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Syllabus: Philosophy of Silence

Some speak ... and say nothing.Some are silent ... because they have nothing to say.Some are silent ... to listen.Some are silent ... so as not to tell the truth.Some are silent ... because they are afraid.Some are silent ... because they are proud.Some are silent ... and in their own way eloquent.God is the most eloquent of all those who are silent.- Davide Melodia

Language has always been a central theme in philosophy. How do we reach each other through the medium of language? If we all use language to affect one another, whatdoes silence mean? Is silence active or passive? What is the essence of truecommunication?This course is designed for students in philosophy, comparative literature, or culturalstudies. Using both historical and contemporary texts in a variety of media, we willexamine the meanings and roles of silence in communication, particularly within thecontext of contemporary Continental philosophy and critical thought.There are four required texts:Blodgett, E.D., ed.(1989) Silence, the word and the sacred: essays. Kalamaras, George. (1994) Reclaiming the Tacit Dimension: Symbolic Form in theRhetoric of Silence. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.Steiner, George. ( 1958) Language and Silence: Essays on Language, Literature, and theInhuman. New Haven: Yale University Press.Walker, Michelle Boulous. (1998) Philosophy and the Maternal Body: Reading Silence.London: Routledge.In addition, students may be assigned articles or chapters from the texts listed below, allof which will be available on reserve or provided in a packet of xeroxed materials.

Nancy Billias - Syllabus1

Weeks 1 -3 Introduction

January 22

Week 1

Introduction

to the concept: functions and forms of silence. Forms in manymedia: mime, music, sign language. Values negative (secrecy, exclusion, protest,complicity, fear, despair) and positive (listening, concentration, intimacy, contemplation,self-transcendence); cultural, psychological, creative, spiritual, rhetorical uses of silence;the ethics and aesthetics of silent communication.O Mordha, Sean. (1992) Silence to silence: A life of Samuel Beckett. Princeton, NJ:Films for the Humanities and Sciences. [Videorecording (excerpts)]

January 29

Week 2: Framing the Question

We begin with an exploration of Habermas’ theory of communicative action. Where does communication occur in human interaction?1) Taylor, C. (1991) “Language and Society,” in Honneth, A. and Joas, H., ed.Communicative action: Essays on Habermas’ theory of communicative action.Cambridge: MIT Press. (Packet)2) “Humane Literacy” and “The Retreat from the Word” in Steiner.

Feb. 5

Week 3: Finding meaning in silence

What can silences mean in the context of socialdiscourse? How we interpret silences says a lot about how we interpret the texts andsubtexts of our discourse with one another.Silvers, Ronald J. “Discourse in a Search for a Communicative Relationship,” and “ASilence within phenomenology,” in Darroch, V. and Silvers, R., ed. (1982) Interpretivehuman studies: An introduction to phenomenological research. (On reserve)

Weeks 4 - 8 The ethics of silence: Political and philosophical theory

Feb. 12 and 19

Weeks 4 - 5: Oppressive silence

We examine the ways in which silence can be used as a tool of oppression, persuasion,coercion, of social control or social change. Students will be delegated to report on oneof the following:1) Aretxaga, Begona. (1997) “Opening the space of interpretation,” in Shatteringsilence: Women, nationalism and political subjectivity in Northern Ireland.2) “The Hollow Miracle” in Steiner.3) “The Writer and Communism” in Steiner.4) Chapters 5 and 6 in Walker.

Feb. 26

Week 6: Women’s silence

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Here we will look at what contemporary feminist theory can contribute to a philosophyof silence. Students will be delegated to report on one of the following:1) Blunt, Judy. “Lessons in Silence,” in The stories that shape us: Contemporary womenwrite about the West. ed. by Teresa Jordan and James Hepworth (1995).2) Trites, Roberta. (1997) “Transforming feminine silence: Pro/claiming women’svoices,” in Trites (1997) Waking Sleeping Beauty: Feminine voices in children’snovels.3) Walker, chapter 1, 2, 3 or 4.

Spring Break March 12

Week 7: The silence of “Others”

How does silence give voice to those who are not heard? This week we listen to somevoices from outside of the mainstream of American society: migrant workers, refugees,Deaf culture. One of the following: (Copies of each are on reserve)1) Hoffman, Eva. (1989) Lost in translation: a life in a new language.2) Mckenna, Teresa. (1997) “On lies, secrets and silence,” in Migrant song: Politics and process in contemporary Chicano Literature.3) Padden, Carol and Humphries, Tom. (1988) Deaf in America: Voices from a culture.Cambridge: Harvard University Press.March 19

Week 8: Silence considered: Phenomenology and Existentialism

Having considered the topic from different perspectives over the last six weeks, we willreconsider Habermas’ theory of communicative action, taking our philosophical inquiryone step deeper.Kalamaras, ch 1, 2, or 3

Midterm paper (7 - 10 pgs)

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