Research Line 1: Epistemology and Philosophy of Language
DESCRIPTION: In this research line, the treatment of epistemological issues is largely characterized by the “linguistic turn” (that is, its inflection through a logical-analytical philosophy of language and the incorporation of resources from contemporary logic), but it is neither subordinate nor restricted to it. The work in this line should also include reflection on the contemporary epistemological literature itself, as well as lead us both to fundamental questions in the theory of knowledge, as developed in classical philosophy, and to the very theses of the history of science. Accordingly, it may reflect on actual scientific research practices (especially those developed in UFBA’s graduate programs), questioning them at their foundations.
SYLLABUS: The syllabus of this research line presents three thematic fields. (i) Theory of knowledge and critique of the sciences in contemporary philosophy: investigation of theoretical and historical aspects of the philosophical concept of science; major thematic trends in the contemporary critique of science; the connections between the philosophical concept of science and the theses of the history of science. (ii) Knowledge and Language: major lines of investigation on systems of signification in contemporary philosophical discourse; language, reference, and truth; signification and inference; the linguistic turn in the theory of knowledge. (iii) Historical and theoretical perspectives of the philosophical inquiry into language: theoretical landmarks of logicism, logical empiricism, and analytical philosophy; semiotics and philosophy of language in pragmatism.
Research Line 2: Philosophy and Social Theory
DESCRIPTION: The research line in philosophy and social theory aims to address contemporary themes in political philosophy, also encompassing questions of social theory, ethics, philosophy, and culture, through engagement with tradition—since, in the 20th century, there has been a revival of topics such as the origin and foundation of the state, good governance, and property. Thus, it maintains an intense dialogue with the human sciences while preserving the autonomy and specificity of philosophical discourse.
SYLLABUS: Priority topics include: (i) delineation and analysis of problems in contemporary political philosophy and social theory, seeking to renew and deepen the dialogue with classical thinkers or other fields of knowledge (particularly the human sciences); (ii) the status of philosophical discourse: the distinction between theory and critique; (iii) the place of political philosophy and philosophical reflection on social theories in the face of the exhaustion of grand systems and the crisis of rationality.
Research Line 3: Problems of Phenomenology and Hermeneutics
DESCRIPTION: This research line is situated within the fields of phenomenology and hermeneutics—philosophical perspectives whose fundamental issues relate to the description of phenomena and the nature of meaning and understanding. Its objective is to carry out studies in the domain of phenomenological hermeneutics and its intersection with the human sciences, also encompassing topics related to sensibility, reception, and aesthetics.
SYLLABUS: This research line welcomes historical or systematic investigations on: (i) the genesis of phenomenology and hermeneutics; (ii) the transformation of phenomenology stricto sensu into hermeneutical phenomenology, discussing topics such as eidetic reduction, existential analytics, the hermeneutic circle, body, technology, sensibility, culture; and (iii) the developments of philosophical and phenomenological hermeneutics in contemporary philosophy and in related areas such as psychology, education, social sciences, and communication theory.