Philosophy of Mind, 6 credits

Main field of study

Course level

Advancement level

Course offered for

• Bachelor´s Programme in Cognitive Science

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to

• account for the central philosophic concepts that are used in describing human mental abilities and properties,
• discuss and compare the most important theories of the soul/mind, and explain how these theories are linked to basic metaphysical and methodological views,
• account for central elements in some of the most important debates in the intersection for cognition research, neurophysiology, philosophy of mind and linguistics.

Course content

Some of the themes and questions covered in the course are:

• Methodological claims for theories, empirical adequacy, explanatory value, extensionality.
• Historical account: The theories of the relationship between body and soul of Aristotle and Descartes; The discussions about consciousness and their relevance for contemporary debates of the 17th century.
• Central concepts: meaning, representation, contents of the consciousness, intentionality, supervenience.
• Main fields within metaphysics: dualism, eliminativism, functionalism, logical behaviourism.
• Specific issues: Zombies, qualia, The Chinese Room, The Turing Test, philosophy of mind and AI.

Teaching and working methods

The teaching takes the form of lectures and compulsory seminars. The student is expected to study independently, individually or in groups.

Examination

The course is examined through oral assignments that are presented in seminars, written assignments and a written examination. The seminars are compulsory and constitute part of the examination. Active participation in the seminars is required.

If the LiU coordinator for students with disabilities has granted a student the right to an adapted examination for a written examination in an examination hall, the student has the right to it. If the coordinator has instead recommended for the student an adapted examination or alternative form of examination, the examiner may grant this if the examiner assesses that it is possible, based on consideration of the course objectives.

Students failing an exam covering either the entire course or part of the course twice are entitled to have a new examiner appointed for the reexamination.

Students who have passed an examination may not retake it in order to improve their grades.

Grades

Other information

Planning and implementation of a course must take its starting point in the wording of the syllabus. The course evaluation included in each course must therefore take up the question how well the course agrees with the syllabus.

The course is carried out in such a way that both men´s and women´s experience and knowledge is made visible and developed.

Department