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263-5353-00L 3 Credits DS , MSC , WBZ D-GESS , D-INFK

Philosophy of Language and Computation I

Lecturers & Examiners: Dr. Juan Luis Gastaldi, Prof. Dr. Ryan Cotterell
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:14:10

Abstract

This graduate class, partly taught like a seminar, is designed to help you understand the philosophical underpinnings of modern work in natural language processing (NLP), most of which centered around statistical machine learning applied to natural language data.

Objective

Understand the philosophical underpinnings of language-based artificial intelligence.

Content

This graduate class, partly taught like a seminar, is designed to help you understand the philosophical underpinnings of modern work in natural language processing (NLP), most of which is centered around statistical machine learning applied to natural language data. The course is a two-semester-long journey, but the second half (PLC II) does not depend on the first (PLC I) and thus either half may be taken independently. In each semester, we divide the class time into three modules. Each module focuses on a philosophical topic. This time (PLC I), we will discuss logicist, structuralist, and generativist approaches to language, while in the second part (PLC II), we will focus on language games, information theory, and critical perspectives on meaning. The modules will be four weeks long. Half of each module will be devoted to reading and discussing theoretical texts and supplementary criticism. In the other half, we will read recent NLP papers and discuss how they relate to philosophical insights into our conception of language—perhaps implicitly or unwittingly. The course is designed to foster fruitful exchanges between students from different disciplinary horizons, especially between the STEM and the Humanities. As such, no prior knowledge of CS/AI/NLP or Philosophy is assumed. We particularly encourage humanities students to enroll in this course, as we plan to pair students in cross-disciplinary tandems.

Resources

Literature

The literature will be provided by the instructors on the class website. It includes classical philosophical and theoretical texts from the logicist tradition (e.g. Frege, Russell), structuralism (e.g. Saussure), and generativist linguistics (e.g. Chomsky), as well as many texts within the state of the art of Natural Language Processing.

Learning Materials (Links)

General Information

Language
English
Levels
DS , MSC , WBZ

Examination

Type
graded semester performance
The course will require a weekly reading of around 30 pages (with relatively high variance at times) and weekly tasks related to the reading, which are to be completed online. The weekly tasks are short and not graded; however, to pass the class, at least 70% of the tasks must be completed. The final grade will be based on one class presentation (in teams) and one individual oral evaluation, supported by a short text (1-2 pages maximum), at the end of the semester. The oral evaluation will include a presentation of a topic of the student's choice, followed by an open discussion with the teaching team. Ideally, the topic corresponds to a module other than the one already addressed in the class presentation, and the students will be expected to explore the relation of the topics discussed in class to work not presented in class, focusing on the connection between the philosophy of language and NLP. For example, discussing how recent NLP papers implicitly assumed or contradicted a structuralist or a logicist perspective on language would be a good topic.

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture Philosophy of Language and Computation I
  • Tue 18:15-19:00 (ML F 38)
1 h weekly
exercise Philosophy of Language and Computation I
  • Tue 19:15-20:00 (ML F 38)
1 h weekly

Offered In