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Philosophy 342: Philosophy of Mind |
Prof. Warren Schmaus |
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TR 3:00 - 5:40 |
Office: 228 Siegel Hall |
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Room: 204 Siegel Hall |
Mailbox: 218 Siegel Hall |
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Office Hrs: TR 1:00 - 3:00, 228 Siegel Hall |
Email: schmaus@iit.edu |
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Phone: x 7-3473 |
course syllabus
What is the relationship between the mind and the body? Is the mind the same thing as the brain or is it something else? Can we explain our conscious experience in terms of what goes on in our nerve cells? Could a computer think the way we do? How can mere thoughts cause things to happen in a physical universe? Is it merely a delusion on our part to believe that our thoughts do matter? Does evolutionary theory shed light on any of these problems? How will our answers to these questions affect the way we choose to study psychology – the science of the mind? These are the sorts of questions we will discuss in this course.
This course will begin with a brief introduction to the history of philosophical thinking about the mind, especially the theory of mind-body dualism, the view that the mind and body are two distinct substances. After discussing the problems with that view, we will then turn to a survey of more recent philosophical theories of the mind, including behaviorism, materialism, and functionalism.
We will then consider what light, if any, the cognitive sciences and neurosciences may shed on these philosophical problems. Some philosophers hold that consciousness presents the most difficult problem for any scientific study of the mind, so we will focus on this one. Are the methods of the sciences sufficient for understanding consciousness? Or does this require some special philosophical method distinct from that of the sciences? Or is the phenomenon of consciousness beyond human understanding?
Required Texts:
Churchland, Patricia Smith, Brain-Wise: Studies in Neurophilosophy, (BW)
Clark, Andy, Mindware: An introduction to the philosophy of cognitive science (MW)
Heil, John, ed. Philosophy of Mind: A guide and anthology. (PM)
Course requirements:
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3 500-word essays, 8 points each, due 6/16, 6/23, 7/7 |
24 % |
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8 Surprise quizzes |
10 % |
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Class Participation |
10 % |
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Research Project: |
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7/5 |
Proposal: Title, description, bibliography |
4 % |
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7/14 |
4 - page progress report |
12 % |
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7/21 – 7/26 |
Class presentation |
12 % |
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7/28 |
8 - 10 - page final paper |
28 % |
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Total for project: |
56 % |
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Total: |
100 % |
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The three 500-word essays will be based on material covered in class. These will be due on June 16, June 23, and July 7. Each will count 8 % of your grade. In addition, there will be approximately 8 quizzes, which typically consist of 7 true-and-false questions and one 3-point question that requires a written answer. Your average quiz grade will count for 10 % of your final grade. Students may make up missed quizzes only if they have an excused absence. Valid excuses concern things that are outside a student’s control, such as an out-of-town trip by a sports team or ROTC unit, an illness, or other medical problem. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the professor ahead of time when the student knows he or she will be absent from class. Class participation and attendance will count towards another 10 % of your grade.
Every student will be responsible for a library research paper of about 8 - 10 pages and a 10 -15 minute presentation based on that paper. The topic may be drawn either from the history of the philosophy of mind or from related work in the cognitive sciences, artificial intelligence, or the neurosciences. A list of suggested topics is linked to the on-line syllabus. Alternative topics may be worked out with the professor. There will be a class visit to Galvin Library on June 21 to introduce you to some of the research tools available to you.
This research project will proceed through a series of guided stages, each of which shall contribute towards your grade for the course.
· First each student will turn in a proposal, including a tentative title, a one-paragraph description of the topic to be investigated, and a tentative bibliography of at least three reputable sources. This will be returned with comments by the professor.
· The next stage will be a progress report of about 1000 words, in either prose or outline form. It should also include the current bibliography on a separate page. You may think of this progress report as serving as the basis of the class presentation.
· The third stage is a class presentation of about 10 to 15 minutes. No particular audiovisuals are required for the class presentation; anything from chalk to power point is acceptable. Grades will be based on the content of your presentation and not on the technology employed.
· Comments on this progress report and class discussion generated by your class presentation will then provide you with feedback for writing your final paper. The final research paper is due on the last scheduled day for this course, July 28, and serves in place of the final exam.
All written work, including the essays, the research proposal, the progress report, and the final paper, are to be double-spaced and in an 11 or 12-point font, and turned in as hard copy. Plagiarized work receives a failing grade and cannot be made up.
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with documented disabilities. In order to receive accommodations, students must obtain a letter of accommodation from the Center for Disability Resources and speak with me about it as soon as possible. The Center for Disability Resources is located in 218 Life Sciences. You can also call them at 312-567-5744 or email them at disabilities@iit.edu.
I will be providing notes on the web for all of the classes, which should help you with the short essays as well as the quizzes. Take your web browser to the web site named above (not to Blackboard). There you will find this syllabus with highlighted links to lecture outlines (in parentheses), paper topic assignments, and a guide to paper writing.
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Date |
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Assignment (All required unless otherwise indicated) |
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6/7 |
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Introduction to course. Descartes on people, machines, and animals. Handout from Discourse on Method, V (Discourse). |
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6/9 |
R |
Descartes’s Mind-Body Dualism. Meditations, II, VI, with objections and replies. PM, pp. 16-18, 36-58 (Descartes). FIRST ESSAY WILL BE ASSIGNED. DUE: 6/16 |
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6/14 |
T |
Locke, Empiricism, and Behaviorism. PM, pp. 18-20, 59-67, 75-79, 85-104 (empiricism). |
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6/16 |
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Materialism and
Functionalism. PM, pp. 79-84, 116-127, 139-149, 168-182;
recommended: MW, ch. 1 (materialism;
Fodor).
FIRST ESSAY DUE. SECOND
ESSAY WILL BE ASSIGNED. DUE: 6/23. |
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6/21 |
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Visit to Galvin Library from 3 to 4:15. Class resumes in 109 Perlstein at 4:30. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence. PM, pp. 205-234 (Turing). |
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6/23 |
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The Chinese Room. PM, pp. 235-266; recommended: MW, ch. 2 (Searle). SECOND ESSAY DUE. |
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6/28 |
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Dennett’s Intentional Stance. PM, pp. 277-279, 298-320; recommended: MW ch. 3. Eliminative Materialism. PM, pp. 357-364, 382-400 (Dennett; PMChurchland). |
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6/30 |
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Eliminative Materialism and Connectionism, cont’d. PM, pp. 401-413,; MW, ch. 4; BW, pp. 283-308 (PMChurchland, cont’d.; connect). THIRD ESSAY ASSIGNED. DUE: 7/7 |
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7/5 |
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Property dualist arguments. PM, pp. 521-527, 528-538, 762-771 (Nagel; Jackson). PROPOSALS DUE. |
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7/7 |
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For and against property dualism. PM, pp. 539-552, 599-606, 617-640 (Levin; Chalmers). THIRD ESSAY DUE. |
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7/12 |
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Other perspectives on consciousness. PM, pp. 781-806 (McGinn; Hardcastle). |
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7/14 |
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Consciousness, mindware, and neuroscience. MW, Appendix II; BW, pp. 127-170 (Clark; Churchland4a). PROGRESS REPORTS DUE. |
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7/19 |
T |
Consciousness and neuroscience, cont’d. BW, pp. 171-199 (Churchland4b). |
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7/21 |
R |
Student presentations. |
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7/26 |
T |
Student presentations, cont’d. |
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7/28 |
R |
Remaining student presentations, if any. FINAL PAPERS DUE at 3:00 p.m. |