a series of lectures to supplement the knowledge of natural sciences for lecturers and students, led by the Philosophy in Natural Sciences group, headed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Hai (Vice Director of Vietnam National University, Hanoi), with the participation of Prof. Ngo Bao Chau.
Dr. Trinh Huu Tue's introductory course in analytical philosophy has attracted considerable interest from students.
Dr. Tran Thi Dieu said: "Dr. Trinh Huu Tue's course on the Fundamentals of Analytical Philosophy is a long-awaited aspiration of the faculty and students of the Philosophy Department. In Vietnam today, there is a need to understand philosophy, but courses like this are still limited. Dr. Trinh Huu Tue is a researcher with many in-depth contributions in the field of linguistic philosophy, therefore, his lectures will certainly help lecturers and philosophy students gain deeper and broader knowledge."
During the sessions, speakers and readers will read and discuss classic works together, thereby teaching learners how to read, how to exchange ideas, and how to critically analyze. In particular, through this course, the Department of Philosophy hopes to spread the spirit of philosophy within the community, fostering a more open-minded perspective on philosophy.
"Initially, the organizers planned for Dr. Trinh Huu Tue to lecture in a classroom with approximately 20 seats. However, the number of registrations reached over 300, so the school arranged a larger classroom for the course, with a capacity of 40 people."
The student body is very diverse, encompassing all age groups (from 20 to 50-60 years old). There are lecturers from the Philosophy Department, philosophy researchers, postgraduate students, and undergraduate students majoring in philosophy. Notably, there are also some students from other academic disciplines. This registration process is a valuable source of information about the appeal of philosophy, demonstrating that philosophy, as a science, always holds its own unique place," shared Dr. Tran Thi Dieu.
Dr. Trinh Huu Tue currently works in Germany. He received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA and his Doctor of Science (Habilitation) from Humboldt University in Germany. His research focuses on syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and the early philosophy of Wittgenstein. His published articles include Synthese, Linguistics & Philosophy, Natural Language Semantics, and Journal of Pragmatics.
Thanh Nien Newspaper:How can philosophy become a more attractive field of study?
