JH7 Philosophy of Mind
Charts the attempts in philosophy, psychology and cognitive science since the beginning the of 20th century to develop an alternative conception of the mind to Cartesian Dualism: one that is naturalistic, scientifically tractable and philosophically satisfactory. The discussion begins with Behaviourism, moving through early physicalist Identity Theories and recent forms of Functionalism. Along the way, such topics are explored as thought, subjectivity, qualia, mental causation, the analogy between mind and computer, and the dependence of thought-content on the environment.
Course lecturers: Dr Chris Lindsay & Dr Stuart Crutchfield
Semester: 2
Lecture hour: Tuesday and Thursday 11-12
Lecture venue: Rm C305, Joseph Black Building.
Key texts:
- John Heil (ed.), Philosophy of Mind: A Guide and Anthology (OUP) - Course reader
- David Braddon-Mitchell and Frank Jackson, Philosophy of Mind and Cognition (Wiley Blackwell)
- Jaegwon Kim, Philosophy of Mind (Westview)