Philosophy 951: Philosophy of Mind

Welcome to Philosophy 951: Philosophy of Mind

Prof. Larry Shapiro
Office Hours W 2:30-3:30, 5111 HC White Hall

 

 

The purpose of this graduate seminar is to familiarize you with classic readings on central topics in the philosophy of mind. The topics we will discuss include logical behaviorism, identity theory, functionalism, anomalous monism, multiple realization, consciousness, intentionality, propositional attitudes, and externalism.

 

 

 

 

 

Readings

All readings are in Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings, D. Chalmers (ed.). The book is available at University Bookstore on Library Mall. Following is a list of the readings. We will go in order and I will announce in class which readings will be required in subsequent classes.

Foundations

  1. Descartes' Myth, Gilbert Ryle
  2. Is Consciousness a Brain Process?, U.T. Place
  3. The Nature of Mental States, Hilary Putnam
  4. Psychophysical and Theoretical Identifications, David Lewis (link to slides HERE)
  5. Troubles with Functionalism, Ned Block
  6. Mental Events, Donald Davidson (link to slides HERE)
  7. Special Sciences, Jerry Fodor
  8. Multiple Realization and the Metaphysics of Reduction, Jaegwon Kim
  9. The Many Problems of Mental Causation, Jaegwon Kim

Consciousness

  1. What is it Like to be a Bat?, Thomas Nagel
  2. Epiphenomenal Qualia, Frank Jackson
  3. What Experience Teaches, David Lewis
  4. Naming and Necessity, Saul Kripke
  5. Imaginability, Conceivability, Possibility and the Mind-Body Problem, Christopher Hill
  6. Materialism and Qualia: The Explanatory Gap, Joseph Levine
  7. Can We Solve the Mind-Body Problem, Colin McGinn
  8. Explaning Consciousness, David Rosenthal
  9. Conscious Experience, Fred Dretske

Content

  1. A Recipe for Thought, Fred Dretske
  2. Biosemantics, Ruth Millikan
  3. The Intentionality of Phenomenology and the Phenomenology of Intentionality, Terence Horgan and John Tienson
  4. Propositional Attitudes, Jerry Fodor
  5. True Believers: The Intentional Strategy and Why it Works, Daniel Dennett
  6. Eliminative Materialism and the Propositional Attitudes, Paul Churchland
  7. Individualism and the Mental, Tyler Burge
  8. Anti-Individualism and Privileged Access, Michael McKinsey
  9. What an Anti-Individualist Knows A Priori, Anthony Brueckner

Miscellaneous

  1. The Extended Mind, Andy Clark and David Chalmers
  2. Can Computers Think?, John Searle
Course Requirements

You will have to write three papers. Papers should be around six to eight pages in length. You will be responsible for deciding on a topic for each paper, but you must draw the topics from each of the first three collections of readings that we cover. Each paper will be worth 30% of your grade. Class participation will constitute the final 10% of your grade.

Due Dates:

Paper 1: October 12
Paper 2: November 16
Paper 3: December 14

Class will not meet on November 23.