Phil Mind (SFU)

Printable Syllabus

PHIL 343: Philosophy of Mind

Spring 2009

Tuesdays, 4:30-7:30 pm, SFU, AQ 4130

Instructor: Jonathan Tsou

Phone: 604-827-3605

Office Hours: Tuesdays, 2:30-4:00 pm, WMX 5607

Prerequisites: PHIL 100 and one of PHIL 201 (Epistemology) or 203 (Metaphysics), or COGS 200.

Course Description: This course examines some important historical and contemporary debates in the philosophy of mind. Topics covered in the course include alternative philosophical approaches to the mind-body problem (e.g., dualism, materialism, functionalism), the problem of explaining consciousness, intentionality, and propositional attitudes. Students will read a variety of philosophical perspectives on mind, including writings by René Descartes, Franz Brentano, Gilbert Ryle, Hilary Putnam, Jaegwon Kim, Ned Block, David Chalmers, and Daniel Dennett.

Course Texts:

• David J. Chalmers (ed.) (2002). Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings. New York: Oxford University Press. (Required)
• Jaegwon Kim (2006). Philosophy of Mind, 2nd edition. Cambridge, MA: Westview Press. (Recommended)

Course Evaluation:

i) Participation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15%

ii) Writing Assignment (5-7 pp.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35%

iii) Term paper (10-12 pp.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50%

Participation includes attendance (most of the participation grade will be based on attendance) as well as classroom participation. Students are expected to read the weekly readings carefully and be prepared to discuss them critically in class.

Students will have to complete a short writing assignment in week 9, and a longer final paper worth 50% of the grade. I will provide questions/ topics for both papers.

COURSE SCHEDULE: (Readings should be read prior to the date they appear under)

* Chalmers = David Chalmers (ed.). Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings.

* Kim = Jaegwon Kim. Philosophy of Mind, 2nd edition.

1. Introduction (Jan. 6)

• Recommended: David Chalmers, "Foundations" (Chalmers, pp. 1-9)

2. Foundations: Cartesian and Substance Dualism (Jan. 13)

• Rene Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, Meditations 2 and 6 (Chalmers, ch. 1, pp. 10-21)
• Rene Descartes, Passions of the Soul (Chalmers, ch. 2, pp. 21-23)
• Recommended: Jaegwon Kim, "Substance Dualism" (Kim, ch. 2, pp. 29-53)

3. Foundations: Behaviorism and Logical Behaviorism (Jan. 20)

• Gilbert Ryle, "Descartes' Myth" (Chalmers, ch. 5, pp. 32-38)
• Rudolf Carnap, "Psychology in Physical Language" (Chalmers, ch. 6, pp. 39-44)
• Recommended: Jaegwon Kim, "Mind as Behavior: Behaviorism" (Kim, ch. 3, pp. 55-80)

4. Foundations: Identity Theory (Jan. 27)

• U. T. Place, "Is Consciousness a Brain Process?" (Chalmers, ch. 8, pp. 55-60)
• J. C. Smart, "Sensations and Brain Processes" (Chalmers, ch. 9, pp. 60-68)
• Recommended: Jaegwon Kim, "Mind as the Brain: The Psychoneural Identity Theory" (Kim, ch. 4, pp. 81-114)

5. Foundations: Functionalism I (Feb. 3)

• Hilary Putnam, "The Nature of Mental States" (Chalmers, ch. 11, pp. 73-79)
• D. M. Armstrong, "The Causal Theory of the Mind" (Chalmers, ch. 13, pp. 80-87)
• Recommended: Jaegwon Kim, "Mind as a Computing Machine: Machine Functionalism" (Kim, ch. 5)

6. Foundations: Functionalism II (Feb. 10)

• Ned Block, "Troubles with Functionalism" (Chalmers, ch. 14, pp. 94-98)
• John Searle, "Can Computers Think?" (Chalmers, ch. 63, pp. 669-675)
• Recommended: Jaegwon Kim, "Mind as a Causal Structure: Causal Theoretical Functionalism" (Kim, ch. 6)

7. Midterm Break (Feb. 17)

• No Class

8. Consciousness: General I (Feb. 24)

• * * * * ASSIGNMENT DUE IN CLASS * * * *
• Thomas Nagel, "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" (Chalmers, ch. 25, pp. 219-226)
• Ned Block, "Concepts of Consciousness" (Chalmers, ch. 24, pp. 206-218)
• Recommended: David Chalmers, "Consciousness" (Chalmers, pp. 197-205)

9. Consciousness: General II (Mar. 3)

• David Chalmers, "Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness" (pp. 1-21) (Paper)
• Daniel Dennett, "Quining Qualia" (Chalmers, ch. 26, pp. 226-246)
• Recommended: Jaegwon Kim, "Consciousness" (Kim, ch. 8, pp. 205-237)

10. Consciousness: The Explanatory Gap (Mar. 10)

• Joseph Levine, "Materialism and Qualia: The Explanatory Gap" (Chalmers, ch. 35, pp. 354-361)
• Colin McGinn, "Can We Solve the Mind-Body Problem?" (Chalmers, ch. 38, pp. 394-405)
• Recommended: Ned Block and Robert Stalnaker, "Conceptual Analysis, Dualism, and the Explanatory Gap" (Chalmers, ch. 37, pp. 371-393)

11. Mental Content: Intentionality (Mar. 17)

• Franz Brentano, "The Distinction between Mental and Physical Phenomena" (Chalmers, ch. 44, pp. 479-484)
• Roderick Chisholm, "Intentional Inexistence" (Chalmers, ch. 45, pp. 484-491)
• Recommended: David Chalmers, "Content" (Chalmers, pp. 473-478)

12. Mental Content: Intentionality/ Propositional Attitudes (Mar. 24)

• Daniel Dennett, "True Believers: The Intentional Strategy and Why It Works" (Chalmers, ch. 52, pp. 556-568)
• Paul Churchland, "Eliminative Materialism and the Propositional Attitudes" (Chalmers, ch. 53, pp. 568-580)
• Recommended: Jaegwon Kim, "Mental Content" (Kim, ch. 9, pp. 239-272)

13. Mental Content: Propositional Attitudes (Mar. 31)

• Wilfrid Sellars, "Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind" (Chalmers, ch. 50, pp. 534-541)
• Jerry Fodor, "Propositional Attitudes" (Chalmers, ch. 51, pp. 542-555)

* * * * FINAL PAPER DUE: APRIL 10 * * * *

Important Dates/ Deadlines:

• Writing Assignment: due Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2009 (submit hardcopy in class)
• Final paper: due Friday, April 10, 2009 (submit hardcopy in my mailbox in the SFU philosophy department office by 4:00 pm)
• Late papers/ assignments are penalized 2% (of the assignment grade) per day up to 20%.

For a good philosophy of mind bibliography, see Mind Papers (maintained by David Chalmers and David Bourget)

Home