Universität Wien

180128 VO Philosophy of Mind (2021S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 18 - Philosophie
Moodle

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Details

Language: English

Examination dates

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 09.03. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 16.03. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 23.03. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 13.04. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 20.04. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 27.04. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 04.05. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 11.05. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 18.05. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 01.06. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 08.06. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 15.06. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital
  • Tuesday 22.06. 13:15 - 14:45 Digital

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Aims, content, and method:
Due to Covid-19-related restrictions, this lecture course has to take place online. If things change later in the semester we might switch to in-class teaching. The weekly lectures will place via video-conference.

In this course we will study the mind. We will begin by taking a tour through historically influential views of the nature of the mind from dualism to functionalism. And we will then get acquainted with the currently dominant theories of the mind as a computer and the so-called Representational Theory of Mind as well as a challenge to it, the radical-sounding thesis of extended mind. In the second and third part of the course we will then look in more depth at classical and more recent work on representation and consciousness. As a result, you will gain a broad overview of the sort of work done in contemporary philosophy of mind and the ability to critically engage with it.

Assessment and permitted materials

Assessment:
Final exam consisting of short questions, deadline: TBD, 100%

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria:
Minimum requirements: passing the final exam
Assessment criteria: the overall grade will be determined by the final exam (100%)

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Examination topics:
There will be questions from each part of the course. For more, see the reading list.

Examination topics

Reading list

The textbooks for the course will be:
Tim Crane’s, The Mechanical Mind, 3rd. Ed, 2015
John Heil’s, The Philosophy of Mind 3rd. Ed, 2012.

Some of the other readings below are required, some are recommended, see syllabus for more info.

Burge, “Perception: Where Mind Begins”
Schneider “Language of Thought”
Rescorla “Computational Modeling of the Mind: What Role for Mental Representation?”
Dretske “Misrepresentation”
Millikan “Biosemantics”
Orlandi “Representation and the Issue of Evidence"
Beck “Why Can’t We Say What Animals Think”
Rescorla “Maps in the Head?”
Mandelbaum & Quilty-Dunn “Believing without Reason, or: Why Liberals Shouldn’t Watch Fox News”
Block “Some Concepts of Consciousness"
Block “Comparing the Major Theories of Consciousness”
Gennaro “Representational Theories of Consciousness”
Rosenthal “Higher-Order Theories of Consciousness”
Pautz “Representationalism about Consciousness”
Reiland, “Experience, Seemings, and Evidence”

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Fr 12.05.2023 00:18