| Unit name | Philosophy of Mind |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHIL20010 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Anya Farennikova |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Philosophy |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The unit is concerned with the nature of mind and its relation to the natural physical world. It divides into roughly two parts, the first dealing with metaphysical issues, the second epistemological ones. The metaphysical part deals with the question of the relation between a person's mind and his/her body and its states. In the epistemological part of the unit, we examine how a person knows about his/her own mind, and how he/she can know about the minds of others.
The aim of this course is to address a group of closely related questions: Is the mind identical to the brain? What are phenomenal properties? Are they reducible to the entities postulated by current science? How does the mind represent the world?
By the end of this module students will
(1) developed a detailed knowledge of and acquired an in-depth understanding of: [a] the mind/brain identity thesis; [b] functionalist theories of the mind; [c] phenomenal consciousness; and [d] theories of intentionality.
(2) gained familiarity with some of the central literature on (a)-(d)
(3) developed skills in the researching, reading and presentation of complex material, on these topics, as appropriate to Level-I.
11 lectures and 11 seminars
Formative: two 2,000-2500 word essays designed to test intended learning outcomes (1)-(3).
Summative: one 3-hour unseen exam designed to test intended learning outcomes (1)-(3).
