Jean-François Méthot
Full Professor, Faculty of philosophy
T 613-233-5696 ext 323
jf.methot@dominicanu.ca
Office: 323
The study of philosophy is an extraordinary adventure that offers a vast territory to explore with others. It is as though anyone who travels there long enough inevitably becomes a guide.
Various branches of philosophy interest me, starting with philosophy of language, as the topic of my doctoral thesis (University of Ottawa, 1993) demonstrates: Qu’est-ce que le récit? Herméneutique et sémiotique à l’épreuve de la grammaire philosophique de Wittgenstein. My research on meaning—search for meaning—provided me direction, an approach with regard to philosophy.
I have been teaching philosophy since 1987. I began with courses in engineering ethics and business ethics at the University of Ottawa. In 1989, I came to lecture at Dominican University College (DUC) in logic and philosophy of science. Appointed a regular faculty member in 1992, I also took on administrative duties, as Director of the Department of Philosophy, then Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Vice-President (Administration) and Vice-President (Academic). Now full professor, I am dedicated to teaching, research and thesis direction.
My fields of specialization, other than philosophy of language, are epistemology and applied ethics. My involvement in this area grew out of an ethics course I taught at the University of Ottawa and many years of collaboration in the Defence Ethics Program of the Ministry of Defence, Canada, a most rewarding experience. I am also interested in modern philosophy, in particular that of Descartes and his narrative strategies, with a view to the deconstruction of his geometric method ideal.
I have enjoyed the honour of directing several DUC theses at both the master’s and the doctorate levels pertaining to ethics, philosophy of language and hermeneutics. I believe that I have guided and defended my students well.
For a full list of lectures, click here.
- Ethics I
- Philosophy of Culture
- Ricœur, Taylor and Parfit on Personal Identity
- Introduction to Philosophy
- Analytic Philosophy
- Philosophy of Science
- Philosophy of Language
- Epistomology
- Descartes
Seminars Taught in the Past:
- Philosophie des sciences et histoire des idées
- Ricœur, Taylor et Parfit sur l’identité personnelle
- Les « styles » et l’épistémologie historique
- Descartes et la narrativité
- Le relativisme épistémologique
- L’archéologie de Michel Foucault
- Les Investigations philosophiques de Wittgenstein
- Aristote, Philosophe du Langage
Books
La communauté franco-ontarienne, Un peuple, ses droits et son destin, (dir. avec Marc Cousineau), Collection Fleur-de-trille, Institut franco-ontarien, 2001.
Chapters in Books
‘Traditional’ vs ‘Post-Modern’ History: The Contribution of Narrative”, dans Sweet, W., The Philosophy of History: A Reexamination, Ashgate Publishing Co., pp. 223-233.
« Wittgenstein and Jaspers on the Demarcation Between Science and Philosophy », dans Karl Jaspers’ Philosophy : Rooted in the Present, Paradigm for the Future, R. Wisser et L.H. Erlich, Dir. Königshausen & Neumann, 2003.
“Philosophical Therapy and Narrativity”, in Hintikka, J. et Puhl, K., Collected Papers of the 17th International Wittgenstein Symposium, Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society, Kirchberg Am Wechsel, Autriche, 1994.
Articles - Peer Reviewed
Aristote, Critique de Platon : Remarque sur le récit mimétique, Science et esprit, 72, 1-2, 2020, 223-230.
« Louis-Marie Régis ou les ressources de la narrativité en histoire de l’épistémologie », Science et esprit, 71, 2, 2019, 221-229.
« La tolérance est-elle une vertu épistémique? », in Science et esprit, 64, 1, (2012), pp. 15-24.
« Embrayages narratifs en philosophie cartésienne » in Dialogue, 49, (2010), pp 547-559.
Remarques sur la formalisation de Qo 1,18 : « Qui augmente la connaissance augmente la souffrance » Science et esprit, 59, 1, 2007
« Temps marqué, temps neuf, présentation du thème en philosophie », Science et esprit, 52, (2), Winter 2001, pp. 7-10.
« Sur le statut de la morale chez Descartes et Wittgenstein » dans L'esprit cartésien (Actes du Congrès de l'ASPLF de 1996), Librairie philosophique Vrin, Paris, 2000.
« Le temps des philosophes », dans Nouveau Dialogue, no 127, nov.-déc. 1999, Montréal, pp. 10-12.
« Temporalité et narrativité: Pour penser dans les deux traditions », dans Science et Esprit, 50, 2, 1998.« La raison comme usage », Études maritainiennes, no 13, 1997, pp. 78-97
« Les actes du congrès international d'herméneutique » (Étude critique), Science et esprit, 48,1, 1996, pp. 223-227.« Savoirs et humanisme chez Foucault », dans Carrefour, vol. 9, no 2, 1988.
« L'anthropologie de l'interprétation ou le discours funambule », dans La petite revue de philosophie, Vol. 5, no 2, 1984.
Book Reviews
Charles, Sébastien et Syliane Malinowski-Charles, éds. Descartes et ses critiques, Renaissance et réforme, (no. 38:1, hiver 2015).
C. Kennedy, An Ontology of Trash, The Disposable and its Problematic Nature, in Science et esprit, 63, 1, 2011.
Pederito A. Aparece, Teaching, Learning and Community. An Examination of Wittgensteinian Themes Applied to the Philosophy of Education, in Science et esprit, 59, 1, 2007.
R. C. Solomon and D. Sherman, eds., The Blackwell Guide to Continental Philosophy, Science et esprit, 57, (1), 2005, pp. 90-94.
M. Lagueux, Actualité de la philosophie de l’histoire; l’histoire aux mains des philosophes, Science et esprit, 56, (1), 2004, pp. 139-141.
G. Walters, Human Rights in an Information Age, A Philosophical Analysis, in Science et esprit, vol. 55 (1), 2003, pp. 114-6.
Thomas De Koninck, La nouvelle ignorance ou le problème de la culture, in Science et esprit, 54 (2), 2002, pp. 248-9.
Wilfred Cantwell Smith, Modern Culture from a Comparative Point of View, Science et esprit, vol 52., no. 2, (2000), pp. 258-260.
J.M. Ferry, L'éthique reconstructive, dans Science et esprit, 50, 1, 1998.