PHIL 351 Philosophy of Mind
- PHIL 250/6.0 or PHIL 251/3.0 or PHIL 252/3.0 or permission of the Department
None
one-way Exclusions
- Seminars
- Crane, T. 2016. The Mechanical Mind: A Philosophical Introduction to Minds, Machines and Mental Representation, 3rd Edition. Routledge. (MM in the calendar)
- Gallagher, S. 2017. Enactivist Interventions: Rethinking the Mind, 1st Edition. Oxford University Press. (EI in the calendar)
- miscellaneous handouts (available from our class OnQ site)
Instructor: Nancy Salay
In this course, we will examine some of the major questions concerning the nature and functioning of the mind, as discussed in contemporary analytic philosophy and phenomenology, by way of a central guiding question: Does the mind function by representing and, if yes, how does it do this? Some of the specific discussions we will investigate include (not necessarily in this order):
• Is cognition a form of computation, that is, are minds computers? Or is that a misguided metaphor?
• Are there mental states? If yes, what sorts of things might these be?
• What are concepts? Are concepts in minds or extended across language-use behaviour?
• What role does language play in mind: is it a consequence or a condition of it?
• What exactly is a mind? Is it a thing having a location? Or is it better thought of as a set of capacities? Is it contained within a brain? Or does it extend across the tools that mind depends upon?
• Do minds (thoughts) cause behaviour? If yes, how?
• What is consciousness? What role does it play in cognition?
Learning Outcomes
Assessments
Assessments
50%: 2 papers (25% each) (see separate instructions)
30%: 2 tests (15% each) in class
10%: 5 Posts/Discussions (2% each)
10%: 5 In-class Activities (2% each) 50%: 2 papers (25% each) (see separate instructions)
30%: 2 tests (15% each) in class
10%: 5 Posts/Discussions (2% each)
10%: 5 In-class Activities (2% each)