心智哲學

Description This course provides an introduction to philosophy of mind and cognition. Throughout the course we will explore key questions related to the mind and cognitive states and processes. What exactly are minds? What types of capacities or processes are mental? Do mental states possess special properties? One of the most fundamental concerns in the philosophy of mind is the relationship between the body and the mind. We know intuitively that the body (brain) is important for the mind, but what precisely is the relation between them? Is the body an entirely distinct substance from the mind? Or is the mind really just the brain? Are there distinct mental properties and physical properties, and, if so, how do the mental and the physical interact? Do we need to have a brain in order to have a mind or mental states and processes? Or can mental states and processes be realised in things other than brains? Indeed, can machines have minds? Can our own minds extend out into the world of technology or are they fundamentally brain-bound? The course surveys the competing philosophical theories of mind, providing answers to these types of questions. In this way the course introduces students to key theories and ideas in philosophy of mind, focusing on the nature of the mind, its relation to the brain-body, and whether the mind and mental states and processes can be incorporated into our best scientific picture of the world.

English Language skills Analytic Skills

The goal of the course is to further students’ familiarity with some of the fundamental issues in philosophy of mind. By the end of the course students should be comfortable discussing some of the central problems in this field, offering critical responses to proposed solutions to these problems, and using their understanding to engage critically with the theories. Specifically, students should will be able to: 1. Demonstrate an awareness of central problems in Philosophy of Mind and Cognition. 2. Understand and analyse arguments in the relevant literature. 3. Critically evaluate these theories and arguments. 4. Develop their own views or perspectives through consideration and analysis of the views and arguments presented in the unit, and to present their own views with clarity and rigour. 5. Develop clarity of thought; clarity of verbal expression; clarity of written expression and exposition.

Students are requested to come to each class with 2–3 questions for discussion, and participation in the discussions will count for 20% of the final grade. Students will be required to write 5 short reflection pieces (max 500 words each, 30%), and a short final paper on a topic of their choice (1500 words, 50%).

Mandik, P. (2014). This is Philosophy of Mind: An Introduction. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.