PHIL 224 - Philosophy of Mind

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

This course is a general introduction to contemporary analytic philosophy of mind. We start with fundamental ontological questions, such as: What makes something a mind? Are minds separate from bodies? Can computers have minds? We will inquire into animal minds and developments in artificial intelligence technology to investigate these ideas further. We then move into the issue of the nature of consciousness: can science account for what it feels like to be a sentient creature? How does the brain contribute to unified experiences? We end with a topic chosen by course participants, which might include studying the senses, animal communication, the structure of concepts, the nature of imagination, the ethics of emotions, or other topics. Lectures and readings in the course include contemporary work in psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience. Sofia Ortiz-Hinojosa.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS